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LESSON 1

IDENTIFY THREAT FORCE DEFENSIVE DOCTRINE

The task taught in this lesson consists of identifying THREAT Force defensive doctrine.

Introduction

When Allied forces landed on the Normandy beaches in June of 1944, one of the D-Day objectives was the city of CAEN, France. General Montgomery was confident that his forces would secure the city, which sat astride a major exit from the beaches, within 24 hours. CAEN, however, was not secured until 10 July, 33 days later. The city's seizure had been preceded by an artillery and air preparation so severe that tanks could not move through the rubble strewn streets.

In August of 1944, the U.S. VIII Corps, under General Middleton, attacked east on the Brittany peninsula to secure the port city of BREST. Early seizure of this city had been set as a goal during invasion planning. BREST, however, was not to fall quickly; it was taken only after loss of 10,000 U.S. casualties over a 44 day period. The Germans' tenacious defense of the city was the major factor in the delay.

Another World War II example of urban fighting occurred in the Pacific. The U.S. XIV Corps landed on northern LUZON Island in the Philippines and advanced south to MANILA in one month. It took nearly the same period, over 21 days, to secure the city.

When U.S. and Vietnamese units initiated attacks in HUE, South Vietnam, in late January and early February of 1968, few of the soldiers would have guessed that it would take over 25 days to defeat an enemy which had only hastily occupied and prepared its defenses in the city.

Operations in urban areas are tedious, time-consuming, and often costly operations which place great demands upon commanders, staff officers, small unit leaders, and the individual soldier. The urban environment necessitates modifications to our tactical methods and techniques, organization, and equipment. However, the principles of war and offense do not change. The commander must apply these principles in urban combat as he would in any other type of offensive operation.

The four instances of city fighting previously mentioned are only a small percentage of the battles in urban areas which have shaped military campaigns of the past. Forty percent of the fighting in Western Europe during World War II took place in urban areas.

Cities that have played an important part in 20th century warfare are listed below.

Urban population is expanding in both developed and developing countries. In developed countries, half the population lives in urban areas. In the USSR, for example, more than 60 percent of the people live in urban areas. With the introduction of modern technology into the developing countries, their urban growth rate is greater than that of the developed countries. The post WW II population explosion and the phenomena of increasing urbanization found in many areas of the world indicate that armies in future wars will be ensnared by urban combat. Armies would like to avoid cities but the mere fact that they are there in increasing size and quantities indicates we may not be able to do so. Cities are important for several reasons: they are the focal point of lines of communication, they have an intrinsic political and psychological value to their respective nations, and they are industrial and population centers that represent a source of materiel and manpower resources to the force that controls them.

The THREAT also realizes the importance of urban combat and devotes approximately 20 percent of its training time to urban fighting. A discussion of the tactics and techniques used by the THREAT in urban combat is contained in the following exercise.

EXERCISE 1: DETERMINING HOW THE ENEMY DEFENDS

The THREAT plans his defense of a built-up area on the concept of defending outside the city itself along likely avenues of approach. Strong defensive positions are organized to prevent envelopment. However, the THREAT may organize its defense inside the city, in order to hold it and employ large tank units outside the city to provide counter attack forces.

Motorized rifle battalions usually defend in urban areas in two echelons, normally two companies occupying the first echelon and one company the second.

A small reserve is retained under battalion control. They defend such areas by having:

• Company or platoon strongpoints
• A reserve, in a separate strongpoint
• Security elements posted forward of strongpoints
• Ambushes and obstacles between strongpoints
• Underground routes to connect positions
• Dummy strongpoints to deceive attackers
• A rear service area.

Fighting within the city usually breaks up into a number of separate local battles focused around the defense of strongpoints. Groups of buildings at crossroads and squares are transformed into mutually supporting strongpoints and the overall defensive system is based on holding a series of these critical areas.

