|
|
|
|
RURAL TRACKING OPERATIONS
Trackers may not be necessary in an African unit or those units which
have become proficient in bushcraft. Other units may have to have police,
civilians or African soldiers attached to patrols for tracking duties.
As terrorists are likely to become masters of bushcraft, they will
probably rely on superior ability to “out see” and “out walk” security
forces. Their ability to track and read tracks naturally will make them more
proficient in hiding their own. This will necessitate members of the Security
Forces being expert trackers themselves, or being able to work with and
understand loyal African trackers. Using surrendered terrorists. So far as ex-terrorist trackers are concerned, the fact that they have surrendered and led security forces to a good kill does not indicate that they have changed their loyalty. The mere fact that they are prepared to cooperate with the Security Forces against their fellow terrorists demonstrates their lack of loyalty. They should be used whenever appropriate. They should be continually reminded in one way or another that they are exceptionally fortunate not to have been shot before their surrender, that they are on probation and have a score which can only be settled by continuous and satisfactory service. Extreme care should be taken to avoid surrendered terrorists leading our patrols into ambushes. Tracker
Combat Teams
General. The ideal Tracker Combat Team consists of four men, all of whom
are expert trackers. This four man team should not be split down unless it is of
vital operational necessity to do so. a.
Locating spoor. b. Tracking and destroying small groups of terrorists. c.
To provide a tracker group as part of a larger follow-up group. d.
To locate terrorists who are still undetected.
a.
The tracker on the spoor. b.
Two flank trackers. c.
The tracker control. a.
The ability to locate spoor quickly should it deviate. b.
The ability to search for and locate spoor quickly when it is
temporarily lost. c.
The ability to rotate duties within itself so as not to tire the person
actually tracking. d. To be self contained in tracking, observation and protection.
a.
The tracker follows the spoor. b. The flank trackers perform the following tasks: (1)
The main task of the flank trackers is to provide protection for the
tracker on the spoor. (2)
They pick up the spoor if it veers to the left or the right. (3)
They carry out a circular cast if the spoor is lost. (4)
When advancing, they swing towards one another and out again to the flank
position in an effort to locate the spoor ahead of the tracker and speed up
tracking. Great care is exercised to ensure the spoor is not obliterated or
disturbed by the flank trackers.
c.
Tracker’s Control carries out the following functions: (1)
He controls the teams activities by the use of signs and signals. (2)
He is additional tracker protection. (3)
He reports progress to the commander of the follow-up troops. (4)
He is the eyes and ears of the tracker team. (5) When the spoor is lost, he marks the last positive sign while the remainder of the team search the area for the spoor. Action
on Finding Tracks. a.
Unless it is possible to follow the spoor with either a civilian tracker
or a Combat Tracker Team, anyone finding spoor should isolate the scene and keep
that area free of security forces until the arrival of trackers. An immediate
report should be made to higher headquarters giving the following information: b.
It is absolutely essential that the spoor is not obliterated or disturbed
by the discoverers. The spoor and the surrounding area must remain untouched
until the arrival of a tracker or tracker team. It is not possible to follow one
preserved spoor when the remainder of the area has been trampled flat by
security forces.
It frequently pays to back track when very fresh tracks are found,
particularly early in the morning when they may lead to a camp.
Tracker Combat Team Formations. There are two essential formations used: a.
Open formation for fairly open country. b.
Single file for very thick bush. (Both formations are shown in Annex) Tracker
Combat Team Follow-Up Tactics. Annex shows
Tracker Combat Team formations. These are superimposed on to follow-up
formations normally adopted by Rhodesian troops in operations. (See Appendices
to Annex ). a.
Open Country. (1)
Flank trackers remain slightly ahead of the main tracker who is in visual
contact. (2)
If the spoor veers off to the left or right, it should be picked up by
either of the flank trackers. The flank tracker who picks up the spoor continues
as main tracker on the spoor. The remainder of the team conform with the
standard patrolling formation with the last main tracker filling in the vacant
flank position. (3)
If the spoor is lost, flank trackers do a circular cast working towards
one another in the hope of picking up the spoor again. By this method, a 360
degree circle is completed in the area where it was lost. (4)
While the flank trackers are carrying out the search as described above,
the tracker who was on the spoor carries out a 360 degree search approximately
15 yards to his immediate front. (5)
Tracker control marks the last positive spoor and provides protection for
the trackers. (6) At this stage the team is particularly vulnerable and the team relies completely on the alert state of Tracker Control. b.
