AMBUSH

An 'ambush' is a surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted enemy. An 'ambush' is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. Ambushers strike from concealed positions such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops. The tactic is generally used to gather intelligence or to establish control over an area. Ambushes have been used consistently throughout history, from ancient to modern warfare. An ambush predator is a animal who uses similar tactics to capture prey without the difficulty and wasted energy of a chase.

Contents

Procedure

Planning

Preparation

Waiting

Execution

Surviving an ambush

References

See also

External links

Procedure

In modern warfare, an ambush is most often employed by ground troops up to platoon size against enemy targets which may be other ground troops or possibly vehicles. During ancient warfare, an ambush often might involve thousands of soldiers on a large scale, such as over a mountain pass.

Planning

Ambushes are complex multi-phase operations and are therefore usually planned in some detail. First a suitable ''killing zone'' is identified. This is the place where the ambush will be laid. It is generally a place where enemy units are expected to pass, and which gives reasonable cover for the deployment, execution, and extraction phases of the ambush patrol. A path along a wooded valley floor would be a stereotypical example.
Ambush can be described geometrically as

★ Linear, when a number of firing units are equally distant from the linear kill zone.

★ L-shaped, when a short leg of firing units are placed to enfilade the sides of the linear kill zone

★ V-shaped when the firing units are distant from the kill zone at end that the enemy enters, so the firing units lay down band of intersecting and interlocking fire. This ambush is normally triggered only when the enemy is well into the kill zone. The intersecting bands of fire stop any attempt to move out of the kill zone.^[1]

Preparation

To be successful an ambush patrol must deploy into the area covertly, ideally under the cover of darkness. The patrol will establish secure and covert positions overlooking the ''killing zone''. Usually, two or more ''cut off'' groups will be sent out a short distance from the main ambushing group into similarly covert positions. Their job is twofold; first to give the ambush commander early-warning of the approaching enemy (usually by radio or cellphone), and second, when the ambush is initiated, to prevent any enemies from escaping. Another group will cover the front and rear of the ambush position (blocking force) and thus give all round defence to the ambush patrol.
Care must be taken by the ambush commander to ensure that fire from any weapon cannot inadvertently hit any other friendly unit.

Waiting

Having set the ambush, the next phase is to wait. This could be for a few hours or a few days depending on the tactical and supply situation. It is obviously much harder for an ambush patrol to remain covert and alert if sentry rosters, shelter, sleeping, sanitary arrangements, food and water, have to be considered. Ambush patrols will almost always have to be self-sufficient as re-supply would not be possible without compromising their covert position.

Execution

The arrival of an enemy in the area should be signalled by one of the cut-off units. This may be done by radio or by some other signal, but the enemy must not detect the signal. The ambush commander will have given a clear instruction for initiating the ambush. This might be a burst from an automatic weapon, use of an explosive device (such as a Claymore mine or other directonal weapon), or possibly a simple whistle blast. The ambush commander judges when the ambush will be most effective; therefore, giving the signal.
After the firefight has been won, the now compromised ambush patrol will need to leave the area as soon as it is practical to do so. In the past, accepted protocol was to check bodies for intelligence, take prisoners, and treat any wounded enemy. Once this was accomplished the ambush patrol would leave then exfilitrate the area by a pre-determined route. It is no longer common practice to search the enemy after an ambush but rather to leave the area straight away, as the potential gains are far outweighed by the possibility that the enemy may have a larger force en route or have even arranged an artillery strike on the ambush location while the ambush was being initiated.

Surviving an ambush

By definition, the ambush contains the element of total surprise, which means the victims of the ambush have no knowledge of how it has been constructed, or what measures may have been employed to prevent escape. Therefore—and this has been proven by the experience of war—the only ''sure'' method of survival is withdrawal from the killing zone "the way you came in". All other routes out of the killing zone may be blocked, and in a very well-planned and well-executed ambush, even the "back door" will have been closed by the time the ambush is sprung. The military doctrines are "to attack the ambush", but this is very likely to have been anticipated by the ones who set the ambush, and often plays into their hands. The value of withdrawal is the preservation of the force to "fight another day", when not so taken by surprise.

References

1. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/7-85/ch6.htm

See also

★ Sniper

★ List of military tactics

★ Flanking maneuver

External links