At night, when troops are at rest, in combat, or on the move, security is closely related to reconnaissance. Precautions must be taken against surprise ground and air attacks, and against observation by the enemy. All units, even those in rear areas, must be highly security conscious.

A strong infantry point, marching 300 to 400 yards ahead of a reinforced combined arms battalion, will usually provide adequate security for a night movement. The distance between this advance guard and the main body depends primarily upon the degree of darkness and should in general not exceed 1,000 yards. Flank security elements should remain close to the moving column; their strength depends on the nature of the terrain. Motorized units should be preceded by advance detachments or picked advance guard units to which engineers should always be attached.

In a defensive situation the security elements should be as close to the enemy as possible so that approaching enemy forces can be detected at an early moment and appropriate measures to intercept them can be taken. The security detachments should be alert and observe the roads as well as the intermediate terrain. They must carry ample signal equipment. Patrols should be sent out to maintain contact between the security elements if the terrain is close and the enemy situation obscure. Securing communication centers and traffic arteries in rear areas is particularly important if there is danger of infiltration by enemy ground forces, paratroops, or partisans.

Magazine articles and contents are copyrighted property of the respective publication. All copyrights, trademarks, and other rights are held by the respective magazines, companies, and/or licensors, with all rights reserved. MagWeb, its contents, and HTML coding are © Copyright 2002 by Coalition Web, Inc.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com