F M 3 1 -1

E X T R A T E R R E S T R IA L C O M B A T U F IE L D M A N U A L

S T A N D A R D IN F A N T R Y C O M B A T O P E R A T IO N S

X -C O M H IG H C O M M A N D DECEM BER 9, 1998

FM 31-1

FM 31-1

X-COM HIGH COMMAND

S T A N D A R D IN F A N T R Y C O M B A T O P E R A T IO N S

DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION. Not to be

distributed to the public. Distribution is limited to XCOM personnel.

D ECEM BER 9, 1998

X-COM HIGH COMMAND Geneva, Switzerland December 9, 1998

1.

FOREWORD PURPOSE X-COM Field Manual (FM) 31-1, Standard Infantry Combat Operations, provides field officers with the standard field manoeuvres, tactics, and strategies of the armies of the world, allowing them to more effectively command and control their troops in the field. SCOPE This field manual covers all areas of in-the-field tactics, including squad organization, initial deployment, field tactics for various types of terrain, and clean-up and recovery. In the Appendix are additional resources on pyrotechnics usage and deployment, as well as some speculative scenarios for which X-COM officers should prepare. Unless otherwise noted, whenever the masculine gender is included, both men and women are included. 3. CERTIFICATION Reviewed and approved this date. BY DIRECTION OF THE X-COM COMMANDER

2.

Gen. S. GENEGA Commander, X-COM

PREFACE X-COM, like any other specialized military unit, requires effective field commanders in order successfully accomplish field missions. A firm grasp of effective, modern military tactics will greatly aid the X-COM field officer in making strategic decisions in the field. This publication covers standard NATO squad organizations and soldier loadouts, tactics for initial troop deployment, standard NATO field tactics for various terrains, and clean-up and recovery of alien technology at a combat site. Also included in the Appendix are some general tactics for pyrotechnics usage and deployment proximity grenades, flares, etc. and several speculative scenarios, put forward by X-COM scientists, which might be encountered in the field. While this manual is intended to assist officers in the field, it by no means covers all possible aspects of a combat situation involving extraterrestrials. However, its use should greatly aid field commanders in making informed, strategically sound decisions when faced with such situations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1. Platoon Organization and Makeup 1001 INTRODUCTION..................................................1 1002 HISTORY...............................................................1 1003 GENERAL PLATOON ORGANIZATION........... 1004 GENERAL SQUAD ORGANIZATION................ 1005 SPECIALIZED SQUAD ORGANIZATION......... Light / Recon Squad........................................ Heavy / Demo Squad...................................... Sniper Squad................................................... Communications Squad.................................. HWP Squad..................................................... Other Squads................................................... Chapter 2. Initial Deployment 2001 INTRODUCTION................................................... 2002 HAZARDS.............................................................. 2003 DEPLOYMENT TACTICS.................................... 2004 ADDITIONAL NOTES.......................................... Chapter 3. Field Tactics 3001 INTRODUCTION................................................... 3002 GENERAL TACTICS............................................. 3003 CLEAR TERRAIN.................................................. 3004 FORESTED / JUNGLE TERRAIN........................ 3005 HILLY / MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN................. 3006 URBAN TERRAIN................................................. 3007 COMBAT IN MILITARY FACILITIES...............

Chapter 4. Clean-Up and Recovery 4001 INTRODUCTION................................................... 4002 CLEARING AN AREA.......................................... 4003 CONDUCT TOWARDS CIVILIANS.................... 4004 TREATMENT OF CAPTURED EBE-S................ 4005 ALIEN ARTIFACT RECOVERY.......................... Appendix 5001 APPENDIX A : STANDARD X-COM EQUIPMENT ................................................... 5002 APPENDIX B : PYROTECHNICS USAGE AND DEPLOYMENT....................................... 5003 APPENDIX C : SPECULATIVE COMBAT SCENARIOS..................................................... 5004 APPENDIX D: SPECULATIVE ALIEN STRENGTH ASSESSMENT............................ 5005 APPENDIX E : SPECULATIVE FUTURE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS........

