Forces Recon Manual

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U.S. Special ForcesRecon Manual

COPYBIGHT

Lancer MilitariaSims, Ark.71969USA1982


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PREFACEThe purpose of this manual is to provide a compendi-r:m of unclassifiedtechnlques and procedures used by reconnaisance patrols. It is no sub-shftute for unit SOPs. Nor do any of the techniques in this nanual rep-resent the lagt _yord. The success of any recon operation depends onthe ability of the unit to develop its own procedures and to adapt andexplolt those which pro-ye successful. Ultimately, of course, successdepends on the motivation and training of the reeon team. This manualw111 provlde an introduction to the required training and a basis forcontinuanee of tralnlng. While no technique represents the final answer,those described here have been proven successful in several years ofcombat. To the beginner, thls book wi-l-l serve as a suunary of the tech-niques he must naster; to the "o1d-ti.mer", it will be a refresher andreview. There is on1-y one type of recon man that has stopped learningrecon - the dead type.This book is directed only towards RT enpl-oynent. Therefore, alwayskeep ln mind that taetics and techniques are directed towards one goal;the collection of intelligence. The patrolling tactics, lnsertion tech-niques, cornmunicati.ons, etc. are only means to accomplish that end.(Publisherrs note: This manual- was developed for instruction purposesat the United States Army Institute for Military Assistance during theearly 1970s. It contai.ns information very hard to find elsewhere, muchof it in the form of "l-essons learnedtt from experiences ln SoutheastAsia. I,Ie felt that the informati.on presented here deserved to be readilyavail-able to the nilitary professional and we hope you will flnd lt usefulin all of your military endeavors.)


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\?1l.II.III.IV''v.vr.VII.VIII.rx.x.

- TABIE OF CONTENTS_.-_-_____-otganlzation and Composition of RTsi:-'-'RT EqriiPrle-nt. . . rr'..'r-a.-:Premissiou-r-qePJitG;- """ 8Alr -tnflftratioiTi*iiltr"tton Techniques" " . - - -:: . .::: ::: .:::l;?atrolling Techniques''

Tracking and Use of n**o S.ns"s'in Obtaining CombatIntallige'ce ""47

Intel-11gence.. " " '53......77FAC/FAG Procedures. .. .Employnent of ArtillerY'Foreigo [,IeaPons9296


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CHAPTER IORGANIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF RTS

1.1 GEMRAL. There are essentially two basic recon teams--the 12-man teamand the six-man team. Often the team will be augmented or diminished forspecific missions. It is desirable that the RT leader be given a voice indetermining the size and composition of the team during the planning phaseof a mission.L.2 TI{E SIX-MAN TEAM. The six-man Eeam is usually composed of two Americansand four indigenous team mernbers. It is made up as follows:

a. 10 Team Leader (US).b. 11 Assistant Team Leaderfradio operator (US).c. 01 Indigenous Team Leader.d. 02 Interpreter.:ke. 03 M79 man.*-f. 04 Scout.*

1.3 THE 12-MAN TEAI'I. A typicaL l2-man team may be organized as follows:a. 10 Team Leader (US;.b. lL Assistan! Team Leader (US).c. 12 Radio Operator (US).d. 01 Indigenous Team Leader.e. 02 Interpreter.*t. 03 M79 man.*g. 04 M79 man.?kh. 05 Scout.*i. 06 Scout. tcj . 07 Scout. rl5ro6)HNrdHH6)


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d. STAsO Ris.(1) rt has been evident for some months that there are some serioussafety hazards associated with the use of the McGuire rig as an emergencyextraction device. The most serious are that unconscioui personnel andpersonnel under fire are unable to snap themselves properly into the rig andthus either cannot be extracted or are subject to falling out. The rig isalso sometimes difficult to mount unless it is hovered at just the rightheight - J-"s(2) As a result of these deficiencies personnel from the Recondo school,5th sFG (ABN), designed and built a harness which they named by utilizingthe first initial of each of the 5 men primarily ";;;;iri"J-"ith irs develop-ment' S-T-A-B-O. The theory behind it is that if a minimum:ooo po,rrrd loadbearing harness could be sutstituted for the standard u.s. Army combat packsuspenders, normally worn in the field, that it could u"-"".i"'ror emergencyextraction.(3) The srABo rig consists of two shoulder straps in which loops havebeen built to acconrnodate the standard issue pistol belt and. ,,D,, rings havebeen sewn for use in extraction, to this is included t\.^/o crotch straps whichcan be snapped in place or detached. During field operation the croEch strapsare unsnapped and rolled up in the back. They can be taped in place or heldby a rubber band' when required for extraction they are unrolled and snappedin place' For comfort it is important that the crotch straps are properlyspaced' Recournended procedure is to have them box stitched into place whenthe proper lateral adjustment has been determined. The sTABo rig is partof an individual's personal equipment and will be issued one per each indi-vidual.(4) For extraction a nylon rappelling rope is used. one end is anchoredto the aircraft. on the other end is tied two bowlines on bights, providingtwo long loops into which snap links are connected. These in Eurn are snappedinto the two 'tDtr rings on the harness for extraction.(5) Additional equipment which can be used with the srABO rig are cottonshoulder pads and a safety strap. The shoulder pads are used to keep the ,D,,rings from rubbing on the collar bone and the safety strap, a short Gp strapwith 'rD, rings on-.either end, is used to attach t\.{o extractees to each otherby their harness I'Dt'ring snap 1inks. This provides an additional safety factor.

