Leadership Tactics and Strategy

Tactics and Leadership in World War 2 were mainly Infantry and tank attacks but some had the Navy and Air-force in assistance in the attacks. The basic Tactical and Strategic plans are the Ambush, Assault, Charge and Flanking. If you can master these 4 ability’s of command you will make a fine officer or leader. Now to continue in the definition of tactics and strategy
Many military tactics were confined to battlefield concerns, such as how to best maneuver units during combat in open terrain. In current military thought, tactics are the lowest level of planning, involving small units ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred men. Units are organized into formations, comprising a higher level of planning known as the Operational Use of Forces. The third tier of military planning is strategic, which is concerned with the overall means and plan for achieving a long-term outcome. Operational Warfare is thus an intermediate level in which the aim is to convert the strategy (highest level) into tactics (lowest level of planning).
There are also forms of specialized tactics based on the situation of the battlefield and what your objective is. Since most realism’s are to eliminate your enemy’s there are a few specialized tactics that will help a lot. There is room clearing, building maneuvering and large scale charges or assaults.
Identification of objectives: Also referred to as 'Selection and Maintenance of the Aim. Tactics should be directed to achieve a particular outcome such as the capture of a hill, a successful disengagement from an advancing enemy, or just causing a greater loss to the enemy than to your own force (attrition). Once an aim is identified, time, resources and effort are expended to achieve it; therefore, these are wasted if the aim is frequently changed. By way of an operational/strategic level of example, consider Hitler's frequent shift of focus in 1941 in the invasion of the Soviet Union; constantly shifting resources from one operation to another; when he might have done better to remain focused on the capture of Moscow first.
Other tactical advantages are camouflage, deception and exploiting weaknesses.

Infantry Minor Tactics

IMT’s or Infantry Minor Tactics A.K.A. Individual Movement Techniques, consist of squad to platoon sized army groups.
The Basic Drill is probably the most important thing a soldier can learn in any battle. If you are under fire and seen by an enemy this is what you do:
Double Tap(shoot twice)
Run 2 or 3 steps
Drop to the ground or to cover
Crawl a few yards to cover or concealment
Observe
Shoot
Observe
Shoot
Repeat until orders issued.

The Basic Drill is pretty much to keep the soldier always attacking and doing something under pressure of combat until the commander gives out orders. I will now go over basic command tactics the commander can take at this step.
Fire and Movement is when troops in and a small battlefield commander use suppressing fire on known enemy positions and suspected enemy positions. While they fire 1 or 2 men charge forward to designated cover or objectives.

Now the Four F’s of the military and tactical command of a small unit or team. #1 F is Find, Locate the enemy. #2 F is Fix, Pin down with suppressing fire. #3 F is Flank, Send soldiers to the enemy's sides (not the rear, as your troops will then fire upon each other). #4 F is Finish, Destroy your enemy.

Patrolling and Ambush

Patrolling is a recon element of the military. Patrols are squad sized groups usually 8-12 men that go out and observe the enemy and if no other choice engage and call in support from the main force of their army. Now Ambushes are strategically set up defenses where your army camouflages itself and waits for the enemy and when the enemy comes and can’t get out you attack them from all sides.

Guerilla Warfare

Guerilla’s are usually a smaller more mobile army against a larger less mobile army. The point is that if the Guerilla’s keep moving and using ambush and raiding techniques that they’ll be pretty much invisible to the enemy. It is a good tactic if conducted correctly, the only problem is if the enemy knows that you are going to raid them they can set up a counter-ambush.

Human Wave Attack

The Human Wave Attack is a very costly out-dated attack but it still has its uses in the constricted battlefields on DOD:S. The main purpose of the Human Wave is a last resort. But if used correctly with the proper suppressing fire it can over-run a lot of positions with but a few lives lost. But don’t rely on it because it can and will fail.

Swarming

Swarming is a military tactic that came from insects as you might guess by the name. The point of swarming is to confuse the enemy and attack them until they end up firing on their own men or their dead. How it works is a squad will fire on a known enemy positions from hidden locations and then move and repeat. Eventually the enemy will become extremely confused. This is also a great way of taking out a MG or sniper. It also works great if you add deception to it. Like have a man be seen and purposely get pinned down so they are looking at him while other men attack the position.

Base of Fire

Base of Fire is the rule of supporting and covering fire to help an advancing squad. The point is to get enemy’s ducked down or not looking so a group can move up on them and assault them in close quarters to knock out a position.

Frontal Assault

The Frontal Assault is when a leader is desperate and sends a large attack coordinated on a single position where the soldiers assault the positions hoping to overwhelm it with superior numbers and firepower. It has proved very costly in modern times due to the accuracy of weapons but it can work if certain objectives are met. First you must take out any Sniper, MG or rifle. From there you can move in but if you cannot take out those objectives the attack will result in loss of life.

Infiltration

Infiltration tactics consist of lightly armed soldiers bypassing main enemy defenses and moving on certain objectives. Such as taking a certain position or hill or building. The infiltration soldiers will use tactics such as deception or using the swarming tactic to get a distraction to move in.

Pincer Movement

The Pincer Movement is a very basic element of leadership. The point of the Pincer Movement is to attack an enemy on its flanks with heavy forces and forcing it to either divide or die. This tactic works great on a fixed enemy position or on an advancing army.

DEFENSIVE TACTICS

Defense in Depth a basic of defenses that is rather a defense to delay an advancing army then destroy it. The point is to have troops not giving up ground but picking at the army and eventually it will be destroyed by the last line.

Counter-Attacks

The Counter-Attack is a great tactic to use with a Defense in Depth. When the enemy is getting picked apart and pinned down it is a great time to use a frontal assault or ambush or even a pincer movement to utterly confuse and destroy attacking enemy forces.

All Round Defense

All Round Defense, is a defensive tactic were the soldiers are set up to watch a certain target and observe and defend their area. This is the basic tactic used on realism defenses. The way it works is the troops on defense are most likely confused so they try to make a quick defense that covers a large area. This usually works when under fire because they won’t get distracted if they’re ordered to watch a single area, knowing their comrades have other locations.

Center Peel

The Center Peel is an act of retreating and covering the retreating forces until they reach the designated defense position. How it works is when the command is called the battle line will immediately begin suppressing fire on advancing troops and 1 by 1 the soldiers will fall back and when 1 man remains the soldiers at the new defense position cover him until he reaches the location.

This concludes O’Brian’s A.K.A. McDonald’s field manual on tactics in warfare and strategic advantages on the battlefield. I hope you learned something. Learn and master these techniques to become a true and capable battlefield commander. Watch for future updates and battlefield guides on individual maps and weapon guides.