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[MTLMortis]

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Field Manual - Battlefield: Infantry Squad Doctrine

by MTLMortis

Document Number: fm.mtl.bf.isd

[MTL] Website - http://WWW.MTLMAYHEM.COM

Preface
Frustration. Disgust. Rage. These are what we have all experienced at one time or another on the battlefield. Too often you join a game, get into a squad and then note that one is off flying a jet, another is a recon sitting on a rooftop trying to hit targets two flags out, and you’re stuck trying to complete objectives by yourself.

Alone. Outgunned. Unsupported. No backup. At best you have a friend that runs around with you, but you both spend more time running forward from a spawn point than actively completing objectives. Frustration mounts as you die over and over again because you have been flanked, surrounded and decimated repeatedly.

I am here to help.

What this guide is:

This guide will cover all aspects of being an effective infantry squad unit in Battlefield under normal game server operating rules as outlined by DICE.

This guide assumes you are in voice communication with one another and are familiar with the different classes and standard loadouts. Use skype, ventrilo, teamspeak, or get a bluetooth headset and call your buddy up on the phone. Back in the day I used to use conference calling to connect my team during competitive quake 2 capture the flag. Communication is key.

This guide aims to provide a structured and tactical approach to playing on public servers with friends and should serve well under near simulation server rules as well.

This guide is about achieving objectives within the confines of one squad of between two and five people working together towards the same goal.

This guide is about moving, maneuvering, attacking, defending, thinking, acting and reacting tactically.

The examples given in this guide are a lot more exaggerated and verbose than what will actually occur during a real game. They are more for illustrating the point and mindset of that specific instance.

What this guide is not:

This guide is not about kill death ratios.

This guide will not tell you how to play a class, how to fly, what gun to shoot or how to shoot.

This guide will tell you where to shoot and more importantly when to shoot.[/b]
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
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[MTLMortis]

The Role of the Infantry Squad

“The Infantry’s primary role is close combat, which may occur in any type of mission, in any theater,or environment. Characterized by extreme violence and physiological shock, close combat is callous and unforgiving. Its dimensions are measured in minutes and meters, and its consequences are final. “

- HQ Dept. of the Army field manual 3-21.8


The role of an infantry squad in Battlefield is to provide support for each other in an effort to complete objectives. Whether that is two, three, or more people working in concert, you need to work with what you have. If it’s just you and a friend, work as a fireteam and move and act in concert with one another even if the other members of your squad are off doing their own thing.

Your specific role as a soldier is simple, stay alive while performing one of three things. ATTACK, DEFEND, or MOVE. Anything else you do is periphery or complementary to one of these three things. Always remember that your number one priority is to stay alive. Everyone has experienced the feeling of having to respawn back at the base because the entire squad has been wiped out, and the enemy controls all the flags. Don’t be the last guy in the squad that goes out in a blaze of glory attacking a flag. Two is one, one is none. Remember that. Always retreat, recover, and reconsider when you are the last remaining member of your squad. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule.
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

Leadership and Objectives
"A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves."

-Lao Tzu

"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor."

-Brian Tracy

Whether there is an explicit chain of command, or just a few friends working together, someone needs to mold the direction of the decisions being made. If you’re reading this guide, then perhaps that individual is you. The maxim of “Lead, Follow, or get out of the way” is eminently applicable to Battlefield. There should always be a clear leader. Two people trying to lead a squad will only cause confusion. Be willing to back down and let someone lead if they are insistent. You can always make a new squad or take over if things turn out badly.

All good squad leaders provide examples for their troops in everything they do. Lead by example above all else. The soldiers under your command will look to you for direction, information, and to provide answers to what is happening. They never want to hear I don’t know. How do we deal with leadership? How do we deal with the constant flux of combat, exchange of control points and defensive areas of responsibility?

Tactics, Techniques, Procedures

War is hell. Often when the round begins we have a clear idea of what we are doing. The server changes maps to Caspian Border 2014, and you are on the US side. As squad leader you decide on the following objectives and tell your squad. “We’re going to run and cap Bravo, the truck depot, then move along the wall to take and hold Charlie and Delta.”

Can you see our three options in that objective? We are going to cap B (Movement to target B), then take and hold C and D (Defend target C&D, possibly involving an Attack on target if we encounter enemy forces prior to capping.)

In theory that’s a nice objective, but we all know that “the plan” will get shot to hell in about as much time as it takes to move down the road to B. Map rounds are by their very nature chaotic and unpredictable. Maybe we’ll get strafed by that damned Flanker pilot that’s had over 154 real hours of in-game flight time (yes, that has actually happened to me) and take out half our squad, delaying our movement. Maybe the other side will race to C and D ahead of capping their own closest point. Maybe a tank will be sitting on D shelling you as you are running up. Maybe there’s a sniper near the antenna taking shots at you.

