CHAPTER 5: The OPFOR in the Offense

5-6 FIRE SUPPORT.

    In highly mobile, fluid battles, a significant proportion of the available artillery may be decentralized to lower commanders. With organic artillery and additional assets allocated from higher levels, commanders form army artillery groups (AAGs), army rocket artillery group (ARAG), division artillery groups (DAGs) and brigade artillery groups (BRAGs). Individual maneuver battalions can also receive up to a battalion of artillery in an attached or supporting role.

    a. Phases of Offensive Fire Support.

        (1) Phase I - Fire Support of a Force's Movement Forward.

• Long-range fires to protect a force moving from its assembly area to its line of deployment into prebattle formation.

• Targeted against most dangerous BLUFOR long-range weapons capable of striking the unit.

• Could begin more than an hour before the support force reaches the forward edge of the BLUFOR's defense.

        (2) Phase II - Fire Preparation.

• Seeks to annihilate or neutralize BLUFOR weapons systems, C2, and troop formations.

• Immediately precedes the attack.

• Nature of the BLUFOR defense and the quantity and type of fire support available determine the length and organization of the preparation. May last 50 minutes or more. Could be much shorter if the BLUFOR is weak and/or is occupying unprepared positions.

• Initiation of phase linked to the supported maneuver formation deploying to prebattle formation.

        (3) Phase III - Fire Support of the Attack.

• Starts immediately after the end of the preparation (no more than 2-4 min) and continues until the BLUFOR's first tactical echelon has been over run.

• Seeks to annihilate or neutralize BLUFOR troops and weapon systems directly in front of the attacking forces.

        (4) Phase IV - Fire Accompaniment.

• Supports advance of attacking forces into the depth of the BLUFOR defense.

• Supports commitment of second-echelon forces.

• BLUFOR reserves are a priority target.

Figure 5-19. Offensive Phases of Fire Support.

    b. Artillery Norms.

        (1) Density Norms. These figures represent fires massed and not to the positioning of artillery units.

• Attack of a well-prepared defense on the main axis: 60 to 120 tubes of artillery per km of frontage in the main axis.
• Attack of an unprepared defense on the main axis: 60-80 tubes per km.
• Attack of a supporting axis: 40 tubes per km.

        (2) Ammunition Expenditure Norms.

• Figure 5-20 is a sample of the ammunition expenditures required to produce a desired effect on a particular target using standard HE rounds.
• Similar tables exist for a wide variety of situations and targets. They are used for fire support planning.

Figure 5-20. Sample Ammunition Expenditure Norms.

Notes:

1. Reduce expenditure by 25% when engaging with observed fire or adjusting from a known point.

2. Increase expenditure by 10% when range to target is greater than 10 km.

3. To achieve expenditure norms for annihilation multiply rounds required for suppression by three.

    c. Types of Offensive Fire.

        (1) Fire Assault

• Characterized by surprise and a high density of fires.
• Seeks to annihilate the targets.
• Normally the predominate form used during the preparation phase.
• Usually do not exceed 15-20 minutes.
• More than one fire assault may be conducted during the preparation phase.
• Conducted against both point and area targets.
• Normally involves all or most of the artillery allocated to a division or army.

        (2) Controlling Fires.

• Conducted against a target during the interval between fire assaults.
• Denies the BLUFOR the freedom to conduct combat activity or to escape before next fire assault.
• Normally conducted by a single battery.

        (3) Fire Concentration.

• Conducted against BLUFOR troop concentrations, strongpoints, artillery batteries, C2 facilities and other such targets.
• May be conducted by several batteries or battalions.
• All weapons fire at once on the center of the target area.

        (4) Massed Fires.

• Conducted by all or most of a unit's artillery with the goal of destroying a target in the shortest possible time.
• May take the form of one large fire concentration or several concentrations fired simultaneously.

        (5) Successive Fire Concentrations.

• Conducted when the supported maneuver unit has begun its final assault.
• Provides for the successive neutralization or annihilation of specific targets or target groupings.
• May be done in the defense to support counterattacks.
• First line of concentration in on the BLUFOR's forward positions. Subsequent lines are 300 to 1000 m apart through the depth of the BLUFOR's position.
• Fires are shifted on the order of the maneuver commander.

        (6) Rolling Barrage.

• Similar to successive fire concentration in its conduct but evenly distributes fires across the width of the attack axis than concentrating them on selected targets.
• Phase lines are 400 to 800 m apart. Intermediate lines are 100 to 200 m apart. Fire duration on phase lines is at least 5 minutes. On intermediate lines, duration is 1 or 2 minutes.
• Normally, a rolling barrage is conducted through the depth of the BLUFOR's first echelon battalion.
• Because of the high ammunition expenditure required, the rolling barrage is not commonly used. May be used to support the penetration of a well-prepared defense or the crossing of a water obstacle.