axis of attack

UNDERSTANDINGUNDERSTANDINGthethe

AXIS OF AXIS OF ATTACKATTACK

PRESENTEDPRESENTEDbyby

THE FIRST ALLIED THE FIRST ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMYAIRBORNE ARMY

Perhaps you have found yourself in this situation: you

are setting up a hasty defense, maybe after pulling

back or maybe after taking an objective. Then comes the inevitable German attack. Some come from exactly

where you’d expect, but then others come from out of

nowhere on your flanks. What is this phenomenon? Why

does it happen? What can we do about it?

These are all questions we intend to answer in this training film. By understanding THE AXIS OF ATTACK you will be able to

anticipate German movement, put yourself in a position to interdict

their flanking maneuver, and stop their attack COLD.

That German habit of getting out on our flanks is

something they call “Schützenkette”, or

“skirmish line.” This is similar to our own flanking maneuver. They will add a direction to it, left or right:

“links” or “rechts.”

So out in the field you may hear a German

officer or N.C.O. direct his men by saying what

sounds like, “Shoot-zen-ket'eh recks!” Or,

“Shoot-zen-ket'eh links!”

That is how the Germans end up on our flanks all the time. But

how do they know where to go? That is

dictated by THE AXIS OF ATTACK.

THE AXIS OF ATTACK is nothing more than a line that connects two

points: where the enemy is and where we

are.

Enemy Line of Departure

Line of Defense

The Axis of A

ttack

Now these points may actually be lines themselves, our line of defenses and the German line of departure. But somewhere between

these two general positions is a straight line, the shortest

distance between the two, and that forms the AXIS OF

ATTACK.


Line of Defense

The Axis of A

ttack

In hastily-planned counter attacks and even most

planned attacks, we can expect some portion of the

enemy to move along the axis of attack. We can also expect a schützenkette links or rechts

that will move out from the axis of attack and then turn back to hit us on our flanks.

Schützenkette links

Schützenkette rechts

It might seem like these flanking maneuvers come from nowhere, but if you know where the axis of

attack is, then it is easy to predict where the

schützenkette will go. We have a method to help you figure that out, it’s called

the VEER method.

THE VEER METHOD

V ISUALIZEE LIMINATEE STIMATER ESPOND

THE VEER METHODVISUALIZE1. Visualize your position2. Visualize the enemy’s general position3. Visualize THE AXIS OF ATTACK4. Visualize the left and right schützenkette

V stands for VISUALIZE. There are 4 steps to Visualize. You

don’t need a map to do this, just a map in your mind. This may seem like a lot, but it’s not. As you practice this it will really

become one step that you can do automatically.


Line of Defense

The Axis of A

ttack

The next step is to ELIMINATE. You visualized

two schützenkette, but it may be that the Germans won’t

use one of them. There could be several reasons why they would do that: to avoid open

ground, to avoid tough terrain, or to avoid our forces.

Consider the terrain around you, does the terrain eliminate one of their potential flanking

routes?

Schützenkette links

Schützenkette rechts


Line of Defense

The Axis of A

ttack

Now it’s time to ESTIMATE. Based on what you know of

the terrain, where do you think their flanking route will take them? How far out? Where will they make contact with

your forces? Will terrain features force them to take a certain route? This may be the hardest step, but it gets easier with practice. If you

have never covered the ground they will be attacking over, it can be nothing more than a rough guess. A rough guess is better than no guess

though!


Line of Defense

The Axis of A

ttack

All the thinking is over, it’s now time to RESPOND.

You know where they are, you know where they are going to go, what do you

do? If you are commanding other men you will need to position

them to respond to attacks along the main axis and the schützenkette. Move quickly and give precise, clear orders so that they

are well understood.

Perhaps you are a private, what should you do? Show some

initiative! No N.C.O. or officer will ever be upset with you for

stopping a German attack and saving the lives of your buddies.

If you see something that he is missing, point it out. If you can’t reach him in time, you make the call. Get you and

your buddies in position to RESPOND.

Always remember: the ability of the individual soldier to grasp

the implications of the situation and take the necessary action is key to every single victory. The results of combat are the fruits

of the combined efforts of individuals. You must

understand that your individual action may be the decisive

factor in the final result.