Let us look at the following realistic situation:

Bravo squad has capped B (truck depot) on Caspian Border 2014, and is moving along the wall to take and hold C and D. They encounter enemy fire go prone and move behind cover. You, the squad leader must decide how to deal with the situation.

Tactics

Tactics are how you deploy and maneuver your squad in combat.

Bravo Squad Leader: “Taking fire hit the dirt! Contact, dead ahead at the rocks. Bravo-2 and 3 fall back and circle around right under cover to flank them, stay out of sight. Bravo-4 we’re staying put and keeping them busy with covering fire. Go, go, go!”

Techniques

Techniques are the specifics of how we perform combat actions.

Bravo Squad Leader: “Bravo-4 get your machine gun on those rocks and give me suppressive fire to keep their attention, I’m going to toss a grenade and flush them towards 2 and 3. When they get up to run, 2 and 3 engage them from cover. 4, If they break the other way hammer them hard.

Procedures

Procedures are predetermined action-reaction responses. If x happens, then automatically do y. If you’re taking fire (x) go prone or duck under cover (y). If you spot an enemy (x) , call out contact and direction(y). When the squad leader calls hold (x), everyone immediately crouches and starts scanning (y) while waiting for further orders. These are not instinctive in people and must be learnt through training and trial. Do not expect people to react as you would without instruction. Teaching your squad to be an effective unit is part of a leader’s job.


A squad works and fights harder and more efficiently when everyone feels that they are part of the decision making process. That can be suggesting, or merely agreeing with someone else. The first thing any squad needs to do is decide on an objective. When deciding on a course of action it is helpful, but not strictly necessary to keep the overall objectives of the map in mind. Insisting that a squad attack a strategically significant point over objections from the squadmates will have one of two outcomes. A lackluster effort that fails followed by blame. A successful attack that still results in resentment. A good leader will always try to take their squads input and make it work. Leadership will come at both the squad and individual level. Self-initiative is what makes a lot of goals possible, as long as the good of the whole is kept uppermost in mind without being suicidal.

As stated before, a squads objective will be a variant of one of three choices. Attack a target. Defend a target. Move to a target. As a squad leader, suggest a course of action, get agreement, then act upon it. You will either achieve your goal or fail. If you have achieved your objective, start over. Agree on another objective and continue.

Retreat > Regroup > Reconsider

Things can and will go wrong more often than right until your squad gets comfortable with one another over a long period of time. On public servers this level of comfort rarely if ever happens.

Should you fail in accomplishing an objective, stop. If your squad gets wiped out, stop. Just stop for a second and think. Do not respawn and run blindly back into what killed you. This above all else is what leads to frustration. Tell everyone that we all need to stop and take a second to figure out what to do. Retreat, regroup and reconsider.

Bravo Squad Leader: “Wow. What happened there. Bravo-2 stay alive, back off and find some cover. Ok guys, let’s respawn on Bravo-2, and figure out how we’re going to handle this one, ok?”

If you are pleasant and polite, without being demanding they are more likely to follow. You are asking them for help in making a strategic and tactical decision on a course of action. You aren’t barking orders. You are not sighing or sounding off in an annoyed or angry tone. The words “What the fuck are you doing Bravo-1?!”, “You guys suck.”, “I’m dead because you can’t shoot for shit!” or anything similar should never leave your lips or keyboard.

If you want to take a leadership role you need to understand what that entails. You are always to blame without exception, for anything that goes wrong. If an attack fails because someone did something different, it’s because you didn’t tell them not to do it. You are ultimately responsible for every mistake made by everyone else in the squad. Learn to accept it, admit it, and move on. A soldier that doesn’t follow orders or maintain squad discipline should be removed from the squad after a few warnings.

Bravo Squad Leader: “Sorry guys, that was totally my fault, I should have had Bravo-4 on overwatch during our attack but pooched that call. Bravo-2’s fallen back to cover, respawn on him and let’s figure out our next move.”

Always praise your squad for anything that goes right. This engenders trust, respect and a willingness to follow.

Bravo Squad Leader: “Awesome guys, you maneuvered perfectly, flanked those guys and took them out while Bravo-4 was keeping them suppressed. Way to work together. Bravo-3 lead off to D, Bravo-2 next covering right, 4 has left and I’ll watch our ass. Let’s hump it!”
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

Intel and Communication

The most important weapon the fighting soldier and squad leader has in defeating an enemy and completing objectives is intelligence. Proper intelligence allows squad leaders to make informed decisions of a tactical and strategic nature. The squad get information through communication. Letting your squad know what you see, allows them for a more complete picture of your current situation. It is the job of every squadmate to let everyone else know what they are observing. In communicating this intelligence, it is important to be concise, accurate, and focused.

