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FM 21-75

ii

3 August 1984


pittengk

DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

FIELD MANUALNo. 21-75

* FM 21-75

HEADQUARTERSDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

Washington, DC, 3 August 1984

Combat Skills of the Soldier

Preface

This manual is dedicated to the soldier — the key to success on the battle-field. Wars are not won by machines and weapons but by the soldiers whouse them. Even the best equipped army cannot win without motivated andwell-trained soldiers. If the US Army is to win the next war, its soldiers mustbe motivated by inspired leadership, and they must know how to do their jobsand survive on the battlefield.

This is the soldier’s field manual. It tells the soldier how to perform thecombat skills needed to survive on the battlefield. These are basic skills thatmust be learned by soldiers in all military occupational specialties (MOS).

Users of this manual may submit recommended changes or comments,referring to the page and line(s) of the text. Reasons should be provided toinsure understanding and complete evaluation. Comments should be forwardedon DA Form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications) addressed to theCommandant, US Army Infantry School, ATTN: ATSH-I-V-PD, Fort Benning,GA 31905.

The words “he,” “him,” “his,” “man,” and “men,” when used in thispublication, represent both the masculine and feminine genders, unless other-wise specifically stated.

* This manual supersedes FM 21-75, 10 July 1967.

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FM 21-75

CHAPTER 1

Cover, Concealment, and Camouflage

GENERAL

If the enemy can see you, he can hit you withhis fire. So you must be concealed from enemyobservation and have cover from enemy fire.

When the terrain does not provide natural coverand concealment, you must prepare your cover anduse natural and man-made materials to camouflageyourself, your equipment, and your position. Thischapter provides guidance on the preparation anduse of cover, concealment, and camouflage.

CONTENTSGENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-1COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-2CONCEALMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-3CAMOUFLAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

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FM 21-75

COVERCover gives protection from bullets, frag-

ments of exploding rounds, flame, nucleareffects, and biological and chemical agents.Cover can also conceal you from enemy observa-tion. Cover can be natural or man-made.

Natural cover includes such things aslogs, trees, stumps, ravines, and hollows. Man-made cover includes such things as fightingpositions, trenches, walls, rubble, and craters.Even the smallest depression or fold in theground can give some cover. Look for and useevery bit of cover the terrain offers.

In combat, you need protection fromenemy direct and indirect fire.

To get this protection in the defense, builda fighting position (man-made cover) to add tothe natural cover afforded by the terrain.

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To get protection from enemy fire in theoffense or when moving, use routes that putcover between you and the places where theenemy is known or thought to be. Use ravines,gullies, hills, wooded areas, walls, and othercover to keep the enemy from seeing and firingat you. Avoid open areas, and do not skylineyourself on hilltops and ridges.


FM 21-75

CONCEALMENTConcealment is anything that hides you

from enemy observation. Concealment doesnot protect you from enemy fire. Do not thinkthat you are protected from the enemy’s firejust because you are concealed. Concealment,like cover, can also be natural or man-made.

Natural concealment includes such thingsas bushes, grass, trees, and shadows. If possible,natural concealment should not be disturbed.Man-made concealment includes such thingsas battle-dress uniforms, camouflage nets, facepaint, and natural material that has been movedfrom its original location. Man-made conceal-ment must blend into the natural concealmentprovided by the terrain.

Light discipline, noise discipline, move-ment discipline, and the use of camouflagecontribute to concealment. Light discipline iscontrolling the use of lights at night by suchthings as not smoking in the open, not walkingaround with a flashlight on, and not usingvehicle headlights. Noise discipline is takingaction to deflect sounds generated by your unit(such as operating equipment) away from theenemy and, when possible, using methods tocommunicate that do not generate sounds(arm-and-hand signals). Movement discipline

is such things as not moving about fightingpositions unless necessary, and not moving onroutes that lack cover and concealment. In thedefense, build a well-camouflaged fighting posi-tion and avoid moving about. In the offense,conceal yourself and your equipment withcamouflage and move in woods or on terrainthat gives concealment. Darkness cannot hideyou from enemy observation in either offenseor defense. The enemy’s night vision devicesand other detection means let them find you inboth daylight and darkness.