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Page 32 STABO RIG FRONT VIEW


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Page 33 STABO RIG REAR VIEW


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Page 34 STABO RIG READY FOR EXTRACTION


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Page 35 FOLDED A7A STRAP WITH SNAP LINK HANSON RIG


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Fage 36 MEASURING THE LOOP HANSON RIG


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P age 37 DONNING HANSON RIG STEP 1


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Page 38 DONNING HANSON RIG STEP 2


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Page 39 DONNING HANSON RIG - SIIEP 3


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PAgC 40 FfiADY FOR EXTRACTION E FRONT


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Page 4L READY FOR ECTRACTION - REAR


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CHAPTER VPATROLLING TECHNIQUES

5. 1 GENEML.j:j:":j:H:,jii:"iiiiirili",:::il:1.,:"'ff";:!.j.,t:^:" ":,."::o pa,r.1ling:lt ru- qtr : iil,lit;' fu:+i i: I ff :I " ;" ",i:t" :: "i": ;;r " : r, : i*rl :;i;ot exotic telhni.q.r"" J" ;d;;rteam and the good.3"agm";;*o*i"a'n" ream reader,n this regard. rhere ;;;"t-;;ilent, which determir"3"1n"-"ii"o*u of rhe mission.ions contJin r"r""tioi; ; ;;:titute for team rraining.-J;;'foltowing sec_; 13";"j,Hj;,",.. ::'" *:"i:i|: ffi "i:"*: "1" T::"Hil:..f:1.;:, ". Rr i, _" i = _rpplicability to5.2 PATROLLING TIPS

a. Preparation phase.(1) Thoroushort parrols. ,91 *?o study' Know the terrain." n"rp-r".'";"T"1:1ff;"J:"r route; roi i;;;'ilJ;rl:":"i:::"::::"i;";;":;."", !2) Use of difficult terrain.ave less chance ,f "i""".a"lrr, an" Impassable terrain is verJr rare and younemy along your route.(3) "Offsetr,method should bef^nfannSa magneric deviarion ro rheo an objective.

employed on rout, iir, t " o, i" ri "l'i ".i j lllil;n.oirljrj;iJ:,NOTE: Each derlerr r"I-]""i*"ffi; illl"l5tffj [*"T:"" rou abour 17 merers ro rhe right or(4) Alrerevenr tr,. "n",yTi: ;::lii:i ;fi:.i;r.j:i:cr arrernare rarlying points in rhe(5) Consider the use of special equipment.(a) Grenades.

-1. White r"quipi"nt^;r";"31:sphorous--for breaking conract or for desrroying caches of"n"#i,, :;:T::;.i:";;r:;.:ff;Tns. conract and making boobykaps ro delay_3. Smoke__marking LZ, s, airstrikes, etc.

Grenade Launcher_ _"orr"iJ"iIf dense, perhaps you will(b) r47sbe operating. type oE-i :+:aa=tn whichcarce an I"179: you will

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(c)Clayrrroremines.-Extremelyusefulforprotectingyour.perimeterduring long halts, roobytr.p,

fol'i";;;;;; th" ""n;;-ii !"L"t he is chasingyou, ambush, etc'.,",,"fu",, :'::il;;l:"*"";i:':i:::"':i"'::i:"i";: l5 l:;':ir";":"Jil: 13"-nitely want to carxy a pair of gloves'(e) Rope--Again, " I:"..::'?"'?:;?"it::-i -i:::i::'::";::''il?: T:?:''o"rrt jJ'take along a rope to_ use Itr rqvrv---- eri*it-b" for tying prisoners , -cL. .i(f)Flares--Flaresarerrsefulforsignallingaircraft;inaddition,Lhey are ,r""r,ri"ir, "iriri"g fi;;;"i"-the event-yoi tu"ted to'destrov

some

type or trt*"uorl"t"i"titr; ''ill ;;"; cache' rit:i ot "t*ostorage atea' etc'

(e) Fl,ashligh.-:1'. -the-:venL a man :: T:":i::"!"t!i:::tni:';:?':::i?:::'il,l:i*;:::ll'l:::: :il i: H::" :i1'l';'t' ing devic e(h)Poncho'-Inadditiontoprotecting.youfromthe-rain,theponchocallbe used as an irnprovi"ea rirrer, ""';;;;-.."r.!.i y"". "q"ipmenr dry

when cross-inB streams ' _ __-1 ^so i..rpase Vour

(i)Binoculars-.forobservation.In.addition,binocularsincreaseyouvision ,, ,,igii. They "rro *1r."-;-it"u "1";;;;;-it"" when taking pictures"t ttl:;"';':::':r*:ilr-::'o" the ord-saving' I'A'pi9t:':-'i" worth a thousandwords," * i, gooa'? bi:k-:;';;";'1"::t:::4::' tli*i;*:"til:': tt;:-i::"T[:way rhere "";;;-no doubt that vrhat vou sav,:":JI;;'Ti:::"*ent to show size1H:,':t:* j:i"i?:llii r;iH":::."::fl;:';"1: ;l.i:;il;;;;'L e r r a i n(k) sharp knire--th".:ip here.t: i:t..::r!iX""""'n:li;'#:":" caxtv asharp knif e'"irt"t"-is hardly anything as ul

(6) Test firing of weaPons'(a)onceyouhave.testfiredyourweapon'don'ttake.itaparttocleanitagain. ,, ,oi ii. ,orri"u.roi,,.-itL ""'uo*1"'i"-;"r;::;..:il:"::"3:lo'u-"11 -ler ir go. '6r,"" you rake i?""p"ti, l::99-"or e-a1r.-i-t-wolto ge the r " g"i;=94i!-t-t"tJ Lv+-t+''

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(b) Alwa.""n. "i"lo ;;;";"ffi;tJli""l:.:"Tg rod along wirh you. rhislil' ; o " s"'i*: "'u ::i:ru1,ryi'i:li:ii: i :i: *ii "+ if:ig" iii* "l;

"to pu1l rhe carrridg"-";;-ri;; your fing"r.,riir- :r you_ir;;"d:;.ji{ni*#l;rlt"i;. a simnl" t"tt"r"oi".ur,ring ii ao'i-tr," ro.L "nJ-r.io"ri'g rhe car_(7) Signalling.

