Light Machine Gun

Light Machine Gun Employment


Along the skirmish line, when in direct contact with the enemy, one or two light machine guns for every 9 or 10 man squad is absolutely essential. Without light machine guns, squads will not last long. Be happy when you encounter those American, Cauckistan and Brit units whose commanders eschew light machine guns and prefer BAR type weapons.

When a firefight erupts it usually escalates as combat elements make contact with each other along the battle line. In the woods, jungle, hills or step, usually fire teams start fighting and more units are committed to the battle as the commander makes his decisions. Of course there are exceptions to this rule.

If a unit is crossing an open area and comes under fire they will have to adjust. A firefight can quickly escalate from an individual firing at the enemy to a battalion, or regiment firing at the enemy in an encounter battle.

When a squad makes contact with the enemy the squad leader has to make several quick decisions. This decisions are based on the mission, the squad's capabilities and his sense of the build up of enemy firepower. He must evaluate what kind of force the squad is facing. Sometimes this can be determined by the how many enemy rifles are being heard and how much of an area those weapons are occupying.

A lot depends on the situation. If the squad has been ambushed and has taken casualties and the squad leader can't extract safely, he might order a desperate attack. What kind of attack varies on the terrain and situation. Most likely he will order a fireteam (A fireteam is an element of a squad. Ideally a squad should include two fireteams with each 4-man team having a light machine gun and an RPG. The fire team includes a fifth man also, either the squad leader or the assistant squad leader.

If a squad leader allows one of his fire teams to move off independently, he will soon lose control of it. Both fire teams should be kept with a squad. It is not big enough to maneuver independently.) to try and flank the enemy, or he might bring up the other fire team to help suppress the enemy.

The Squad Leader has three primary objectives that over rule all others:
1. Destroy the enemy
2. Scout the enemy
3. Preserve as man of his men as possible from being killed, wounded or missing.
With those three injunction in mind , a squad leader must think twice before sacrificing more of his unit in an attempt to rescue wounded.

A squad leader, attacking as a point unit of a larger formation, must do two things upon enemy contact:
1. Feel them out, try to determine the size of the enemy
2. Pin them if possible

After the above two tasks are attempted, the squad leader reports the situation to the platoon leader. If enemy pressure is too great, he executes a fighting withdrawal on his own initiative. He must not allow his squad to be over run while conducting any rescue attempt.

Of course the squad leader might order everyone to run for their life. As explained above fire teams are not independent units and have minimal firepower compared to a rifle platoon, company or battalion.

In fact, it is stupid for a company or platoon to attempt to, or allow, a squad leader to maneuver his squad separately. Squads are not maneuver elements.In fact the basic maneuver element should be a battalion. Fighting piecemeal when larger units can both flank and over run small enemy units is the mark of an amateur.

Of course all battalion and company commanders should be up front with their troops. The battalion commander who stays in the rear with the gear, guarded by two companies while one company "maneuvers" is an inadequate combat leader.
Up front is where the war is and the glory is.

Back to the Squad Leader
It is the squad leader's mission to deploy his fire teams in an effective manner against the enemy. With all the yelling, screaming, gunfire and confusion, a squad leader has a very difficult job controlling his squad and maneuvering it effectively. A squad leader can't always see his entire squad, or even his team leaders.
Squad radios are useful to a squad leader but he should know how to receive reports and give orders without them.
If the squad doesn't have radios the squad leader has to use hand and arm signals. In this situation he must keep the squad together in a skirmish line. It is the responsibility of the squad members to know where the leader is.
The squad leader must always keep priority control of his light machine guns and directly give them firing orders.Usually yelling is of limited value because of all the noise and hand arm signals down work very well unless people are looking at him or it is night time.
What ends up happening in American units is that the squad leader has to run around from team leader to team leader screaming out directions or receiving reports. Of course yelling sometimes works, but not always. That is the wrong way.
A well trained squad will automatically execute a counter fire drill upon entering an unplanned encounter battle. The squad leader may send a runner to alert the other team leader with an order if he is out of sight. One team is always with the squad leader. The squad leader can also use a whistle to communicate with his other fire team or flare gun to communicate with his platoon leader.
That is why standard operating procedures are so important to a squad. SOP's cover most situations and help overcome much of the confusion. For example, if the SOP calls for first fire team to lay down a base of fire when they make contact and for second fire team to envelope (flank) then that is wrong.
Both fireteams will remain under squad leader control when contact is first made.Overall, the squad leaders has a great deal of control and can spell the difference between victory or defeat if his squad is properly trained.

Some squads are organized around medium machine guns. For instance, not so long ago British squads were organized with eight men. One had a medium machine gun and the other seven had regular assault rifles. When the firing began, the machine gunner and his assistant would lay down a base of fire while the six riflemen advanced. When the squad leader was ready for the machine gun to advance, all six riflemen would fire to cover the gunner's advance. That method failed because the squad leader always split his squad before he had too and his rifle unit was invariably wiped out.