Chapter 1

Platoon Organization and Makeup

1001 INTRODUCTION The combat effectiveness of every unit is based on three factors: experience, equipment, and organization. Generally, the latter comes with the former; as a unit gains experience, the individual members grow into a cohesive, organized squad. However, one does not have to wait for combat to develop a command structure in fact, one should not wait until combat. A well-organized, though inexperienced, unit will always suffer fewer casualties than one in which there is no unit organization. 1002 HISTORY X-COM derives much of its military organization from the armed forces of its member nations. However, the traditional squad and platoon command structure is rendered ineffective by the relatively small size of X-COM. This necessitated major revisions to our organizational template. Firstly, squads. Traditionally, they had only one commanding officer a sergeant or NCO. In the revised structure, they have three officers, one of whom assumes overall command. This allows the squad to break up into semi-independent teams of three or four, providing greater flexibility within the squad structure. Secondly, platoons. Traditionally consisting of two to four squads, led by a lieutenant with an NCO as second, the platoon is the next-largest unit within X-COM. The structure has been kept for this unit; however, the ranking officer and his second may be of higher rank. Lastly, companies. Since X-COM is not expected to expand beyond five full-sized platoons, the company designation is

ignored. Again, the ranks captain with a first sergeant are regarded as minimum ranks for the position. 1003 GENERAL PLATOON ORGANIZATION As stated above, the platoon consists of two to four squads, led by a Lieutenant or higher and NCO second.

Chapter 2

INITIAL DEPLOYMENT
2001 INTRODUCTION The squad commander upon landing must perform the following actions: Assess the characteristics of the landing zone, namely the terrain and any natural / artificial obstacles around the Skyranger. Identify all hostiles in the vicinity of the transport that might endanger the landing operation Deploy forces to engage and neutralize them, taking attention to both flanks of the transport and also the area around the cockpit. Establish a safety perimeter around the craft by the use of smoke covers, maintaining proper distance between the squad members and securing the rear of the squad. 2002 DISEMBARKING TACTICS 2002-1 THE FRONT ROW FIRETEAM The fireteams that are the first to deploy have one of the most hazardous duties on the battlefield. Upon landing their immediate task is to eliminate any hostile opposition that is directly facing the ramp of the transport. Their actions are determined by the following list of conditions: #1. Enemy in front of the ramp and directly looking at it - fire one round them move one square to the front and another to the next to the side to clear the ramp. If there isn't any read #2. #2. Enemy in front of the ramp but facing another direction do not fire to avoid reaction shots that might hit personnel inside the transport! (unless they have

already fired) - move one square to the front and another to the side to clear the ramp and read #3. #3. Enemy on another location and facing the ramp. Fire one/two rounds but make sure that there's enough TUs to clear the square right next to the ramp by moving to another direction. #4. Enemy on another location but not facing the ramp. Engage only after all enemies on #1, #2 and #3 have been eliminated. If there are several hostiles then engage first the dangerous one the closest and heavily armed. #5. No hostiles visible near the transport - the soldiers should start scouting the area near the Skyranger.
2002-2 THE OTHER FIRETEAMS

If condition #5 applies the rest of the soldiers might start disembarking the transport and widen the perimeter around the transport. If any aliens are detected they must be eliminated as soon as possible. In case the front row fireteam has been taken out by the aliens, the next team becomes the front row team and must act accordingly to the previous list of conditions. If there's insufficient lighting the back soldiers must deploy electro-flares to the area surrounding the transport. Also, if there's a heavy enemy presence close to the landing zone, it is recommended to use smoke covers.
2002-3 USE OF HWPS ON LANDINGS

If there's an HWP present on the transport then it should be deployed according to 1003.3.1.4 and used to scout and spot all hostiles while drawing fire from them. After it has finished moving then the soldiers can disembark using 2001.2 procedures.

