Defensive Fighting Position: Strategies and Tactics for Modern Battlefield Defense

By Fouad Sabry

What is Defensive Fighting Position

A defensive fighting position (DFP) is a type of earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate anything from one soldier to a fire team.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Defensive fighting position

Chapter 2: Battle of Peleliu

Chapter 3: Battle of Iwo Jima

Chapter 4: Trench warfare

Chapter 5: Matilda II

Chapter 6: Anti-tank warfare

Chapter 7: Technology during World War I

Chapter 8: Battle of Eniwetok

Chapter 9: History of the Scots Guards (1914-1945)

Chapter 10: Battle of Angaur

(II) Answering the public top questions about defensive fighting position.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Defensive Fighting Position.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: Jun 2, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Defensive fighting position

A defensive fighting position (DFP) is a sort of military-constructed earthwork, often large enough to accommodate anywhere from one soldier to an entire fire team (or similar sized unit).

Tobruk-type positions are named after the system of defensive positions initially erected in Tobruk, Libya, by the Italian Army. After Tobruk fell to the Allies in January 1941, the Australian Army, along with other Allied forces, modified and significantly expanded the existing positions for reuse in the Siege of Tobruk.

One sort of defensive strategic position is a foxhole. It is a small pit used as cover, typically for one or two soldiers, and designed such that its occupants may fire efficiently from it..

It is more usually referred to as a combat posture or a ranger grave in United States Army terminology. It is referred to as a fighting hole by the U.S. Marine Corps, a gun-pit by the Australian Army, and a fighting pit by the New Zealand Army.

In British and Canadian military jargon, it corresponds to a variety of terms, including slit trench, or fire trench (a trench deep enough for a soldier to stand in), a sangar (a sandbagged fire position above ground), or shell scrape (a shallow depression that provides protection in the prone position), or simply—but less accurately—a trench..

During the American Civil War, both U.S. Army and Confederate Army units recognized the phrase rifle pit..

A machine gun nest is a fortified emplacement or concealed station containing one or more machine guns in American English.

During the 1942–1943 conflict in North Africa, U.S. soldiers utilized the shell scrape. This was an extremely shallow hole that allowed a single soldier to lie horizontally while protecting himself from surrounding shell explosions and small weapons fire. Foxholes may be enlarged to two-soldier battle positions and excavated with fire steps for crew-served weapons, water drainage sumps, and live enemy grenade disposal pits.

The Germans employed reinforced fortifications in North Africa and, later, in other areas, consisting of the Atlantic Wall, Those were, in essence, concrete foxholes.

The Germans knew them officially as Ringstände; The Allies gave them the name Tobruks since they encountered them for the first time during fighting in Africa.

On the foxhole, the Germans frequently place the turret of an outdated French or German tank. This increased the Tobruk's firepower and protected the shooter from shrapnel and small arms.

June 1944: German VK 3001H prototype turret placed aboard Tobruk at Omaha Beach

Tobruk guards the entrance to the bunker that houses the Channel Islands Military Museum today. This Renault R35 turret was initially mounted on a Tobruk at Saint Aubin's Fort, Jersey.

Modern military develop and disseminate comprehensive field guides for the step-by-step construction of DFPs. Initially, a shell scrape, sometimes known as a ranger grave, is dug to give very limited protection. Each stage refines the fighting stance, eventually enhancing its effectiveness while preserving its use. In this manner, a soldier can gradually strengthen a position while still being able to use it in combat at any time.

A DFP is typically a pit or trench dug deep enough to stand in, leaving only the head exposed, with a short step at the bottom, known as a fire step, that allows the soldier to kneel on to avoid fire and tank treads. The fire step typically slopes down to a grenade sump at the bottom to allow live grenades to be kicked in and reduce harm from grenade pieces.

When feasible, DFPs are revetted with corrugated iron, star pickets, and wire, or with regionally available alternatives. Additionally, the revetting should ideally be excavated into the earth so as to minimize fire and tank track damage. The revetting protects the DFP against cave-ins caused by artillery or mortar fire and tank tracks.

Time permitting, DFPs can be enlarged to provide protection for a machine gun crew and ammo, as well as overhead cover via timbers.

DFPs are typically dug by hand or, on occasion, by mechanized trench diggers during training. On operations, explosives, particularly shaped charges (sometimes known as beehives), may be utilized to accelerate development.

The development and maintenance of DFPs is a continuous and continuing responsibility for soldiers deployed in conflict zones. Because infantry men spend so much time excavating, they are referred to as gravel technicians in various militaries.

Due to the substantial investment in time and resources required to construct a DFP, it is essential to ensure that the DFP is situated properly. The officer in command (OIC) should examine the ground from the same level that the intended user's weapons would be sighted from in order to position the DFP. Typically, the OIC will need to lie on his stomach to achieve the necessary viewpoint. This guarantees that the position can cover the desired sector.

In 2003, US Marines dug fighting trenches near the Iraqi border.

In 2003, US Navy Seabees dug hasty scrapes..

2003: US Navy Seabees close completion of combat position.

During training in 2010, US Navy Seabees construct a defensive machine gun post.

2008 US Navy Seabees training with a finished defensive machine gun position.

2010: US Navy Seabees constructed defensive machine gun post with camouflage netting and timber supports during training.

{End Chapter 1}

Chapter 2: Battle of Peleliu

The United States and Japan fought the Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, on the island of Peleliu from September 15 to November 27, 1944, during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign of World War II.