(a) A* ,ld_land- signals_-pracrice and erll arm and hand signals-i"J-nt"" ro use "" ,"J;";:r:;;: ream member knows(b) practice the signaLs you wiLl use after dark.(8) Cormnunications.(a) Tape eof ."iio. '-r= emergency frequencies and artilLery request format to handset(b) put uo field expedient antennaby the enemy yo,, ,or,.; ;;;;-;;; rroubte(c) preset artilLery frequency.b. Execution phase.

(1) Change point man and compass man occasionally.(2) Use of terrain.(3) Carrying of weapons.(a) Alwavs have weapon pointed inf you donrt, ihe sptit """ord it takes(b) preparation of Weapon.the direction in which you are looking.ou to move it may cost you your life.

-t. Remove sling swivels.2' Tape bore to keep out dirt and debris.-1. Tape upper hand guard to prevent rattling.!. Tape dtaenrJiy;;fiJ:"t cover to prevent merallic "click,,in rhe evenr ir is acci-

,",,"r:io ::;"r::il1"::,0::;:,:":*: :f ffii:h, :l:: -,, also be used in emer-

each night in the event you are hiteaching he1p.

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(1) Avoid trails' streams' and roads' Due to a l-ack of maps' thesearethe'o"."o*'onroutesoftravelbythee]lemy.Inaddition,don'tforger ro eheck;;; l;"", whil-e-r..ring" through lire 3ungre' Trail- watchersoften use them'(2> Crossing of traits' streams' and roads'(a) Skirmish l- ine '(b) Fil"e '(c) A few at a time'(3) Avoid human habitations'(4) Steril-ize trail '(5) Actions at halts'(a) SecuritY.(b)Ifmenhavedifficultyinstayingawake,havethemkneelratherthansit.(.)t.z-c.(1)(2)(3)stakes.

Sleep close enough to touch each oLher'If you snore, Put handkerchief around mouth'Do not remove equipment while sleeping'Lessons Learned'

Dead foliage may be ol-d canouflage'Tied down or cut dovm brush may be a firing 1'ane'Avoid streams and moats in an inhabited atea; they may contain Punji

(4) Unoccupied houses may contain boobytraps'(5) Be cautious of all- civil-ians'(6) Do not set a Pattern'(7) AlwaYs exPect an ambush -----\(8) Take advantage of inclement weaLher; however' b..E-


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hra "11:lr.tt "tooen engagements, fire 10w. A richochet is berrer than no(11) In selection of LZs, avoid overuse or ,,likely,, LZs.(L2) Smoking.(a) Take medicine for men who cough.(b) Method of coughing.(13) Noise discipl_ine.(L4) Merhod of walking.(a) Hard ground _ Toe to heel.(b) Soft ground - entire foot.(15) Actions at meal ha1ts.(a) One man eats at a time.(b) One man goes for r,rater.(c) Keep othe oie'ro,,=i5o"l:";:::;".fl:'i:ff1.:: ;::rrimes. prepare one rarion, rhen ear

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CHAPTER VITRACKING AND USE OF HUMAN SENSES IN OBTAININGCO}{BAT ]NTELLIGENCE

6.1 HIIMAN SENSES. The use of the human senses in obtaining and developingeombat intelligence is very important, especially in a guerrilLa type environ-ment such as exists in Vietnam. Just by smelting, touching, and/or tistening,valuable information can be gained about the enemy.a. Smell-.(1) Srnell- is very important in that it can be empLoyed to detect theenemy before he sees you, and also to determine what he is doing now, or hasbeen doing in the past. Cigarette smoke can be detected up to one quartermiLe if wind conditions are right. You can aLso smell fish, garlic, and otherfoods being cooked for several hundred meters. You may even be able to detecta Person who has been eating garlic, or other specific food, from a considerabl-edistance, thus discovering a guerrilla ambush before your patroL walks into it.In Vietnam, there are many types of wood used for fueL. By being able to identifythe smell of some of these types of wood, you may be able to determine the pur-pose of the fire and the general location of the fire, or guerril-La camp orpatrol base.(2) For the man who seldom or never uses soap, after-shave lotion, andother such toilet articles, it is easy for him to detect a person using theseitems for a considerable distance. In some areas of the world, the best \^/ay toprevent detection is not to use these items. The British discovered this inMalaya. Once they set an ambush on a known guerrill-a trail-. The guerriltasavoided and bypassed the ambush. Later, one of those guerriLl-as wae captured,and he told the British that he was in the guerril-La patrol that they were tryingto ambush. He said they smelled the bath soap which had been used by the ambush-ing party. In other cases, the guerril-las smelLed the food that had been pre-viousLy eaten by ambushing parties and were alerted. Insect repellent is anotheritem that you can smelL for a distance. If the l-ocal indigenous popula-tiondoesn't use it, your recon tearn shouldntt either.(3) Another item emitting a distinctive odor is explosi-ves.that someone has been working with them just by the smel1 of hisclothes.b. Touch.

