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Offensive Overview
AFM Vol 2 · USARMY 1979 · ATP 7-100.1Core Characteristics
Bypass First
Urban areas not essential to the operation are bypassed and isolated. Commit to assault only when required.
Speed & Surprise
Attempt to seize from line of march before defences are established. Prevent the enemy preparing a strong defence.
Decentralised C2
Commanders push forward 200–300m. Assault detachment and artillery commanders co-located. Coloured smoke for coordination.
High Attrition
High manpower and ammunition consumption. Soviet doctrine called for 4:1 troop advantage in urban combat.
Combined Arms
MR company reinforced with tanks, artillery, engineers, flamethrowers, AT guns, smoke. Attachments pushed to platoon and squad level.
Underground Key
Sewers, subways, and utility tunnels are primary infiltration routes. Those that cannot be used are blocked or mined.
Attack Sequence by Town Size
| Size | Population | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Village / Small Town | < 50,000 | Speedy seizure if light opposition. Assault detachments only if heavy resistance. |
| Large Town | 50–100k | Attempt from march. Else forward elements seize lodgement areas. Bypass strongpoints, reduce by 2nd echelon. |
| City | > 100k | Full deliberate attack. Isolate, bombard, assault on flanks and rear. Advance on armour-suitable axes. |
Wargame Note
Bombardment creating rubble may save casualties but slow advance routes. "The time required to clear routes through the devastation could outweigh the possible savings in casualties."
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Surprise Attack
USARMY 1979Sequence
- Advance detachment moves rapidly, avoiding contact on approaches.
- If minimal resistance: seize key buildings and streets, splitting area into isolated pockets.
- Destroy pockets piecemeal. Organise hasty defence against counterattack.
- Airborne/heliborne forces may seal flanks or the rear simultaneously.
- If surprise fails: advance detachment seizes a foothold on the outskirts or adjacent key terrain. Waits for main body.
Key Points
- No systematic clearance — only seize the centre
- Heliborne forces may be used as the advance detachment
- Outside artillery range: increased CAS from fixed-wing and helicopters
- Hasty defence prepared immediately after seizure to defeat counterattacks
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Deliberate Attack
AFM Vol 2 · USARMY 1979Four Key Elements
I
Recon
II
Isolation
III
Bombardment
IV
Assault
Reconnaissance
- Heli-borne and airborne units target specific key points
- Infiltrators disguised as refugees conduct recce days before assault
- Local residents used for current intelligence on defenders
- Raid teams capture prisoners, documents; may destroy critical facilities pre-assault
- Detailed street maps, sewer/utility plans and aerial photography provided where possible
Isolation
- Encircle to prevent resupply or reinforcement
- May leave intentional exit to entice defenders into open terrain
- 2nd echelon may conduct siege while 1st echelon continues advance
- Siege preferred if timetable allows — avoids costly direct assault
Pre-Assault Bombardment
- Howitzer, mortar, rocket and air bombardment
- Priority: destroy AT positions and strongpoints on the perimeter
- Artillery attached to assault groups NOT used in bombardment — reserved for direct fire
- Smoke employed throughout to suppress defenders during obstacle crossing
- Chemical fires may be used to inflict casualties without destroying key facilities
Assault
- Simultaneous attacks on flanks and rear — frontal assaults avoided
- Engineers breach minefields and obstacles under cover of smoke and HE
- 1st echelon secures foothold 2–3 blocks deep
- Buildings not routinely cleared unless resistance is strong — bypassed for follow-on units
- Bold, rapid movement to assigned objectives along armour-suitable axes
- If leading echelon stalls, following echelon commits around engaged forces
Attacking a Strongpoint
- Intense short artillery preparation while sub-groups move to assault and covering positions.
- Cut-off group infiltrates enemy rear simultaneously.
- Fire support covers obstacle clearers as they breach mines, wire, and blast entry points.
- Every known fire position suppressed — preferably by two weapons each.
- Smoke laid to conceal real attack and for deception (draw fixed-line fires).
- Assault sub-group enters via smoke and flame through breached entry point.
- Clear room by room with grenades and flame before entry. Top down after ground floor. Basements last.
- Sappers disarm booby traps. Fire support consolidates and covers advance to next objective.