CAMOUFLAGE

Camouflage is anything you use to keepyourself, your equipment, and your positionfrom looking like what they are. Both naturaland man-made material can be used forcamouflage.

Change and improve your camouflageoften. The time between changes and improve-ments depends on the weather and on thematerial used. Natural camouflage will oftendie, fade, or otherwise lose its effectiveness.Likewise, man-made camouflage may wear offor fade. When those things happen, you andyour equipment or position may not blend withthe surroundings. That may make it easy forthe enemy to spot you.

CAMOUFLAGE CONSIDERATIONS

Movement draws attention. When yougive arm-and-hand signals or walk about yourposition, your movement can be seen by thenaked eye at long ranges. In the defense, staylow and move only when necessary. In theoffense, move only on covered and concealedroutes.

Positions must not be where the enemyexpects to find them. Build positions on theside of a hill, away from road junctions or lonebuildings, and in covered and concealed places.Avoid open areas.

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FM 21-75

Outlines and shadows may reveal yourposition or equipment to air or ground ob-servers. Outlines and shadows can be brokenup with camouflage. When moving, stay in theshadows when possible.

Shine may also attract the enemy’s at-tention. In the dark, it may be a light such as aburning cigarette or flashlight. In daylight, it

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can be reflected light from polished surfacessuch as shiny mess gear, a worn helmet, a wind-shield, a watch crystal and band, or exposedskin. A light, or its reflection, from a positionmay help the enemy detect the position. Toreduce shine, cover your skin with clothing andface paint. However, in a nuclear attack, darklypainted skin can absorb more thermal energyand may burn more readily than bare skin. Also,dull the surfaces of equipment and vehicleswith paint, mud, or some type of camouflagematerial.


FM 21-75

Shape is outline or form. The shape of ahelmet is easily recognized. A human body isalso easily recognized. Use camouflage andconcealment to breakup shapes and blend themwith their surroundings. Be careful not tooverdo it.

The colors of your skin, uniform, andequipment may help the enemy detect you ifthe colors contrast with the background. Forexample, a green uniform will contrast withsnow-covered terrain. Camouflage yourself andyour equipment to blend with the surroundings.

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FM 21-75

Dispersion is the spreading of men, vehi-cles, and equipment over a wide area. It isusually easier for the enemy to detect soldierswhen they are bunched. So, spread out. Thedistance between you and your fellow soldierwill vary with the terrain, degree of visibility,and enemy situation. Distances will normallybe set by unit leaders or by a unit’s standingoperating procedure (SOP).

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FM 21-75

HOW TO CAMOUFLAGE

Before camouflaging, study the terrainand vegetation of the area in which you areoperating. Then pick and use the camouflagematerial that best blends with that area. Whenmoving from one area to another, change camou-flage as needed to blend with the surroundings.Take grass, leaves, brush, and other materialfrom your location and apply it to your uniformand equipment and put face paint on your skin.

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FM 21-75

Fighting Positions. When building a fightingposition, camouflage it and the dirt taken fromit. Camouflage the dirt used as frontal, flank,rear, and overhead cover. Also camouflage thebottom of the hole to prevent detection fromthe air. If necessary, take excess dirt awayfrom the position (to the rear).

Do not overcamouflage. Too much camou-flage material may actually disclose a position.Get your camouflage material from a wide area.An area stripped of all or most of its vegetationmay draw attention. Do not wait until the posi-tion is complete to camouflage it. Camouflagethe position as you build. -

Do not leave shiny or light-colored objectslying about. Hide mess kits, mirrors, food con-tainers, and white underwear and towels. Donot remove your shirt in the open. Your skinmay shine and be seen. Never use fires wherethere is a chance that the flame will be seen orthe smoke will be smelled by the enemy. Also,cover up tracks and other signs of movement.

