Breaching

Most country’s engineering doctrine for breaching is “SOSRA” (Suppress,

Obscure, Secure, Reduce, and Assault) or a variation on it.

Those five letters summarise a mass of tactical issues that need to be worked
through to achieve and exploit the breach.

The roles and tasks can be summarised here:

Breaching Breaching Responsibilities

Organisation Fundamentals
Support Force Suppress. - Suppress enemy direct fire
Obscure. systems covering the reduction
area.
- Control obscuring smoke.
- Prevent enemy forces from
repositioning or counterattacking to
place direct fires on the breach
force.
Breach Force Suppress (provides - Create and mark the necessary
additional suppression. lanes in an obstacle.
Obscure (provides - Secure the near side and far side
additional obscuration of an obstacle.
in the reduction area). - Defeat forces that can place
Secure (provides local immediate direct fires on the
security). reduction area.
Reduce. - Report the lane status/location.
Assault Force Suppress (if necessary). - Destroy the enemy on the far side
Assault. of an obstacle that is capable of
placing direct fires on the reduction
area.
- Assist the support force with
suppression if the enemy is not
effectively suppressed.
- Be prepared to breach follow-on
and/or protective obstacles after
passing through the reduction area.

The Support and Assault forces are beyond the scope of this document and can
comprise the usual manoeuvre units in Steel Beasts (Tk, Mech Inf, Arty, etc.).

The Breach Force is our focus here.

The usual planning consideration is a requirement for redundancy / expectation of

50% losses.

So if you want the end state to be one open lane you need to commence
breaching operations on at least two.
Within Steel Beasts the vehicle types used in the “Breach Force” are:

- M113 G3 / ENG fitted with a Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC);

- Tanks fitted with either a mine plough or mine roller attachment; and

- M113 G3 / ENG by itself (no MICLIC).

M113 G3 / ENG fitted with MICLIC:

M1A1 (HA) fitted with a mine

plough:

M1A1 (HA) fitted with a mine

roller:

M113 G3 / ENG:
The detail guide will focus on the
M113+MICLIC as the M113 without
is the same and the tanks are no
different to normal tanks.

In the observer position F8, the

M88A1 is displayed.

Num + provides a NVG view at

suitable lighting levels

Pressing N provides a magnified

view.

Num + provides a NVG view at

suitable lighting levels.

F7 switches to the “Commander’s

Position” view of the vehicle:

No NVG or magnified option.

Q raises the Commander to looking

out of the hatch (Z lowers you).

Num + provides a NVG view at

suitable lighting levels.

Pressing N provides a zoomed

“Bino” view. The Binos are not
NVG.

Pressing N toggles between the

magnified and normal view.
From this raised position, inside or
fully raised (below) “F3” (CWS)
allows the operation of the pintle
M2HB.

Num + provides a NVG view at

suitable lighting levels

Pressing Q again fully raises the

Commander to looking over the
MG.

Num + provides a NVG view at

suitable lighting levels.

Pressing N provides a zoomed

“Bino” view. The Binos are not
NVG.

Pressing N toggles between the

magnified and normal view.

Suggested manual sequence:

Move the vehicle up “just short” of

the near side of the minefield.

(Take care not to drive into the

obstacle)

Then move to the F7 position,

press B to close the hatch and fire
the charge with the space bar.

Note: The charge should available

to fire some 10-15 sec after
stopping.
External view of launch:

Back away for the plough/roller to

“prove the route”.

Bring plough tank up and give it a

“breach” route through the
minefield.

Note: The turret traverses to 3

O’clock to avoid damage.

Bring roller tank up and give it a

“breach” route through the
minefield (optional).

Note:
1. The turret is already at 3 O’clock
to avoid damage.
2. Tanks with rollers travel slower
than tanks with ploughs.

Bring M113 G3 / ENG up and give

it a “breach” route through the
minefield.

Note: This will lay the lane

markers.
Bring the Assault Force up and give
it a “breach” route through the
minefield.

They are then free to “Assault” on

the far side of the obstacle.

Note:

1. All of this should be happening while the Support Force is conducting the
“Suppress” and “Obscure” functions. Lots of direct fire and “Smoke” and “HE,
smoke mix” fire missions.

2. The MICLIC is towed by an APC and needs all the support it can get.

3. Vehicles that can self generate smoke beyond the breach should (including the
M113 G3 / ENG firing its smoke grenades once it has laid its lane markers).

4. Don’t stop! Immobile vehicles need to be pushed through the breach and
nothing can be allowed to block the lane.

5. Not all breaching assets can do the same thing. The plough can breach
minefields just like the roller, and can go a little faster both getting to and in the
breach. On the other hand, both the plough and the MICLIC can create a gap in
steel beams. The roller can’t.
6. For ease of co-ordination, in multi player give all the assets to breach a lane to
a person.

7. To ensure all your assets are breaching the same lane, create a waypoint on
the map on the “near” side and plot a breach route from there to the far side.
That way the plough, roller, Eng M113 and follow on forces will cross at the right
place. Then plot the MICLIC’s move up to a point very nearby (but not “on” the
waypoint – don’t want it to fire the charge and then follow it into the minefield).

Points for Scenario Designers:

Provide sufficient breaching and indirect fire assets for the job. One MICLIC does
not a breach make.

Scripting:

To script the breach crossing:

- Script lots of Artillery missions to neutralise and obscure the far side.

- Plot a waypoint and then a breach route through the obstacle, but give it an
“embark if not the call sign of the MICLIC (whatever that is)” condition.

- Plot a retreat route back from the waypoint and give it a “retreat if this unit is
the call sign of the MICLIC” condition but have it wait 30 sec to ensure the
MICLIC fires before retreating.

- Script a route for the plough up to the common breach route (and beyond).

- Script a route for the roller up to the common breach route (and beyond).

- Script a route for the M113 G3 / ENG up to the common breach route (and
beyond).

- Script a route for the Assault Force (put them in “column” just prior to the
breach route to avoid “milling around”) to the common breach route (and
beyond).

(rev. 2.650).