Let me be up-front about the next few installments of the Cumberland Saga:
I know ZERO about Close-Quarters-Combat. Maybe even LESS THAN ZERO.
I had a friend check out the first installment and he shared it with his friends bin-Dar and Doondat. He emailed back several a multitude of corrections.
Rather than overload my friend (he is a busy man) and impose upon his connections, I WANT those of you who know more than I do to be ruthless in your corrections to what I write. The benefit is that I am likely to make many mistakes that a newbie is inclined to make and the readers of this blog will see the TIME PROVEN ways of doing it right. As comments get added, I will reference them in the text with (See comments 1, 5, 6 and 23).
We now resume our regularly scheduled programming...
You will likely receive much chaff with the few grains of wheat. Many armchair experts. Few who did/do this.
ReplyDeleteNo advise from me Joe. I was only in 3 true Sandbox firefights. I'll let the real warriors keep you honest.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to contribute but the historical records of war, but will watch with extreme interest.
ReplyDeleteI'm not 'that' busy, and the other folks are now curious too... ;-)
ReplyDeleteWoke up this morning thinking about the Sandbox. As a historian sort, architecture is interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteIn the sandbox houses were mostly built out of concrete, solid pour or blocks. Very solid and bullet resistant. Almost fireproof.
American style homes seldom have ANYTHING in their structure that would prevent a centerfire round from over penetrating the WHOLE house and being a hazard to attackers on the other side.
American homes burn very well as my experience in EMS shows too often.
See reports of ATF being shot up by ATF fire from the other side in the Waco TX Siege. And the fire that finished the job there.
The times we took fire, we returned fire and called for support to use heavy weapons on the house involved. Thus, I have no real experience in room to room house actions. Medics defend themselves. not assault buildings.
Don't engage in CQB unless absolutely necessary to accomplish the mission. It's dirty, nasty, and bloody. Both sides get hurt.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the homeowners, I would consider setting up on all 4 sides with scoped rifles and dealing with the problem like that.
Listen to Michael. Most houses in the middle east or eastern Europe (like Bosnia) were made of bricks of some kind and were relatively bulletproof. North American homes for the most part are stick built and have the bullet resistance of a cardboard box.
I've only done a few firefights so I am not an expert, but I have trained on this a bit. Important to remember that there is a big difference between Military and law enforcement techniques. The techniques I was trained in involve beginning a clearance drill by chucking a hand grenade into the room before we made entry.
I know the boys also used to take 1 pound propane cans, wrap them in det-cord, and chuck it into the first floor of a Iraqi house first. They called it a "houseguest".
First question: Do you want to save the structure?
ReplyDeleteSecond question: What do you plan to do with the people in the structure? Let them leave the property or not?
Third question: Do you have the element of surprise on your side or are they aware of your coming?
Fourth Question: Is time a consideration? Can you wait a day, a week or not at all?
SWAT teams and military were my customers at my last job and I got to play hostage or perp a few times. LEO and military solve some of those problems differently.
One last question. What is The Coves tolerance for casualties? How many can the afford to lose either temporarily or permanently to take back the house?
DeleteClose-Quarters-Combat sounds like killing is not objectionable. If trying to clear a building - gas - lethal or non-lethal could be used. Just scents like Mercaptan or skunk could drive a person from the building. Sometimes my dogs gas makes me leave the room!!!
ReplyDeletesam
I was going to suggest that.
DeleteVariants of pepper spray are easy to manufacture and there are many ways to disperse them. The biggest issue with them is the cleanup - it gets into EVERYTHING.
As mentioned above, it's easier to stop somebody outside the house than inside.
Jonathan
I saw a comment on the subject of squatters that got me thinking. A landlord dealt with squatters by throwing multiple bugbombs into the residence. They broke some windows to do so, but figured that glass replacement was much easier and cheaper than going the legal route. I've read about using smoke bombs, but bugbombs would leave less residue.
ReplyDeleteAn afternoon nap disrupted by the Sandbox.
ReplyDeleteStep one, make sure the COVE is secure. Seems trouble is wandering around the area. No joy in sending a large amount of your defenders out to return to a disaster in the COVE.
Step two a few hunter types do a sneaky Pete visit of the site.
As its thought that drugs were the goal, and treating it like a robbery for drugs:
A. They already left, after misc. pillaging and damage to the home.
B. Above but they burned the place for kicks as Meth Heads are wont to do (sad truth I've seen).
C. They are going to use the place as a base of Operations (Worst Case Scenario to the COVE).
Responses:
A, B, Clear the area, assess the damage and start rebuilding with an eye to defense.
C Decide how to clear the threat without casualties to the COVE folks.
C-1 IF I was wanting to save the home, I'd use chemical weapons like bleach and ammonia mixed or bug bombs and a distraction to get them deployed inside the home.
C-2 If the home is already badly damaged by vandals using it as a party house base camp a rainy-day firebomb raid as not to start a dangerous to the COVE forest fire.
In both situations no vandal survives. You don't want vengeful returns ever.
A reminder of the difference between cover and concealment.
Cover STOPS the Bullets. Concealment hides you from accurate aiming, You CAN Still get shot if they shoot up your area.
I've test fired 5.56mm ball and various centerfire hunting rounds at trees. Its startling how thick the tree has to be to be Cover. More than a foot think before serious deflection of ball. Even soft tip 30-30 would blast through a foot thick tree with plenty of power left.