The Mechanized Infantry Platoon and Squad (Apc) Contents
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*FM 7-7 FIELD MANUAL HEADQUARTERS No. 7-7 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Washington, DC, 15 March 1985 THE MECHANIZED INFANTRY PLATOON AND SQUAD (APC) CONTENTS i FM 7-7 Users of this manual are encouraged to submit recommendations to improve the publication. Comments should be keyed to the page and line(s) of the text where a change is recommended. Reasons should be provided for each comment to insure understanding and complete evaluation. Place comments and recom- mended changes on DA Form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) and forward them to the Commandant, US Army Infantry School, ATTN: ATSH-B-ID, Fort Benning, Georgia 31905. When used in this publication, “he,” “him,” “his,” “man,” and “men” repre- sent both the masculine and feminine genders unless otherwise stated. ii FM 7-7 PREFACE The evolution of weaponry establishes a continuing need to develop and refine methods and techniques of employing weapon systems to maximize their potential. For the next several years, units will be in various stages of transition to Division 86 organizations. This manual updates the tactics, techniques, and operational procedures for the mechanized infantry platoon and squad equipped with the armored personnel carrier M113 but organized under the J-series tables of organization and equipment (TOE). It is also the squad and platoon manual for mechanized infantry operation under the H-series TOE with special considerations. These considerations, arising from the different structures, are highlighted in appendix A. The fundamental tactics, tech- niques, and operational procedures remain consistent for units operating under either organization. iii FM 7-7 CHAPTER 1 THE ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER Section I. INTRODUCTION 1-1. GENERAL The mechanized infantry will often fight in is dependent upon the situation and the re- conjunction with armor to form a combined quired mobility. arms team. These fundamental factors are synonymous The armored personnel carrier (APC) pro- with the five basic rules of combat secure, vides the infantry with mobility similar to that move, shoot, communicate, and sustain. of the M60 tank, but the APC has less fire- Secure. power and protection. Use cover and concealment. Mechanized infantry complements tanks by Establish local security and providing a dismount capability that enables reconnoiter. the company team to reduce obstacles and to Protect the unit. hold ground. Move. 1-2. FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS Establish moving element. There will be times when infantrymen can Get in the best position to shoot. observe the battlefield, fire their weapons, and Gain and maintain initiative. be protected by the vehicle’s armor, but the Move fast, strike hard, finish APC is not invulnerable. The armor does pro- rapidly. tect against some small arms fire and shell fragments; it does not protect against tanks or Shoot. antitank guns, missiles, or rockets. This means Establish base of fire. that the infantry leader must carefully analyze Maintain mutual support. every situation and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of mounted and dismounted Kill or suppress enemy. combat. The APC is highly vulnerable to the Communicate. predominant tank and fighting vehicle threat; Keep everyone informed. therefore, many combat tasks can only be per- formed dismounted. Tell soldiers what is expected and why. In the offense, the APC allows the infantry- Sustain. men to fight mounted as long as possible and to dismount when confronted by close terrain, Keep the fight going. obstacles that prevent movement, or a strong Take care of soldiers. antiarmor defense that cannot be bypassed or suppressed. CONTENTS PAGE Section I. Introduction . 1-1 In the defense, the APC allows the infan- II. The APC and Its trymen to fight mounted or dismounted. Characteristics . 1-2 The decision to fight mounted or dismounted 1-1 FM 7-7 Section II. THE APC AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS 1-3. GENERAL The APC is lightweight aluminum, air- transportable, air-droppable, and amphibious. This section discusses the vehicle’s characteris- tics and gives a brief overview of some of its capabilities. 1-4. CHARACTERISTICS The APC has the following characteristics: 1-5. MOBILITY The mechanized infantry will often fight in conjunction with armor to form a combined arms team. The maximum road speed of the APC is 42 miles per hour (mph). Under favorable terrain 1-2 FM 7-7 1-8. COMMUNICATIONS conditions, it can travel cross country at speeds The APC’s communication system provides similar to those of the M60 tank. the platoon with communication during either mounted or dismounted operations. 