yourself having to search buildingsno means for lighting the area; or lightsWhen this happens, you must reLy princi-

You can teLLha'iids or

(1) In the future you may findtunnels, or enemy dead at night withcannot be used for security reasons.pally on touch, hearing, and smell-.(2) To use the .s'ense of toucll_Lo-ifenttfy an- object, you consider fourfacborc--shape, moisture, teh-Fer-eture, and texture. By shape we mean the

generaL outline of the object. Moisture refers to the moisture content of theobject (wet or dry). Ternperature is the heat or l-ack of heat of an object.47


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Texture is the smoothness or roughness of the object. By considering all thesespectst You will be able to basically identify Ine ou3ect. your ability toetermine what -an object is by touch may save your l-ife. A good example of thiss the timely detection of trip wires by using the exposed portion of your armor feeling' Another method oi searching for'trip wires is the use of a veryine branch' Hold it in front of you r.,J you can feel it strike anything.Another method is the use of a piece of wire with a small weight on one end,holding it in front of you as you walk. This method has proven to be quiteeffective' During the Korean Inlar, on occasion, the Turks wourd remove allheir clothing prior to departing on patrol. rf while in,,no-man,s land,,,theyame in contact with someone, they meiely felt or touched them and if they feltlothing, they kilred them. This, too, nu" f.o.,r"n effective.c. Hearing.(i) The sound of a safety latch being released on a rifle or machine gunould warn you of an ambush or a sniper. ihe sound of sudden flight of wildnimals or birds may indicate enemy movement. The sounds of dogs barking couldarn others of your apProach to a village. You must be able to determine whetherou have been discovered or whether the dogs are barking for another reason.udden cessation of normal wildlife ,roi""""rn"y inaicate passage of enemy, or thenimal's or bird's detection of you. Thus, ii is important that you becomefamiliar with distress or warning cries of birds and wild animals of the areaf operations' The sound of a man talking, running, or crar^/ling are importantounds to recognize. rn reconnaissance rJit, the ieam should always moveautiously enough to hear sounds made by the enemy before the enemy hears or seeshe recon team', Another very important sound is the striker of a hand grenadeand the sound of the handle flying off. Sound also can assist you in determiningange to an explosion or blast. rf you can see the flash of the explosion andan determine the number of seconds from the flash to the time you hear the sound,ou can determine the approximate range. To use this method you must be ableo see the flash of the explosion. Sound travels at about 1160 reet per second.or all practical purposes' we can say sound travels at 400 meters per second.ith a 1itt1e practice you can learn io deterrnine range of enemy weapons usinglash/bang method of range determination. It is also important that you be ableo identify the type and calibre of variou" ayp"" of weapons by sound of theeport of the weapons

6'2 TMCKTNG' Tracking, combined with the use of the basic human senses isnother important source of combat intelligence, as evidenced by the followingxample:As the recon team moved through the jungle, it came upon a crest which hadecently been evacuated by the enemy. The ciest was pocketed with rifle pits.n the spoil around the pits were biurred footprints. The holes were deep butot as wide as American Gr's dig them. rt was concluded from these signs thathe hill had recently been held by the enemy.

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i *:i:i;*l##*is*Severalmenprowledthejunglebelowandfoundnumelouspilesofelephant dung; enough to sugglst"th"t ugwl{s of 20 of the animals had

been picketed there. The dung was stili fairly fresh--about two daysthey figured. In one area thEre was a small frame house' carefully camou-flaged and well-bunkered in; it looked like a cormnand post' There were adozenorsosplitgourdsStrewnabouttheroom.Bitsofcookedrice..per-haps15or20grainsinall..stillclungtothesides.Theywerestillsoft to the touch. Adding all these things togetherr it_ w1s speeulatedthat an enemy force of "pp.o"irnately battalion strength had held the sameground not more than 48 hours before'Theabilitytoreadandinterpretsignsleftbytheenemyisofcourseimportant in a conventional warfare enviornment, but this ability takes onincreased importance in the guerrilla environment, because this evidence of

the guerrilla--the signs lef? by him--is all that you may find for days,weeksrorevenmonths,whileinvolvedincounter-guerrillawarfare.The\- following are the basic elements of human tracking:a.Displacement.ThedisLurbanceofsoil,vegetation,orwildlifefrom iLs natural state'(r)Footprints.Footprintscanindicat'eseveralthings:ThenumberofpersonnelinaParty'directionofmovemenL,sex'andinSomecasesthetypeofloadbeing.bornebythePersonorpartymakingtheprints.Personstraveling in a group will usually leave o,,t "ut of clear footprints' Ehesebeing made by the last Person in the group' By studying-a set of prints for

r^7orn or unworn heels, cuts in the heels, tread patLern of the soles' one maybe able to recognize them again. Also note the angle of the impression fromthe direction of movemeng. 'uorr"rly spaced prints with exceptionally deeptoe prints indicate that the person leaving the prints was probably carryinga heavy load. If you follow the tracks you t.y iita where the load was placedon the ground during a rest break. Then by stldying these prints and thesurroundingarea,IoUmaygetsomeideaofwhattheloadconsisted.(2)Vegetation.Whenvegetationissteppedon,draggedoutofplace,\-- or when branches are broken, tie light.r "olorld undersides will show unnatu-rally. This will be .a"iur'to see ty looking at the trail into the sun'Vineswillbebrokenanddragg.dp"rallel-toortowardthedirectionofmove.

