Being a Light Infantry Soldier at CWG Events

We've answered a number of questions individually from players — or those who didn't yet choose to attend — concerned about our focus on light infantry will really mean. Do you really have to carry everything on your back, the whole time? 

Yes and no. 

You should be prepared to carry everything on your back, and that includes enough stuff to eat. sleep and fight with for the entire three days. You will carry it some, but then put it down in caches, and patrol bases to go scout, patrol, guard, or assault things. 

As we take (or give) ground, and otherwise change our response to enemy actions and terrain, we'll have to move. Your patrol base may only be where you work from for six hours. So be prepared to pack up, and move it all again on foot. 

While we have some motor transport, and it may help carry equipment, it may not be available, or you may be in an inaccessible area (or a truck would give away your position), so you need to be able to carry things like 5 gallon water jugs for a little ways, if you have to. 

Think about the consequences of moving forward from a patrol base, or ditching your ruck in a fight. What critical items need to go on your LBE instead? Should you bring an assault pack for a little bit more load carriage? What if, like the guy above, you are the radio operator? How quickly can you move the radio from your ruck to a lighter pack?

If you want to think about some more examples, here's a day you might encounter at Swift Fox 16, which we hope helps: 

0600

Ruck up, PPE on, and on command you cross the LoD with your squad,. You are now in the Highlands. A brief stop to load weapons and make one last accountability check and you move out.

0630

Vehicles have caught up, and A and C squads load up and get a ride. Your squad gets to walk, and bushwhack no less. It's only about 1 km, and reportedly you aren't in dangerous country, so you are there pretty soon. 

0700

Your squad has arrived at the Company headquarters, and everyone dumps rucks. It's still the Highlands so you go to 25% security while everyone else rests, and the squad leader goes to get the mission briefing. 

0725

Your sector is assigned. You have to move down the hill, across an open valley, and see if there are any enemy forces on the wooded hills on the other side, preferably without getting seen yourself. 

Order of march is set, you discuss the route then ruck up, make sure everyone has a swig of water, perform a sensitive items check, and head out. 

1024

The movement is slow, and deliberate, to avoid making too much noise, and also because you are in full rucks and the terrain is sometimes steep. There are listening halts every few minutes, and the Squad Leader spends a lot of time during these using his binoculars. But you've made it to the far treeline with no enemy contact. 

1055

After a longish radio call, and some decoding, the Squad leader has led you to a small piece of high ground bordered by thorn bushes and a creek. The word is (quietly) passed that this is your Patrol Base. 

Everyone drops their rucks, arranges them in the middle, and there's a briefing for the Squad. You think now that enemy forces are about 400 m ahead, on the high ground to the North East. 

1310

Your Fire Team got to stay at the Patrol Base, to secure it. You also had lunch, but it wasn't super restful digging in and clearing fields of fire without making too much noise and while looking for enemies. 

Fire Team 1 has just returned, using the designated entrance you've already marked with lightsticks for the night, and using the passwords. After a briefing (which you get to only hear, not see, as you are on security, your Fire Team gets assigned to go out. 

You have 20 minutes to exchange places with the other Fire Team, and pack anything you want to bring in your rig or assault packs. You get assigned to bring your sleeping bag and shovel as team gear, so unload most of your ruck and cache it all in a waterproof bag in the center of the Patrol Base. 

1440

After two hours of careful movement, you've finally seen the enemy. Well, you have seen a vehicle. They seem to have resupplied or dropped off people from some sort of jeep at an OP or strongpoint just 75 m ahead. 

You are one of two left behind to keep an eye out, note anything else you see and provide security. The rest of the Team moves downhill a bit, so the team leader can call it in on the radio. 

1550

Surprise has led to victory. You and another Squad assaulted the position with great success. You've killed three enemy, and two or three (there's some disagreement on this) more fled. Now, your team has been assigned to hold the position.

This will be your new patrol base, until at least dark. So, it now time to get all your supplies. Your Team secures the base, and the rest of the squad goes back to get their packs, and a selection of cold weather gear and meals from your packs as well.  

1705

Command wants to make sure you control this sector, so send regular patrols from it. Your Fire Team gets the patrol that starts in a few minutes, but will last until dark, so you are reminded to bring an assault pack with some cold weather and rain gear just in case, NODs and night weapon sights for those who have them, and spare batteries. You get to carry the Medic's poncho so he can keep to just his medic pack. 

1935

Just as you return from patrol, there's a decision that your squad will set some ambushes. Your Fire Team will be in an OP a few hundred yards forward of the Patrol Base. Half the team brings their rucks, since 50% security means you can trade off sleeping bag use.

You get 5 minutes to pull out your food and anything else needed for a night in the woods, and give it to someone with a ruck to carry. At the last minute they give you a field phone, so you stick it in the top of someone else's pack while he's wearing it, and then head right out.

2305

Just as you are finishing dinner in the dark as your shift starts, there's much noise and light from over the next little hill.

The phone rings to tell you the ambush was tripped, but it was not decisive. There's an ongoing battle over there, and you are told to muster the team, and get over there right away. You shake everyone awake, and they quickly put on boots and helmets, clip on NODs, and the Team Leader gives a brief while two others clean up the campsite and stuff everything into rucks as soon as possible.

0330

After the action is completed, your squad consolidates, and moves to a new base you ran across. You and the rest of the squad who don't have their rucks make their way to the first Patrol Base, and quietly retrieve your gear so you can reload magazines, grenades, machine guns, and get some food and gear to sleep in.

0515

You are now glad you took a break at the old Patrol Base. Not just to water up and get a snack, but to reload magazines. You even put a grenade in a pouch so you had it next time, and it was almost the first thing you used when you stumbled across an enemy patrol on the way back.

The point man suddenly called for a halt, and the light crunching of leaves very nearby didn't stop. So the Fire Team Leader quietly said the challenge word, and it was returned with gunfire. You dumped the ruck and dove for cover, returning fire and tossing your grenade where the tracers were coming from.

After a few minutes, the Fire Team Leader called a cease fire, and tossed a lightstick flare. No one shot, and it seems you didn't hit anyone. You took a casualty, but without a Combat Medic and too far from base, he died so hiked back to the CCP after the Fire Team Leader wrote it down and made sure he wouldn't get lost.

You retrieve your rucks, taking a bit of time in the dark to re-attach the shoulder straps from ditching, and twenty minutes later are back to the new patrol base. Over breakfast in the pre-dawn darkness, you give a briefing and prepare for the next day.

Carrying a rocket? How? Are you sure? Try it before you get into the field.