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FM 21-75

When camouflage is complete, inspect theposition from the enemy’s side. This shouldbe done from about 35 meters forward of theposition. Then check the camouflage periodi-cally to see that it stays natural-looking andconceals the position. When the camouflagebecomes ineffective, change and improve it.

Helmets. Camouflage your helmet with theissue helmet cover or make a cover of cloth orburlap that is colored to blend with the terrain.The cover should fit loosely with the flaps foldedunder the helmet or left hanging. The hangingflaps may break up the helmet outline. Leaves,grass, or sticks can also be attached to thecover. Use camouflage bands, strings, burlapstrips, or rubber bands to hold those in place.If there is no material for a helmet cover, dis-guise and dull helmet surface with irregularpatterns of paint or mud.

Uniforms. Most uniforms come already camou-flaged. However, it may be necessary to addmore camouflage to make the uniform blendbetter with the surroundings. To do this, putmud on the uniform or attach leaves, grass, orsmall branches to it. Too much camouflage,however, may draw attention.

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FM 21-75

When operating on snow-covered ground, Skin. Exposed skin reflects light and maywear overwhites (if issued) to help blend with draw the enemy’s attention. Even very darkthe snow. If overwhites are not issued, use skin, because of its natural oil, will reflect light.white cloth, such as white bedsheets, to get the Use the following methods when applyingsame effect. camouflage face paint to camouflage the skin.

When applying camouflage stick to yourskin, work with a buddy (in pairs) and help eachother. Apply a two-color combination of camou-flage stick in an irregular pattern. Paint shinyareas (forehead, cheekbones, nose, ears, andchin) with a dark color. Paint shadow areas(around the eyes, under the nose, and under thechin) with a light color. In addition to the face,

paint the exposed skin on the back of the neck,arms, and hands. Palms of hands are not nor-mally camouflaged if arm-and-hand signals areto be used. Remove all jewelry to further reduceshine or reflection.

When camouflage sticks are not issued,use burnt cork, bark, charcoal, lamp black, orlight-colored mud.

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FM 21-75

CHAPTER 2

Fighting Positions

GENERAL

When defending, or when temporarily haltedwhile making an attack, you must seek cover fromfire and concealment from observation. Cover andconcealment are best provided by some type of fight-ing position. This may be an existing hole, a hastilydug prone shelter, or a well-prepared position withoverhead cover. The time available for preparationdetermines how well you build your position.

Your fighting position must:

Allow you to fire.

Protect you from observation anddirect and indirect fire.

CONTENTSGENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2CONCEALMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

SECTORS AND FIELDSOF FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .2-5HOW TO BUILDFIGHTING POSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

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FM 21-75

COVERThe cover of your fighting position must

be strong enough to protect you from smallarms fire, indirect fire fragments, and the blastwave of nuclear explosions. The position shouldhave frontal cover to give protection from smallarms fire from the front. Natural frontal cover(trees, rocks, logs, and rubble) is best, becauseit is hard for the enemy to detect a position thatis concealed by natural cover. If natural coveris not available, use the dirt taken from the holeyou dig to build additional cover. The cover canbe improved by putting the dirt in sandbagsand then wetting them.

Frontal cover must be:

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Thick enough (at least 46 cm [18 in]of dirt) to stop small arms fire.

High enough to protect your headwhen you fire from behind the cover.

Far enough in front of the hole to allowroom for elbow holes and sector stakesso that you can fire to the oblique.

Long enough to give you cover andhide the muzzle blast of your riflewhen you fire to the oblique.


FM 21-75

Your fighting position should be built sothat, when you come under direct fire from yourfront, you can move behind the frontal coverfor protection and yet fire to the oblique.

