Urban combat tips - 5 lessons all squad leaders should learn

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Urban combat tips - 5 lessons all squad leaders should learn
The Marine Corps Times

As six Marine and Army infantry battalions battled through the streets of Fallujah last November, four scout-snipers gathered lessons from the fight.

The snipers, with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, observed nearly every squad in the battalion and fought alongside many of them.

After each day's fighting, the men made notes on what they saw, to assess what worked and what didn't. Afterward, they assembled those observations into a 14-page report that offers a fascinating and instructive squad's-eye-view assessment of urban combat in Iraq.

The report's authors - Sgt. Earl Catagnus Jr., Cpl. Brad Edison and Lance Cpls. James Keeling and David Moon - stress one theme throughout: Accomplish the mission with the smallest number of casualties possible.

"Squad leaders should take this evaluation, study it, critique it, give it to their squad, have them study it, critique it and then sit down together to discuss it," they write. "The tactics and techniques contained in the evaluation were gained at an enormous price. Marines were killed on the field of battle developing these tactics. It is the duty of every Marine infantryman to not allow these lessons to die with time."

Some of the report's highlights are excerpted here; download the full document on the Web at www.marinecorpstimes.com.

1. Top-down vs. bottom-up

An infantry squad can assault structures using two different methods. Traditionally, the top-down assault is taught as being the most ideal method. Realistically, this may not be the best option for the infantry squad. Overall, there should not be a standard assault method.

Rather, the squad leader should understand the advantages and disadvantages of each, assess each structure quickly, make a decision on which method to employ, and then take actions that maximize advantages while minimizing disadvantages.

The advantages and disadvantages of both assault methods:

Top-down advantages . Surprising the enemy by moving from the top down may throw him off balance. The enemy's defenses may not be prepared for a top-down assault, and the squad could overwhelm the enemy rapidly.

• The squad has more momentum when moving down the ladder wells.

• If the squad knows the enemy is inside, the roof can be breached, so grenades and explosives can be dropped in.

• The enemy's egress routes are greatly reduced because from the roof, the squad can isolate the house by holding security on the back alleys and the front of the house.

Top-down disadvantages . Once the squad enters and makes contact, pulling out is extremely difficult. This limits the squad leader's options on how to engage the enemy. The structure must be flooded, and Marines have to go over casualties to kill the enemy. Momentum must not be lost. Marines have been left behind in houses because momentum was lost.

• If the squad decides to break contact, it is moving in the opposite direction of the Marines' momentum, and more casualties will result.

• Squads may not have enough Marines to effectively flood the structure.

• Casualties are nearly impossible to pull up the ladder well while limp and loaded with gear. This is another reason why the structure must be flooded.

• Casualties will not receive immediate first aid because the squad must be committed to neutralizing the threat. The swiftness of medical attention may mean the difference between life and death.

Bottom-up advantages . The squad leader has a slew of options when contact is made. The structure does not have to be flooded.

• Momentum can be maintained in assaulting or breaking contact, and the squad leader can switch rapidly from one to the other.

• The structure can be cleared with fewer Marines because the clearing is more controlled and smooth; top-down is always in high gear.

• Casualties can be pulled out faster and easier simply because gravity is working for the squad.

Bottom-up disadvantages . The squad is moving into the enemy's defenses. It is easy for the enemy to hold the second deck and ladder well.

• The squad is slow in moving up the ladder well, which makes it harder to maintain momentum.

• The enemy can escape by using preplanned routes.

2. Tactics and training

Marines must exercise initiative during combat. Squad leaders must design training techniques in order to stress initiative. A Marine must be able to look around, assess what his squad or partner is doing, feed off it and act in order to support his fellow Marines. Initiative-based training is paramount.

Constructive criticism should be encouraged. Every Marine debriefs another with positive and negative observations. The squad leader should also be critiqued by his Marines.

The criticism is not meant to undermine the squad leader's authority; it is to allow the squad leader to instruct the Marines on why he chose to run the squad the way he did.

Young Marines will gain knowledge about squad tactics that they may never have figured out if the squad leader did not tell them. It will prepare them for leadership billets. It will also give them confidence in their squad leader because they will trust him and his knowledge.

Some of the techniques that individual Marines need to learn and practice and pass on:

• "Pie-ing" off all danger areas. As many danger areas as possible should be pied off before entering a room, leaving only one or two corners that need to be cleared. Don't blindly rush into a room, especially if the door is open.

• Using the buddy system. Two Marines always peel off the stack, never one.

• Picking up uncovered danger areas, including when opening doors of furniture large enough to hide a man.

• Clearing obstacles, such as furniture.

• Prepping rooms with grenades.

• Clearing small rooms. If the room is too small for two Marines, or not enough Marines are clearing the house to hold security on all the danger areas, the two-man turns around and covers the rear of the Marine clearing the room.

• Moving stealthily through a structure even when there is broken glass on the ground.

• Making a stealth entry with night-vision goggles and AN/PEQ-2 infrared pointers.

• Making breaching charges and placing them on locking points of different types of doors.

