FM 21-75 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER AND PATROLLING HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SANDARY 1962 *FM 21-75 Frei MANvAL HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY No. 21-75 WASHINGTON 28, D.C., 19 January 1962 COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER Part Onn. Citapren 1. 2. Section I. ita ML Ww. v. CuarteR 3. Section I. iL ita Cuarten 4. Section I. its mi. Iv. v Cuapter 6. Section I. te Section I. IL. * This manvall supersedes FM 21-75, AND PATROLLING Parearaphe COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER GENERAL rs COMBAT TRAINING General. .... 4,6 Day and night combat. ea Day coinbat. 22,28 Night combat. 24-29 Night visio 30-36 INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION Active measures 37,38 Passive measures. 30-42 Health and hygiene in combat 43-50 COMBAT INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE General. 51,62 Information. 53-55 Production of combat intelligence.. 56 Counterintelligence.. 57 Prisoners of war, documents, and material 58-61 MESSAGES AND MESSENGERS 62, 63 om SURVIVAL ON THE NUCLEAR 72-B1 BATTLEFIELD. SURVIVAL, EVASION, AND ESCAPE... 82-89 THE SNIPER AND INFRARED EQUIPMENT The sniper... 90-97 Infrared equipment. 98-108 ‘TAGO 100568—Jan. June 1957, including C 1, 26 Morch 1959. Pawe 98 102 104 Paragraphs Vane Cuaprer 9. ANTIGUERRILLA OPERATIONS.......- 106-109 112 Part Two. PATROLLING Cuapter 10. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS Section I. General ____-- - 110-114 117 Il, Long-range patrols 1150118 Ul. Antiguerrilla operations -- NG 18 Cuarten HM. PATROLLING RESPONSIBILITIES 17-119 120 AND THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT. 12, PATROL ORGANIZATION Section I. General - 120,121 125, 11, General organization... 122,128 126 TIL, Special organization. 124-126 126 Cuapter 13, PLANNING AND PREPARING THE PATROL Section 1. General. 127 18L IL. Planning steps. 128-187 181 Cuaprer 14, CONDUCT OF PATROLS... 138-181 142 15, RECONNAISSANCE PATROLS... 152-168 168 18 COMBAT PATROLS Section I. ‘General 169-163 166 IL. Raid patrols. - 164-166 167 IIL. Security patrols. 167-170 170 IV. Contact patrol 171-178 171 V. Economy of force patrols 174,175 172 ‘VL. Ambush patrols. 176-188 173, Cnarrer 17. MOTORIZED PATROLS. _— 14-192 182 18, AIRMOBILE AND WATERBORNE 199-198 189 PATROLS. 19. EMPLOYMENT OF SCOUT DoGSs WITH PATROLS Section I, Gener 196-199 192 IL, Using scout dogs with patrols. 200-205 193 Aprenpix I. REFERENCES-. 197 I. EXERCISES FOR. TRAINING IN 199 NIGHT VISION. ML PATROL TIPS... 205 2 2 AGO 109880 PART ONE COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER CHAPTER 1 GENERAL 1. Purpose and Scope a. This part of the manual is your guide in the battlefield tech- niques of the individual Soldier. It explains how to perform your duties as a Soldier on the battlefield. It shows you how to protect yourself, how to preserve your strength and health, and how to see better at night, It teaches the techniques employed by the individual Soldier to defeat the enemy. Combat intelligence is explained because you are a very important agency for obtaining information about the enemy. Messages and message writing are explained and illustrated because you may have to prepare or copy # message or act as a messenger at any time. Battle indoc- trination and battlefield survival are explained to better prepare you for combat. b. Material presented herein is applicable to both nuclear and nonnuclear warfare. c. Users of this manual are encouraged to submit recommended changes or comments to improve the manual. Comments should be keyed to the specific page, paragraph, and line of the text in which change is recommended. Reasons should be provided for euch comment to insure understanding and complete evaluation. Comments should be forwarded direct to the United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga. 2. Your Job as a Soldier a. Asan indivdual Soldier, you make significant contributions to Army activities. You are important as an individual. Our Army is made up of individuals, just like you, working together as a team. The American people invest time, money, and effort in you, As an American Soldier, you are a potential leader und your development is one of the Army’s most vilal missions. AGO 100568 3 b, The ultimate goal of the Army is success in battle. Your job is to help achieve this success. Regardless of your branch of service or job assignment, you may be called upon to fight. You may have to fight atone, but most of the time you will work with other Soldiers under a unit or team leader. You can prepare yourself by acquiring the knowledge and skills needed by the modern Soldier. Success in battle depends on teamwork of con- fident, well-trained Soldiers, Within each unit and within the Army as a whole, men are trained to operate as a team. By doing your job well, you help your team to win. By winning, you and the members of your team are protected and you help assure the success of the larger units. 