TWO-ELEMENT COMBAT: BOUNDING TO TACTICAL L - Combat Mission Black Sea

Many books on military tactics teach you to follow a script, a predictable series of drills. The Special Tactics series, however, challenges you to think critically and adapt.

In "Squad-Level Infantry Rural Combat", the concept of bounding—the leapfrogging movement of small units—is explored in a new light. This book goes beyond the standard, linear approach of bounding simply to close with the enemy. It expands on the classic flanking maneuver, making it more than just a way to hit a weak spot or surprise an enemy.

Flanking is given a driving purpose: the famous tactical L (each half-squad on each "stick of the L", both delivering devastating crossfire upon the enemy) needs to be brought into life with expediency.

In this small Combat Mission Black Sea I explored the baseline of this tactical principle. 

Team B (halfsquad, lower bottom blue icon) has made contact with an enemy squad and a LMG team (red icons). Team A (half squad, top right blue icon) is moving cautiosly to its position in the "tactical L".

Team B, keeps firing during team A's approach. 

Team B's suppression included all the triming, including grenades.

Team A's approach was hampered by the copious concealment offered by the trees and undergrowth.

Lines of fire: team B. Note the casualty we suffered.

Team A: line of fire. They finally made contact.

Under fire from both team A and B, the enemy pulls back.

After a short time, they surrender.

That scenario was just a taste of what it takes to assemble a tactical L. The real world of combat is far more complicated. My son is currently developing a version with a more realistic enemy force and deployment, and I'm betting it's going to be a punishing challenge.

Meanwhile, I can tell you that getting that tactical L into position was anything but straightforward. In our case, the assembly took too long. We could have been faster if the angle of the L wasn't so sharp, and we also struggled with the treacherous lines of sight in the woods.

It's a stark reminder that in military tactics, nothing is simple. Every variable—from terrain to lines of fire geometry—can change the tempo of execution and turn a seemingly simple plan into a complicated mess.

Cheers,