All of these positions assume that the Marines in question would utilize the magnetic capabilities of their boots, making the outer tubular passageway a default ‘ground’ to operate from. If one is extremely fortunate, you might even find charged walkways making this process even easier. As a final note, the Digital Manuals stress that while these are the standard orientations of forces within the provided formations, the command element makes the final decision as how best to orient his forces so as to best engage the enemy.
Compass Point Formation:
This formation can only be used in a tubular passageway, and involves every Marine taking a cardinal compass point, as determined by the Fire Team Leader’s position. This gives you complete coverage of the passageway in question. There are two orientations for this formation, one which has all forces facing the same direction and another which has the Team Leader (TL) and Automatic Rifleman (AR) facing one direction, and the Grenadier (GR) and Rifleman (RM) facing the opposite direction. In the event that forces are required to split the passageway to cover two directions, the Automatic Rifleman and Team Leader will face the direction of priority. The priority direction is determined by the direction of the likeliest contact.
In the event that the position is surrounded, the Team Leader will orient his or herself towards the most serious threat as determined in the field. This formation allows a fire team to advance, in a controlled and tactical manner, while maintaining complete coverage of the battlespace. However, this position has the disadvantage of slowing the movement down and is used when the operation allows for some caution.
Half Compass Formation
This formation can only be used in a tubular passageway, and involves every Marine taking one of two cardinal compass points, as determined by the Fire Team Leader’s position. The Team Leader (TL) and the Automatic Rifleman (AR) are positioned at the same cardinal point to allow the Team Leader to better direct priority of fire for the Automatic Rifleman. The other compass point is taken by the Grenadier (GR) and the Rifleman (RM). The Team Leader can direct the two halves of the fire team to take adjacent cardinal points or the opposing ones, though there is a tactical advantage for concentrating your power with adjacent troop placement. However, given that every situation has unique properties, the ultimate decision about said placement is left in the Fire Team Leader’s hands. This formation is often used when working with entire section, where the compass is completed by the other fire team in the section. This formation allows a fire team to advance, in a controlled and tactical manner, while maintaining complete coverage of the battlespace. However, this position has the disadvantage of slowing the movement down and is used when the operation allows for some caution.
Standard File Formation
The Fire Team File, or any size element using this movement formation, is one of the most basic formations used by any trained military force. It is often used when the surrounding terrain limits the maneuverable space needed to utilize a standard wedge. This formation has all of the troops drawn into one line, marching single file. When maneuvering in this formation the Team Leader (TL) is in front operating as the point man and leading from the front. The Team Leader is followed by, at appropriate 10 meter intervals, the Automatic Rifleman (AR), Rifleman (RM), and with the Grenadier (GR) bringing up the rear of the file.
This formation is useful when enemy disposition and location are unknown, and speed of movement is a significant requirement. Further, since the flanks are covered, this formation allows for overlapping fields of fire from every Marine eliminating some of the risk from flank attacks. However, this formation is weak when facing entrenched heavy weapons positions and offers the least amount of security in the battlespace. It is also less tactically flexible than the Wedge Formation but is the easiest formation to control and maneuver. In a tubular passageway, this formation is used when speed is of the essence but tactical control can’t be safely surrendered. If the passageway is believed to be undefended, this formation can expedite the successful completion of the mission.
Standard Wedge Formation
The Fire Team Wedge Formation is the most basic formation used by any trained military force, and is used because it is extremely flexible and easy to control under arduous conditions. This formation offers all around security and immediate fire from any direction. This formation works in any combat environment where troops lock their feet onto a solid surface, regardless of location. The value of this formation in an open void battlefield is open to much debate, but this fire team movement formation has long been a staple of soldiers and Marines throughout known space.
When used in a tubular passageway, the Team Leader will choose a position on the outer wall of the passageway and orient off it as the ‘ground’, and then operate accordingly. Its use in such passageways is of minimal value, as it exposes your forces to directed enemy fire by any forces ‘above’ you in the passageway. This position has the Team Leader (TL) operating as the point of the wedge, or spear, and the Automatic Rifleman (AR) on his strong side, or heavy side, flank but back approximately 10 meters. The strong or heavy flank position would be one oriented towards where the Team Leader expects the most serious engagement to occur. On the opposite flank, also back 10 meters, would be the Grenadier (GR). The Rifleman (RM) would then be 10 meters back on the Grenadier’s flank, creating a wedge with the strong side supported by the automatic rifle.
This position is one used when contact is expected, and there is time to cautiously approach and engage said targets. In general use, the Wedge formation expands and contracts based on the requirements of the surrounding environment. Wedges are often modified by the Fire Team Leader when rough and impassable terrain hampers movement, during periods of limited visibility, or any time control of the wedge becomes difficult. While in these adverse conditions the normal interval is shortened to allow all team members to see their team leader.
Sometimes the sides of the wedge can pull in so tightly that the wedge almost looks like a single file. These contractions of the wedge, however, are always temporary and Marines return to their original positions when control again becomes manageable. This formation does slow unit movement, making it unusable when speed is of the essence. When used in a tubular passageway, unfortunately, it suffers the drawback of the limiting coverage of the battlespace over the heads of the Marine Fire Team in question, and is thus rarely used in these situations.
Tubular Vee Formation
This formation can only be used in a tubular passageway, and involves the Team Leader (TL) and the Automatic Rifleman (AR) occupying one cardinal point, and the Grenadier (GR) and Rifleman (RM) occupying two of the other three. The points they occupy are the two adjacent to the Team Leader’s position, forming a ‘V’ in the passageway. The entire fire team, in this formation, are oriented towards the same direction, and when paired with the other half of the section with the other fire team facing the other direction. This will, in effect, close the tube and provide coverage of anything that might pose a threat as directed in the Rules of Engagement (ROE).