Let’s take a look at a real life situation where soldiers put VEER into action and helped stall a German attack long

enough for their men to pull back and regroup.

Here’s the situation: 2 squads took an important crossroads but soon came

under heavy fire from across the road and casualties began to

mount. Unable to continue the attack, they took up hasty positions and tried

to hold as long as possible.

The German forces across the road began to receive reinforcements.

Realizing they had the advantage, they began to plan a counterattack to

retake the crossroads. That counterattack would involve keeping fire up across the axis of attack and sending out a schützenkette links. A

schützenkette rechts was not attempted.

Only a few of our troopers remained at this point. One

soldier recognized the imminency of a counterattack and put VEER into action. He

visualized the AXIS OF ATTACK and schützenkette.

First he VISUALIZED the AXIS OF ATTACK by

mentally locating German and American positions. Then he VISUALIZED

possible schützenkettes.

REINFORCEMENTS

He ELIMINATED the schützenkette rechts

due to the open ground, distance, and

that the Germans would be cut off by

American reinforcements who

might follow the initial line of attack.

He ESTIMATED where the

schützenkette links would hit their

position based on terrain the terrain

features which included a dry

streambed.

He RESPONDED by placing 2 men along the main axis and then placing himself to interdict the schützenkette. The plan worked exactly as

it should have. The Germans made their way through the woods and

came out exactly where the soldier ESTIMATED. The

Germans weren’t taking that position!

Alright, soldier, now it’s your turn to put VEER into action. The next

slide will present you a map with an American

defensive line defended by 4 soldiers and a

German line of departure for their

attack. You will put VEER into action and

STOP THEIR ATTACK COLD!

First, the lay of the land. American forces are at the bottom of the map holding a defensive line marked by foxholes A through H. The Germans are advancing from north to south along an air strip. To the west of

the air strip is low-lying vegetation. A road leads

off to the east of the airstrip and between it and the

strip is wooded land. You are holding this defensive

line with 3 other men.

Now it’s your turn. The first step is VISUALIZE.

1. Where is the AXIS OF ATTACK?

2. Where would schützenkette links go?

3. Where would schützenkette rechts go?

Once you think you know, you may move on.

Do your answers look something like this? If so, good. If not, where did you go

wrong?

AXISOF

ATTACK

Now it’s time to ELIMINATE. Which

schützenkette should be

eliminated?

AXISOF

ATTACK

It is very likely that the Germans will not want to advance

over the ground to the west of the air strip due to its low

vegetation and having to cross a

good sized stream. Did you get that right? Excellent

work then!

AXISOF

ATTACK

Third is ESTIMATE. Where would you estimate that they

would hit the American position? Envision the exact route they might take to hit your

lines. AXISOF

ATTACK

The most probable attack would come down the road to the east of the

airstrip. The trees would block our

view right up until they hit. AXIS

OFATTACK

Alright, now you have 4 men and you need to

place them where they will be most effective. Which foxholes will you choose? These foxholes are big

enough to accommodate two men each. Don’t forget about the

halftrack coming down the airstrip!

AXISOF

ATTACK

Did you place men in foxholes E, F, and G? Good work! I would advise two men in E

to counter the main thrust, a man in F who can be

looking for both the main attack and the

schützenkette, and a man in G who is placed on a corner

of the road and in perfect ambush position for the schützenkette. Having a man in F also maintains

communication between E and G.

AXISOF

ATTACK

So, how did you do? Did you stop the

German attack COLD?

Any combat veteran can tell you, maps are one

thing, real terrain is another. Keep the VEER method in mind and put it into practice whenever on

the attack or defense. Read the terrain, anticipate

German movement, and plan accordingly.

Effective implementation of the

VEER method by every soldier in our unit will

only make us a stronger fighting force

and secure future victories on the field of

battle. So train hard and train smart and

let’s show the Germans what the American

fighting man can do!

BROUGHT TO YOUBROUGHT TO YOUbyby

THE FIRST ALLIED THE FIRST ALLIED AIRBORNE ARMYAIRBORNE ARMY

http://firstalliedairborne.wordpress.comhttp://firstalliedairborne.wordpress.com//

axis of attack

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