Since this page was first written some of the manuals have changed their designations and the Douglas Reiner Libary is moving to a less accessable site. A mirror site containing most of the manuals can be found Here.
You may like to have a copy of the manuals on CD-ROM for easy reference. There are several sources available on the Internet but DO NOT use CHQ Software. Customer service was very poor and half the order was never sent.
At the moment there are 224 US army field manuals available on line. While this is a wealth of information, it can sometimes be a long process finding what you want. Certain sections are very verbose. Often there are several versions on the same topic, and the longest is not always the best. Sometimes information that would be useful to most soldiers is hidden away in specialist manuals. One solution I've suggested is to supplement the FMs with concise Primers/Briefing notes. Mike Sparks has done an excellent job at creating the first of these, the Afghan Primer, found a quarter of the way down this article. An alternate idea is that of a "reader's guide" to the field manuals, and this is what this page is about. It will also include useful articles from other sources
If you have any suggestions wrt links, please contact me
This page has three main sections:- what every individual Soldier should know, what he should know as part of a platoon, and information for special operations/environments
In the recipe for battle victory, well-led and disciplined Soldiers are the main ingredient, Soldiers who have been conditioned by thorough training to react by habit when confronted with the searing realities of engagement. The habits learned in training -- good or bad -- are the same habits that move the soldier in combat. A leader, then, must insure that each of his Soldiers is well-trained and has developed good habits -- habits so deeply ingrained through correct reaching and intensive practice that even under the pressure of fear and sudden danger each Soldier, automatically, will do the right thing.
........essential battlefield arts and skills:fire and maneuver; marksmanship; camouflage and concealment; communication; maintenance; noise, light, and fire discipline; scouting and patrolling; woodcraft; mines and boobytraps;and field sanitation.
Marksmanship and Zero What range to zero a rifle to? For a M16A1 or other weapon using the M193 round zero an inch low at 25m to give a 250m zero, allowing you to shoot flat to around 300m. Mid-range trajectory is +5" at 175m and –7" at 300m. For a M16A2 or weapon using the M855/SS109 zero at 30m from the muzzle to give a BZO of 300m, giving an essentially flat trajectory for a centre of mass shot out to beyond this range. At 400m aim at throat/shoulder level for a centre of mass hit, and at 500m the top of the head. Midrange trajectory is +4.5" (some tables give as high as 5.8") at 160m so if shooting at a small target such as a head or vision block at 100-200m you will have to aim several inches below your intended point of impact.
Bayonets I've seen whole manuals devoted to bayonet fighting. This section is worth a read, but remember that bayonet fighting basically boils down to:-
Step forward with either foot.
Thrust bayonet into throat or stomach and twist. The chest is often armoured by equipment and blades can catch in the rib cage. The femoral artery just where the groin joins the thigh is a good alternate target.
If the foe is too close, hit him with the stock, anywhere you can.
An alert leader constantly stresses essential battlefield arts and skills:fire and maneuver; marksmanship; camouflage and concealment; communication; maintenance; noise, light, and fire discipline; scouting and patrolling; woodcraft; mines and boobytraps;and field sanitation. And he makes on-the-spot corrections with the same precision as he does in dismounted drill.
The good leader forms a checklist habit. Combat is too serious a business to permit easy excuse of even one mistake. If a unit is going on a patrol, setting up an ambush, establishing a defensive position, or conducting an airmobile assault, he should pull out his checklist and insure that every point is checked off. Many checklists are available throughout the Army and in Vietnam, but in the main they are far too complicated and tend to fog up the issue with unnecessary details.
A simple checklist which underscores the salient points of the operation at hand will stimulate recall. Battle experience has conclusively proven that fatigue, fright, and preoccupation with the routine tend to cloud and distort the memory.
Although there is some duplication, both should be read since foot infantry are likely to have to operate from vehicles and the principles of FM7-7 apply to transport other than the M113. FM 7-8 covers some aspects of dismounted operations in more detail than FM 7-7.
As I work on this "reader's guide" one thing is becoming really apparent- FM 7-7 and 7-8 should be combined, so it is in fact FM 7-8 with sections on mounted operations -could be M113, HMMWV, truck, Bradley whatever. In fact what is needed are two new format manuals. The first would be the "Platoon and Squad Manual- I've dropped "Infantry" from the title since this is a manual that personel from all branches should be familiar with. A lot of the text will be from FM 7-8 with sections from 7-7 and 3-21.71. Also included would be
Sections on operations with helicopters.
An expanded MOUT section, since Built Up Areas (BUA) occur in nearly every part of the world
Section on directing indirect fire and air support
The second manual would be "Armoured Fighting Vehicle Operations" and would be for Tank, Cavalry and Mech Infantry personel. This would cover the Abrams, Bradley, M8, M113 and possibly the M60 and Wiesel. Ralph Zumbro should write at least a chapter on close range tank warfare and weapons such as the frag grenades on antennae mounts. Manual should cover "mission adaptions" such as fitting gunshields, storage racks and extra weapon mounts. Also something on the use of the main gun against artillery and as an indirect fire weapon.
Tunnel fighting "Units are not associating cave clearing operations with other common training tasks. Cave clearing tactics, techniques, and procedures need to focus on basic battle drills and training already performed by units for similar tasks. Tasks for cave clearing include identifying the cave, setting a support by fire (SBF) position, employing bunker buster munitions, maneuvering the assault element into position, employing fragmentary grenades, and then clearing. Clearing caves is basically a battle drill similar to knocking out a bunker, clearing a room, and clearing a building. " From Lessons from Afghanistan