The benefit of this position is that it concentrates firepower on one spot and splits assets to prevent one explosive round from eliminating the entire fire team. Another benefit of this position is that, with coordination assistance from the Team Leader and the individual Marine AIs, it allows for total coverage of the battlespace. Further, the empty cardinal point creates an illusion of a hole which can be exploited, tricking enemy combatants into charging for it. In reality, this position could be manned by nano-mines, conventional mines, and other unmanned weaponry to eliminate anything charging this position. This position would also be covered by the overlapping and interlocking fire of the Marines in the fire team who would be able to wreak havoc on any opposing forces attempting to exploit this ‘gap’. The drawback, however, is that well-trained void shock troops, trained in zero-g maneuvers, could sail through the gap without physically touching the surface and envelop the position. Given that zero-g maneuve
ring is so standard, this position works best against troops not experienced in void combat.
— About the Author —
J. R. Handley is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. He is a veteran infantry sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division and later the 28th Infantry Division. She is the kind of crazy that interprets his insanity into cogent English. He writes the sci-fi while she proofreads it. The sergeant is a two-time combat veteran of the late unpleasantness in Mesopotamia where he was wounded, likely doing something stupid. He started writing military science fiction as part of a therapy program suggested by his doctor, and hopes to entertain you while he attempts to excise his demons through these creative endeavors. In addition to being just another dysfunctional veteran, he is a stay at home wife, avid reader and all around nerd. Luckily for him, his Queen joins him in his fandom nerdalitry.
Follow the author’s blog at: https://jrhandleyblog.wordpress.com/
— Special Thanks to —
First, I need to thank Tim C. Taylor, the creator of the Human Legion Saga, for giving me this chance to spread my literary wings. Hopefully, I don’t let you down, destroy anything too important, or tank your series which I still love reading.
Then, like any sensible man, I realize that I wouldn’t be here without the loving support of my wife and two sons. They tolerated the time I spent writing, editing, re-writing, and occasionally yelling at my monitor. I would like to especially thank my wife, because without even trying, she was my rock, my motivation, and my muse. I would also like to thank my sons who bragged to everyone they knew that “Daddy was a writer” before I’d even penned two lines, making it impossible to even consider giving up.
I would like to thank my parents, both biological and otherwise, for their love and support along the way. Your support of my family throughout this process has made everything possible. And especially to my mother and partner in crime, you were an outstanding sounding board and muse! If this ship takes off, I owe you a steak or ten!
I would also like to thank my friend and fellow veteran Jeffrey Reed, a retired Army Sergeant First Class, who served as my military advisor and sounding board as I recreated military tactics for this world from scratch. Heck, if the good infantry sergeant wasn’t such a diehard 82nd Airborne Division fanatic, he might even be pretty likeable. Hey, not everyone has the good sense to join the 101st instead!
Additionally, I need to thank my best friend Thomas Estus, who never let me forget that he believed in me and this project. He was always encouraging, appropriately prodding, and genuinely a pain in the arse when I slacked off. Without him, there might be no Sleeping Legion.
Equally as important, I would like to send my most heartfelt thanks to the two ladies who helped me live through and with the war. Participating in the late unpleasantness in Mesopotamia was grisly, stressful, and negatively life altering. While I was in Iraq, a special ‘Soldiers Angel’ Susan Leighton, sent me share packages and love from the world we left. The letters and calls to her and her family were a lifeline when I desperately needed one. Were it not for her, I might not be here today. When I came home, I met another special lady, Dr. Miller at the Veterans Administration Hospital, who taught me to live with what happened and to take it one day at a time. Without her, I might have been just another statistic on the evening news: Local War Vet Commits Suicide. Her work to untold thousands of veterans has saved lives, you’ll never meet a finer doctor or ally when life is hard.
Also, lest they be forgotten, I would like to thank my Game of War friends. I enjoyed time in two great alliances, the New Carthage Nomads (NCR) of Peisinoe and the Nuthouse of Odin (NhO) of Odin. I want to especially thank the fine folks of NhO who took me in when I had to start again with everything I’d learned messing it up in the first kingdom. You know who you are and what you mean to me, being my friend when I was lonely, a shoulder when I cried, and a maniacal laugh when my jokes were finally funny again. We had some good times together during a time when I needed to escape, and for that I will always remember you fondly. To the friends I made and continue to correspond with, this one’s for you! God bless texts and carrier pigeons!
Finally, I need to thank the fine baristas at my local Starbucks (Store #6907), for the great coffee and advice. They've tolerated my extended stays and encouraged my writing along the way.
Addendum: The editor and author would also like to thank our friend and Legion supporter, Hans Ruopp, for all his help, advice, and support. We pray you will recover soon to enjoy this book.
Join the Legion!
Receive free Kindle books!
(Winter 2016: The Sleeping Legion prequel novella: ‘The Demons of Kor-Lir’, Human Legion Book1: 'Marine Cadet', and Revenge Squad Book2: 'Hurt U Back')
Read de-classified Infopedia entries!
Be the first to hear mobilization news!
Get involved with the telling of the Human Legion, Sleeping Legion and Revenge Squad stories!
Read short tales from the worlds of the Human Legion.
Experience a gruesome end as a redshirt.
HumanLegion.com
THE LEGION AWAKES
The first novel in the story of the Sleeping Legion. Launching Dec 19th, 2016!
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving an online review at Amazon or elsewhere. Even if it’s only a line or two, it would help us enormously and we would be very grateful.
Thank you.
The Demons of Kor-Lir_The Sleeping Legion Page 9