2003 REORGANIZING AND DEPLOYMENT After the landing area has been successfully cleared of any enemy opposition the squad can reorganize to perform its mission. At this point there are two major factors that should be taken into account: a quick dispersal of the squad members to maintain safety distances and the position of the landing zone.
2003-1 LANDING ZONE POSITION

The location of the landing (LZ) zone on the area of operations is a major factor in determining the direction to which the squad must be deployed. The rear of the squad should be set against one of the ends of the map to prevent any rear attacks by hostiles as it moves forward to complete its mission. But it can be difficult, depending on the location of the LZ.
2003-1.1 CORNER LZ

It's when the Skyranger lands on one of the corners of the tactical map and is the position most easy to secure since there are only two directions from which enemy contact can be expected. To establish a safety perimeter the squad must have cleared the corner of any hostiles, allowing it to afterwards start moving towards the rest of the battlefield.
2003-1.2 SIDE LZ

When the Skyranger is positioned next to one of the sides of the map, it protects one side of the squad against possible attacks but it still leaves three others open. After the squad has successfully exited the transport, it is recommended that the squad set a half-circle perimeter as it pushes forward.
2003-1.3 CENTRAL LZ

The hardest landing zone since hostile attacks can be expected from all directions. After clearing the landing site of aliens, the closest edge of the map should be located by the scouts and secured. Then the squad can manoeuvre in the opposite direction, with that side being the rear and using the half-circle mentioned on the previous topic.
2004 ADDITIONAL NOTES

Chapter 3

Field Tactics
3001 INTRODUCTION The tactics listed on this section of the field manual can be seen as doctrine: they provide a tested response to a number of situations that can be encountered on missions, allowing for a quick reaction and to prevent confusion. However, the complexity of combat situations often makes it impossible to apply doctrine to every mission. Therefore field tactics can be viewed as freedom of action for the leader to execute his mission in the way he sees fit, rather than being told how to do it. It requires that leaders learn "how" to think rather than "what" to think. Each tactic shown below aims to demonstrate the mechanics of fighting the extraterrestrials in several situations. Execution of field tactics requires initiative, resourcefulness, and imagination. Squad leaders must be resourceful enough to adapt to situations as they are, not as they were expected to be. Combat situations might require a mixture of those tactics and concepts: it's up to the leader to decide whose to use and when.
3001-1 Time Management

3002 GENERAL TACTICS 3002-1 Squad Movement Techniques Since the nature of X-COM missions involves deploying to a limited area where the presence of hostiles is certain, squads, fireteams and individual soldiers must learn specific movement techniques. Although there are other types of movement in infantry combat operations, these fall out of the scope of this field manual due to their limited use when fighting extraterrestrials.

3002-2 Bounding Overwatch (Alternate/Successive)

Bounding overwatch is used when contact is expected, when the squad leader feels the enemy is near or when a large open danger area must be crossed. a) The squad leader watches the terrain and determines the direction to where the squad will move. An overwatch fire team is set to cover the movement of the other fire team. b) The trailing fire team bounds to the location and sets itself in a position to overwatch the other team's movement. c) Both teams then repeat the movement until they establish contact with the enemy. d) The teams can bound successively or alternately as demonstrated on the figure below.

Fig 1-1. Successive and Alternating Bounds

e) Heavy Weapons Platforms, if available, can be used instead of a fire team during movement.
3002-3 Fire And Movement

When a unit makes contact with the enemy, it normally starts firing at and moving toward the enemy. Sometimes the unit may move away from the enemy. That technique is called fire and movement. It is conducted either to close with and

destroy the enemy, or to move away from the enemy so as to break contact with him. The firing and moving take place at the same time. There is a fire element and a movement element. These elements may be single soldiers, fire teams, or squads. Regardless of the size of the elements, the action is still fire and movement. a) The fire element covers the move of the movement element by firing at the enemy. This helps keep the enemy from firing back at the movement element. b) The movement element moves either to close with the enemy or to reach a better position from which to fire at him. The movement element should not move until the fire element is firing. c) Depending on the distance to the enemy position and on the available cover, the fire element and the movement element switch roles as needed to keep moving. Usually the fire element is the overwatch team of the bounding technique while the movement element is the trailing team but that might change, depending on the tactical environment.
3002-4 Terrain Tactics
3002-4.1 Natural Features

