CONDITIONS:

The platoon encounters a mine wire obstacle preventing the company’s movement. The platoon’s forward movement is stopped by a wire obstacle reinforced with mines that cannot be bypassed. The enemy engages the platoon from positions on the far side of the obstacle.

CUE:

This drill begins when the unit’s lead element encounters a mine wire obstacle and the unit leader orders an element to breach the obstacle.

STANDARDS:

The platoon breaches the obstacle and moves all personnel and equipment quickly through the breach. The platoon moves the support element and follow-on forces through the breach and maintains a sufficient fighting force to secure the far side of the breach.

TASK STEPS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES

1. A platoon's squad executes actions on contact to reduce fires from the far side of the obstacle.

2. The squad in contact takes the following actions:

a. Deploys; taking the following actions:

(1) Returns fire.
(2) Seeks cover.
(3) Establishes fire superiority.
(4) Establishes local security.

b. The platoon sergeant repositions other squads to focus supporting fires and increase observation.
c. Unit leaders report:

(1) Squad leader reports location of hostile fire to platoon leader from base-of-fire position using the SALUTE format.
(2) Platoon leader sends a contact report followed by a SALUTE report
to the commander.

3. The platoon leader evaluates and develops the situation and takes the following actions:

a. Quickly evaluates the situation using the SITREPs from the squad in contact and his personal observations. At a minimum , the evaluation
should include:

(1) Number of enemy weapons or volume of fire.
(2) Presence of vehicles.
(3) Employment of indirect fires.

b. Quickly develops the situation and takes the following actions:

(1) Conducts a quick reconnaissance to determine enemy flanks.
(2) Locates mutually supporting positions.
(3) Locates obstacles impeding the assault or provides some type of cover or concealment.
(4) Determines whether the force is inferior or superior.
(5) Analyzes reports from squad leaders, teams in contact, or adjacent units.

4. The platoon leader directs the squad in contact , the lead vehicle, or both to support the movement of the squad to the breach point. The platoon leader takes the following actions:

a.  Indicates the route to the base-of-fire position.
b.  Indicates the enemy position to be suppressed.
c.  Indicates the breach point and route the rest of the platoon will take.
d.  Gives instructions for lifting and shifting fires.

5. On the platoon leader’s signal, the support-by-fire squad , the lead vehicle section , or both take the following actions:

a.  Destroys or suppresses enemy weapons firing against the platoon.
b.  Obscures the enemy position with smoke.
c.  Continues to maintain fire superiority while conserving ammunition and minimizing forces in contact.

6. The platoon leader designates one squad as the breach squad and remaining squad as assault squad, once the breach has been made. (The assault squad may add its fires to the support-by-fire squad. Normally, it follows the covered and concealed route of the breach squad and assaults through immediately after the breach is made.)

7. The base-of-fire squad moves to the breach point and establishes a base of fire.

8. The PSG moves forward to the base-of-fire squad with the second machine gun and assumes control of the squad.

9. The platoon leader leads the breach and assault squads along the covered and concealed route.

10. The platoon FO calls for and adjusts indirect fires, as directed by the platoon leader to support the breach and assault.

11. The breach squad executes actions to breach the obstacle (footpath). The squad leader takes the following actions:

a. Directs one fire team to support the movement of the other fire team to the
breach point.
b. Designates the breach point.
c. Ensures the support-by-fire team continues to provide suppressive fires and to isolate the breach point . (See figure J-15 .)

d. The breaching fire team with the squad leader, moves to the breach point using the covered and concealed route.

(1) The squad leader and breaching fire team leader employs smoke grenades to obscure the breach point. The platoon base-of-fire element shifts direct fires away from the breach point and continues to suppress adjacent enemy positions.
(2) The breaching fire team leader positions himself and the automatic rifleman on one flank of the breach point to provide close-in security.
(3) The grenadier and rifleman (or the antiarmor specialist and automatic rifleman) of the breaching fire team probe for mines and cut the wire obstacle, marking their path as they proceed. (Bangalore is preferred, if available.)
(4) Once the obstacle is breached, the breaching fire team leader and automatic rifleman move to the far side of the obstacle using covered and concealed positions. They signal the squad leader when they are in position and ready to support.

e. The squad leader signals the base-of-fire team leader to move the fire team up and through the breach. The fire team leader then moves through the obstacle and joins the breaching fire team, leaving the grenadier (or antiarmor specialist) and rifleman of the supporting fire team on the near side of the breach to guide the rest of the platoon through.
f. Using the same covered and concealed route as the breaching fire team, the support-by-fire team moves through the breach and to a covered and concealed position on the far side.

12. The breach squad leader reports the situation to the platoon leader and posts guides at the breach point.

13. The platoon leader leads the assault squad through the breach in the obstacle and positions it on the far side .

14. The breaching squad continues to widen the breach to allow vehicle section to pass through and secure the far side.

15. The platoon leader provides a SITREP to the company commander and directs his breaching squad to move through the obstacle. The platoon leader appoints guides to guide the company through the breach point.