ment. Grass, when stepped "il-riir usuallf be bent towards thedirection of

movement. when the bark on a log or root is scuffed, the lighter inner woodwilL show, 1-eaving an easily detected sign'(3)ShredsofcklEtrirrg-T[qjungleenvironmentisveryhardonclothing.It is not uncorEfron to find tt,t""a"Gi-tit-*-"i-"foth clinging to the underbrush'iatli"ularly if movemenL was hurried' -(4) Birds and animals. Another type oi*i*pt"cement may occur when wildbirds and animals are "rraa"rrff ilusnea iiorn their hiding places' Birds' inparticqlar, usually emit .;;;'" oi "rr* when disturbed. Animals will alsorun a\^raJ--from man. Vo,, "noJil l"ri"it"fy iu familiar w{th the distress signatsof the tiri-iJ*ti" ""d birds of your area of operations'

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- b. Stalning. The deposition of liquids or soils not natural to a specificLocation.(1) Bloodstains. Look for bloodstains on the ground and on leaves andunderbrush to the average height of man. Examine stains for color and consis-tency.(2) Soil. Observe logs, grass, and stones for signs of soil displ.acementfrom footgear. The col-or and composition of the soil may indicate a previouslocation or route over which a party has been moving. The muddying oi clearwater is a sign of very recent movement which can be picked out by the mostuntrained eye. If the \nrater in footprints is clear, thi." may indicate thetrail is an hour or more old.

LitterinP. Littering is a direct result of ignorance, poor discipline,or both. rf the enemy should litter the trail, take full adva.rt"gu of his care-lessness. Some examples of littering are cigarette butts, scraps of paper andcloth, match sticks, ration cans, and abandoned equipment. Observe along thetrail and to the flanks for these items. Uncovered human feces is anotherexample of littering.-d' Weathering. The effect of rain, wind, and sun on the appearance oftrail signs.(1) Rain.(a) on footprints. A l-ight rain wil-l I'round out, footprints and give the

appearance that they are old' A heavy rain will- completely oufiterate foot-prints in a very short time.(b) On litter. Rain will flatten paper scraps and other litter such asarmnunition bandoleers and cloth scraps. By close examination you can determinewhether the litter \^Ias discarded before or after the last r"in. Thus, it isvery important that you always remember the day of the last significant rainfall.(2) Sunlighr.(a) on footprints. Footprints, when first made, will have a ridge ofmoist dirt pushed up around the sides. sunlight and air will dry this ridgeof dirt' causing a slow crumbling effect. rf actual crumbLing is observed bythe tracker, this is an indication that the prints r^rere made very recently andincreased stealth should be employed.(b) on litter. sunlight bleaches and discolors light coLored paper andcloth' Such colored litter will first go through a yellJwing stage and theneventually, turn comPletely white. of most interest to us is the-yellowingstage' After one night, yellow spots will begin to form; it takes about 30days for such litter to become completely yellow. on dark colored paper orcloth, You must determine how much paper has faded. The only guideline forthis is experience.

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(3) vJind.(a)0nfootprints.Windmaybl.owgrass,leaves,sand,andotherlightlitter into Lhe prints. Examin" it. litier to determine whether is has beencrushed.Ifnot,itwi]-lbeimportanttorememberwhenthewindwaslastblowing.(b) On litter' Litter maY be blownmay be necessary to search back and forth away from

the trail; therefore, italong the trail to locate it'. (4) Combination of above. Al-1 the elements of weather wiLl cause metal-to rust. check recentl-y "*por"d fortions of metal. For exampte, closelyexamine the rim of ration cans whlre the oPener stripped the paint' Rust will-forn in these pLaces within l-2 hours or less'

(5)Effectofwindandaircurrentswhi].etracking.Beawarethatwindand air currents carry sound and odor. This knowledge can be used to your- advantage when atLempting to locate the enemy'I^lhenever you hear a noise, if you roilL-rotate the upper body with theears cuppea wiih Lhe hands untit thl noise is the loudest ' the direction youarefaeingwillusuallybetheSourceofthenoise.Whenthereisnowind,air currents general-ly fLow downhil-l at night and uphi11- in daylight' Theseelements can also be a disadvantage; for example, if following a trail thatleads into a guerril-la vilfage,-.ia'att. wind is to your back' dogs may barkwarning of your approach. A good tracker constantLy considers alt these factors'

6.3 EVADING TRACKERS. There are three basic methods of getting trackers offof the trail of an RT. These are: (l) ambushing the trackers; (2) use ofdemolitions; and (3) covering trail-'a.AmbushingTrackers.Thisisusual]-yarelativelysimplematterinitself , since trackers "t. ,rol:trI.ily ,rnarrned'- The danger is the possibility ofan armed force following close behind. An often effective tactic is to doubleback on the trail- at an angLe of forty-five degrees and 1ay. the ambush' Thismay cause some de1ay in a reaction force reaching the ambush site after it is\- triggered because of possible uncertainLy as to Ih" "*t"t direction of traveloftheteam.Whatevertheconfigurationoftheambushselected(seeparagraph5.4) it should be accompl-ished aI quickly as possibte once it is triggered' andthe site inrnediately departed at a directiot "t"y from the direction of' movementinto the ambush.b. use of Demotitions. The following procedures utilizing demol-itions mayde1-ay oI. "liffilT; tri"kur". see chapter x for:neLhods of preparation'(1)Claymorewithtimefuze.Setthisonthebacktrat.lwiththefuzecutto the approximate lcngEb--* ti*"-you estimate the trackers to be behind-you'(2) M14 Mines. Thls method is most effective if the mines are planted ina triangular pattern about lqo feet aPart' The location of these min6's must berecorded and reported as with bny others'