Regardless of organization, a poorly trained (or led) squad would operate as one big mob directed by the squad leader. The squad might have a great deal of firepower in the form of machine guns and rockets, but there would often be a lack of initiative among the troops.The Soviets were a prime example of this. The tactics were difficult but the reds knew that wars are won at the operational level, not the tactical level.
All Soviet tactics were based on battle drills or standard operating procedures. The advantage of this method was that everyone knew what was going on and what was expected of them. Only squad leaders knew how to read a map or a radio. If something unexpected happened then the battle drill could rapidly fall apart.
To overcome that probldm, the Soviets used waves. When wave one fell apart, then wave two would move in, or wave three. Eventually, one wave would succeed and the waves that failed could regroup and reorganize. This method of combat was great for the Soviets who relied on quantity over quality. They won World War II with such tactics.
Maxim 1: The point is, a squad is nothing without one or two light machine guns.
Maxim 2: Battles are won by concentrations of power.

Those leaders who worry about : the embedded press, ROE commissars, collateral damage and suffering casualties will inevitably end up defending base camps and relinquish the initiative.Lower level Soviet soldiers were not encouraged to think or act on their own. In a Soviet type military, the squad leader would be nothing more than a fireteam leader with a lot more men and weapons than usual. The platoon commander, an officer, would be the real decision maker and even then he would always defer to a higher authority. That is because squads and platoons are too small to have a real effect on combat. A rifle company has a limited effect, but a rifle battalion, with the commander up front and no “staff” will make a significant contribution.A Soviet style squad is heavily armed with automatic weapons. Usual doctrine calls for the squad to deploy on line and while standing or crouching, advance on the enemy. As the squad advances a high volume of fire would be maintained so that the squad would have fire superiority and their enemy would be forced to seek cover. With fire superiority, the Soviet squad would advance on line with their weapon in their shoulder or at their hip. When a soldier fired he would 'walk' his rounds into the target, adjusting his aim according to where his rounds hit. Of course the Soviets did not always do it this way. They would take cover and use finer tactics, but they preferred to keep things as simple as possible and trained their troops accordingly. Most of their soldiers were conscripts and didn't want to be there anyway. This is also another reason, nearly all Soviet weapons had the automatic fire capability.

American ground units are micro-managed from higher levels than the Soviet or Russian army has ever been. The American army has frequently had a colonel or general maneuvering a platoon or company. Why? Americans have too many radios. They only give lip service to initiative and the offensive. The truth is that American higher commanders are very timid, greatly fear any casualties and micromanage their troops relentlessly. They depend on artillery and air power to smother the enemy. The US Army only pretends to value initiative. It is more micromanaged than any Soviet unit ever was.
Machine Guns
In most cases a machine gun can be reloaded by an assistant gunner who can attach the next belt to the one currently in the gun. However, if the machine gun does run out, the top 'feed cover' has to be lifted, a new belt placed in the mechanism and the feed tray closed. Then the charging handle has to be pulled to the rear before the gunner can fire.
However a machine gunner must be able to operate his gun alone. In a fire fight, the squad machine gun(s) should be the last part of the squad that is killed, not the first part.

Some machine guns (especially newer ones) have a kind of magazine that is often little more than a box of linked ammo that is attached underneath the weapon. This box can be replaced relatively easily but the belt of ammo still has to be fed into the weapon.

Counting ammo fired from a machine gun while under fire is not practical so the gunner must frequently check to see how much he has left . He could place a certain number of tracer rounds at the end of a belt but remember, tracer rounds give the machine gun position away. The belt of ammo might also snag on branches or other things and trip up the gunner.

Formations
A squad only uses dedicated formations when it is moving to the attack. During patrols it may use formations but due to the fact patrols usually cover large amounts of area formations are not always practical except in certain situations. The squad uses many of the same formations as a fireteam, with one additional one. Inside the squad formation, the fireteams are in their own formations. Sometimes the squad leader dictates which formations the fireteams will use but not always. For instance in a squad wedge, the lead fireteam might be in a fireteam wedge and the fireteams on either side might be in echelons.Grenades, and RPGs are used as needed. Underslung grenade launchers should be kept loaded and reloaded after they are fired. Grenades launched from the muzzle should be loaded only when required.Carry too much ammo and you are going to be a nice slow moving target. Carry too little ammo and you might be a fast moving target. Remember the ammo has to go somewhere and the weight adds up fast. Ammunition isn't made of feathers, it is made of steel, brass and lead. Magazines are also made of metal. Magazine pouches should be located on the sides where they don't interfere with the soldier when he tries to become one with the ground while bullets zip by overhead.

