CAF Doctrine 2 - Section Battle Drills

Dent 2025.

Series

1. Prepare for Battle / Fall in for Battle
2. React to Effective Enemy Fire
3. Locate the Enemy
4. Win the Firefight
5. The Approach
6. The Assault
7. Consolidation
Appendix

1. Prepare for Battle / Fall in for Battle

Aim. To ensure that every member of the section is properly prepared for battle.

Execution. This drill will normally be carried out in a secure area such as a mounting base, concentration area or assembly area. The section commander will assemble his section and passes on the warning order, operation orders, or any changes to the section organization. He will detail fire team leaders as required. He will supervise the preparations for battle.

Prepare for Battle is one of the most important battle drills as it allows the section to establish comms, organization and leadership roles.

Section leader will assign a role to each member as needed for the tasking.

Have the section line up and "fall in" on the section radio with the following information:

name
role
team
assault group

for example:

dent, rifleman, charlie 2, assault group 2

dent, 2IC, delta one, assault group 2

Each member of the section will check in like this on the sections Short Range radio net.

Note: using a nearby wall or fence makes this simpler to arrange, rather than telling people to line up without any direction in the open.

See CAF Doctrine 1 - Section design for more information on structuring the Section.

2. React to Effective Enemy Fire

Aim. To ensure that all members of the section take immediate action against effective enemy fire.

Effective enemy fire is fire which would cause casualties if the section continued on its course, this drill deals with how to react to it.

Execution. Effective enemy fire in this situation is enemy small arms fire which would cause casualties if the section continued on its course.

Sections must continue the advance in spite of the noise of fire directed at someone else and regardless of stray rounds amongst them. Most soldiers instinctively drop to the ground when under fire. This action is generally wrong because the enemy usually opens fire when a target is in a place offering little or no cover. The best course is to react effectively, as taught in this battle drill.

This drill relies on team effort, reaction to anticipatory orders, clear target indication, passage of information, occupation of good fire positions, self discipline and aggressive determined behaviour.

a. Soldiers execute anticipatory orders automatically, on the double
b. If the enemy position is identified, soldiers immediately engage with aimed fire
c. If a soldier cannot see the enemy position, he should move to a location where he can
d. Visual contact must be maintained within each team and group
e. Soldiers must remain alert for orders
f. Information must be passed quickly and accurately

Emphasize the following points to the riflemen/team members:

a. If anticipatory orders have been given, execute as directed and at best possible speed
b. Use aimed shots
c. Maintain visual or voice contact with the team, group or section
d. Dash is to get out of the enemy's fire/sight - whether it is three paces or twelve is not important. What is important is to get to cover
e. Do not forget to change fire positions. The enemy may have you in his sights
f. Remain alert for section orders
g. Pass information quickly and accurately
h. Soldiers should always be either:
1. Observing
2. Firing
3. Moving to a position of observation
4. Moving to a position of fire

i. Do not bunch up or get too far apart. Try to stay approximately five metres apart.

Drill on taking effective enemy fire

Double Tap roughly in the direction of the contact
Dash a few steps
Down
Crawl into a baseline with the section
Observe both enemy and friendly locations
Fire engage the enemy
Communicate the enemy position using the [GRI/GRIT] format
Move on order to regroup or assault

3. Locate the Enemy

This drill is carried out when the section has come into contact with the enemy, but the exact enemy location or size is unknown.

Aim. To locate and determine the size and composition of an enemy position.

Execution. This drill is carried out when the section has come into contact with the enemy, but the exact enemy location or size is unknown. The section commander orders, in turn, the actions detailed in the Figure 5-2-3 until he has the information that he needs.

Figure 5-2-3 - Locating the enemy

INDICATE

Any section member who has located the enemy will return fire and give a target indication.

SPECULATIVE FIRE

Section commander designates one or two riflemen to engage like areas with fire. Remainder of section observes.

CHANGE FIRE POSITIONS

Designated fire team plans move to draw enemy fire.

MOVE

Designated soldier moves short bound. Partner covers move. Remainder of section observes.

4. Win the Firefight

Aim. Bring effective fire to bear on the enemy to neutralize him.

Execution. Once the section commander has determined the enemy location and strength, he must inform his platoon commander of the situation. He must control the fire of the section so as to bring maximum effective fire onto the enemy position and thus win the firefight. Team members must adopt good fire positions automatically, ensuring that they are covered by their partners.

Have the members crawl into a "baseline" position aligned against the enemy and prepare to approach.

Notify higher of the situation and see if other assets can be brought to bear as well.

