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Tandag Pocket (Sept 15)
Platoon Leader E-Male's AAR
Squad Leaders
Alpha -- Grunt
Bravo -- Blackdog
No Images.
Our mission was to stop a convoy from reaching Tandag, eliminate an estimated 50 enemy infrantry in and around Tanang and destroy 4 BMPs.
As SL of Alpha, Grunt was tasked with eliminating the convoy, inbound from Masbete. SL Blackdog wisely suggested positioning Bravo in the next town so as to mop up any enemy that might make it past Alpha's ambush.
Note to self: next time we run this mission I may instruct the ambush to let the first half of the convoy pass so as to see how things unfold down the road with Bravo stationed to react.
The convoy was eliminated without any casualties. Alpha was sent due North to the outskirts of Tandag and positioned east of the town. Bravo was sent north-west and stationed along a ridge immediately North of the town.
After a short while Bravo encountered a steady stream of enemy infantry. These were eliminated and Bravo made its way northward and secured a barn for command and ammo truck.
Alpha moved in from the East and cleared infantry at a machinegun nest. The 4 BMPs were blown, squads swept north, south and west to clear remaining enemy and the platoon rallied at a burned out church on the west side. No casualties.
NOTES:
Notes are brief due to a failure on my part to keep better records and record some map images -- an oversight I'll try to avoid in the future.
I had hoped to use Alpha and Bravo in combined ops against shared targets but was unable to create the conditions needed.
Comms and discipline were excellent. I still find myself stumbling over words and being unnecessarily wordy.
There was a moment of collective confusion as we prepared to blow the BMPs. No one was certain as to how many scatchels were available. In future, SLs should anticipate the need for such and be ready to provide accurate inventories of needed supplies/ammo when faced with an obvious 'next task'. Also, the ammo truck was left exposed on the ridge of a small hill by the machine gun emplacement. Enemy was still active on our west flank, as we later discovered, and the confusion and unnecessary movement of the ammo truck could have had dire consequences.
Note to SLs: Command needs squad position markers to be updated whenever a squad shifts position in any significant degree. Any movement that changes tactical possibilities, alters one squad's orientation to another squad or to the enemy, or attains a new position of note (a building, ridge, machine gun nest ...) needs to be immediately noted on the PL's map. I'll make an effort to call for more position marker updates, but I also need SLs to take the initiative and provide the PL with constantly updated position markers. Current positions markers are all the PL has to go on when planning strategy. Without current location intell your PL is blind and dumb.
Thank you to all who participated.
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E-Male
Last edited by Grunt 70; 09-16-2008 at 12:22 PM.
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