Patrol
A squad is organized very well for a patrol. It does not have enough organic firepower to hold its own in a big fight . It is small enough to move with some degree of stealth and security.
The Defense
A squad in the defense is just one part of a larger force. A squad leader, as directed and assisted by the platoon leader is assigned a specific area to cover. In turn, the squad leader assigns his assistant squad leader specific areas to cover and they assign individuals, specific areas.
The squad leader makes sure the machine guns are properly placed and can fire across the squad's front. The squad leader also insures all areas of the squad's front are covered by one or more weapons.
Covering fire has four uses.
1. Suppress the enemy. This means discourage the enemy from firing accurately. It takes time to acquire a target and aim and if bullets are hitting near him, he might not be willing to take that time. Accurate fire is what wins a fight, that is why Marines, Rangers, and other elite units consider marksmanship so important.
2. Prevent the enemy from firing. This is the ultimate goal of covering fire. If the enemy is so intimidated by your fire then you can move about with relative safety. You an stroll up and toss a grenade in his hole if he is so intimidated.
3. Force the enemy to move in a certain way. Shooting under a car is going to encourage the enemy to move to better cover where his feet won't get shot off. By forcing your enemy to move to a different piece of cover you might get in a lucky shot and down your foe or you might force him to retreat to a position that is more exposed.
4. Confuse or distract the enemy from your activities and movement. If the enemy is too busy cowering from your volley of fire he is not likely to notice your friend(s) moving off to the side where he can get a better shot. Distracting the enemy with covering fire may give you more time to aim or get closer.
COVERING FIRE:
This is when machine guns are most useful. Their high volume of fire and high degree of intimidation is a great way to scare the opposition into taking cover and staying there. In the attack this is incredibly important because it allows other attackers to get into position where they can do the most damage to the enemy.
A high number of tracers in the ammo mix can magnify the intimidation of the machine gun but using more tracers should be considered carefully because tracers can be backtracked to their source.
Light Machine guns are likely to travel with the assault group, heavier machine guns are best deployed where they can shoot over the heads of the assault group or from the side where they will not endanger the assault group.
Colored smoke or flares are the best method of telling the supporting machine guns to cease fire because they might not be able to tell when friendly forces are too close.
Patrol:
On patrol machine guns should be deployed in a location where they are best protected from an enemy. Machine gunners do not walk point for this reason. When the shooting starts Machine guns should be able to deploy to the best position possible instead of being pinned down in the initial volley of enemy fire.When deployed they should be placed where they can do the most damage to the enemy.
Defense:
Machine guns are the backbone of the defense. They can set up a wall of fire that the enemy dare not cross. Two machine guns working together can fire across each others front and creating an X. This 'X' is one way of creating a wall of fire and preventing the enemy from over running the defensive position. This is called "Final Protective Fires" and is done only when the signal is given.
When the enemy begins the attack, machine gunners are directed to engage groups of enemy troops. They try to break the enemy's attack. Machine guns should not be the first weapons to open fire. Riflemen should start firing first. This helps conceal the locations of the machine guns because the enemy may see the initial muzzle flash from a rifleman's weapon, but by the time the machine guns open up the enemy is (hopefully) busy taking cover and doesn't have the time to look for the machine guns amid all the other weapons firing at him.
One problem with machine guns in the defense is their vulnerability. As I said earlier machine guns are the backbone of the defense and the offense.
The enemy would think nothing of using any weapon to take out the machine guns. When the machine guns are destroyed then the organized defense can crumble more easily because it becomes a battle of stationary riflemen against moving machine guns, rocket launchers and riflemen. There is a term for a stationary rifleman - sitting duck.

In the defense machine guns get the best locations, heavy MG's taking priority over lighter MG's. Riflemen fill in the gaps between machine guns.Machine guns are also deployed where they can shoot the farthest and across open ground. This allows the use of "Grazing fire" meaning the bullets travel above the ground between one and four feet high for as far as possible.
Grenade launchers are designated to cover those (dead ground) areas a machine gun cannot because they can fire indirectly.

