Reconnaissance by fire
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Reconnaissance by fire (or speculative fire, 'spec fire') is a tactic in which military units may fire on likely enemy positions to provoke a reaction.[1] In the Iraq war, the irregular forces use a similar tactic, in which they brandish weapons or purposely draw suspicion, in order to learn about the rules of engagement of opposing forces.
An example of using the technique was during the Battle of Ia Drang. The Battalion commander Lt. Colonel Hal Moore noticed his men had a large amount of ammunition. He ordered his men to fire at anything suspicious at an agreed synchronised time. The large amount of fire at that time led a group of undetected infiltrating enemy soldiers to believe that they had been discovered and charge the Americans, leading to their destruction.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "Recon By Fire". OPFOR. July 2, 2007. http://op-for.com/2007/07/recon_by_fire.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
- ^ Galloway, Joseph L. (1990). The word was the Ia Drang would be a walk. The word was wrong. U.S. News
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