New Infantry Guide

== UNDER CONSTRUCTION ==

Welcome to the new infantryman's guide to surviving the coalition session. The purpose of this guide is to introduce you to how the community of Coalition conducts warfare and what you need to know before the bullets start flying, rather than what the US military does in the real world. While our tactics, techniques, and procedures sometimes match and greatly pull from our real-world counterparts, it would be silly to teach you real-world tactics for a virtual environment like some "super-milsim" group.

With that in mind, take this guide seriously as you'll be expected to know and perform techniques written here in real time during sessions.

The Basics

Platoon Structure

Regardless of mission and/or objectives, Coalition always uses the same platoon structure during campaigns to ensure players have an understandable and systematic experience that promotes organization. During regular sessions, the "Section" is replaced with "Squad". Throughout this guide, Section Leader or SL is the same as a Squad Leader during regular session.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

Each section consists of two fireteams. Each section consists of at least six troopers:
SL - Section Leader
MEDIC - Medical Officer
FTL - Fireteam Leader
AR - Automatic Rifleman (Second in command)
AAR - Assistant Automatic Rifleman
GREN - Grenadier
RAT - Rifleman Anti-tank

Fireteam Structure & Roles

There are five roles in each fire team that you must know:

FTL - Fireteam Leader

This man is your direct line leader. All orders will stem from him. Always stay tactically near him.

Loadout:

Rifle with M203/M320 or GP25 GL

Binoculars

Short-range AN/PRC-343 Radio

AR - Automatic Rifleman

The AR is the second in command and in charge of the first color team. If you're an AAR, stay with him.

Loadout:

Automatic Rifle or LMG

Pistol

Short-range radio (Squad Net)

AAR - Assistant Automatic Rifleman

The AAR's job is to spot for the AR, adjust his fire, and ensure he maintains a healthy amount of ammunition when possible.

Loadout:

Rifle or Carbine

Binoculars

Short-range radio (Squad Net)

GREN - Grenadier

The GREN's job is to serve as a maneuver rifleman with the added ability to lay extra indirect fire on to enemy positions. He is the second color team leader.

Loadout:

Rifle with M203/M320 or GP25 GL

Extra grenades

Short-range radio (Squad Net)

RAT - Rifleman Anti-tank

The RAT's job is to serve as a generally room-clearing or maneuver rifleman as well as destroy any armored assets the fire team may encounter. Stay near your GREN when possible.

Loadout:

Rifle or Carbine

Single-use anti-tank launcher

Short-range radio (Squad Net)

A Coalition section is broken down into three color teams, each with their own purpose:

WHITE TEAM - SL, MEDIC
RED TEAM - FTL, AR, AAR
GREEN TEAM - FTL, GREN, RAT

Red team serves as a base-of-fire (BOF) team with the FTL, AR, and AAR. The combination of an underbarrelled grenade launcher, light machine gun (LMG), and two sets of binoculars enables red team to provide command and cover to green team in a multitude of environments.
Green team serves as a maneuver element within the fire team. Their job is to clear buildings, flank if pinned, and generally destroy any vehicle threats that may happen upon the fire team or squad.

A competent section leader will combine all teams efficiently to ensure they work together across multiple types of terrain.

Role Limitations

While as a recruit during your first couple weeks in the community, you will not be able to take the Fireteam Leader (FTL) or Automatic Rifleman (AR) roles so that you can learn how to be a fireteam member before leading one.

Formations & Spacing

There are a total of three formations you need to know:

THE WEDGE

click for larger picture

By default, we use the wedge as a movement-to-contact formation. This formation allows for the maximum firepower forward and to
the rear if need-be, but suffers from a large cross-section from the sides.

THE LINE

click for larger picture

Not to be confused with the column, the line is commonly used as a reaction to contact from the wedge to get maximum fire power
forward. It is also used in forests or dense terrain.

THE COLUMN

click for larger picture

The column is used when traversing dangerous obstacles like minefields or when visual signature needs to be as low as possible.
Has great fire support to the flanks, but lacks in the rear and forward. Notice red team is in the rear in order to provide
maximum support.

Each formation consists of a minimum of 5 meters of spacing as displayed in the pictures above.
Your team leader will always instruct you to "push out" or "pull in" while moving in formation and you can utilize your CSI compass to help control spacing.

CSI HUD Spacing

Radios

For radios, we utilize the in-game radio functions for all of our inter-section communications. This uses push-to-talk or voice activity to speak on a local or radio level (or both), allowing for 3D communication without any third-party tools. Each section is assigned a radio frequency at mission start and it's up to the SL and all FTLs to ensure that they have the correct equipment before mission start. For more information on radios, click here.