Firing over the crest of a hill, known as the reverse-slope position, exposes the minimum sight picture to the enemy and provides the greatest protection from return fire. Simply ducking into concealment protects the soldier from all but indirect-fire weaponry [grenades]. Allow time to climb the hill before seeking out the enemy. Soldiers should seek to overwatch from hill crests and move in the protection of valleys or next to slopes. Movement up and down hills takes time so a soldier on flat ground will always outpace a soldier on a slope. Enemies hiding in valleys are best dealt with through grenades or other indirect fire.

3002-4.2 Vegetation

Vegetation, especially in jungle or forest environments, provides a high degree of cover. Thick-trunked vegetation can often stop enemy fire temporarily but will quickly be shredded by powerful weaponry. Thick vegetation reduces sight lines and is a dangerous environment to move through. Scouts have to look all around them as each movement can reveal previously hidden areas. Overwatch and support teams will find trees blocking both direct and indirect fire and will have to move closer to the scouts to adequately support them. Paths through the vegetation are not always evident and soldiers may be forced to double back if their path becomes impassable. Clearings should be exploited as rally points and kill zones. Soldiers concealed in vegetation on the edges of a clearing have the best combination of concealment and field of fire. High explosive can be used to clear vegetation as necessary.
3002-4.3 Artificial Features: Wooden Structures

Wooden frame structures such as barns provide good concealment and some degree of protection. However they are highly vulnerable to explosives [and energy weapons] and can be penetrated by high caliber weaponry. They are excellent for concealing movement and approach but equally conceal the enemy in their windows, doors, and corridors. Sniping from a high position or window minimizes exposure but the soldier must be prepared for return fire and move to different cover if spotted.

3002.4.4 Artificial Structures: Concrete

Concrete and masonry structures are generally impervious to man-portable weaponry. The commander has two choices: siege or storm. Sieging has the benefit that time is on the commander's side, so forces can be arranged in good concealed positions with good fields of fire. All exits from the structure should be covered. Avoid placing units directly in line with exits or windows as these units will be the first ones attacked when the enemy ventures forth. The enemy will hide from a barrage but will hopefully become curious enough, if all is quiet and movement unopposed, to reveal themselves. This then allows your marksmen to engage them. Sending forward a scout is risky but can fool the enemy into revealing themselves to shoot at the presented target. Sieges succeed through attrition of the enemy as they reveal themselves. A resolute enemy with adequate supplies, however, can choose to remain hidden indefinitely. So eventually the structure will have to be stormed. Storming these structures is always hazardous because no amount of "target softening" can guarantee them clear of enemy presence before the assault. The first soldiers in will always be in harm's way. [2] Single file entry is often required so the assault team must enter quickly and spread out again to maximize effectiveness. Assault teams should carry weapons with high rate of fire and high stopping power. Armor is a must. Stun rods can also be useful. Training must emphasize prioritizing targets. a) An enemy facing the soldier and in line with the entryway, should be handed off to a following soldier or even to a support sniper outside the entryway. If neither of these are practical (due to blocked lines of fire) then engage at short range with burst fire (autofire). b) An enemy facing the soldier, but not in line with the entryway, must be engaged. At short range, use three-shot burst fire (autofire).

c) If enough time remains to take cover and let a following soldier engage the enemy, but not enough time to both fire on the enemy and take cover, then take cover. d) An enemy facing away from the soldier should be engaged only if time permits or if no other soldiers can move into position to take the shot. Stun rods are best used on this presentation of target. e) Enemies packed into a corridor are best engaged with burst fire. Use of explosives in such situations is unpredictable given the close range and risk of secondary explosions.