Tactical Decision Game #97-1 Solution C
Tactical Decision Game Solution #97-1 C January 1997
Contact at the Seven Mounds
by Officers, Company M, 3d Recruit Trng Bn, Parris Island
View a map of the solution
Squad Leader's Frag Order
"Team Leaders: Pop smoke and consolidate on 2d Fire Team's position. Fix the enemy by fire.
"Machineguns: Move up to 2d Fire Team's position and augment the fire of the squad. I want you to completely box in the objective with fire."
Estimate of the Situation
Our mission, as the advance guard of the company, is to provide early warning to the main body and develop the situation. The enemy appears to be in at least platoon strength, and because of his actions prior to this contact, he seems to feel confident about defending it. The terrain occupied by 2d Fire Team is key terrain, should the platoon commander or company commander decide to reduce the position. As a squad I do not have the firepower or manpower to take on a platoon, if in fact that is their strength, and it seems from their previous actions that we may have been moving through their security area toward their main defensive line or possibly toward an ambush. Our platoon is about 300-400 meters behind and will be able to develop the situation quickly.
Rationale
We assume that the enemy is in a position that he can defend and that he is in platoon strength. We, as a squad, do not have the fire power or manpower to successfully clear this objective. By fixing the enemy with fire we can keep him in one place until sufficient forces are brought up to deal with him, or until it is decided to bypass him, we can hold him in place until the unit successfully passes by. We would also be in position to act as a significant base of fire if the platoon commander decides to assault.
As the squad leader, I would not call for fire as the Laws of War do not allow the indiscriminate destruction of religious sites. As such, we would return fire in kind until the platoon commander could take charge of the situation.
For more detailed information on the structure
of Marine Corps units, Marine Corps equipment, and
symbols used in Tactical Decision Game sketches, see
Marine Corps Gazette, October 1994,
pp. 53-56 and the modification reported in the
January, 1995, edition on page 5.
