ANZAC Vietnam section attack tactics

[Rick F]

Hello all, I'm after a bit of advice about the scout pair in the ANZAC rifle section. In the British forces we just have a straight 2 fire teams, Charlie and Delta, one assaulting one suppressing. I know from working with the Aussies, we're basically the same. But during Vietnam, in a contact, would the scout pair go to the gun group to add weight of fire, or to the rifle group to beef up the assault, or one to each. I should imagine it was very flexible and all contacts are different. I don't want this to turn into an argument about tactics just wondering what they actually did.

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

There is a very good Osprey book on infantry tactics which is worth getting. It shows in nice diagrams the different formations and tactics of the main free world forces US Army, Marines, ANZACS.

[Rick F]

There is a very good Osprey book on infantry tactics which is worth getting. It shows in nice diagrams the different formations and tactics of the main free world forces US Army, Marines, ANZACS.

Cheers Paul, I'll have to get that. I've got the Vietnam ANZAC Osprey, but it just covers the section orbat and says in a round about way that, apart from the scout pair concept, Aussie and British jungle tactics were the same. I could just stop being lazy and re-read Gary McKay's book about being a Pl Cdr in Vietnam.

[Juan]

Elite 186, "Vietnam Infantry Tactics". I am also very interested in this question, after my bigger order in Empress Miniatures to the date... 

[carlos marighela]

It’s a slightly more complicated picture and hopefully after 30 years I can describe it clearly.

Upon contact everyone goes into a contact drill. Scouts, being typically closest in a contact front situation, usually hit the deck and return fire, rest of the section move to assume all round defence. In theory, the gun group is deployed either on the higher ground or to the right. Section commences To win the firefight, section commander does his recce, issues orders etc.

In terms of fire and movement, the scouts and the section commander form a group, the rifles a separate group and the gun group another (functioning as the principle base of fire).

So in initial movement, the section may operate as three groups. Ie: Scout group Up! Rifles and gun give covering fire! Alternatively it could be rifles and scouts are combined for movement Gun group give covering fire, scouts and rifles Up! Principle is one foot on the ground, just as per the British Army. In fact, in the 1980s the Australian Army still used British Army training films for IMT training, usually with a little explanation on minor variances.

By the time the attack reaches grenade range, the doctrinal approach was for the assault to be fought through on your guts by pepper potting and the section would divide into pairs, numbered odds and evens.

So scouts with Section Commander, as group, Scouts and Rifles moving/firing together as assault team but not split and not with the gun group, at least according to doctrine.

Curious fact, the lead scout was the only person pre-contact who patrolled at ‘instant’, ie safety catch off. Everyone else was at ‘action’, sights up round up the spout but safety on.

Hope that helps.

[Splod]

It’s a slightly more complicated picture and hopefully after 30 years I can describe it clearly.

It's been 10 years since I went through Kapooka and we still trained the same contact drill. That was after the army had progressed to the 4 man 'bricks' as seen in deployment in the Middle East.

[Rick F]

It’s a slightly more complicated picture and hopefully after 30 years I can describe it clearly.

Upon contact everyone goes into a contact drill. Scouts, being typically closest in a contact front situation, usually hit the deck and return fire, rest of the section move to assume all round defence. In theory, the gun group is deployed either on the higher ground or to the right. Section commences To win the firefight, section commander does his recce, issues orders etc.

In terms of fire and movement, the scouts and the section commander form a group, the rifles a separate group and the gun group another (functioning as the principle base of fire).

So in initial movement, the section may operate as three groups. Ie: Scout group Up! Rifles and gun give covering fire! Alternatively it could be rifles and scouts are combined for movement Gun group give covering fire, scouts and rifles Up! Principle is one foot on the ground, just as per the British Army. In fact, in the 1980s the Australian Army still used British Army training films for IMT training, usually with a little explanation on minor variances.

By the time the attack reaches grenade range, the doctrinal approach was for the assault to be fought through on your guts by pepper potting and the section would divide into pairs, numbered odds and evens.

So scouts with Section Commander, as group, Scouts and Rifles moving/firing together as assault team but not split and not with the gun group, at least according to doctrine.

Curious fact, the lead scout was the only person pre-contact who patrolled at ‘instant’, ie safety catch off. Everyone else was at ‘action’, sights up round up the spout but safety on.

Hope that helps.

Thanks mate, all makes sense and roughly what I expected, flexibility being the key to everything.