It is imperative that you be in voice communication with your squad. This is not a suggestion. This is a must. There are plenty of free voice programs readily available. Skype being the easiest without having to use a voice server such as ventrilo or teamspeak.

Personal note: The reckless and incorrect use of the word contact is an irritant. Contact should only be used when you are actively spotting and engaging an enemy target. When someone says contact it means the squad is in imminent or immediate danger. If you spot something you have “eyes on” a target, you have not made “contact”. Never fire or engage an enemy or objective without the express order of the squad leader unless you are being fired upon.

* * * *

Before discussing what to communicate, it is useful to discuss how to communicate and some of the most commonly used terms such as the NATO phonetic alphabet. This is used because if you say you’re headed to BEEEE I might hear DEEEE because I’m taking fire and a grenade is exploding nearby. The following common terms should be reviewed as they are used quite often to relay information concisely as well as precisely.

NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whiskey X-ray Yankee Zulu

AO - Area of Operations. Sort of useless for BF4 purposes as the entire map would be our area of operations. Your immediate surrounding area such as the truck depot, gas station, top of the hill in Caspian Border 2014 is known as an EA or Engagement Area.

Ack-Ack - Anit-Aircraft Vehicle

BFR - Big Fucking Rock, generally used to denote a landmark.

“This is Bravo-4, I’m in position on top of the BFR 80 meters south of Charlie”

Crash Hawk - Transport chopper

Doritos - Enemy troops on the minimap

Low/Mid/High – Indicates the vertical direction of whatever you’re calling out.

“Contact two o’clock high!” would indicate the enemy is engaging him from an elevated forward right position.

Point - The person/position in front of the squad moving towards the objective and scanning in a 180 degree arc for threats.

Overwatch - A secure position with an overall view of an area. The job of overwatch is to report anything of tactical significance to the squad, provide fire support if needed and function as a respawn if things go south. The recon and support class are best suited for this role.

Eyes (direction/landmark) / Eyes on - Shift your field of fire to the indicated direction.

“I have eyes on an enemy tank 10 o’clock mid.” You would look forward left and be prepared to engage or support on the squad leaders call.

“Squad eyes front.” Means look forward.

ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival

Fast movers - Jets

Infy - Infantry, soldiers, ground pounders, guys not in vehicles.

Lima Charlie - Loud and Clear. I understand completely.

Mikes - Mikes are minutes.

“Inbound on Delta, ETA 2 mikes.” Means I’m headed to Delta and I estimate travel time to be 2 minutes.

Oscar Mike - On the move.

Guns Hot / Guns Cold - This means the state of something (hot = firing / cold = not firing) or what state you want it to be. For example if I’m in a heli and I want to circle around to hit the enemy armor in the rear I would tell my gunner “Guns cold” or “Go cold” so as not to alert the enemy to our presence. Who hasn’t been in the situation where you’re on the ground and an engineer spawns on you and immediately fires off an rpg drawing the fire from an tank?

Contact - Actively engaged or about to be engaged in combat with the enemy

“I’m in contact with infy at Echo”

Sandwich - C4 explosive

“I shared some sandwiches with that tank at Echo”

SITREP - Situation Report on what you are actively doing at that moment. If someone asked me for a sitrep I might reply.

“I’m in the tower east of Charlie providing suppressive fire for friendlies while they take the objective.”

Payload out - Means ordinance fired, normally heavy ordinance such as a TV Missle. If the AA was outside the Russian base between Delta and Bravo I might tell my gunner.

“Ack-Ack twelve o’clock low, prep a TV” and he would reply “Payload out” once he’d fired so that I know I can duck under cover.

Roger - Yes, I understand and will obey.
Negative - No or I will not or cannot comply with that order. Negative is used instead of no, because it can sometimes be hard to hear the word no during a combat engagement.

Dismount / Bail - Exit the vehicle. It is generally the driver/pilot’s responsibility. Please, please, please do this. I have died countless times because my driver/pilot bailed without telling me.

Tango - Target. "We have two Tango's at 3 o'clock – I'll take the right one."

Tango Uniform - “Tits Up” something went wrong, something’s fucked up.