Thick Country. (1)
The main tracker follows the spoor with Tracker Control within ten yards
of him as protection man. Tracker Control does not attempt to follow the spoor
as he observes and listens for the tracker team. (2)
If the spoor is temporarily lost, Tracker Control marks the last positive
spoor and the flank trackers now in single file behind Tracker Control cast
around in an enveloping 360 degree circle in an effort to find the spoor (See
Annex , Appendix 1 and 5) (3)
The main tracker completes a 360 degree circle approximately 15 yards to
his immediate front. (4) Once the spoor has been relocated, the tracker who found the spoor then takes over as main tracker. The remainder of the team fall into an appropriate tracker formation. Tracker
Combat Team and Follow-up Troops Combinations. a. It must be appreciated that all formations are subject to variations
depending on the type of country and the appreciation of the commander of the
patrol. b.
There are a number of formation permutations in current use in the Rhodesia Army
(See Annex
and Appendices). c. There is considerable variation in the Rhodesian bush between the summer and winter months, and these formations are adaptable to either open country or thick bush. Use
of Dogs
The only tracker dogs at present available to These dogs have been used in COIN Operations but have achieved only limited success. It is doubtful whether these dogs would be made available for general operations but the occasion may arise when a dog is again attached to a patrol for tracking purposes. The
dog will normally follow the freshest track, but he will, if “given the
scent” from personal clothing or belongings, discriminate and follow the scent
of that particular quarry.
It should be realized that dogs tire easily, and therefore they should
only be used for tracking when visual tracking becomes very difficult or
impossible. If the tracks become visible once more visual tracking should be
resumed to conserve the dog’s strength and concentration.
Apart from obvious factors which cause the quarry to leave a strong
scent, e.g. blood, dirty body and clothes, sweat or panic, there are certain
climatic factors which influence scenting conditions: a.
Favorable. b.
Adverse. a.
The dogs will track well at night, in the early mornings and late
evenings. b.
The periods of the rainy season will be favorable for tracking except
during heavy rain and immediately afterwards. c. The bush should nearly always produce good conditions, but here the presence of game may cause confusion. d.
The employment of tracker dogs in towns and villages is very rarely
worthwhile. e.
Under the most favorable conditions, it will be quite feasible to follow
tracks up to 12 hours old. f.
Under unfavorable conditions, there may be no scent at all even if the
quarry is only a few minutes ahead. a.
The down draft from the helicopter can very easily destroy any scent.
Hence, the helicopter should not fly low over a known, or suspected, trail. b. When a dog is tracking, the presence of a helicopter flying nearby often
distracts the animal and so the aircraft should be kept well away. HINTS
ON TRAILS AND TRACKING There are two distinct types of spoor; ground spoor and aerial spoor. The ground sign is normally made by a boot or foot print and aerial spoor is in the form of trampled grass, broken bushes, broken cobwebs, etc.
Man. Barefoot prints are soft, rounded impressions formed by the heel,
ball of the foot or toes. Women’s tracks are generally smaller and usually
have two characteristics; firstly, they tend to be pigeon-toed and, secondly,
their toes are more splayed out than the males. a. Weather. The state of the weather - rain, wind,
sunshine - should always be on
one’s mind as it is one of the most important points in deciding the age of a
track. b. Vegetation. The state and position of trodden vegetation; various grasses have different grades of resilience and only practice and experience can enable a tracker to use this factor to accurately judge the age of the spoor. c.
Impression in mud. Always note the state of dryness of a track in mud or
soft ground. If the track is very fresh, water will not have run back into the
depression made by a foot. The water will run back later and later still the mud
pushed up around the depression and kicked forward by the foot leaving the
ground will begin to dry. d.
Obliteration by rain or guti. By remembering when it last rained, more
accurate judgment of the age of tracks is possible. If the tracks are pockmarked,
they were obviously made before the rain and, if not pock-marked, they were made
after the rain. Similarly, by looking to see if the tracks have been pock-marked
by guti dripping from trees, the age can be established. e.
Bent Grass or Leaves. An indication of the age of a track may be gained
by the state of dryness of the bent grass is still green but after a few days
turns a brown color. Again, the amount of sunshine and rain during the last few
days should be taken into account. f.
Game Tracks. Remember that most animals lie up during the day and move
about at night. Therefore, if human prints on main forest game trails have at
least a double set of animal spoor superimposed and these spoor show that the
game has moved in both directions, any human prints are probably at least one
night old. If the animal a.
Whether the ground is hard or soft, stony or muddy. b.
The type of country - Savannah or Mopani
forest. c.
The weather -
things lack depth in overcast weather. d. The position of the sun relative to the direction of travel. The most suitable position is when one has to track towards the sun. e.
The footwear of the human quarry. A distinct boot pattern is obviously
easier to follow than a plain soled spoor. f.
