INTRODUCTION
GAIN ATTENTION
During World War II, in the battle for the Soviet city of Stalingrad, units and personnel that understood and took into consideration the construction of the building they occupied normally survived, despite repeated attacks. Those units and personnel that paid no attention to building construction often paid for this oversight with their lives. This is a very important consideration when conducting military operations in an urban environment.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this period of instruction is to familiarize the student with the basic characteristics of building construction and the important considerations that this construction has when conducting military operations.
INDIVIDUAL TRAINING STANDARDS
MISSION PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Without the aid of reference and in accordance with MCWP 3-35.3, The student will understand and be able to discuss the characteristics and considerations of building construction and how it relates to MOUT.
ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Know the two types of building construction.
2. Know the characteristics of mass construction buildings.
3. Know the construction methods of mass construction buildings.
4. Know the types of mass constructed buildings.
5. Know the characteristics of frame constructed buildings.
6. Know the types of frame constructed buildings.
7. Know the definition of building identification.
8. Know the m methods of describing a building.
9. Know the effects of weapons on the various types of building material.
METHOD AND MEDIA
This period of instruction will be taught by lecture and aided by a videotape and Powerpoint presentations.
TESTING
This period of instruction will be evaluated through practical application during situational training exercises.
TRANSITION
BODY
1. Structural Classification: Generally, there are two types of structures within an urban environment. They are mass constructed and framed construction buildings.
a. Mass constructed buildings:
1) General characteristics:
a) Mass constructed buildings bear the load of the building to include the roof.
b) Mass constructed buildings normally have thicker walls and fewer windows than framed buildings.
c) The windows in mass constructed buildings must be aligned vertically so the walls can support the weight of the building.
d) Modern types of mass constructed buildings are wall and slab structures (such as hotels and apartments) and tilt-up structures used for industrial and storage facilities.
2) Construction methods:
a) Built in place by using brick or pour in place concrete.
b) The walls can be prefabricated and tilted up.
c) The walls can be prefabricated and assembled in rows and columns of boxes.
3) Types of mass constructed buildings:
a) Brick - the most common of mass constructed buildings, they are found in all regions and in all city areas. Most common in the inner city core.
b) Concrete - common in industrial areas and along commercial ribbons, includes warehouses, storage, factories and power plants. These buildings are usually reinforced with steel bars and metal mesh.
c) Box wall - made from prefabricated concrete panels which are made of six to eight inch reinforced concrete. Found in residential and outlying areas.
b. Frame constructed buildings:
1) General characteristics:
a) Framed constructed buildings are those supported by a skeleton of columns and beams.
b) They are usually taller than mass constructed buildings.
c) The outside walls do not bear any load.
2) Types of frame constructed buildings:
a) Heavy clad - made of thick brick and block, although generally not as protective as a mass constructed building. The walls are the same thickness on all floors and the windows are at the same depth throughout the building. Often the frame members (columns) can be seen, especially on the ground floor.
b) Light clad - most frame buildings built since World War II are light clad. Their walls consist of a thin layer of brick, lightweight concrete or glass. The floors are much heavier and are constructed of reinforced concrete up to three feet thick.
2. Building Identification: In urban combat your unit will encounter situations when an enemy position within a building must be identified quickly and accurately in order to properly react to that threat. All buildings and sides of buildings should be designated with a number, letter, or color in accordance with the unit Standing Operating Procedures (SOP). This allows all Marines to quickly acquire a target associated with the building designation.
a. Methods of describing a building - All buildings can be numbered or lettered. The following methods are an example and not the only method of building description. The important thing is that all Marines must use the same system when operating in an urban environment.
1) Full view - when an entire building can be seen, you can use a cardinal direction for the sides or a color, each floor is numbered from bottom to top and the windows and doors lettered from left to right. An example is "I have full view, building 10-blue-4-b". This translates to the tenth building, northwest side, fourth floor, second window.
2) Partial view - this method is used only when a part of the building can be seen. The method is the same a full view except the term partial view is used. An example is "Partial view, building 10-blue-2-b".
3. Weapons Effects in Urban Terrain: The characteristics and nature of combat in built-up areas makes it imperative that combat leaders understand what each weapons system can do to a variety of building materials. This is just as important in the defense as in the offense.
a. 5.56mm - for this round, maximum penetration occurs at 200 meters. At ranges less than 25 meters, penetration is greatly reduced. At 10 meters, penetration is poor. This is a result of the tremendous stress placed on this high-speed round causing it yaw upon striking a target. Stress causes the projectile to break up and the resulting fragments are often too small to penetrate. Examples of rounds required to perform an initial breach or make a seven inch loophole against various building material are as follows:
1) For eight inch concrete, 35 rounds are needed for an initial breach and 250 for a seven inch loophole.
2) For 14 inch triple brick, 90 rounds are needed for an initial breach and 160 for a seven inch loophole.
3) For 12 inch cinder block with single brick veneer, 60 rounds are needed for a seven inch loophole and 250 for a breach hole (man sized entry).