When things become desperate for the defenders the signal is given for "Final Protective Fires" and the machine guns rotate to shoot across the front of friendly forces and create a 'Wall of fire'. This wall of lead is called a FPL or Final Protective Line and is designated before the fight begins. Stakes may be used to help the machine gunner aim correctly at night or in smoke.
Effects:
Machine guns are more likely to use special rounds such as tracers and armor piercing rounds.
Some machine guns can fire more powerful rounds because of the heavier barrels. A US M2 fifty caliber machine gun can fire at ranges over two miles. Heavy machine guns can also be fired single shot if the trigger is pressed quick enough. Carlos Hathcock used a fifty cal MG with a scope mounted on it to kill a VC at close to two miles away. The weapon fired single shots and was not employed as an automatic weapon.
Night Fire:
The sound and the muzzle flash are a dead giveaway for the Machine gun's position. Firing ten bullets means creating ten muzzle flashes and a muzzle flash is one of the best ways of locating the enemy. Light machines are the squads best weapon because they can be easily moved.
Some machine guns are not very mobile as a result they could become a prime target.
Many machine guns are equipped with nightscopes because it gives them a small edge. Currently nightscopes are awkward to mount and the muzzle flash can interfere with them but they are better than nothing.Manning: Machine guns are always manned meaning there is always someone at the machine gun and ready to use it in a combat zone. If the Machine gunner has to urinate, dig a hole, get out his sleeping bag, ect, the assistant machine gunner gets behind the weapon.
Anti-tank:
Machine guns are an important part of armor-kill teams. Against a heavily armored tank machine guns are basically useless right? -Wrong!When a tank crew is buttoned up inside their tank their visibility is severely limited. A tank crew inside their tank cannot see anti-tank missiles or rockets fired until it is too late in most cases. To prevent getting ambushed and to see their surroundings more clearly, tank crews stick their heads or whole bodies up out of the hatch. This allows them to see a missile launched at them and they can take evasive action.Furthermore, tanks are usually very vulnerable without infantry to protect them, especially in cities or rough terrain. (That is why infantry must separate enemy infantry from their tanks.)
When an armor-kill team ambushes a group of tanks, the machine guns fire first. This encourages the tank crews to button up and hide inside their tanks to avoid getting shot. This is when the RPG missile fires. It takes time for the crew to button up and by the time they are ready to fight back the missile has been launched and soon hits them.
Terms
Grazing Fire: an area one to four feet high across an open area. Machine guns are deployed to maximize grazing fire.
Final Protective Fires: A term used to denote when machine guns should resort to their FPL's. The command to fire FPF's is usually given when the enemy is about to over run all or part of the perimeter. Machine guns fire as fast as they can in order to create a wall of lead across the unit's front.
Final Protective Line: a direction for the machine gun to point that allows it to shoot across the unit's front and interlock with other machine guns. This allows the MG's to create a "Wall of lead".
Beaten Zone: This is an area where the bullets from a machine gun land.Trajectory: This is the path of a bullet. Bullets do not travel in a straight line because of gravity, they travel in an arc. The further the range the steeper the curvature.
Cone of Fire: This cone incorporates the area between the muzzle and the beaten zone. When a burst is fired they do not all follow the same path, they diverge a little bit to cover more area. Even if the weapon is locked in a certain position, not all the rounds will hit the same point. Atmospheric, recoil and variations in the ammunition create variation.
Plunging Fire: This is defined as an area where it is dangerous for a person to be. Plunging fire is obtained when firing from hill top to hill top, down into an area or up onto a hill. To protect against plunging fire defenders need overhead cover which is not always available.
Traverse and Elevation: Because Medium and heavy machine guns are most effective when fired from a mount (tripod or vehicle) there are certain aspects that affect the accuracy and abilities of the weapon. These larger machine guns have a mechanism located under the gun that fixes it into a certain position. This mechanism called a T & E (Traverse and Elevation) is used to provide fine control over accuracy. The T&E usually has two knobs, one controls horizontal control, the other controls vertical control. This allows the gunner to fine tune his accuracy. Without a T&E any adjustment by the gunner (like to move his elbow to a more comfortable position) can have a massive impact on the accuracy.By using the T&E a machine gun is a very accurate, very deadly weapon.
Frontal Fire: This is when the gunner is facing the enemy. This is not what machine gunners like to think about because the enemy is usually shooting back.
Flanking Fire: This is when the gunner is shooting at the side of the enemy. In this case the enemy is not facing (and shooting at?) the gunner.
Oblique Fire: This is when the gunner is shooting at an angle relevant to the long axis of the target.
Enfilade Fire: This is what machine gunners have wet dreams about. The long axis of the enemy is lined up for the gunner so that in theory, one bullet could kill them all. The enemy may be facing the gunner (Frontal Enfilade Fire) or facing away from the gunner (Flanking Enfilade Fire).
Indirect Fire: Machine guns can be used for indirect fire too. Only highly trained crews can be effective with it however.
Machine Gun Squads
In some cases two or more teams of machine guns (a Machine Gun Squad usually has two machine gun teams of three or four men each) may be deployed as a squad. This can get messy for the enemy because of the concentrated firepower.
Many machine gun combat methods and organizations are described at www.quikmaneuvers.com.In many cases machine gun teams are deployed separately but sometimes machine gun teams are deployed as a squad.
In garrison machine gun squads usually live and train together and are assigned to the Weapons platoon. When the unit goes to the field they are deployed as the company commander sees fit. By billeting the machine gunners together it helps standardize training and logistics in garrison.
Light machine guns, not automatic rifles, should be permanent elements of rifle squads.

Wars are won by light machine guns, not high tech gimmickry.