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Subject: Light Infantry Marching Standards?
DeeJay    11/22/2004 9:45:15 PM
What are reasonable expectations of light infantry in conducting ruck marches. I know it depends on terrain and weather, so prtend it's a nice clear cool day. Now what times are expected when marching on grass compared to forest, and what distances should they be able march in a day or even a week. What is a reasonable rate of march (speed).
 
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Ehran    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/22/2004 10:17:47 PM
Buddy of mine in the Princess Pats used to do a 50 mile full kit route march. You had 18 hours to do it. believe he said it was a monthly event.
 
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Tiber1    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/22/2004 11:12:47 PM
When I was in 10th MTN, we'd do a company or battalion 25 mile in about 7-8 hours. They used to do 100 mile marches once a year in 4 or 5 days, no rucks though. They stopped those soon after I got there. A 50 mile full ruck in 18 hours is fairly easy, but damned if I'd want to do them every month. Even with my best pair of broken in jungle boots and several pairs of good socks, just thinking about how bad your feet would hurt after that...
 
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Sentinel    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/23/2004 9:39:59 AM
Standards for the expert infantryman's badge are 12 miles in three hours. That is road marching. Off road movement is conducted in basically three ways depending on expected enemy contact. They are traveling formation, traveling overwatch, and bounding overwatch. Traveling formation is used when enemy contact is least likely. Basically, fire team size wedge formations traveling one behind hte other about 10 meters distance. Traveling overwatch is used when enemy contact is used when enemy contact is more likely, but not expected. Basically traveling overwatch is the same as traveling formation, except that the second fire team is 50 meters back from the lead element. This way if you make contact it is easier for the second team to make a flanking movement. The third formation, traveling overwatch, is where two fire teams are moving in parrallel bounds. One covers while the other moves. It is used when enemy contact is expected and likely. Obviously, your expectation of enemy contact will determine which type of movement you will use, and also how much time it will take. Other things to consider are danger areas. These are usually open areas. They are the enemy of light fighters. They usually require the unit to stop, set up security, scout the far side, set up security on that side. and then scoot accross. Otherwise you have to go around. The other thing is the size of the units. Squads can move pretty quick throught the woods, Platoons are slower, companies are painfully slow. Tim Reed available for speaking engagements;-) Timothy.M.Reed@us.army.mil
 
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Yimmy    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/23/2004 10:18:23 AM
A road march of 12 miles in three hours is a piece of piss; how much weight was that with? If you want to hear of hard marches, read Simon Murreys, Legionnaire, where in Africa with full fighting kit they had to get up mountains as high as 7000ft in a few hours.
 
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Ehran    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/23/2004 10:44:06 PM
Tiber i think full pack was around 80 lb or so more for guys like the mg operator etc.
 
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devildog683    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?...piece of piss?   11/23/2004 11:54:42 PM
Might wanna get with your doc if your haveing problems like that..
 
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joe6pack    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/24/2004 8:44:55 AM
"A road march of 12 miles in three hours is a piece of piss; how much weight was that with?" It's pretty easy. 12 Miles is just a number the army seems to have picked for schools and EIB.. It's a 50lb ruck, LBE, Weapon, Kevlar. Usually gets done in a littl over 2 hours or so, unless you are slacking. I don't know that there is a "standard" beyond that. I think the roughest march I ever did was as a light troop through the deserts in Ft. Irwin.. All night (dusk to dawn), 100+ lb ruck, wearing NBC gear (no mask - thank god), and carrying a SAW... There were people that had it far worse than me and the standard was "keep up" with the CO that had a map case, GPS, and pistol.
 
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Yimmy    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/24/2004 12:34:34 PM
I hate it when instructors do that sort of thing, you should always lead by example.
 
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AlbanyRifles    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?   11/24/2004 12:47:26 PM
At one time, and this was a while ago, everyone in XVIII Airborne Corps had to do the 12 miles in 3 hours with ruck, weapon, etc., once a quarter. That was everyone, medics, cooks, tankers, infantrymen, mechanics, supply sergeants, etc. That was 82d Ariborne Divisionn, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), 18 Aviation Brigade, 1st Corps Support Command, everyone. I also know the guys in the 82 Abn, 101 AASLT, & 10 MTN DIV had to do more than us mech guys in the 24 ID (now 3 ID).
 
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AlbanyRifles    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards? Joe   11/24/2004 12:51:03 PM
What the he!! is a GPS!?!?!? Back then it was Map & Compass!!! Btw, as I have said before, when I was a compnay commander my webgear weighed 42 lbs! My guys carried rucks, but they usually for carrying spare Dragon missile rounds (usually 8-inch howitzer powder cans filled with sand to simulate weight). Since we were mech our rucks were on the bustle racks on our Bradley or in the M113s.
 
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joe6pack    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards? Albany   11/24/2004 1:07:34 PM
"What the he!! is a GPS!?!?!? Back then it was Map & Compass!!!" Well, the incident I mentioned was actually prior to going in the "box" Our CO wanted to get some PT in... I guess. Once we were in, this same fellow, managed to "get lost" using map, compass and GPS.. that extended another night movement a number of hours. Even the dumbest of privates can figure out that a 8K movement is taking a LOT longer than it should. "My guys carried rucks, but they usually for carrying spare Dragon missile rounds (usually 8-inch howitzer powder cans filled with sand to simulate weight)" Yeah, we did that too. But since we were light, we also had to carry mortar rounds for the company 60's, more cases filled with sand. Some 4th ID jokers drove by and asked where our tracks were.. It almost started a brawl ;-) "when I was a compnay commander my webgear weighed 42 lbs" Unfortunately sir, your standards are not that of every company commander. I've had some pretty good ones though (just not that particular one). The one I ended up as an RTO for, it was all I could to keep him from grabbing a M60 from which ever plattoon he happened to be around. He loved doing Infantry "stuff" and leading the company more anything. I'm not entirely sure he would have passed a psych eval ;-)
 
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AlbanyRifles    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards? Albany   11/24/2004 1:34:33 PM
Most of us couldn't/can't!!! And as for light versus mech? When I was enlisted, I was light. when I got commissioned, I said give me a track!!! (Still think officers are overpaid?!) Happy Turkey Day!
 
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Sentinel    RE:Light Infantry Marching Standards?...piece of piss?   11/29/2004 10:53:57 AM
12 miles in three hours with full kit is nothing to scoff at. The idea isn't to smoke your troops before they get to the fight. 12 miles in 3 hours is sustainable.
 
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Bejean    My personal marching experience and views.   12/7/2004 2:59:12 AM
Ah, the dreaded road marches. During my active days, the marches i did in Boot Camp are 8,16 and 24km with a fullpack and a M16. Terrain is standard flat driving roads. This is nothing as compared to the specialist school where we do the same distance in the jungle and rough terrain. Some of the lads are outfitted with GPMG, 4 x 250rds 7.62ammo box, 35kg estimated Milan AT missle launcher...etc. The height of my suffering is during my days at the Reconnaissance school where i did a 72km road march in 18hours i think. Anyway though road marches are bad but FAST MARCH is taking the piss especially on a battalion level. Worst experience is a 16km fast march on a battalion level. I am in B company which is the last company after A,C and Support companies. We ran for most of the 16km. Felt like dying...haha
 
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bombard    RE:WW1 Great retreat.   12/19/2004 7:03:35 PM
Reading John Keagans book on WW1. He noted that the french, german and british armies were marching 15 or 20 miles a day for 14 days, in the heat of the last week of august and first week of september, 1914. The first glouchestershire regiment recorded a march of 390Km in 13 days, with one of rest. thats average of 30km/day, and on little food. ...
 
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