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(3) Grenade with Trip wire. This has the disadvantage of taking more timeto install than other methods, but unless seen first will ,ho"t always be deto-nated by anyone following. This method has the advantage over the t'114 of largercasualty radius. Grenades employed in this fashion must be recorded and reportedin the same fashion as mines.(4) Whether or not these devices actuallytion or discovery by trackers may cause them toprovide early warning to the team.

cause casualties, their detona-proceed more s1owly. They alsocovering Trai1. This should be done as a matter of course at all times.The "tail gunner" is the man upon whorn responsibility for this lies. The teamshould proceed slowly enough so that he has enough time to do a proper job ofrubbing out footprints. Bending back foliage, etc. Any item of diseard which

may give away the presence and/or direction of movement of the team, such as gumwrappers, pieces of tape' etc., should be stowed in a bag to be disposed of oicompletion of the mission. Rest and RoN areas must be tf,oroughry policed andsterilized, to include replacing bent foliage into its original position, eras-ing footprints, etc. when it is necessary to evade trackefs, it may be possibleto deceive them by making an obvious trail, then doubling back and moving offat an angle, covering the new trail. Because of the abiiities of most trackers,this method will not work unless the start of the new trail is carefully covered.In most cases' once trackers are on the general trail of a team, it is best totake some active measure against them such as in a and b above. Frequent changesof direction will make the trackers' job more difficult, however.

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7.1CHAPTER V1l INTELLIGENCE

REPORTING ENEMY ACTIVITYa. General-Kev \"Iord Salute '(f) Stze.(2) ActivitY.(3) Location.(4) Unit identification'(5) Time.(6) EquiPmenL.h - Gun Positions.(r) TyPe.(2) StrengLh.(3) Ase.(4) Field of fire*c. Enemy TrooPs '(f) Number.(2) Uniform.(3) hleaPons.(4) Foot gear.(5) Dire-stjLon of moyeT]!'-(6) Language.d. Vehicles.(l) General descriPLion'(2) TYPe cargo '(3) Number of wheels / tracks '(4) TYPe engine '

- --(5) SPeed '

-'-=-'-

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;s1" . -rii;i:+;:;;l-';a::;;,i;r::;-x+;3r4*,;+e;)i;i.:,:.-:i,,::;;-;;;t:;;::;i..;.::;;*:.:.;.:,ii:

(6) Direction.(7) Number of vehicles.(8) Interva l- .(9) Lights.

(10) Markings.(11) Security.(L2) Size of tracks on road-depth, width, ande. Terrain and Vegetation.(1) El.evarion.(2) Slope.(3) Bamboo & trees - height and diameter.(4) Vines - length and diameter.(5) Shrubs.(6) Type canopy.f. Weather.(1) Cloud cover.(2) Temperature range.(3) Visibil_ity.(4) Precipitation - frequency and amount.(5) Moon ilLuminarion.oo. Streams and Rivers.(1) r^Iidrh.(2) Deprh.(3) Angle of banks.(4) Height of banks.(5) Composition of banks.(5) Direction and speed of current.

width between tracks.

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(7) Water clear or cloudY.(8) Potable water.h. Trails and Roads.(1) Direction.(2) Type surface.(3) Canopy overhead.(4) Widrh.(5) Indications of use.(6) Vivibility from alr.(i) AbLe to observe aircraft from ground'(8) Signs or markers.(9) Tracks.

(10) Wheel vehicle.(11) Cart.(12) Track vehicle.(13) Bicycle.(14) Foot.(15) Draf t anirnals.(16) Turn-around Points.(17) Rest-stoP areas(18) Installations nearbY.(19) Security.(20) Soil eamPle.i. Br+ases.(1) Type construction.(2) Capacity.(3) Number lanes.

- --\ t.............------

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I:I

(4) I^Iidrh and length.(5) Type (vehicle or foot).j. Fords.(1) Banks.(2) Depth.(3) Direction and speed of current.k..

7.2 DEBRIEFING FORMATa. Visual Recon.(1) Significanr enemy sightings.(2) Indications of enemy activiry.(3) Primary and alternate Lz data.b. Organization.(1) Composirion (i.e., 3 US, 9 INDIG)(2) List by name.c. Equipment.( 1) hteapons .(a) Individual smal1 arms.(b) Mines.(c) Grenades.(d) Boobytraps.(e) Demol itions.(f) M-72 LAI4r.(g) Spec ia1 rveapons .(2) Signat.(a) FM Radios.(b) HT-1's.

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(c) Smoke.(d) ?anels.(e) Signal I'lirrors '(f) Strobe Lights'(g) UHF URC 10.(h) PEN Flares.(3) Other.(a) ConPasses.(b) FlashI-ights.(c) Individual Items '(d) BinocuLars.(e) Cameras.d. I"lission.

An exact duplicate of the mission assignede. Terrain.(1) Landform.(2) Vesetation'(a) Lowland.(b) Ridge and mountain sides'(c) High ground, ridge toPs and hilltops'(3) Rivers ag! streams'(a) Location.(b)---w!!lrh.(c) DePth.

- _-(d) Current (speed-4nd direction) '(e) S1'oPe of bank'(f) Composition of soil on tittio* and banks'\t

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(g) Dlmensions of dry bed.. (h) Are large streams navigable.

(4) Trails (Identify by nr:rnber as location durlng opn) .(a) Direction and locatlon., (b) width.