Fireteam Nets vs Squad Nets

We use two radio structures: Fireteam Nets and Section Nets. This is dependent on mission design.

Fireteam Nets

What we use most often right now. RED Team and GREEN Team both share the section frequency with each other. Each FTL will have a single radio: the short-range AN/PRC-343 for communicating with their own section. The SL himself will have a short-range and a long-range radios to communicate with both their section and the platoon leader on the platoon frequency (either two AN/PRC-148s, or one AN/PRC-148 and one AN/PRC-152. All long-range radios will use the same channel frequencies).

It should be kept in mind that non-leadership personnel will have no direct radio communication with their squad leader. Medical personnel are also not guaranteed to be listening on your short range channel. If you need to contact the squad leader or request medical assistance, do so through your fireteam leader. This also makes recovering the radio from a downed fireteam leader essential, especially as bodies are not persistent.

Section Nets

Not used as often, but can occur in certain missions. The entire Section will be on a single AN/PRC-343 channel (Alpha on Channel 1, Bravo on Channel 2, etc). SLs will still retain a long-range radio for communicating with other sections and the platoon leader.

Minimizing radio chatter becomes very important, as many more people will be using a single net, and the channel may quickly become clogged with radio traffic. Clarifying the identity of yourself when transmitting the bearing for a callout is also important as fireteams may be located far from each other.

Communicating

One of the best things you can do as a new infantryman is learn to communicate with your other section members. Regardless of roles, know when to and when not to speak on the fireteam radio to ensure maximum information flow reaches the right ears. Some guidelines:

• Always state your name when speaking on the radio. Avoid words like "me" and "I".
• Use the "ADD" report when calling contact on the radio - Alert, Direction, Distance

Example: Green team contact, two EI at that tree line bearing 252, 300 meters

• Stay with your color team at all times. This allows you to simply speak to them.

Medical

For a more in-depth writeup of medical click here.

Self-aid

If injured in the field, press the "H" hotkey to bring up your medical menu. Immediately begin by clicking on the injured/colored limb and diagnosing the damage on the right sub menu. Utilize your basic medical items (2 elastic bandages/2 packing bandages/1 tourniquet) to stop any bleeding you may have. A list of injuries and bandage effectiveness can be seen to the right.

Bandage Effectiveness Chart

If you are in pain, have a broken bone, hear your heart beat, or have lost a substantial amount of blood, inform your leadership that you require a medic ASAP. Failure to do so can result in you going unconscious and being killed by cardiac arrest.

Likewise if you have been shot in the chest you should always check your chest wounds for a Pneumothorax aka a "sucking chest wound". There are 3 types and all of them require a medic immediately! You should alert your team so they can ensure you do not pass out and drown in your own blood before the medic arrives. If you have access to a chest seal go ahead and apply one. But you still need to see a medic for full treatment!

Otherwise once your bleeding has stopped, you have fluids in you, and all tourniquets are removed, it is safe to continue fighting.

NOTE: "Stable" means no bleeding/has fluids/has stable heart rate. Just because you're limbs are bandaged does not mean you are stable!

The Advanced

Movement Orders

Occasionally, your team leader may order you to do specific movements that you will need to know.

Bounding

Pictures TBA

Peeling

Pictures TBA

Playing AAR

The AAR is the second man behind the LMG. His task is to support the Automatic Rifleman in the employment of his gun and protect him during its employment. While moving, you should stick directly with your color team members - who are the AR and FTL - at all times.

Your tasks include:

• Spotting targets and observing bullet impact using the Binoculars
• Carrying spare ammunition for the gun to sustain its fire
• Watching the ARs flanks while he employs the gun due to his natural inclination to tunnel vision

Playing RAT

The Rifleman (Anti-Tank) is our primary means of defense against enemy armored vehicles. You are the sections, and often the whole platoons, only anti-tank asset. Thus, your armament and your proficiency with it can make the difference between your whole team dying - or not. While moving, stay with the second color team members - the Grenadier and FTL - at all times.

Your tasks include:

• Range estimation to target
• Correct handling of our common launchers, manuals for which can be found here.
• Patience to ensure a hit

Playing GREN

The Grenadiers weapon is the grenade launcher, most commonly fixed under the barrel. With it, he can use both HE grenades to fight enemies behind cover, in ditches or in windows, and smoke grenades to conceal his teams movement or obscure the vision of the enemy.

Your tasks include:

• Range estimation to target
• Employing the HE grenades with precision
• Knowing when and how to employ smoke

IE: Never smoke your own position unless you are retreating. Smoke the enemies position or the path to the enemies position instead. Avoid placing smokes in a way that you have to run through your own smoke.