Breakout – Scenario tips from the General
Breakout
Scenario tips from the General
Being a scenario general is not always smiles and roses. Sometimes you have your back up against the wall and things may seem to be lost. It is times like these that your leadership and tactical skills are put to the test. It does not matter who you are, if you play long enough this moment will come. You need to take a step back from the situation take a deep breath and compose yourself. Take your map out to assess the situation. Walk to the front line to see what you are facing. Look for options and make the call. Reading this you may be saying to yourself, “Yeah right, it’s easier said than done.” Yes and no. Sometimes it is a matter of willpower. If you are confident and you can show those under your leadership that you are confident in the plan and that you believe they can get the job done they will go that extra mile to make it happen.
This article is going to be about breaking out. A breakout is a forceful emergence from a restrictive condition or situation1. A breakout is an offensive action when you are literally forcing yourself (team) through the opposition’s lines giving you impetus to move forward and beyond the static line of battle that your team stalled at. A breakout is one of those tactics that should be in every general’s playbook. On paper it is rather easy but in the heat of the moment it can be more challenging.
So let’s go through this step by step. In this scenario you are in a built up area and you are surrounded by OPFOR (the opposition). You need to breakout and move forward.
Diagram 1 shows you the basic idea behind the breakout. In this diagram you have two BLUEFOR (you) squads and one BLUEFOR section. Just for future reference when I speak of a squad I am talking about a 3 to 5 man team. When I speak of a section it is 2 squads or roughly a ten man team.
Diagram 1
On the other side of the line of contact you will see that there are two OPFOR squads holding the line. Once you have decided where you want to attempt your break out you will want to start a diversion. This can happen in a number of ways including a feint where a unit will start to put pressure on the OPFOR line in an attempt to divert attention away from the location of the actual attack or you can start to turn up the heat and pour on the paint. In diagram 1 I have chosen to pour on the paint. Once the diversion is in full swing you can push forward with your main attack breaking through the opposition line opening a gap up where you can keep pushing men through cutting the OPFOR in two and exposing their flanks to your forces.
In diagram 2 I have used a map that many of you may be familiar with. It is Caen on the Operation Overlord field. In this diagram you will see that there is a line of battle cutting the BLUEFOR off from the beach head area.
Diagram 2
To break through in this scenario again there are a number of options that open up to you. You can attempt a flanking manoeuvre to draw the OPFOR off their line. You can try a faint attack drawing much needed resources off the other areas of the encirclement or you can do as in diagram 1 and put down a large amount of cover fire followed by the main push.
Diagram 3 does not tell what your diversion method is but it does show a breakout.
Diagram 3
If your resources are high, meaning you have enough men, paint, and air, I would attempt a flank where it says BR02 with a timed faint attack on another location. Since the objective is to regain control of the beach I would place my faint on the OPFOR unit closest to the beach drawing their attention away from my flankers but also bringing the centre units into the fight and away from the heavy bush that they occupy. This would give my forces the chance to breakout and into the bush where they can spread out and flank the exposed OPFOR on the road and stuck up against the creek. This would also cut off the far flank from the main body allowing my forces to deal with them with a much smaller team than if they were supported by the centre.
Knowing how to read your opposition is key and knowing how people will react when they are being pressured is an important part of employing a breakout. You can try to do it by brute force but as anyone who has watched a beach landing will tell you be prepared to suffer a massive number of eliminations and giving up those much needed points.
Footnote
1. Source: www.thefreedictionary.com
