Although war is not as common now as it used to be, it can still knock on the door. Therefore, the preparation for it remains relevant. What is meant by this? First of all, they talk about physical and shooting training, the ability to drive a car, overcome obstacles, and command. But, besides this, there are a number of important points, without which it is difficult to do. But they are nevertheless very important.
Introduction
One of the most significant among them is engineering equipment and position camouflage. Fortification is carried out to ensure stable control of subordinate units and units. It makes it possible to provide reliable protection to personnel, increases the effectiveness of the use of weapons, and strengthens the security and defense of troop dispositions. This is achieved thanks to the device convenient and wellcamouflaged firing positions, barriers and protected messages.
What is it for?
Engineer support, equipment and position camouflage allow you to tip the scales in battle to one of the sides. Often they are built to perform a specific task (maneuver, observation, fire). Ultimately, the goal is to protect the forces and means from destruction by the enemy. It should be noted that the protective and masking properties of the terrain must be used to the maximum. Additionally, objects that come to hand will also fit under this. For protection purposes, shell craters, excavations, ditches, embankments, reverse slopes, ravines are suitable. All this helps to resist not only conventional weapons, but even nuclear weapons. If you have to operate in open areas, then the best solution would be to position yourself behind the reverse slope of the hill.
What is selection, equipment and position masking?
It is very important to choose a good starting place. So, you can find good protection in narrow, deep and winding ravines, hollows, quarries. It is desirable that they be located perpendicular or at a significant angle towards the point of propagation of the shock wave. But at the same time, it must be remembered that in soft soils, sheltered slopes collapse quite easily. Therefore, they should be fixed.
Natural cuts allow you to increase the protective properties of the terrain. But alwaysit is necessary to remember the negative aspects of certain positions. The notch may crumble. The forest area significantly weakens the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. But we have to protect the equipment and personnel from the impact of debris, falling branches and tree trunks with the help of at least the simplest shelters. Therefore, when performing tasks in a wooded area, it is better to stop at glades, clearings, clearings. But for camouflage, it is desirable that they be covered with bushes.
Where does the work begin?
Equipment and camouflage of trenches, as a rule, originate in the fact that personnel in their positions for firing, protection and observation equip single (rarely paired) beds. Then they go deep for kneeling and standing. Before digging a trench, each soldier must take a closer look at the terrain and position himself so as to have a good view and shelling of his sector and at the same time not be noticeable to the enemy. And only then is the place dug up.
Speaking about the order of equipment and camouflage of trenches, one should start with single ones, as the simplest, not time-consuming and simply understandable. What are they? A single trench is an excavation that has embankments in front and on the sides. It provides a convenient placement of a soldier with weapons and equipment to protect against enemy weapons and fire. For prone shooting, he must have the following parameters: width / length / depth - 60/180/30 centimeters. This is required in order to completely hide the soldier. For convenient shooting, a threshold is left in the front with25-30 centimeters wide and 10 cm above the bottom. Such parameters are necessary to provide support for the elbows. Excavated earth is thrown forward and forms a mound.
More about single trenches
If you plan to fire on the flanks, then the height of the embankment from the enemy side should be twenty centimeters more than in the firing sector. For trenches in such cases, it is provided that the volume of excavated soil is 0.3 cubic meters, and its construction requires half an hour of work by one soldier. Without waiting for the order of the commander, each soldier must deepen the trench for prone shooting. Then he must improve it so that he can shoot from the knee, and then standing. How is it done?
Preparation of single trenches for kneeling and standing
This is done with the help of additional digging into the depth of an existing trench. If we talk about shooting from the knee, then it already has a width of 110 cm, and a depth of 60 cm. The soil is thrown to the sides and forward, creating an embankment up to sixty centimeters high. In the firing sector, it should be reduced to 30 cm. Thus, a recess with gentle slopes is created - an open loophole. The volume of excavated soil in this case is 0.8 cubic meters. A person is allocated 1.2 hours for its arrangement. To equip a trench with the possibility of standing, it is necessary to deepen it. In this case, the excavation is about 1.4 cubicmeters. 1.5 hours are allotted for work. This trench, provided that a person is at the bottom, allows one and a half times to reduce the radius of the zone of destruction of atomic weapons compared to basing in an open area.