(c) Estlma-te of use (man or animals, footprints (describe prints: bare-eet, cleated sores, hard soles), air""tion-Jr movement).(d) overhead canopy.(e) Undergrowth along sldes of the tralL.(f) Directlon slgns, s5znbols, signals found along the route.

llghttfl"iT:ff:r:t:l!!:erlstics (hard packed or sofr earth, dead vegeration;(5) Roads.(a) Direction.(b) tr'idrh.(c) Surface Material.(d) Indicatlons of movement on the road.(e) Malntenance of road (craters repaired, etc.).(f) Description of vehlcLe tracks.(6) soil.(a) Appearance (color).(b) Hardness (dry, wet, muddy, very ruuddy).(c) Standing Lrater.(7) Note deviations from map of landforms, treelines, water-rn/ays, trails,tc.f. Weather.(1) VisibiLity.(2) Cloud cover.(3) Rainfall. s8


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(4) Ground fog'(5) Winds '(6) TemPeratures '(7) Il-l"umination'(8) Effects on Personnel 'g. Cormnunications '(1) Was jarmning encountered?(2) Problems in contacting air-relay'(3) Difficulties with set'(4) Indications of enemy RDF capability'(5)Wasgroundrelayused(Army/t"tarines)'ifsoproblemsencountered,ifany.h. Narrative'

Thenarrativeisachronologicaldetai].edstatementemphasizingtime'movement acrivities, and obser";;i;"; within the area of operations'Insert (Tiure and Pl-ace) 'Movement (Direction and

ofdistances) .(1)(2)

(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(s)(h)(i)(i)(k)

tlhere were PeoPle seen?When?Number.

Civilian or mi1-itarY'Ethnic grouP, la1rguaBe ' etc 'Clothing (co1or, condition) ' footgear' headgear'Equipment (coLor, size, shape' ion{ition) 'Sma1l arns (condition/tYPe)'What were the PeoPle doing?If rnilitary, well-discipl-ined or para-military'Apparent PhYsical condition'

trousers, shirtd; - '-

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(4)(a) Where located?(b) How rnsny!(c) Shape, size, purpose.(d) Construction materials.(e) Markings.(f) Contents of structure.(g) Estimate of last use.(h) Indications of family occupancy.(i) Animals or animal pen near structures.(j) Crops close to structure.(5) Ob"".""tir"" ,f "*(a) Where (trenches, foxholes, bunkers, AW positions)?(b) Type.

(c) Field or paddy size.(d) Care of crops.(e) Stage of development.(f) Food cached in area.(g) Abundance of crops compared to the number of people.(h) Any efforts made to hide erops from air.(6) Observations of animals.(a) trrlhat type, where, how many?(b) L/ild or rame.(c) condirion.(d) Drayage animals.(7) Enemv tactics.(a) trrlhat was the enemyrs reaction to the team?

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did the enemy indicate that he was aware of the team'spresence

(b) Howin the area?(c) Was the team followed - by how large a

(d) was the team attacked aggressively when(e) Was the Leam surrounded?(f) Did the enemy atLempt Lo avoid contact'(g) What reaction did the enemy have when he was attacked?

(h)Whatactiondidtheenemytakewhenhelicoptersarrivedtoremovethe Leam ot i""ti a large force?(i) Signals if any'(j) DisciPline of enemY force'(k) Indications of enemy training and discipline'i. Air-strikes '(1) How manY were called?(2) Locations '(3) What results?(4) Was the ordnance effective against the target?(5) Include those not called by team but observed in

area

(6) Effects of ARc lights'(7) Report effecLs of conrnando lava'j. I4ines '(1) Exact location'(2) Details of Placement'(3) Sketeh (for target folder) '(4) TYPes of mines emPloYed'(5) Number of mines '(6) Detonation of mines & results if known'k. Added Information 61

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(1) Anything not otherwise covered.(2) General estimate of the extent of military activity in the area.(3) SienaLs.(a) was there an identifiable pattern to the signals? what was theattern? Are different methods of signalling integraled in the system?(b) Were the signals related to enemy activity?(c) tr{hat was the apparent meaning of the signals?(d) Are different types of signar.s used in different areas?1. Recormendatlons.(1) rtems of equipment or material- that can be used to improve ourperational capability.(2) Operational techniques(3) Performance bonus form. Res

that canindigenouser.(1) Friendly l_osses.

(2) Enemy losses.(3) Enemy sighrings.7.3 HAND HELD AERIAL PHOTOGMPHY

a. Camera Operation.(1) .(a) Detennine ASA speed of film.(b) set the ASA speed in the window at the top of the shutter contror..(c) Attach the desired lens, i.., 200_nur or 55-rmn.(d) Set the shutter speed dial so that the desired speed is read oppositehe reference mark. Try ro use 1/r,000 at;-d;""ver possibre.(e) rf filters are used attach them to the camera prior to turning on thexposure meter.(f) Turn Spotmaric Meter(g) Rotate aperature ring

be used to improve operations.personneL.

the rrswrr switch up.correct rrf-stontt or aperature

ntote

o

tby pushingobtain thesetting.