Initiative-based tactics should be taught. The four rules of IBT:

• Cover all immediate danger areas.

• Eliminate all threats.

• Protect your buddy.

• There are no mistakes. Marines feed off one another and pick up the slack for one another. Go with it.

Every Marine needs to understand and memorize these four rules. These rules should not only apply to military operations in urban terrain but all small-unit infantry engagements. Rule No. 4 must be pounded into the squad. There are no mistakes when clearing a structure in combat, only actions that result in situations - situations that Marines must adapt to, improvise and overcome in a matter of seconds.

3. Squad organization

Some squad leaders split their squads in two and assigned different sectors to the two elements. They did this to move more quickly through the houses because they were tasked with clearing a lane that may have contained 50 or 60 structures.

Although this worked and the squads moved more quickly through their assigned sector, it is not the best way to employ a squad. Why splitting the squad is not advisable:

• If the squad includes 12 Marines and is split in two, that yields two teams of six Marines. Clearing a structure with six Marines, even though the building is small, is extremely risky. If a buddy team of two Marines is hit and goes down, there would not be enough Marines to provide covering fire while pulling casualties out. Critical seconds would be wasted waiting for the other team to enter and support the casualty extraction. The chance that a wounded Marine will be left behind grows exponentially.

• If both teams make contact simultaneously, the squad could be cut down in piecemeal fashion within a matter of seconds before other squads could move in to reinforce.

When the squad leader organizes his squad, he must always think about enemy contact. Squads must not be split to increase the speed of clearing. Commanders should not put stress on squad leaders to clear at speeds that would force them to make such a decision. Tactical patience must be exercised at every level.

The squad should be organized using the traditional three elements of assault, support and security. The number of Marines within each element will vary according to the total in the squad, the skills and abilities of each Marine, and the weapon systems that each Marine employs.

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Assault. The assault element must contain no M249 Squad Automatic Weapons, if possible. A SAW gunner must never clear rooms. The assault element should be the largest of the three because every room must be cleared with two Marines. The support element will supplement the assault by joining the stack and peeling off to clear rooms.

Support. The support element should include any engineers or assaultmen attached to the squad. A SAW gunner should be included in this section in order to provide massive firepower if contact is made. The corpsman is also located in the support element because he can provide quick medical attention to casualties, as well as use his shotgun to breach. The support section will join the stack behind the assault element to assist in any way.

Security. The security element should contain the remaining SAWs. The security element is responsible for clearing and securing a courtyard or rooftop foothold before the assault element moves to its entry point. When assault and support elements enter the structure, two Marines stay behind to isolate the house and secure the squad's entry point. The remaining security Marines will join the stack behind the support section and will hold security on all danger areas (mostly the stairs) when the assault and support are clearing each foothold.

Squad leaders must appoint each fire team leader as an element leader. There are no longer fire teams - only assault, support and security sections. Each element leader will maintain accountability for his section. It is easier for the squad to maintain this organization until the attack is completed, after which the traditional four-Marine fire team can be reinstated. The squad leader should emphasize unity of command and succession of command should he become a casualty.

4. Gaining footholds

Footholds are extremely important when assaulting a building. By establishing footholds, the squad creates strongpoints that can be used for consolidation, coordination, base-of- fire positions, rally points and casualty collection points.

The squad must move from one foothold to another, never stopping until each foothold is attained.

The succession of footholds that the squad establishes will differ when assaulting a structure from the top down or the bottom up. The following footholds should be seized in order when assaulting from the top down: rooftops, the inside top deck, each individual lower level to the bottom deck and the courtyard.

The order in which footholds are seized when assaulting from the bottom up is reversed: the front courtyard, the first two seating rooms, the central hallway, each successive upper deck and its respective rooftop, and the uppermost rooftop.

At each individual foothold, the squad can consolidate and coordinate further clearing operations. If the squad makes contact, footholds can be used to establish a base of fire to assault or break contact. When breaking contact, footholds serve as rally points where the squad and fire team leaders can account for all their Marines. A foothold can also be used as a casualty collection point.

5. Demolitions

The majority of explosives used during the fight for Fallujah do not need to be mentioned. The few that follow are all obscure and may be forgotten if they are not written down. Each was developed in response to enemy tactics and has been proven to work.

• The "8-Ball." A 1/8-stick of C-4, used for breaching both interior and exterior doors. It's effective and doesn't use a lot of C-4.

• The "House Guest." This explosive was named by 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, India Company. Propane tanks are placed in the central hallway. When C-4 is used to ignite the tanks, it creates a fuel air explosive. It can be used for bringing down a house when contact is made inside. The propane tanks must be full.

• A 60mm or 81mm white phosphorous mortar round, wrapped three times with detonation cord and one-quarter or a half-stick of C-4. Used when contact is made in a house and the enemy must be burned out.

• Molotov cocktails. These explosives - one part liquid laundry detergent, two parts gas - can be used when contact is made in a house and the enemy must be burned out.

Marines should be familiar with explosives and proper placement of the charge for breaching. Any Marine should be able to cut a time fuse, crimp a blasting cap and put the blasting cap in C-4.

Ellie