2018-03-10/11
2200-0200
20F
Goal: Team night walk
Environment: The property was about 400 meters wide by 800 meters long. There was a hill in the center of the property. The land was very rough with large boulders, gullies, fallen trees and the woods where thick with lots of close interlocking branches. There was a rough "road" thru the property. This was a no moon night as moon rise would happen at 3am after our scheduled stop time.
Equipment: I had PVS-14 and IR-Patrol on Helmet and 5.56(10.3) with Mk3 60mm. Also had pack with water bladder, protein bars, first aid kit. Had USGI compass and pace beads on outside gear.
Blue had two 4 man teams and Red had one 4 man team. Red would be setup in a camp in roughly the middle of the property near the North side of the top of the hill.
Blue Team 01 rode in a vehicle to the South end of the property. BLue Team 02 would move on foot from the North end of the property.
IIRC 8 people had at least one PVS-14. The two blue team had 2 thermals for each team (4 total) and the Red team had one thermal. 4 people had no helmet mounted NODs.
We all had USGI BFA on our weapons and no ammo.
Each Team leader had a radio.
The Team leads all had some land nav and comms experience.
Activity:
After an initial safety briefing, we split up into team and performed a practice walk. We walked about 100 meters up hill along with road, then the various team split up and went into the woods for about another 100 meters. This got us used to moving and communicating in teams.
We then returned to base.
The OPFOR team (Red) were also the referees. They gave each team lead their orders and then there was some planning time. Our team had a map and plotted out our planned route.
I would start out as tail end charlie (#4) and would be doing 360s periodically. The team would pause if needed to let me catch up. I gave my carbine + mk3 to #3 ... the team leader was #2 ... and point was #1.
The second thermal with #3 would enable the team lead, who only had 1xPVS-14 to quickly request a thermal check of a given area. I would be able to continue to check flanks and rear or help double check and area of interest.
Team 2s start point was the North center of the property. We would to march to a point designated as "OP" in the center East side of the property. Then "link up" with team 01. Locate the enemy camp, then coordinate an assault.
We worked out the planned line of march within our team and passwords, etc. with the other team. Team #2 and the OPFOR team then departed in a vehicle.
Our team started out on foot. The team leader called a halt quickly as the radio was not working, so everyone when down in kneeling/holding position in 360 coverage. After working with the radio and changing the batteries, we then resumed our march. We were going up a steep gully full of big boulders, trees and branches. It was slow going. #3 and #4 were supposed to be counting beads but it was tough in this terrain. We took frequent listening breaks. We hydrated and I did more 360s to make sure no critters were visible. After about 175 meters, the team leader did a longer halt, checked the map, did a radio check with the other team, asked for our bead counts (I had 1 but was thinking of clicking the second #3 had 2). Then we departed from the large gully and headed NE into the woods. The woods were thick with overlapping branches, lots of downed trees and branches and lots of boulders big and small. Big like the size of a person, small like the size of a foot ball. I continued to do as many 360s as I could. I expected the OPFOR to not be in the camp, but instead to be out trying to sneak up on our flanks and rear, so I was checking that out as much as possible.
At some point, we could see the top of the hill, due to some ambient light (another house on another property) on the other side of the hill. The team lead then changed the order of march, I was now #1 and the former point was now #4. Presumably, contact was expected and my helmet mounted thermal would be able to detect earliest. So I requested direction of march and got a point. Started moving. Selecting the route thru the trees, branches, down trees/branches boulders took most of my attention, but I stopped and did 90 degree forward scans every few steps. Eventually, I detected a critter and went down. The other critter went down also and I knew we were dealing with humans. I told the team lead we had one human to our front at about 20 meters. I continued to watch the human, the TL got on the radio. The human started waving, I told the team lead. After more radio chatter, the TL rose up and headed towards the human. another human rose up and headed towards the team lead. I could then see 3 humans from another team.
#3 and #4 from our team had closed up and I let them know what was happening. I asked #3 to check flanks and rear with thermal. Eventually our TL waved us forward and I told #3 and #4 TL was calling us forward and we should move now.
We did and the link up was completed. Team two then proceeded almost directly North from the link up position and I quickly saw "something" due West so we went down again. I was looking under a downed tree and saw definite critter.
I then looked over the top of the tree and saw two humans and a fire, very clearly.
The critter under the tree was something else.
So TL called Tm 01 and then told me to advance directly towards the camp. I did, except I found a path where LOS was blocked by numerous trees close to the LOS saw followed that path. As soon as we started moving a hawk flew up from its meal (probably rat) and screeched and later during AAR everyone said they heard it. Camp was 50 yds. We advanced half that distance then halted, them both team leads called for the assault and we went on line and advanced while shouting "bang bang" ... I got to about 10yds and saw one human roll off the top of a huge boulder and crash to the ground ... very realistic looking!
When were then on the objective and the exercise was over. It turned out the TL#1 had fallen off the back side of a giant boulder by mistake. I had assumed it was part of the simulation but it was a real fall. Fortunately, he was not injured, beyond some scrapes.
We then lined up and marched back out of the woods in our three teams and back to the start point. About 300 meters?
We then did AAR. OPFOR said they could not hear us moving thru the woods. They saw us with their thermal (EO Tech 320) before they heard us. That was most surprising as We thought we were making huge amounts of crashing noise in the woods.
My usual shooting buddy James, was point on Team #1 when it turned out, I was point for team #2 and we both worked out that we saw each other and the same time and both went down at the same time. He was the one I saw waving.
Team #1 had been able to walk to the link up position from the vehicle debark point down the "road" so they never had to crash thru the woods except during the assault, whereas my team spent a solid 90m moving uphill thru the woods.
Results/Summary: Besides Hog hunting, this is the first time I have done a night exercise with >2 people with NV/thermal. So, it was very interesting seeing three groups of 4 trying to coordinate their activities. And I have to say it was largely successful.
The main issue I saw was intra-team comms. Our TL was trying to talk very quietly. My balaklava was preventing my hearing 80% of his words, so I had to deduce. I probably got about 60% from gestures or explicit hand signals, but not all of it. Having a second intrateam radio net with everyone having headsets etc. would solve this issue.
The first guy we had on point did an amazing job feeling his way through the woods as he had no NODs. Our #3 had no NOD on head, but he had my 60mm thermal, so he could see well when we were halted, but not so well when we were moving. We all deployed cats eyes on our rear facing equipment to help team mates see man in front of them.
The frequent listening breaks let me hydrate and catch my breadth. I was surprised I did not get exhausted to the point of issue during the exercise, I left my 20s behind more than 3 weeks ago!
James had 2xPVS14 and a COTI on his head and a PATROL on his carbine. He had an issue with the COTI mount. He also decided to stow the 14 + COTI in his bag about 2/3rds of the way thru the exercise to give him more peripheral vision. Perhaps I should've done that, but I wanted the thermal up there to detect.
Team #1 were in position and stationary when he/I spotted each other and he was scanning with patrol on carbine. We spotted each other with our patrols.
None of my team members fell, despite the rough terrain. In walking around in my woods which are similar, I've developed the technique of holding on to branches to keep me upright. I can tell by how the branches bend how much weight they can bear, do not have to see them. And this helped me a lot especially when I was point.
Also, when pushing way through entertwined branches I turn around and push thru with my back, this is easier and branches aren't scrapping my face.
It was an interesting exercise.