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(h)Correctexposurewillbeindicatedwhentheneedleontherightsideof the vierv-finder is centered on the reverse C opening' The needle pointingto the * sign indicates overexPosure while the needle pointing to the - signindicates underexposure. I,Ihen photographing objectives located in shadorvscausedbyheavytreecanopy,youmayhavetooverexposethephotograph.

shutter speed unless you cannot center the exposuref-stop settings available' Then the shutter1/100b to /fSOO. All aerial photography shouldtwo shutter speeds, preferably 1/1000 sec' T1-risblur to a minimum.

kept at infinity 00. With the 200-nrn lensset on

to infinity rvill be in focus and appear sharp on(b)Whenusingthe200.mmlensitissuggestedthatmaskingtapebeusedto secure the focus at 00 (lnfinity) ' This rvill ensure that aircraft vibra-tions and accidental bumps rvill not put the camera out of focus'

(i) Do not adjust theneedle and there are no morespeed dial can be moved frombe Eaken at either of theseivill reduce image motion or(2) Focusins.(a) Focusing should be00, everYthing from 200 feetthe photograPh.

(a) The Asahibe an ideal systemf-stop from F/4 to

b. Factors of Good PhotograPhv'(1) Cameras and equiPgent.

Pentax 35-mm camera fitted with a 200-nrm lenshas Proven tofor use in the O-1, O-2' and UH-ID aircraft' The lens hasFl22 and shutter speeds up to f/1000th of a second'

(b)Takingphotographsfromanyaerialplatformissimpte'butoneimpor.tant factor must be understood a;d ;;memqeredl rn" speed and vibrations of theaircraft ".uut"rGilffiTof th; t".g"L t;1 t"lation to the camera' This move-ment creates image motion or blurrin! of the image on the film' This blur mustbe minimized, if not completely stopf,ed, or the subject matter cn the photographwill not be recognized'(c)Highshutterspeedisthebestr^layofstoppingimagemotion.The

reconrnendea setting i" t'l 1000. Under poor lighting conditions1/500th of a

second can be ,r""al however, this incrlases the chances of image motion'(d)Theaperature(f/stol)isdeterminedbyboththebrightnessofthelight and the e.!e speed of the fi1m. The American Standards Association beingequal 200 ASA film needs twice the amount of light to make a proPer exPosureas on with a sPeed of 400 ASA'(e)Anultraviolet(UV)filtershouldbeusedatalltimesasitwilleliminate most of haze and mist'(2) Techniques.(a)onmostaircraft,vibrationisextensive.ThecamerashouldNo!bebraced on any portion of the aircraft. Vibrations can be absorbed by the photo-grapher's body and arms. Hold your elbows close to your body and you will notonly eliminate some of the vibrations' but steady the camera'

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(b) If at all possible take your photographs with the sun at your back.By shooting with the sun you wi1-1- minimize the effect of haze, eliminate gLareand, of course, obtain much better photography. Acceptable photos may beobtained shooting into the sun, if the sun is high in the sky and you use alens shade. Horvever, you usually obtain much higher quaLity photos by shoot-ing with the sun at your back.

(c) Glass or p1-astic windows. Do not attempt to photograph throughglass or plastic windows of an aircraft, since these windows are not opticall-yperfect and definition wiLl be lost. Not only wil-L the amount of light pass-ing through the windows be reduced, but they will reflect light rays and thustend to throw images out of focus. Plastic windows have about the same imagedeteriorating effectS as plate glass.(d) If at all possibLe it is suggested that the photographer shoot for-ward along the aircraft's f1-ight path to an angl-e of no greater than 45 degreesto either side. The photographer observing from this position can search forapproaching point targets, since the flight path is heading him toward thetarget. Shooting forward reduces image motion and results in better photos.This technique can be utilized when flying as low as 500 feet if the 5O-rnrn lensis used.

$ :;,--r-Ylo(e) If, because of aircraft obstructions (wing struts, etc.), it becomesnecessary to photograph your objective at an angle greater than 45 degreesfrom the fLight path, it is best to use a panning technique. This is required

to negate the blurring effect due to the relative motion of the objective.The subject is first picked-up in the viewfinder at some distance ahead ofthe aircraft. Swing the camera keeping the objective centered in the view-finder as the aircraft approaches it. When the objective is closest to theaircraft take the picture and follow thru with the swing as the objectivepasses to the rear. This is the same technique as you would use in bird orskeet shooting.(f) In cases where a series of photos of 1-arger objectives is desired thepilot can put the aircraft into a tight turn around the objective. This wouldgive the photographer enough time to take the pictures. In this case it shouldnot be necessary to pan but merely snap your pictures as the relative motionof the objective is greatly reduced.

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FILIVIASA

BRIGHT SUN(DistinctShadows)CLOIIDY BRIGHT(No Shadows) HEAVYOVERCAST

PLUS-XASA 1251/1000 sec. -

F /5.6 1/5oo see. -F/4 NOTRECOMMENDEDPLUS-X*atASA 250

1/1000 sec. -F/S f/1000 sec.-Fl4 1/500 sec. -Fl4

TRI.XASA 4OO 1/1000 sec. -F/ 11 1/1ooo sec. -Els.6 1/1000 sec.-F/4

(3) Davl-isht exposure tabl-e for btack and white films.

therolL7.4

?tspeciaL Development. Thero11 at this higher ASA thanat this higher ASA rating.REQUIRED DATA

photo lab wouldnormal. Also, need to know thaE You exPosedyou musL expose the comPlete

a. To properlY Process theoperational data from the Photos(1) FiLm processins.(a) Type of camera/l-ens.(b) ASA raring used (Not ASA printed on fil-m pack but ASA setting used oncamera) .(c) Shutter speed/f-stoP.(d) Lighting condiLions, i.e., bright sun, etc'

film and to obtain the maximum intelligence andcertain data is required for each frame/roll.

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Pho tographer/Targe tCamera/Lens

Shutter/ f- s topASA Rating UsedLighting

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Lancer MilitariaSims, Arkansas

Documents

Forces Recon Manual