The extent to which other similar tracks may confuse and possibly blur
the spoor. g.
Concentration and the effects of weariness. a.
Footprints and impressions of footwear; the rhythm of the spoor or length
of stride of the quarry. This is a guide to where the next footprint can be
found. b.
Trampled grass. c.
Disturbed stones, sticks or soil. Marks in the soil where indirect
pressure may have left no impression. d.
Leaves -
turned, crushed, kicked or pulled off
trees. Branches and twigs bent or broken. Vegetation pushed aside and the
reflection of light from grass or leaves displaced at an angle. The color of
bent and broken vegetation, scratched or chipped bark. e.
Discarded wrapping and masticated vegetation. f.
Cobwebs broken or wiped off onto a nearby tree or bush. g.
Urine and excrement, frequently indicated by house flies, mopani bees,
yellow butterflies and, during the rains, dung beetles. h.
Snares and traps, robbed bees nests and smoke. I. The state of dew on the spoor. J.
Mud displaced from streams or mud on stones and logs. K. Squashed animal or insect life and whether it has been attacked by ants. Bush Danger Signs. a. The Grey Loerie when disturbed will utter a loud and drawn out “g-way” call, and often follows the intruder, thus alarming the quarry or warning the tracker. b. The honey guide bird and ox-pecker both have the same “give away” effect on both quarry and tracker. Conclusion A tracker has many things to consider while tracking. He must possess certain qualities such as above average eyesight, memory, intelligence, fitness, anticipation and understanding of nature. Patience, persistence, acute observation and natural instinct are the basis of good tracking. There are times when pure instinct alone will draw a tracker in the correct direction. All units should ensure that training in Aggressive Bushcraft is maintained at the highest possible standard. Annex
to Rural Tracking Operations Tracker
Team and Patrol Formations General Experience gained by Rhodesian Security Forces in the past few years has resulted in basic principles on which operational units now base tracker team and patrol formations. These principles have evolved from normal border control duties, minor operations and major operations. Contacts have occurred as a result of deliberate follow-up patrolling and from chance contacts during frame-work patrolling in operations. In all cases, the commander of the patrol decides how best to move through the particular type of country in which his patrol is operating. There are only two main patrol formations; the Single File and Open Formation, both of which adequately cater for thick bush and open country. The tracker team and normal patrol, or both if they are working together, are able to adopt these formations to cover the ground being searched and provide good protection. Formations Only the outline requirements can be given in the following diagrams. Each regular unit has developed its own ideas on the best detail within each formation. However, it is generally accepted that the ideal tracker team works as a four man group while patrol formations should be based on three main groups plus a control or headquarters group. Within each group actual formations adopted could vary depending on personalities in command, unit training, likes or dislikes and the type of country or terrorist confronting the members of the patrol. The following appendices give formation details of Tracker Team, Patrol and a combination of both. Leaders should rehearse their own maneuvering in the bush using the following ideas as a guide. During rehearsals, practice or basic training, finer details can be developed to the satisfaction of all who will make practical use of the formations in actual operations. Annex to Rural Tracking Operations Notes a.
The four group system has, in all cases, Flank and Reserve groups with
the command element located centrally. Each group could adopt any one of several
formations to cover the ground efficiently. There may even be occasions when the
commander prefers to keep two thirds of his strength in reserve (one up, two
back). This is the commander’s prerogative and he must decide after
considering all relevant factors. The size of the patrol dictates the number of
men in each group; if the patrol is only four man strength, the Tracker Team
Single File or Open Formation can be adopted (see A and B above). As the
strength increases, so can the number of men in each group. b.
Distances between individuals will vary according to visibility, but five
yards is the most convenient guide. Distance between groups is c.
The patrol moves behind the trackers and must avoid interfering with the
Tracker Team duties and tactics. The patrol commander commands the whole
follow-up patrol, including trackers, but he should discuss formations,
distances and personal preferences with the Control Tracker before moving out on
a patrol. This should eliminate any misunderstandings and avoid unnecessary
confusion. It will also allow coordination between trackers and patrols which
may have special requirements. d. The allocated position of patrol personnel within groups is not rigid. Each commander has his personal preferences and factors can influence this detail. The positioning of various types of fire support available is also flexible and personal preferences override any attempt to dictate rigid drills, e.g. 32Zs fitted to rifles, position of heavy barreled FNs, positioning of the MAGs or radios. Appendix 1 to annex. Appendix 2 to annex. Appendix 3 to annex. Appendix 4 to annex. Appendix 5 to annex. Appendix 6 to annex. (END) ***NOTE*** Source - Rural operations Course notes / hand-outs from Rhodesian S.A.S. (C Squadron).
|
|
|