Companies prepare strongpoints by defending in perimeter of several buildings having mutual support. Platoons defend either one or two buildings within a company strongpoint or a floor of a large building. Strongpoints are prepared in strongly built buildings. Wooden buildings are avoided or, if they block fields of fire, they are destroyed. Covered routes are established within each strongpoint, either through the buildings, through underground routes, or behind barricades. Shelters for protection from nuclear weapons are set up in basements. Weapons are positioned to dominate key intersections and streets.

Communications are obtained by creating holes through walls, running wire through sewers, subways, and trenches, and by using messengers. Streets are mined and blocked with any available material, such as rubble, wrecked vehicles, or wire entanglements. Strongpoints are well-stocked with supplies in view of the THREAT's standing orders to defend every single building, every inch of ground, to the last man. Normal THREAT doctrine to employ spoiling attacks and infiltration of the flanks and rear of attacking forces is emphasized. Individuals and small units are used in cleverly concealed positions and hideouts to perform contingency, stay-behind missions.

Fire is a combination of flanking, interlocking, and layered fire from all weapons. Weapons are deployed to provide layers of fire on approaches to a defensive area and on its flanks and rear. Fire is tied in with obstacles to cover open areas. Mines may be deployed in gaps between strongpoints on approaches.

The motorized rifle battalion is the unit most commonly deployed in urban terrain and provides the base element for the urban force structure. Other elements are attached to or in support of the motorized rifle battalion. Artillery, air, and tank support do not differ materially from normal defensive support; however, greater control is emphasized. Artillery support is provided by single guns firing directly from strongpoints. An artillery group outside the built-up area provides fire on call from observers located in the strongpoint. Although tanks are normally held in reserve for counterattacks, single tanks, and SP guns may be sited in strongpoints.

• Tanks are attached to a motorized rifle battalion to reinforce antitank defense, to fight as "roving guns" or to be positioned in strongpoints. Tanks may be used in ambushes, where they are employed primarily against attacking tanks.
• Artillery causes attacking tanks to close their hatches, helps separate them from dismounted infantry, and is a means of nuclear delivery. In addition to their normal, indirect fire capability, as much as 50 percent of artillery pieces are attached to companies and platoons and used in a direct lay role.
• Mortars, with their high-angle fire, portability, and high rate of fire, are used extensively in urban combat. The THREAT has heavy mortars, 160mm to 240mm, for use in urban areas.
• Smoke is used to conceal maneuver between strongpoints, defensive areas, and building that do not have concealed routes between them.
• Antitank crews prepare firing positions from which they can cover streets and other main arteries into public squares. They also prepare firing positions along expected routes of attack where fields of fire are good.
• Chemical defense elements, when attached to a motorized rifle battalion, may perform radiological and chemical reconnaissance in order to detect the effects of NBC weapons and determine the degree and limits of contamination.
• Nuclear weapons may be used against an attacker's nuclear delivery means or on concentrations of force on the approaches to a city. In addition, they may be used against an attacking force which seizes part or all of an urban area, if there are no other weapons available.
• Frontal (tactical) aviation is used to strike concentrations of attacking troops, nuclear delivery means, groups of artillery, and forces trying to bypass or encircle an urban area.
• Helicopters may help by:
  - delivering cargo to defending units that are isolated
  - inserting reconnaissance and ambush forces in the attacker's rear area
  - striking armored forces on approaches.
• Political Officers - Based on the commander's guidance, the deputy commander for political affairs plans the party-political support for the combat missions. The political plan stresses that a defended building must be a fortress, and the force which is morally stronger and better prepared mentally will be the victor.

During an artillery preparation, defending troops are sometimes kept on standby in shelters. When the preparation is lifted, those troops move forward and occupy their primary defensive positions. Defenders strive to separate attacking infantrymen from tanks so the tanks may be destroyed at short ranges by antitank weapons. Motorized rifle companies will counterattack before a penetrating force has a chance to prepare a hasty defense.

Additional THREAT Defensive Doctrine has been extracted from FM 90-10. Read these pages now before proceeding to Practical Exercise 1.