4) For nine inch double brick, 70 rounds are needed for an initial breach and 120 for a seven inch loophole.
5) For a 16 inch tree trunk or log wall, one to three rounds are needed for an initial breach.
6) For 12 inch cinder block (filled with sand), 35 rounds are needed for a seven inch loophole.
7) For a 24 inch double sandbag wall, 220 rounds are needed for an initial breach.
8) For a 3/8 inch mild steel door, one round is needed for an initial breach.
b. 7.62 and .50 caliber: In an urban environment the .50 caliber and the 7.62 M240G machine guns provide high-volume, long-range, automatic fires for the suppression or destruction of targets. They provide final protective fires along fixed lines and can be used to penetrate light structures. The .50 caliber machine gun is the most effective for penetration. Tracers from both machine guns are likely to start fires with the .50 caliber tracer round the most apt to do so. Examples of the rounds required for a .50 caliber or 7.62 machine gun to penetrate various building materials are as follows:
1) For eight inch thick reinforced concrete, 100 rounds of 7.62 would be required to make a seven inch hole.
2) For 10 inch thick reinforced concrete, 50 rounds of .50 would be required to make a ten inch hole.
3) For 14 inch thick triple brick, 170 rounds of 7.62 would be required to make a seven inch hole.
4) For 12 inch thick triple brick, 15 rounds of .50 would be required to make an eight inch hole and 50 rounds to make a 26 inch hole.
5) For 12 inch thick concrete block with single brick veneer, 30 rounds of 7.62 would be required to make a six inch hole and 200 rounds to make a 24 inch hole.
6) For 12 inch thick concrete block with single brick veneer, 25 rounds of .50 would be required to make a ten inch hole and 45 to make a 33 inch hole.
7) For 24 inch thick double sandbag, 110 rounds of 7.62 or 5 rounds of .50 would be required to penetrate.
8) For a 16 inch thick log wall, one round of either 7.62 or .50 would be required to penetrate.
9) For a one or 3/8 inch armor plate steel door, one round of either 7.62 or .50 would be required to penetrate.
c. The 40mm HEDP grenade has a small shaped charge the penetrates better than the HE round. It also has a thin wire wrapping that bursts into a dense fragmentation pattern, creating casualties out to five meters. Because these grenades explode on contact, 40mm rounds achieve the same penetration regardless of range. They have a minimum arming distance of 14 to 28 meters. 40mm penetration examples are as follows:
1) 20 inches against sandbags.
2) 16 inches against sand-filled cinder block.
3) 12 inches against pine logs.
4) 2 inches against armor plate.
d. The AT-4 is heavier than the LAW and has a diameter of 84mm giving the warhead much greater penetration. The AT-4 can penetrate more than 17.5 inches of armor plate. It has a minimum arming distance of 10 meters.
e. The MK 153 83mm SMAW is easily carried and placed into action by an individual Marine. It can be used against fortified positions and is also effective against light armored vehicles. The SMAW can arm within 10 meters. The warhead detonates immediately against hard targets but delays against soft targets, burrowing into before exploding. The warhead can create an eight inch loophole in reinforced concrete but it will not cut the bar. It may take several shots to create a man-sized mouse hole. Against brick walls the SMAW normally produces a hole large enough to be used as a mouse hole.
f. Both the Dragon and the TOW missiles have a minimum arming distance of 65 meters, severely limiting their use in built-up areas. However, ground level long-range fires down streets, from roof tops or across parks to other open areas are possible. The basic TOW can penetrate eight feet of packed earth, four feet of reinforced concrete or 16 inches of steel plate. The Dragon can penetrate eight feet of packed earth, four feet of concrete or 13 inches of steel plate.
g. The M34 WP hand grenade's explosion, bright flash, smoke and burning WP particles all combine to make the M34 one of the most effective psychological weapons available when conducting MOUT. The M34 throws WP fragments out to 35 meters and these fragments may attach to clothing or skin and continue to burn. Because of its weight, most Marines can throw this grenade out to only 30 to 40 meters.
h. The MK3A2 offensive hand grenade is commonly referred to as the concussion grenade. It can produce enemy casualties during close combat while at the same time minimizing the danger to Marines. It produces a severe concussion effect within enclosed areas.
i. The M67 fragmentation grenade is the most commonly available. It is lethal from 15 to 20 meters and produces a large amount of small high velocity fragments that can penetrate sheet rock partitions. It cannot penetrate a single layer of sandbags.
j. Back blast must be considered when employing all recoilless weapons. To fire a LAW, AT-4 or SMAW from inside a room the following precautions must be taken:
1) Building should be of sturdy construction.
2) The room size should be at least 15 by 12 feet.
3) There must be 20 square feet of ventilation to the rear or side of the weapon. An open seven by three foot door would provide minimum ventilation.
4) All glass should be removed.
5) There should be at least nine inches between the launch tube and the aperture from which it is fired.
QUESTIONS
SUMMARY
In summary, building construction and how weapons affect various construction material can mean success or failure - life or death in an urban environment.
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