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FM 21-75

For all-round protection, to include pro-tection from a nuclear attack, your positionshould also have overhead, flank, and rearcover. The dirt from the hole can also be usedto build that cover, which protects againstindirect fire that bursts overhead or to theflanks and rear of the position. Cover alsoguards against the effects of friendly weaponssupporting from the rear, such as small armsfire or discarding sabot rounds fired from tanks.You should leave crawl spaces in the rear cover.This lets you enter and leave the positionwithout exposing yourself to the enemy.

To increase your chances of survival in anuclear attack, you should insure that yourfighting position incorporates the followingconsiderations:

Rounded walls hold up better againsta blast wave than square or rectangu-lar walls, and rounded walls are easierto dig.

Small openings help keep out radia-tion. Most nuclear radiation in the

bottom of the position is scatteredinto the position through the opening.

Deeper fighting positions place agreater thickness of shielding materialor earth between you and the nucleardetonation therefore, deep positionsprovide greater reduction of initialradiation entering the hole. Radiationis reduced by a factor of two for each16 inches of hole depth.

Low body positions put more dirt be-tween you and the source of radiation.Curling upon your side or, better yet,lying on your back with knees drawnup to the chest is best. Tucked-up legsand arms tend to shield the body fromradiation.

Thermal radiation enters your fightingposition by line of sight or by reflec-tion off the sides. Dark and roughmaterials (such as wool blankets andshelter halves) can be used to coverpotential reflecting surfaces.

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FM 21-75

CONCEALMENTIf your position can be detected, it can be

hit by enemy fire. If it can be hit, you can bekilled in it. Therefore, your position must be sowell hidden that the enemy will have a hard timedetecting it even after he is in hand-grenaderange.

Natural, undisturbed concealment is betterthan man-made concealment because:

It is already prepared.

It usually will not attract the enemy’sattention.

It need not be replaced.

While digging your position, try not todisturb the natural concealment around it. Putthe unused dirt from the hole behind the posi-tion and camouflage it.

Camouflage material that does not haveto be replaced (rocks, logs, live bushes, andgrass) is best. You should not use so muchcamouflage that your position looks differentfrom its surroundings.

Your position must be concealed fromenemy aircraft as well as from ground troops.If the position is under a bush or tree, or in abuilding, it is less likely to be seen from above.Leaves, straw, or grass placed on the floor ofthe hole will keep the fresh earth from con-trasting with the ground around it. Do not usesticks, as they may stop grenades from rolling—into the grenade sumps.

Man-made concealment must blend withits surroundings so that it cannot be detected.

SECTORS AND FIELDS OF FIRE

The sectors of fire are those areas intowhich you must observe and fire. When yourleader assigns you a fighting position, he shouldalso assign you a primary and a secondarysector of fire. The primary sector of fire is tothe oblique of your position, and the secondarysector of fire is to the front.

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FM 21-75

To be able to see and fire into your sectors Cut off lower branches of large, scat-of fire, you may have to clear some vegetationand other obstructions from them. That is calledclearing a field of fire.

When clearing a field of fire:

Do not disclose your position by care-less or too much clearing.

Leave a thin, natural screen of vege-tation to hide your position.

tered trees in sparsely wooded areas.Clear underbrush only where it blocksyour view.Remove cut brush, limbs, and weedsso the enemy will not spot them.Cover cuts on trees and bushes for-ward of your position with mud, dirt,or snow.Leave no trails as clues for the enemy.

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FM 21-75

A field of fire to the front is needed out tothe range of your weapon.

A field of fire to the oblique lets you hit fired to the oblique, your fire interlocks withthe attackers from an unexpected angle. It also the fire of other positions. That helps create alets you support the positions next to you. When wall of fire that the enemy must pass through.

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Combat Skills of the Soldier - eMilitary Manuals · Combat Skills of the Soldier Preface. This manual is dedicated to the soldier —the key to success on the battle- ... These are

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