SPMAGTF(X) MOUT Training Program of Instruction

Building Fortification

INTRODUCTION

GAIN ATTENTION

PURPOSE

The purpose of this period of instruction is to give the student a basic understanding of the concepts and techniques of building fortification.

INDIVIDUAL TRAINING STANDARDS

MISSION PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Without the aid of references and in accordance with MCWP 3-35/3, be able to discuss and construct building fortification.

ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Know the definition of a strongpoint.
2. Know the selection criteria for a strongpoint.
3. Know the various methods of external fortifications.
4. Know the various methods of internal fortifications.

METHOD AND MEDIA

This class will be taught by lecture and practical application.

TESTING

This period of instruction will be tested in the practical application portion during situational training exercises.

TRANSITION

BODY

1. Strongpoint: A strongpoint should not be restricted to one building as it can be easily isolated and destroyed. Defensive strength can be achieved by grouping a strongpoint around an intersection with fire positions in two or three different buildings providing interlocking and mutually supporting fires.

2. Selection Criteria: Refer to Table 1 for detailed characteristics.

a. Size: A strongpoint that includes a number of buildings must be built with survivability and sound defensive principles as the primary considerations. Smaller buildings may afford insufficient space to properly disperse the defense while large buildings may force the defender to spread the defense too thinly.

b. Surroundings:

1) Fields of Fire: In an urban environment there will always be some areas around a building into which the defenders will be unable to fire on. These areas may be close to the buildings or blocked by the angles formed by adjacent buildings.
2) Dominating Buildings: In some circumstances, some larger buildings may have to be demolished to increase fields of fire.
3) Covered Routes: Covered routes to and from defended positions allow freedom of movement. Tunnel systems, sewers and mouse holes (blown between buildings) can be sued as covered routes. A covered withdraw route should always be a major consideration when selecting a building to defend from.
4) External Fire Positions: External fire positions should be positioned to engage the enemy at the maximum effective range of your weapons. These positions should be mutually supporting, have overhead cover and covered withdraw routes.

c. Hazardous Conditions: Defended buildings should be examined for structure and location. Hazards such as the potential for fire and collapse must be considered. The following table outlines construction material, examples, characteristics and recommendations to follow for selecting a building for the defense:

CONSTRUCTION: Weak wood and frame construction
EXAMPLES: Old farm houses, cottages
CHARACTERISTICS: Weak walls and timber rafter offering no frontal protection, high fire risk, reinforcement necessary
RECOMMENDATION: Avoid when possible

CONSTRUCTION: Masonry
EXAMPLES: Town halls, banks, older housing
CHARACTERISTICS: Probably solid walls, usually two to four stories with wooden floor joists, banks may have solid floors, thickness of walls diminishes with height, possible fire hazard, floors may require props
RECOMMENDATION: Usually a good choice if not isolated from other buildings

CONSTRUCTION: Good quality brick or concrete block
EXAMPLES: Detached or semi-detached houses
CHARACTERISTICS: Buildings probably have cavity walls and may have reinforced concrete floors, small fire risk, sandbags needed to provide full protection, may need propping if joists are made with timber
RECOMMENDATION: Good choice

CONSTRUCTION: Low quality brick
EXAMPLES: Suburban housing, small shops
CHARACTERISTICS: Buildings easily demolished by direct fire weapons, medium fire hazard, walls offer little protection but shops may have cellars
RECOMMENDATION: Avoid unless the cellars can be used

CONSTRUCTION: Large commercial buildings
EXAMPLES: Type A modern department stores, modern factories or commercial offices
CHARACTERISTICS: Solid concrete or steel frame buildings with strong floors, walls may be weak, frequently have large windows, difficult to collapse and frame resistant to sway, likely to have cellars, movement within building is easy, low fire risk
RECOMMENDATION: A possible choice if protection can be achieved

CONSTRUCTION: Large commercial buildings
EXAMPLES: Type B older department stores and commercial premises
CHARACTERSITICS: Strong walls and floors, fire hazard low to medium dependent on floor material, walls give good protection but additional sandbags desirable
RECOMMENDATION: A good choice

CONSTRUCTION: Medium rise/high rise blocks
EXAMPLES: Type A offices
CHARACTERISTICS: Large windows, frame construction, reinforced concrete floors, weak walls, probably low fire risk, difficult to collapse, walls and windows provide no protection, tall buildings are conspicuous, probably have cellars
RECOMMENDATION: Possible choice if protection can be achieved

CONSTRUCTION: Medium rise/high rise
EXAMPLES: Type B apartments
CHARACTERISTICS: Small windows, reinforced concrete load bearing outside walls, walls probably provide good protection, low fire risk, tall buildings usually surrounded by open space with lack of covered routes, if walls are prefabricated they may be prone to collapse
RECOMMENDATION: Possible choice

CONSTRUCTION: Single floor industrial buildings
EXAMPLES: Warehouses and single floor factories
CHARACTERISTICS: Usually steel or reinforced concrete frame construction with brick or lightly cladded walls, little overhead protection.
RECOMMENDATION: Of little value without substantial protective work

3. External Fortifications: Having selected the building to defend, we now must deny the enemy or channel him into our kill areas.

