Fire and movement
The expression fire and movement describes a basic military tactical principle. The first use of the term has not been proven, but Ernst Jünger published an essay with this title as early as 1930. However, the observance and application of the principle can be proven back to ancient times. The first detailed description can be found in Maurikios' Strategikon .
Basic idea, functionality
The principle is based on the idea that every movement of one's own troops should be monitored by fire and ideally every one's own fire is also used by one's own movement. Fire stands for targeted shots from your own weapons at enemy groups that hinder or endanger your own forces in motion. The fire is intended to force the enemy into cover ("hold down") and thereby prevent them from emitting fire that they have observed themselves. The direction of movement does not matter. The principle can be used in attack, evasive action and even defense.
- In the attack, own troops advance behind the veil of their own artillery fire on the enemy's positions ( barrage ). From the established fire support coordination line (FSCL), the artillery fire is moved forward so as not to endanger one's own troops. Sub-units then remain as a cover group and monitor the further action of the other sub-units. Depending on the mission, the monitoring units can continue to fire irregularly in order to hold down the enemy, or only shoot at recognized enemies. The preceding units take up position themselves when the surveillance troops reach half their range and secure their trailing by fire.
- During the delay, the evasive troops proceed in exactly the opposite way. The troops standing in front secure the evasion of their own units, which then monitor the evasion of the front troops by fire.
- In defense, some units hold down the enemy while other units leave their positions and take a change position. This also protects sideways movements from fire.
The principle can also be applied to the sub-unit level. The cover group holds the enemy down with fire, while the storm group attacks from cover.
During sieges, the crews of the towers and wall crowns were held down by a hail of arrows in ancient times to enable own troops to approach the city wall. Even if the bow and arrow are not firearms, the principle is the same. Ranged weapons hold down the enemy in order to be able to carry out your own movements undisturbed by enemy ranged weapons.
The motto for fire fighting is “no movement without fire, no fire without movement”.
Other terms related to fire and movement are:
- Overturning approach / evasion under cover fire
- Caterpillar-like approach
- Crossfire
- Evasive shooting
- Release from the enemy
literature
- George T. Dennis (Ed.): The Strategikon des Maurikios (Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae; 17). VÖAW, Vienna 1981, ISBN 3-7001-0403-0 (text in German and Greek).
- Ernst Jünger : Fire and Movement . In Ders .: Leaves and Stones (Der deutsche Tauchnitz; 127). Tauchnitz, Leipzig 1942 (reprint of the Hamburg 1934 edition).