Communications 2 Course {CM2}

The reason we are all Storm Troopers is one thing – to find and destroy the target, whether that target be another person / creature, a group or a building or vehicle. This section will teach you all about finding your target, identifying it and then giving the commands that mean it will be obliterated with the minimum effort.

Target Location and Identification

Location
There are many ways in which we and our enemies betray their own, or our own, positions. They are:

• Shape
• Silhouette
• Surface
• Movement
• Spacing
• Noise

Storm Trooper armour isn’t the most effective camouflage, but realise that all enemy don’t run about in shiny white stuff. Taking the above list into consideration we can work out ways to make sure that we see them as quickly as possible. Even though all of the paragraphs below talk about our own situation, these comments are also to be used as a location guide.

Shape
As try as they might to hide, a person’s shape will give them away, and if you are working in a situation where you arte trying to conceal yourself then you have to break up the outline of your body. Armour, body and vehicular, is covered with straight edges and circular curves, which don’t occur naturally anywhere, therefore these straight edges need to be broken up by using materials that match the surrounding area.

Silhouette
When on patrol, wherever possible, keep away from the horizon line. Don’t walk directly across the top of a hill, as when you pass over it your shape will be outlined by the sky. No matter how much you try and break up your shape you will still be very visible as a person, and not a bush…

Surface
Again a major problem with normal Storm Trooper armour is that it is a nice shiny white colour. Light glints off its surface, and this is also the same for much of the equipment that we use. Even black armour is normally highly polished and so light will be reflected by it. Where possible different armour should be used.

Movement
Movement catches the eye. When in a hide location then movement should be kept to an absolute minimum. If you are looking at a hill covered with shrubbery and bushes then look out for things moving incorrectly. Bushes not moving at all while others around them sway in the wind, or swaying against the direction of the wind.

Spacing
Uniformity is taught on Carrida, drill movements while Troopers march, everything structured and looking smart. In nature, nothing is uniform. Look for signs of uniformity, such as troops moving and keeping their spacing between them equal. Distance between troops should be staggered so that no pattern occurs.

Noise
At night, without the use of night vision goggles, our eyesight degrades, and so our other senses are relied upon more. With this in mind, sound seems to travel further as our ears become the sense that we rely on most. Footsteps across woodland appear to become amplified and as our ears are our most direction sense without full vision, then we have to rely on those a lot more to locate the enemy.

Location and Identification
Once an individual spots the enemy they have to think that they are the only person who has seem them. If they see a Rebel section dug into bunkers and lets no one else know then that could mean the end of the team he or she is in. Passing on this information and making their presence absolutely clear is very important and standing up and shouting “They’re over there!” usually results in your own long-range decapitation by the enemy. There are two systems to do this, but both are very similar. On paper, neither of these gives any particular advantage over the other, but in the field one may be more useful than the other for whatever reasons.

Axis system



If a trooper’s field of vision is 180º then it is broken down into areas as shown above. This can be further broken down into 1/8ths, but it is advised that it is broken down no further than that. Using the system above it is possible to give a rough direction to the enemy. Then you give the distance…

Distance
How far away the enemy is situated is highly important, especially if mortar fire or other bombardments are going to be called down. Therefore judging distance is a must, and has implications throughout the remainder of this lesson. It should be remembered that distances should not be judged visually if:

• It is nighttime, as the eyes are less effective at judging scale in the dark
• Or if the distance is over 300metres, as beyond this the changes in scale are too small to notice any real difference and so references are lost.
• If the terrain is uneven, as drops in height and larger dips in the ground play tricks on the eye, and so an accurate estimation cannot be made.

It is recognised that we Storm Troopers have automatic range-finding equipment incorporated within our helmets and weaponry, but this lesson deals with worse case scenarios. There are a few other things to keep in mind that will mean that your estimation is more accurate.

Things look closer if:
The object is in bright light
They are bigger than their surroundings
There is dead ground between you and them
They are higher up than you

Things look farther away:
With the sun in your eyes
In bad light
When smaller than their surroundings
Looking across a valley, down a street or along a path in a wood
If you are lying down

The Clock Ray Method
Now that you have given the direction and distance there are a couple of other ways at narrowing the enemy’s location down. If there is a specific landmark, such as a bush they you would say “1/4 right of axis, 200m, red bush!” Then your fire team would happily rip that bush to pieces with their fire.

If, however, there are many red bushes in the immediate area then you will need to be much more specific. That is where the Clock Ray Method comes in.



Target indication happens much the same way as without the Clock placed over the top, and for giving the location of something it follows the same pattern. “1/2 right of axis, 200m, 4 o’clock, red bush.” Your fire team will thank-you for you complete accuracy, and chalking up those confirmed kills could only help all of your chances at promotion.

Fire Orders
Ammunition isn’t a limitless supply, and conservation of this resource is a must if you are going on a mission that may take a long while. Therefore it is necessary for the commanding Trooper to take full control of the situation and make sure that the group beneath him / her is using their ammo as efficiently as possible, while also giving as wide a scope for the mission in general as possible. That is why fire control orders have been incorporated into the Storm Trooper’s way of life.

What you need is GRIT! I am sure most Troopers will say that they do have grit, but this is yet another acronym to help you remember how the commands are issues.

Group – who is going to fire
Range – how far away the target is
Indication – where and what you are firing at
Type – type of fire

At the end of the command you also have to tell them when to fire, and there are three different commands for this. If you say “Go on!” then they know to fire immediately as soon as the command is finished, where as “await my command!” tells them that you will be shouting “Go on!” at them in a few seconds time. This is used to keep an element of surprise. The other is detailed more extensively below.

Group
The group can be a full squad, half a squad or fire-team or even individuals. For the first lesson in the Communications courses you must remember CLAP – Clear, Loud, As an order, with Pauses. In the middle of a fire fight you have to make sure you stick to these so that the Troopers you want to fire hear you and understand what they are about to do.

Range and Indication
Speak for themselves really. What you must realise here is that in the middle of a battle when the troopers’ minds may be more on dodging blaster fire asking them to slow down for a second and imagine a clock-face on the end of an imaginary axis line may end up getting them shot. Short and to the point with as much information as is needed to get the job done.

Type of fire
There are several different types of fire which are used for different circumstances, such as covering fire, sustained pressure, total annihilation, or fire that takes people out without betraying your own position.

“Watch and shoot! Watch and shoot!” - This command tells the group you have chosen to not fire at anything unless they have a clear target. The onus is put on them to decide whether the target is a valid one and they are the ones who have to spot it.

“Deliberate” – This is a slow rate of fire (no more than ten shots per minute) and is the type of fire is used to prevent the enemy returning accurate fire.

“Snap” – This is when the target appears for only a couple of seconds and you should be able to get off at least two accurate shots on the target. This one is normally used in conjunction with the “watch and shoot” command. Remember that if one shot will do the trick then you don’t need to fire two shots, thus saving your ammo for another Rebel scumbag.

“Rapid fire” – apart from a fully automatic rate of fire this is the most forceful type, where one shot is let off every 2 seconds. The time in between means that the Trooper can readjust his or her position so that the following shot can be placed on target.

“Burst” – when nothing other than total annihilation will do. Troopers switch across from individual shots to automatic and lay down a wall of fire so that there is no chance of anyone or anything surviving. But we don’t allow the Troopers to go mad and hold in the trigger. Instead, controlled bursts of three to five shots are released into the target area.

Sample fire control orders:
Delta fire team – 200m – big red bush – snap fire – watch and shoot, watch and shoot!

Charlie fire team –100m –-troop transport – burst fire – goes on!