During all types of operations, you will be looking for the enemy. However,
there will be times when you will be posted in an observation post (OP) to watch
for enemy activity.
An OP is a position from which you watch an assigned sector of observation
and report all activity seen or heard in your sector. Chapter 6
provides guidance on collecting and reporting information learned by
observation.
This section discusses the techniques you will use for day and night
observation.
At night, use anyone of three night observation techniques to search terrain.
Dark Adaptation Technique. First, let your eyes become adjusted to
the darkness. Do so by staying either in a dark area for about 30 minutes, or in
a red-lighted area for about 20 minutes followed by about 10 minutes in a dark
area. The red-lighted method may save time by allowing you to get orders, check
equipment, or do some other job before moving into darkness.
Off-Center Vision Technique. Focus your attention on an object but
look slightly away from it. The object will be more visible this way than when
you look straight at it.
Scanning Technique. Again focus your attention on an object, but do
not look directly at it. Now move your eyes in short, abrupt, and irregular
movements around it, pausing a few seconds after each move.
THINGS TO LOOK AND LISTEN FOR
In trying to find the enemy in a sector of observation, look and listen for
these signs of his presence:
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Sounds.
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Dust or vehicle exhaust.
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Movement.
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Positions.
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Outlines or shadows.
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Shine or glare.
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Contrasting colors.
SOUNDS
Listen for such things as footsteps, limbs or sticks breaking, leaves
rustling, men coughing, and equipment or vehicle sounds. These may be hard to
distinguish from other battle-field and animal sounds.
Sounds can alert you to the direction or general location of the enemy. They
may not pinpoint his exact location. However, if a sound alerts you, you are
more apt to spot the enemy.
DUST OR VEHICLE EXHAUST
Moving foot soldiers or vehicles often raise dust. Vehicle exhaust smoke also
rises. You can spot dust and vehicle smoke at long ranges.
MOVEMENT
Look for movement in your sector. Use the visual search technique.
POSITIONS
Look for enemy positions in obvious places, such as road junctions, hilltops,
and lone buildings. Also look at areas with cover and concealment, such as woods
and draws.
OUTLINES OR SHADOWS
Look for outlines or shadows of enemy soldiers, equipment, vehicles, or guns.
The enemy may use the shadows of trees or buildings to hide himself and his
equipment. Look for him in shaded areas.
SHINE OR GLARE
In darkness, look for light sources such as burning cigarettes, headlights,
or flashlights. In daylight, look for reflected light or glare from smooth,
polished surfaces such as windshields, headlights, mess gear, watch crystals, or
uncamouflaged skin.
CONTRASTING COLORS
Look for contrasts between background color and the colors of uniforms,
equipment, and skin. For example, a soldier's T-shirt or towel may contrast with
its background.
RANGE ESTIMATION
You must often estimate ranges. Your estimates will be easier to make and
more accurate if you use the 100-meter unit-of-measure method, the
appearance-of-objects method, or the flash-and-sound method. This section
discusses the use of these methods.
100-METER UNIT-OF-MEASURE METHOD (DAYTIME)
Picture a distance of 100 meters on the ground. For ranges up to 500 meters,
count the number of 100-meter lengths between the two points you want to
measure. Beyond 500 meters, pick a point halfway to the target, count the number
of 100-meter lengths to the halfway point, and then double that number to get
the range to the target.
Sloping ground changes the appearance of l00-meter lengths. Ground that
slopes upward makes them look longer than 100 meters, and ground that slopes
downward makes them look shorter than 100 meters. Thus, the tendency is to
underestimate 100-meter lengths on upslopes and overestimate them on downslopes.
The accuracy of the 100-meter method depends on how much ground is visible.
This is most true at long ranges. If a target is at a range of 500 meters or
more, and you can only see part of the ground between yourself and the target,
it is hard to use this method with accuracy.
APPEARANCE-OF-OBJECTS METHOD (DAYTIME)
This method is a way to estimate range by the apparent size and detail of an
object. It is a common method that is used in everyday life. For example, a
motorist trying to pass another car judges the distance of oncoming cars based
on their apparent size. He is not interested in exact distances, but only in
having enough room to safely pass the car in front of him. Suppose he knows that
at a distance of 1 mile an oncoming car appears to be 1 inch wide and 2 inches
high, with a half inch between the headlights. Then, any time he sees an
oncoming car that fits those dimensions, he knows it is about 1 mile away.
The same technique can be used to estimate ranges on the battlefield. If you
know the apparent size and detail of troops and equipment at known ranges, then
you can compare those characteristics to similar objects at unknown ranges. When
the characteristics match, the range does also.
To use the appearance-of-objects method, you must be familiar with
characteristic details of objects as they appear at various ranges. As you must
be able to see those details to make the method work, anything that limits
visibility (such as weather, smoke, or darkness) will limit the effectiveness of
this method.
COMBINATION OF METHODS
Battlefield conditions are not always ideal for estimating ranges. If the
terrain limits the use of the 100-meter unit-of-measure method, and poor
visibility limits the use of the appearance-of-objects method, you may have to
use a combination of methods. For example, if you cannot see all of the terrain
out to the target, you can still estimate distance from the apparent size and
detail of the target itself. A haze may obscure the target details, but you may
still be able to judge its size or use the 100-meter method. By using either one
or both of the methods, you should arrive at a figure close to the true range.
FLASH-AND-SOUND METHOD (BEST AT NIGHT)
Sound travels through air at 300 meters (1,100 feet) per second. That makes
it possible to estimate distance if you can both see and hear a sound-producing
action.
When you see the flash or smoke of a weapon, or the dust it raises,
immediately start counting. Stop counting when you hear the sound associated
with the action seen. The number at which you stop should be multiplied by
three. This gives you the approximate distance to the weapon in hundreds of
meters. If you stop at one, the distance is about 300 meters. If you stop at
three, the distance is about 900 meters. When you must count higher than nine,
start over again after counting nine (counting higher numbers throws the timing
off).