1-6. APC PROTECTIVE ARMOR All platoon vehicles are equipped with an AN/ The APC’s protective armor does not have the GRC-160 radio that can be backpacked in an same protective capability as that of the M60 AN/PRC-77 configuration. Additionally the tank, but it will protect the infantry from some platoon leader’s vehicle may be equipped with small arms fire, hand grenades, and shell two AN/GRC-160 radios or with one AN/GRC- fragments. 46 and one AN/GRC-160. The APC can minimize the threat of anti- The platoon leader, platoon sergeant, and each armor weapons by — of the three squads are also equipped with an reducing exposure time, AN/PRC-88. suppressing or destroying enemy 1-9. WATER-CROSSING CAPABILITY weapons, and The APC can swim most water obstacles with using the cover and concealment minimal preparation. The vehicle has a maxi- offered by the terrain. mum swimming speed of 3.6 mph. The vehicle’s trim vane requires about 2 seconds to be 1-7. FIREPOWER extended. The APC’s main armament is the caliber .50 1-10. LIMITED VISIBILITY CAPABILITY heavy machine gun. This weapon provides each vehicle with suppressive firepower and a light- The APC carries a variety of limited visibil- vehicle-killing capability ity observation devices. These sophisticated surveillance, target acquisition, and night ob- Each squad is also equipped with a Dragon servation (STANO) devices increase the pla- antiarmor missile, which can be fired from the toon’s ability to accomplish its mission during vehicle or dismounted and fired from a ground limited visibility position. STANO devices that may be available to the The platoon will also have: platoon include: M60 machine guns. Binoculars — superior to naked M16 rifles. eye daytime or night. M203 grenade launchers. AN/PAS-6 metascope — infrared light source used for reading, detect- Squad automatic weapons. ing, or signaling. M19 periscope — infrared NOTE: There are various other muni- periscope used to aid the driver while tions available as required, such as light antitank weapons (LAW), driving the vehicle. grenades, and mines. AN/PVS-2 or AN/PVS-4 — mount- ed on M60, M16, or M203 weapons. 1-3 FM 7-7 AN/TVS-2 — mounted on caliber night (map reading, driving, mainte- .50 heavy machine guns. nance). AN/TVS-5 — mounted on caliber AN/TAS-5 Dragon night vision .50 heavy machine guns. sight (6x magnification). AN/PVS-5 night vision goggles — goggles used for performing tasks at 1-4 FM 7-7 CHAPTER 2 ORGANIZATION OF THE PLATOON AND SQUAD Section I. THE PLATOON 2-1. GENERAL The platoon is a basic combat unit capable of maneuvering in the conduct of combat opera- tions. The platoon can fight as part of a pure mechanized infantry company or as part of a company team that is task organized with tank platoons and mechanized infantry platoons. In either case, the platoon can establish a base of fire and then move other elements to seek an advantageous position from which to destroy or dislocate the enemy On the battlefield, the platoon can expect rapid and frequent movement. It must be pre- pared to fight in a variety of situations — both CONTENTS PAGE mounted and dismounted — while attacking or Section I. The Platoon . 2-1 defending, during movement, and under condi- II. The Squad. 2-3 tions where nuclear and chemical weapons have III. Control end Organization for Mounted Operations . 2-8 been used. The platoon operates in such a way IV. Control and Organization for as to make maximum use of its weapons and Dismounted Operations . 2-9 available firepower. 2-1 FM 7-7 2-2. PLATOON ORGANIZATION The mechanized infantry platoon is equipped with four APCs. It is organized with a platoon headquarters and three rifle squads. The pla- toon leader and his headquarters are mounted in one APC, and the squads are mounted in the other three. A typical mechanized infantry platoon is or- ganized as shown in illustration. The platoon headquarters is organized as shown in illustration. A typical seating arrangement for the platoon headquarters is shown in figure 2-4. 2-2 FM 7-7 Section II. THE SQUAD 2-3. GENERAL The squad is composed of the APC and nine men organized into two teams: the carrier team and the dismount team. 2-3 FM 7-7 As a minimum, the carrier team is normal- ly composed of the team leader/gunner and the driver. The dismount team is made up of all squad members not a part of the carrier team. The platoon leader normally specifies the organiza- tion of the dismount team. His decision is usual- ly based on squad strength, mission, enemy terrain, and guidance from the company commander. A typical seating arrangement for a squad in the APC is shown in illustration. 2-4. SQUAD RESPONSIBILITIES Each squad is arranged in its vehicle so it can observe in all directions and deliver sustained, effective fire while moving, or rapidly exit the dismount team from the vehicle when required to accomplish dismounted tasks. Each squad member has certain duties and responsibilities based on his duty position in the squad. Each squad member’s basic weapon, duties, and re- sponsibilities are outlined below.