a. Cribs: Selected streets should be blocked and obstacles covered by fire. However, some will need to be kept free for the movement of reserves. Cribs provide obstacles of various types.
1) Log cribs with the logs approximately eight inches in diameter, telephone poles are an example. The interior of the log cribs should be filled with rubble.
2) Vehicle cribs are made by wiring or chaining together large vehicles, the wheels should be removed and the interior filled with rubble.
3) Buses or construction vehicles also make good obstacles. These vehicles should be placed on their side and form a V shape point towards the enemy.

b. Pallets and Wire: Pallets and wire should be placed against the outer wall to stop mouse hole charges from being positioned.

c. Low Wire Entanglement: A low wire entanglement is simple to construct and consists of three foot and six foot length engineer stakes driven into the ground at various heights. Barbed wire is then wound around the stakes.

d. Concertina: Protective wire will be placed (and staked into place) at the base of the building. Using engineer tape or communications wire you can wrap concertina wire around the upper story windows to deny the enemy upper access.

e. Mines: Mines should be placed in all areas that are likely locations for the enemy to assault, examples include underneath windows and covered positions six to eight inches from the walls.

f. Booby Traps: Booby traps may only be employed when authorized by higher headquarters. As with mines, all booby trap locations must be recorded. The following are examples of booby traps:
1) Nail boxes (wooden boxes with nails driven through the base and placed into holes and camouflaged.
2) Grenades with tripwires (can be used in numerous locations such as windows, mouse holes, etc.)

g. Removal of Climbing Aids: Ensure that anything near the defended building(s) which may assist the enemy in gaining access to upper levels be removed. Examples include:
1) Trees close to building
2) Drain pipes
3) Sheds and garages
4) Fire escapes
5) Thick vines

h. Windows and Openings: Windows and other openings must be protected from the danger of grenades entering the building through them. Installing chicken wire over the window or opening can do this in order to repel grenades or other hand tossed explosive device. Black cloth (Hessian cloth) draped over doorways and to the rear of defensive positions aids in concealing movement within a building.

i. Protected Entrance/Exit Route: Any building selected for the defense should have a covered access for escape, resupply or reinforcement. Exit or entry points not being used are to be blocked using any material available. Wire can be used to narrow exit and entry points. This can aid in slowing any enemy troops that have broken into the building.

j. Anti-armor and Machine Gun Positions: These should be dug in with overhead protection. The anti-armor positions must have sufficient clearance for the backblast. This is normally a 20 by 20 foot room with a hole blown in the rear. Machine guns can be positioned to fire through loopholes cut into the walls and be reinforced with sandbags. Both types of positions should be placed to facilitate the quick movement from one position to another. They should make the best use of maximum range and all should be mutually supporting.

4. Internal Fortification: It is not possible to provide specific instructions for internal preparation of a building for the defense as each building is different and must be assessed accordingly. Other variables include the time available to prepare the defense, the resources available for construction and the number of Marines available to prepare the defense and man the positions.

a. Purpose of Fortification:
1) Provide efficient platforms from which to fire.
2) Provide optimum protection from enemy fire.

b. Types of internal fortifications and its safe thickness in feet (if not shown otherwise) are as follows:
1) Earth - 4.9
2) Clay – 5.9
3) Sand/loose between boards – 2.4
4) Brick rubble between boards – 1.4
5) Rubble filled sandbags – 2.4
6) Earth filled sandbags – 2.4
7) Shingle filled sandbags – 1.6
8) Sand filled sandbags – 2.4
9) Brickwork – 1.4
10) Concrete – 9.8
11) Mild steel plate – 4 cm
12) Timber – 4.9

c. Other Considerations:
1) Access: All entrances, except those required for the defenders or intentionally left open as traps, should be barricaded. Vertical, movement should be via holes cut in ceilings, through which ropes and ladders can be raised or lowered.
2) Staircases and Passages: These should be restricted through the use of oil drums, ammunition boxes and wire. Corrugated tin covered with grease can be placed over the steps to make it extremely slippery. Holes should be cut from the ceiling with chicken wire cages hanging down to the head level of an average person. Grenades can then be dropped down into the cage.
3) Mobility: Even though the defended building may be strong and well protected, the defender must maintain his mobility. Mouse holes and tunnels between partitions and walls between rooms or adjacent houses are valuable and will allow the defender to move unseen. Explosives should not be used inside buildings as they might weaken the structure. Each occupied room should have two exits in case one gets blocked. The route for reinforcements should be planned, and if feasible, they should be protected from becoming blocked. Tools such as picks, axes, sledgehammers and hooligan tools should be staged in the building if they are available.
4) Propping: Floors should be propped to withstand the additional weight from sandbags and other protective material. Propping will is covered in Section II, Course 10 , of the POI.
5) Fire Protection: Water and sand are required to fight any fires that may break out. All bath tubs, basins and buckets should be kept filled with water at all times. Gas and electric lights should be turned off and all flammable material should be removed. All plaster on ceilings and walls should be ripped down and taken outside to reduce the fire hazard.
6) Storage of Ammunition and Supplies: Several locations within the building should have stockpiles of reserve ammunition, water and food. Protect these stockpiles with sandbag walls.

QUESTIONS

SUMMARY

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