Max Velocity Tactical Team Break Contact Drills: As part of our Combat Team Tactics Class, one of the areas that we focus on is break contact drills. When I say break contact drills, I am talking about  automatic drills that are trained and rehearsed as part of small team (2 or 4 person) 'actions on enemy contact' drills. We move to more detail on squad level in the Combat Patrol class. One of the questions we get and that we cover as part of training is: "When we come under unexpected contact, how do we know what we are doing? Attack or withdraw?" The answer is that break contact drills are specified in your patrol briefing and rehearsed prior to departure.

These type of drills are ideal for small groups who may be on the move/patrol in a WROL situation and do not want to engage and fight if they come under attack. These drills are adapted from British SOF break contact drills used for small patrols, such as recce patrols, that are supposed to be avoiding contact, and will break contact if attacked/ambushed. So we focus on 4 man teams for these drills. This is not the same a deliberate decision by a squad to maneuver out of contact.

I have been exposed to many versions of break contact drills during my time in the British Paras/SOF and as a paramilitary contractor. The version I teach at MVT is what I consider, in my opinion, to be the best one.

The procedure that is followed is:

1) React to the unexpected contact: this is the individual RTR drill while the team maneuvers to get online to the threat as called.
2) Fight out in buddy pairs using fire and maneuver and one of the drills depending on direction of enemy contact. The principle is to, at least until things change (multiple firing points, maneuvering enemy etc?) or the team leader inserts himself, fight back out the way you came into the contact (with the exception of contact rear!)
3) Fire and maneuver, or if out of contact, bounding overwatch over a terrain feature, if possible and rally up.
4) The rally point doubles as a hasty ambush, in case of active enemy follow-up.
5) Bug out. If the enemy follows and initiates the rally point hasty ambush, go back into break contact drills, rinse and repeat.

The important thing is that repeated practice/rehearsal of the drill crates operant conditioning and gives the team a drill to conduct which will help break the freeze. As the situation develops, there is nothing to stop the team leader interjecting himself and adapting to the situation, such as breaking of left or right if an opportunity presents itself (peel out).

Casualties may be taken and this is all happening in the TC3 'care under fire phase,' so initially the only intervention is a tourniquet high and tight on a limb to prevent extremity bleeding, preferably self-aid. Each buddy will drag his wounded partner out by bounds during the initial fire and movement off the X. This can be reorganized back at the rally point, but remember you still don't want to be hanging around and, particularly if the enemy follows up, you are still in the care under fire phase mixed with casualty evacuation. This is not the time to go into 'tactical field care' and thus it is not as simple as a trauma lane.

The reaction drills that will occur will depend on the direction of contact/ the call i.e. "Contact Front!". Contact front and rear are the same, contact left and right are the same. For front/rear, the team will get on line and bound away. For contact left and right, the team is already on line but will use a peeling movement to move out of the contact.

To illustrate this, I am going to out here some video from last February's Texas Combat Team Tactics / Mobility class. This was not filmed at the Velocity Training Center (VTC) in WV, and thus was not using the pop-up target systems, but the open terrain makes for good illustrative video. In the video, you mainly see the break contact maneuver, but the second half of the contact front video shows the rally point hasty ambush being initiated and the team having to go back into a break contact bounding maneuver.

Break Contact Right (dismounted):



Break Contact Left (dismounted):



Break Contact Front:



And here is a vehicle immobilized break contact front drill, as an example:



Thank you!

Max

Thanks for those vids!
I showed them to my buddy (unlike me he is still active) he loves'em too!

Fun to watch the videos, even more interesting to do the drills at class!

FWIW, an old MACV-SOG friend taught us that center peel 25 or so years ago. The only other place I've seen that same drill done was at Combat patrol class.

Heading back for CTT at the end of the year. Look forward to the first day which was added after I attended the first time. The first day addresses you and any issues with your rifle. This allows you to work with your battle buddy on contact drills progressing up to 4man teams.