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Assault Groups & Detachments
AFM Vol 2 · ATP 7-100.1 · Grau 1995Storm Group (Company Level)
Typical Composition — MRC + Attachments
BASE UNITMotorized Rifle Company
ARMOUR1× Tank Platoon
FIRES1× SP Artillery Battery (pref. 152mm)
INDIRECT2–4× Mortars
ANTI-TANK2–4× ATGM, 2–4× AT Guns
ENGINEERUp to 1× Sapper Platoon
FLAME1× Flamethrower / RPO-A Section + Flamethrower Tank
SMOKEChemical Defence Personnel
ADPossibly 1× 2S-6 Tunguska (ground role)
ATP 7-100.1 Assault Group (2004)
Task-Organised Sub-Unit
INF3× MR/Airborne/Air Assault Platoons
ARMOUR1× Tank Platoon
FLAME1× Flamethrower Squad (3 operators)
AD/GROUND1× ZSU (Shilka or Tunguska)
ENGINEER1× Obstacle-Clearing Vehicle + 1× UR-77 Mine Clearer
ENGINEER1× Combat Engineer Platoon
MED / MAINT1× Medical Team + 1× Technical Support Squad
Storm Detachment (Battalion Level)
MRB + Reinforcement
BASE UNITMotorized Rifle Battalion
FIRESAt least 1× Artillery Battalion
ARMOUR1× Tank Company
ENGINEER1× Engineer Company
AD1× Air Defence Platoon
FLAME / SMOKEFlamethrower Squads + Smoke Generator Personnel
Internal Sub-Groups
| Sub-Group | Composition | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Recon & Obstacle Clearing | Inf + Engineers | Lead, breach obstacles, clear routes |
| Fire Support | Tanks, BMPs, SP guns, MGs, snipers | Suppress all known/suspected positions in objective and adjacent structures |
| Assault | Platoon + RPO-A flamethrower | Enter and clear objective |
| Cut-Off | If available | Infiltrate enemy rear, prevent escape/reinforcement |
| Reserve | Platoon or Section | Exploit or reinforce |
Grozny Lesson
Post-Grozny analysis found that forming storm groups by stripping platoons, companies and battalions destroyed unit integrity and gave commanders more assets than they could deploy. Better to use standard units reinforced with select weapons systems.
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Grozny Lessons
Grau 1995Post-Grozny Required Steps
- Seal all approaches while detailed reconnaissance proceeds.
- Take key installations on the outskirts after artillery suppression and assault positions occupied.
- Take residential, industrial and central sections successively.
- Eliminate trapped units, clear mines, collect weapons, establish military control and curfew.
Armour Lessons
- Tanks leading the assault proved disastrous — high AT weapon density, gun depression/elevation limits
- Anti-aircraft guns (ZSU-23-4, 2S6) effective against targets in basements and upper floors
- Tanks repositioned to: seal captured areas, counterattack force, security for rear, support infantry from beyond AT range
- Wire mesh cages fitted 25–30cm from hull to defeat RPG-7 shaped charge
- Chechen AT hunter-killer teams used volley RPG fire from above, flanks and rear
- Russians countered with ambushes on all approach routes, using vehicles as bait
Artillery Lessons
- Conventional indirect fires best used approaching the city and on outskirts
- Inside the city: bulk of SP artillery deployed in direct-fire role
- Massed fires create rubble impeding your own advance — direct fire preferred inside
- Few fire support coordinators / FACs at Grozny — MR officers unskilled in adjusting indirect fire
- 82mm Vasilek automatic mortar effective for direct fire
Equipment & Logistics
- Far greater stocks of hand grenades, smoke grenades, demolition charges and disposable AT launchers required
- Every infantry soldier needs rope with grappling hook
- Lightweight ladders very valuable for assaulting infantry
- Trained snipers essential but were in short supply
- Tank-mounted and dismounted searchlights useful for night assault — blind enemy NVGs
- Every 4th or 5th round fired was smoke or white phosphorus
- Troops need distinctive (changeable) identification to prevent fratricide
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Defence Overview
AFM Vol 2 · USARMY 1979Three-Phase Defence
I
Forward Defence
II
Perimeter Defence
III
Defence Within City
| Phase | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Forward Defence | Hold satellite towns, villages and industrial sites. Delay, inflict casualties, keep road/rail/air links open. |
| Perimeter Defence | Exploit long-range weapons and concealment. Force attacker to deploy and use time organising a storm. Defeat outside if possible; else canalize onto favourable approach. |
| Defence Within City | Select favourable defensive line using rivers, parks, dominant structures. Entire area forward used as security zone. Wear down attacker before main position. Prepare switch and depth positions. Designate citadel for final stand. |
Key Principles
- No static defence — GENFORCE considers purely static defence doomed to fail
- Speed over strength in counterattacks — disorganised attacker is the window
- No withdrawal without express order of senior commander, even if encircled
- Aggressiveness — infiltrate back into captured areas, establish OPs in enemy depth
- Battalion and regimental reserves organised as assault groups for immediate counterattack
- Draw attacker into pre-planned kill zones
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Strongpoints
AFM Vol 2 · USARMY 1979Organisation by Level
| Level | Composition | Frontage | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platoon Strongpoint | 1–2 sturdy buildings, preferably with basements, at crossroads/street corners/overlooking bridges | — | — |
| Company Strongpoint | 1 large 4-storey+ building or 1–2 blocks with mutually supporting platoon positions | 200–600m | 200–400m |
| Battalion Centre of Resistance | 2–3 strongpoints in 1–2 echelons | — | — |
Ideal Strongpoint Locations
- Intersections and street corners
- Entrances to public squares and parks
- Adjacent to bridges
- Multi-storey car parks — protection, manoeuvre space, good fields of fire
- Tall structures dominating large areas
Obstacle Plan
- All approaches: mines, wire, dragon's teeth, anti-tank ditching at intersections
- Parks, squares and open spaces denied to enemy
- Anti-landing obstacles and/or anti-helicopter mines on open spaces inside defence
- Some obstacles portable to allow withdrawal or ingress of counterattackers
- Extensive booby trapping of captured buildings to hamper enemy consolidation
Weapons Employment
- AFVs and heavy weapons emplaced within buildings or dug in outside with 2–3 alternative positions each
- Enfilading positions preferred over frontal
- Tanks used as "roving guns" or in ambushes on armour axes
- Mortars in attics covering intersections and alleys
- AT ambushes prepared at every level
- Antitank guns in corner buildings or behind breaks in walls
- Snipers and artillery OPs in high-rise buildings, attics and towers
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Building Preparation
AFM Vol 2Preparation Tasks
- Block doors and windows with sandbags or earth-filled furniture. Create embrasures including false ones to draw fire.