Creating a double trench
Engineering training, engineering equipment, and position camouflage are being considered little by little. And now it's the turn of the twin trenches. They provide accommodation for two soldiers. In this case, the earth excerpt should be made in the form of a broken or rectangular slot and reach a length of up to three meters. To accommodate the legs during rest, it is allowed to tear off niches. What speed parameters should be aimed at? For a single trench, it is provided that the soldier must be controlled:
- Lying down: 15-20 minutes. But no more than 32.
- From the knee: 45 minutes. But no more than 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Standing: 1.5 hours. But no more than 2 hours.
For twin trenches, these values are 1.5-2 times higher.
About disguise
Now let's digress. Engineering equipment and camouflage of positions include not only digging the ground for personnel and equipment, but also measures to hide them from enemy eyes. To protect against aerial surveillance, special canvases are used, into which grass, branches and other improvised material are woven. The location of the trenches before their camouflage must meet the following requirements:
- Provide good visibility and fire on the terrain ahead ofdistance of at least 400 meters. Good visual contact of approaches to neighboring trenches should also be provided.
- Contribute to camouflage, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of fire on the point.
- Provides the possibility of hidden communication with neighboring trenches and the rear.
- Favor the work on the equipment and arrangement of the combat site.
Detailed study
Equipment and camouflage of the trench and shelters require certain knowledge. So, good shelling means the absence of dead (you can’t fire at them) spaces within the firing sector. Best of all, this requirement corresponds to the location on the slope of the hill, which faces the enemy. When placing a position at its sole, it is possible to ensure the persistence of the fire. That is, targets are well hit at a distance of the entire flight of the bullet. If you place a position at the topographic ridge, then you usually have a view over long distances. But shelling without dead space is possible only at the shortest distances. For this, the so-called combat crest is most suitable. It is a line on the front slope of the hill facing the enemy. It can shoot down to the sole without dead spaces.
Solving camouflage problems
This can be achieved due to the competent location of objects on the ground. Engineering equipment and camouflage positions are further facilitated when placed in bush, tall grass,places poorly visible to the enemy and not visible from his ground observation posts. But in order to achieve this, it is also necessary to ensure that the conditions for fulfilling the existing fire mission are not complicated. That is, the shelling of the area that is in a given lane should not suffer. Therefore, a simple and effective method is often used - sodding. It is both simple and highly effective.
If there is not enough turf, then additional it can be done on the side or in the rear of the trench. A stretcher is used to carry the work to the place of work. It is better to harvest it where it is planned to build false trenches. The area from which it is removed should be similar to an ordinary fortification. Engineering equipment and position camouflage provide for their connection with protected passages in the event of a long confrontation.
What about technology?
Fighting is not only infantry. It may also be that technology is used to create a strong point. Leaving it in an open field is not recommended. Let's look at the procedure in case you need to dig a tank. His platoon, on its own, must carry out the fortification equipment of the created strong point and the subsequent camouflage of equipment. It must be taken into account that now there are many high-precision weapons. If there is equipment, then you can use it or attachments to clear the area. It is also useful to take care of niches for ammunition. Usually their sizeis 1 x 1 meter or so. They should be placed slightly above the bottom of the trench. This is done so that water does not flow into them, which can spoil the ammunition.
And a little more about disguise
And now for the human factors. Many people think that engineering, equipment and camouflage of positions are limited to digging, stretching nets and weaving grass and leaves into them. This is true, but it is not the complete picture. The behavior of the fighters stationed at the point is also important. After all, if you talk loudly or even shoot upwards out of boredom, then even the best camouflage net will not be able to help hide the placement of fighters from the enemy. Silence must be observed in the positions. If the location of the enemy is unknown, then it is allowed to talk only in a whisper. If a whole system is being built, then dead ends and widenings can be arranged for free movement. Also, in order not to have to champ your boots, you need to take care of the gutters and catchment wells. All this must be reliably camouflaged, hidden from ground and air surveillance. The created fortifications are simply obliged to fit well into the surrounding area and not leave traces of soil fragments on themselves. It must be remembered that the lives of fighters largely depend on compliance with these simple rules.