When you communicate during a game you want to be as clear, concise and precise as possible. Depending on how many people are in your comms channel at one time it can get confusing. That’s still a lot better than no communication. When possible try and keep the following in mind to convey while communicating:

-Who you are
-Where you are
-What role you are playing
-What you are currently doing

Here are a few examples:

“Mortis inbound on Bravo bringing heavy armor to support cap.”
“Mortis on your 6 as assault 40 meters out.”
“Be advised enemy Ack Ack inbound on your position from Alpha”
“Contact front multiple enemy near blue dumpster”
“Moving to engage enemy armor at Bravo as engineer”
“You have an enemy jet on your six, hopping in the stationary guns cold, try to bait him into the area.”
“Mortis bounding right, moving.”
“Cleared Bravo of infy, recommend ground proceed to cap, little bird egressing out.”
“Guns cold target enemy helo at 10 o’clock high.” I gain altitude, loop behind them. “Guns hot, guns hot.” Gunner is free to engage the primary target.
“Proceeding to cap Charlie, gunner I need your eyes left.”
“The air over Bravo is too hot but we’re sending a TV danger close on that tank.”
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

MOVEMENT AND MANEUVER

Care must be given to make the distinction between movement and maneuver. Movement is travelling and maneuver is movement during combat. Maneuver will be discussed in the OFFENSE and DEFEND sections.

How an individual moves around the battlefield is the most important aspect of "Not Getting Shot". Proper movement will keep you alive, whereas sloppy movement tends to result in forcibly being ventilated by small, fast moving objects.

Bunching up gets people killed. Try to keep at least five meters between yourself and any other players whenever possible. Ten meters is even better. Doing this will help to minimize the impact of enemy artillery, grenades, mines, other explosives, and the initial burst of fire from a surprise contact.

Crouch at halts. Crouching lowers your exposure, which makes it harder for someone to hit you from a distance. Get into the habit of crouching any time that you're halted for more than a second or two. If you expect to be stationary for a longer period of time, you may want to go prone, find better cover or concealment, or both.

Don’t travel along ridges. Ridges highlight you against the sky making your easily observable.

There are basically three types of movement. They are: Travelling, Travelling Overwatch, and Bounding Overwatch.

- = holding position
> = moving

Travelling - The usual movement when you are not expecting enemy contact. Start of the round everyone makes a beeline to whichever objective. Everyone is hauling ass to get to a point as quickly as possible.

Travelling Overwatch - Used when you are not sure if you will contact the enemy en route to your objective but speed is still important. The lead elements of the squad will travel in a continuous direction while the trailing overwatch elements will move at variable speeds sometimes stopping in an overwatch position to scan for possible contacts and ambushes.

A-..B>
A-….B>
….A>…...B>
…...……A-…B>….
………………...A>…...B>

Bounding Overwatch - You know they’re out there….somewhere. This is the classic move forward in spurts when you expect contact with the enemy. Overwatch provides protection while the squad moves up to a designated point then stops and scans while the overwatch detail catches up and takes up position to cover the squad while they move to the next position.

A……B>
….A>...B-
……….A-….B>
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

OFFENSE

Now that we know how to move, we can review offensive actions. Assaulting an objective is inherently more dangerous than defending. There are a few ways we can minimize the danger.

By utilizing the mobility of the infantry squad and moving through areas of thick cover and concealment you can maintain stealth while approaching. Thick cover also enhances the short range power of the squad by shielding you from long range fire.

The final advantage you have is that of local fire superiority. This superiority will counter the penalties imposed by movement.

There are several methods available to us to achieve local superiority. The first and most obvious is bring more men. If you can outnumber the defenders you have a better chance of defeating their prepared positions.

Surprise is also vital. Local superiority can not be achieved if the enemy is aware of where you plan to achieve it. Consider tasking assets to eliminate enemy intelligence gathering. Once the assault commences the squad must advance as fast as possible as speed will prevent enemy reinforcements from countering local superiority. Be unpredictable, even if surprise is achieved and the unit is not spotted moving to the attack, if the attack route was anticipated local enemy opposition will be strong.

When analyzing your projected route of attack, keep the following in mind.

1. The route must be large enough that you cannot be bottlenecked by enemy forces.

2. Cover should be plentiful right up to the objective.

3. Think about keeping a reserve member for spawn purposes and as overwatch. Beacons don’t shoot back, infantry do.

4. Don’t bunch up. Bunching up gets people killed, keep a minimum of 5 meters distance between you and everyone else at all times.
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

** RESERVED **
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal

[MTLMortis]

** RESERVED **
_________________
[MTL]Mortis - "No one says you have to fight a war with your pants on..."

http://www.cultofzal.com
http://www.twitch.tv/cultofzal
http://www.youtube.com/cultofzal