- Reinforce floors and firing positions against shellfire collapse.
- Remove or wire stairs. Communications between floors by ladder only. Wire and booby-trap external fire escapes.
- Remove combustible materials or cover with earth. Moveable shields on embrasures against flame attack.
- Build 15–20cm earth wall at underground shelter entrances to defeat napalm.
- Basements as shelters, storerooms, medical points and CPs. Every basement needs two exits in different directions, at least one covered, beyond reach of collapsing rubble.
- Interconnect terraced houses by mouseholing (attic to attic). Connect separate buildings with communications trenches.
Fire Planning
- Combination of flanking, interlocking and layered fires
- Weapons cover approaches, flanks and battalion rear
- Fires tied in with natural and artificial obstacles to fully cover open areas
- Dummy strong points constructed to deceive attacker
- Smoke used extensively to conceal movement between strongpoints without covered routes
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Frontages & OOB
USARMY 1979 · AFM Vol 2Offensive Frontage Norms
Division
4–6 km
Regiment
2–3 km
Battalion
400–600 m
Company
200–300 m
Assault Det. (Coy+)
400–600 m
Assault Group (Single Street)
200–300 m
Objectives
- Assault groups: immediate objective of 1–2 city blocks or a single strongpoint, then direction of further advance
- ATP 7-100.1: assault detachments typically assigned 2–3 blocks
MRR Attack Options
| Formation | When Used |
|---|---|
| 3× MRBs in column | Defences organised in depth, or elongated city pattern |
| 2× MRB 1st echelon, 1× MRB(-) 2nd, 1× MRC reserve | Defences on city edge, or shallow built-up area |
Artillery Allocation
- 50%+ of artillery attached to assault groups — used in direct fire role
- Remainder in direct support of assault detachments or unit artillery groups
- Artillery commander co-located with MRB commander
- Heliborne OPs and infiltrated OP parties used for accurate indirect fire
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Fires & Support Arms
AFM Vol 2 · Grau 1995 · USARMY 1979Artillery
- 50%+ decentralised to assault groups for direct fire
- SP artillery attached to infantry platoons/squads inside built-up area
- Create breaches in buildings, walls and barricades
- Division/regimental groups: massed fire vs large buildings, fortified positions, counterfire, interdiction
- Massed indirect inside city creates rubble impeding own advance — direct fire preferred
Mortars
- Cover intersections, alleys and avenues of enemy movement
- Fire positions behind walls or inside buildings close to targets
- Attics used for mortar positions in defence
- High-angle fire, transportability and rate of fire make them highly effective
Smoke & Incendiaries
- Every 4th or 5th round fired should be smoke or WP (Grozny)
- Smoke to conceal real attack, for deception and to draw fixed-line fires
- WP creates smoke screen and is toxic — penetrates protective mask filters
- Phosphorous and WP used to create fires to force withdrawal
- Tear gas grenades useful in close combat
Air Power
- Fixed-wing of limited tactical value inside city — used while artillery moves into range
- Fixed-wing more effective vs targets outside the city
- Helicopter gunships more valuable — engage snipers and weapons in upper floors
- Helicopters use captured high-rise buildings as cover, pop-up to engage
- CAS broadly precluded inside; used vs enemy reserves, HQs and logistics
Air Defence
- Main threat: artillery in open, concentrating reserves, manoeuvring forces
- Surplus AD assets (2S-6 Tunguska) employed in ground role vs infantry and strongpoints
- ZSU-23-4 effective against targets in basements and upper floors