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Subject: Pathfinders
jastayme3    11/22/2007 10:41:08 PM
This is a thought I had. Actually it was adapted from a suggestion in a soldiers memoirs. Suppose there was a sort of special-forces trained specifically to be given in penny packets to battalion headquarters. They would be used primarily as specialized patrolers. They would be called "pathfinder units. Some possibilities for there use are: Use them as specialist "points" for patrols made up of of ordinary infantry. Use them to dominate no-mans-land. Even if they are equally skillful, "pathfinders" will be more motivated to look for trouble whereas ordinary infantry might decide life is hard enough. Use them as a sort of "condiment" to spice up raw units. Say the battalion commander would assign them disproportionatly to a company with less experienced men. Some of these functions are of course done by scout/snipers. But the most valueable purpose of the later is to go out far and seek out high value targets. Pathfinders would be designed specifically to improve the quality of routine patrolling.
 
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interestedamateur       3/18/2008 5:29:31 AM
In fact many European forces already do this.
 
Until last year UK parachute btns had a "Patrols Platoon" which was used just for this function. 16 AA Bde also has a Pathfinder Company in the Bde HQ.
 
All French Btns have a special forces platoon which can do deep recce as well as other stuff. German Mtn btns also have a High Mtn Patrols platoon.
 
It's interesting to note that under FCS, US combined arms btns will each have a recce company with four platoons each of which will have some dismounts.
 
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Yimmy       3/18/2008 6:59:33 AM


Until last year UK parachute btns had a "Patrols Platoon" which was used just for this function. 16 AA Bde also has a Pathfinder Company in the Bde HQ.

How do the para's work now, with 1 para becoming the SFSG?
 
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