3. Your Training as a Soldier a, You must learn to operate effectively over all types of terrain, in all kinds of weather, by day, and by night. Your miasion will often require you to move close to, within, or behind the enemy’s area. To do this, you must be highly skilled in moving quietly and taking advantage of cover and concealment. You must know how to use a map and compass, You must know how to use your eyes so you will see what is around you, in both daylight and darkness. You must know how to report what you see promptly and accurately, You must develop patience, alertness, and deter- mination. b, Your training teaches you these things and makes you superior to the enemy. Experienced officers and noncommissioned officers explain and demonstrate what you must know; you are then required to perform until you are thoroughly skilled. You must work hard, learn well, and remember your training. The existence of our country depends on you! 4 AGO 100668 CHAPTER 2 COMBAT TRAINING Section 1. GENERAL 4, Purpose ‘The purpose of combat training is to mold you into a tough, self- reliant, fighting man, capable of performing effectively as a mem- ber of your team; to help you build and maintain the aggressive spirit—the will to close with and kill or capture the enemy, 5, Phases of Combat Training a. Combat is a continuous process—contact with the enemy must be constantly maintained. You must be able to fight by day or by night, Therefore, your training is in two general phases: training for day combat and training for night combat. b, Some of your training prepares you to fight by day; some ia especially applicable to night fighting; but most of your train- ing applies equally to day or night combat. ¢. You must consider visibility in deciding whether to apply day or night principles and techniques. (1) For example: (a) A bright moon or artificial iumination may provide better observation than a dark, overcast day. (b) Heavy fog, rain, smoke, or dust may greatly reduce visibility, day or night. (c) The period before sunrise is usually too dark for strictly day techniques, and the period before sunset is usually too light for strictly night techniques. (2) Under such conditions, it may be necessary to vary your techniques, or to combine day and night principles and techniques. Section Il. DAY AND NIGHT COMBAT 6. Cover and Concealment a. Cover is protection from the fire of enemy weapons. It may AGO 100568 5 Figure 1. Natural protection from flat trajectory fire. be natural or artificial. Natural cover (ravines, hollows, reverse slopes) and artificial cover (foxholes, trenches, walls) protect you from flat trajectory fires and partially protect you from high- angle fires and the effects of nuclear explosions (fig. 1). b, Concealment is protection from enemy observation. It too, may be natural or artificial. (1) Natural concealment is provided by your surroundings and needs no change to be used; for example, bushes, grass, and shadows. (2) Artificial concealment is made from materials such as burlap or nets, or from natural materials such as bushes, leaves, and grass which are moved from their orignal location. 7. Concealing Yourself a. Avoid Unnecessary Movement. Remain’ still—movement attracts attention. You may be concealed when still, yet easily detected if you move. Remember that movement against a sta- tionary background causes. you to stand out very clearly. When 6 AGO 100568 Figure 2. Blend with your background, you must change positions, move carefully over a concealed route to the new position. b. Use All Available Concealment. (4) Background is important; blend with it to prevent enemy detection of your position. T'rees, bushes, grass, earth, and manmade structures forming your background vary in color and appearance, making it possible for you to blend with them. Select trees or bushes which blend with your uniform and absorb the outline of your figure. (2) Shadows help hide you. The soldier in the open in figure 3 stands out clearly, but the two soldiers in the shadows are difficult to see. Shadows ure found under most con- ditions of day and night. ¢, Stay Low to Observe. Observe from a crouch, a squat, or the prone position. You present a low silhouette, making it difficult for the enemy to see you. AGO 100568, 7 d. Expose Nothing That Shines, Reflection of light on a shiny surface instantly attracts attention and can be seen for great distances. e. Keep Off the Skyline. Figures on the skyline can be seen from a great distance, even at night, because a dark outline stands out against the lighter sky. The silhouette formed by your body makes a good target. f. Alter Familiar Outlines. Military equipment and the human body are familiar outlines to all Soldiers. Alter or disguise these revealing shapes. 9. Keep Quiet, Noise, such as talking, can be picked up by enemy patrols or listening posts. 8. Temporary Battlefield Positions Select temporary firing or observation positions which take advantage of available cover and concealment, Figure 6 illus- trates some temporary battlefield positions. Study these pictures, ‘They emphasize that you should: Figure $, Shadows help hide you. 8 AGO 100568 Figure 4. Correct and incorrect battlefield positions, a, Observe and fire around the side of an object. ‘This conceals most of your head and body. b, Stay low to observe and fire whenever possible. You are a smaller target, you can aim better, and you take advantage of concealing vegetation, ¢, Select a good background before observing over the top of an object. Avoid observing aver the top of a ditch unless the sides are overgrown, 9. Camouflage a. Camouflage consists of the measures you take to conceal AGO 100568 9