See Firing rate.

5. The Approach

Aim. To approach to within assault or grenade throwing range of the enemy while continuing to suppress him, using battle craft and available cover.

Execution. Before the approach can begin, the fire fight must be won and the enemy neutralized. The section commander completes his combat estimate, gives his orders and starts the section Once the section has suppressed the enemy enough to allow movement, the section commander must give a set of quick orders to get the section moving towards the position from which they will directly assault the enemy.

This can be executed with Skirmish Movement Orders.

Fire and Movement. In his estimate the section commander decided whether he would attack frontally or from a flank. Whichever, the section commander must direct the section, group and finally team fire and movement at the right time in the battle. This changeover will normally occur as the section closes on the enemy location and external fire support becomes progressively less effective.

The section must then take up the battle, providing its own fire support and conduct its approach with fire and movement.

6. The Assault

Aim. To destroy or capture the enemy.

Execution. This drill commences when the section arrives at the assault position or to within grenade throwing range of the objective.

Depending on the ground and the enemy use your discretion.

The traditional example of "Charlie take the trench" would be having the Charlie Fire team enter the target trench and clear it while the rest of the section isolates the target and provides local security.

The momentum must be maintained. If the objectives can be designated on the move, it will not be necessary to pause and the section can carry right on into the assault. If additional orders must be given due to changes in the enemy situation (e.g., additional enemy locations, heavy incoming fire), fragmentary orders may be given, abbreviated as necessary.

7. Consolidation

Aim. To regroup the section, redistribute weapons and ammunition, and evacuate casualties and prisoners of war and prepare to defeat a possible enemy counter-attack.

Execution. An immediate enemy counter-attack should be expected at this stage, especially if the objective is part of a defensive position. The counter-attack could be supported by AFVs, direct and indirect fire. Thus all activities must be executed with maximum speed.

Consolidation should never happen on a position the section has just assaulted. The enemy knows their own positions and could hit you with IDF if you linger. Complete the assault and move on a further 100m or more to consolidate.

Once in a consolidation position, the section should set up in a defensive posture, while the section IC retakes command and does the following:

Orders the section in a defensive posture. He may also move the section
forward some distance to other cover
Radio a situation report (SITREP) to Platoon HQ
Observes and prepares anticipatory orders for possible counter-attack
Radio up the administrative report (ADREP) with the 2ICs data

2IC does the following, concurrently:

Gather ammo consumed reports from the fire teams for the ADREP

Appendix

GRI/GRIT

Group What individuals or part of the organization is to fire
Range Range to the target
Indication Direction to target, landmark, trace rounds, etc, (Annex D)
Type of fire (rate)

Firing rate

Rate of fire

Rapid 1 round every 3 seconds
Normal 1 round every 6 seconds
Slow 1 round every 12 seconds

For the SAW, instead of a round, fire a burst of 3 to 5 rounds.

Skirmish Movement Orders

Once the target and direction are indicated, the section is capable of managing their own movement.

A bound is normally 5 to 10 meters
You must avoid converging, maintain spacing as you advance

The three movement commands are:

SECTION SECTION SECTION

Movement by Assault Groups within the Section.

GROUP GROUP GROUP

Movement by Teams within the Assault Groups.

TEAM TEAM TEAM

Movement by members within the Teams.

Contact Report, formal

Extract from B-GL-309-003/FT-001 page 3-2-28

Contact Reports. Contact with the enemy must be reported at once. If involved in a fire fight, the short radio message "CONTACT -WAIT OUT" gives warning to other call signs on the net who must then minimize radio transmissions. This must be followed quickly by a full contact report.

Figure 3-2-4 below describes the sequence

Contact Report by radio:

1, THIS IS 11. CONTACT WAIT OUT

Wait out Serves as a warning to clear the air.
This initial report is enhanced as quickly as possible.

1, THIS IS 11. CONTACT

Introduction

GRID REFERENCE 12345678

Grid reference of the enemy - never encode.

FOUR TANKS MOVING SOUTH ALONG ROAD

What, how many, what are they doing?

1130 HOURS

Give time of sighting if there was a delay in reporting the contact.

OBSERVING

State the action that the observer is taking

Contact report, informal (the three Ds)

The basic contact report needs three pieces of information:

Direction : Which way
Distance : How far
Description : What is it and or where is it

Some examples of hasty contact reports:

"Contact North 200 meters, right side of the red house".

"Contact man, 100 m north"

More formal contact reports for radio traffic would normally provide a 6 or 8 figure grid reference and any additional information about the target you can provide.

Authors

Dent