Marines from the 1st Marine Division and infantrymen from the 81st Infantry Division of the US Army fought to seize an airstrip on the small coral island of Peleliu. The engagement was part of Operation Forager, a broader offensive campaign that occurred from June to November 1944 in the Pacific Theater.

The commander of the 1st Marine Division, Major General William Rupertus, estimated that the island would be secured within four days.

In 1944, American wins in the Southwest and Central Pacific drew the battle closer to Japan, allowing American bombers to hit Japanese main islands from air bases acquired during the Mariana Islands campaign (June–August 1944). The U.S. Joint Chiefs were divided over two potential plans to fight the Japanese Empire. General Douglas MacArthur's suggested strategy aimed for the liberation of the Philippines, the seizure of Okinawa, and finally an assault on the Japanese home islands. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz proposed a more direct strategy consisting of bypassing the Philippines and conquering Okinawa and Taiwan as staging locations for an attack on the Japanese mainland, followed by an invasion of Japan's southernmost islands. The invasion of Peleliu was part of both strategies, but for different reasons.

The 1st Marine Division had been selected to conduct the assault. Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Pearl Harbor to personally see and hear the arguments of both commanders. The tactic of MacArthur was chosen. Before MacArthur could recover the Philippines, he had to subdue the Palau Islands, notably Peleliu and Angaur, and construct an airport to protect his left flank.

By 1944, approximately 11,000 Japanese of the 14th Infantry Division and a few Korean laborers seized Peleliu.

Following their defeats in the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas, the Imperial Army formed a research team to create new island-defense strategies. They decided to forgo the old tactic of attempting to stop the enemy on the beaches, where they would be vulnerable to naval bombardment. The new strategy would merely hinder landings at the water's edge and rely on a strong defense further inland. Colonel Nakagawa utilized the rugged terrain to his advantage by constructing an interconnected system of heavily fortified bunkers, caverns, and subterranean positions. The traditional banzai charge attack was also stopped since it was both inefficient and wasteful of manpower. These modifications would force the United States into a battle of attrition, necessitating additional resources.

Nakagawa's defenses were based on Peleliu's highest point, Umurbrogol Mountain, a cluster of hills and steep ridges in the island's center that overlooked a huge area of the island, including the vital airstrip. The Umurbrogol included over 500 caverns and tunnels made of limestone. Former mine shafts were converted into many of these defensive locations. Engineers installed armored sliding steel doors with several openings to accommodate both artillery and machine weapons. As a defense against grenade and flamethrower attacks, cave entrances were either widened or slanted. The caves and bunkers were linked to a massive tunnel and trench system throughout central Peleliu, allowing the Japanese to evacuate or reoccupy locations as needed and to take advantage of the contracting inner lines.

The Japanese were well-equipped with 81 mm (3.19 in) and 150 mm (5.9 in) mortars and 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft weapons, supported by a light tank battalion and an anti-aircraft unit.

The Japanese took use of the coastal terrain as well. The northernmost end of the landing beaches faced a 30-foot (9.1 m) coral promontory that overlooked the beaches from a small peninsula, a location later dubbed The Point by the Marines who attacked it. The ridge was drilled to accommodate a 47 mm (1.85 in) gun and six 20 mm cannons. The positions were then blocked off, leaving only a narrow opening for firing on the beaches. Similar locations were constructed along the 3.2-kilometer-long (2 miles) stretch of landing beaches.

The beaches were also littered with tens of thousands of obstacles for the landing craft, primarily mines and a huge number of buried heavy artillery shells with exposed fuses. A battalion was stationed along the shore to defend against the landing, but their purpose was only to delay the eventual American march inland.

In contrast to the Japanese, who drastically altered their tactics for the upcoming battle, the American invasion plan remained unchanged from previous amphibious landings, despite suffering 3,000 casualties and two months of delaying tactics at the Battle of Biak against entrenched Japanese defenders. American strategists selected to land on the southwest beaches of Peleliu due to their proximity to the airfield in the south of the island. Colonel Lewis B. Chesty Puller's 1st Marine Regiment was to arrive at the northern end of the beaches. The 5th Marine Regiment, under the command of Colonel Harold Harris, would land in the center, while the 7th Marine Regiment, under the command of Colonel Herman Hanneken, would land near the southern end.

The artillery regiment of the division, led by Colonel William Harrison and the 11th Marines, would land after the infantry units. The 1st and 7th Marines were to advance inland, protecting the flanks of the 5th Marines and allowing them to secure the airfield positioned exactly in the center of the landing beaches. The 5th Marines were to advance to the island's eastern side, dividing it in half. The 1st Marines would advance northward towards Umurbrogol, while the 7th Marines would clear the island's southern tip. Only one battalion remained in reserve, with the 81st Infantry Division of the United States Army available for support from Angaur, just south of Peleliu.

On September 4, the Marines embarked from Pavuvu, just north of Guadalcanal, on a 3,400-kilometer (2,100-mile) voyage across the Pacific to Peleliu. On September 12, a Navy Underwater Demolition Team began clearing the beaches of obstructions, while warships began their pre-invasion bombardment of Peleliu.

The battleships Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Idaho, as well as the heavy cruisers Indianapolis, Louisville, Minneapolis, and Portland, and the light cruisers Cleveland, Denver, and Honolulu. During this time period, the islands were bombarded with a total of 519 rounds of 16-inch (410 mm) shells, 1,845 rounds of 14-inch (360 mm) shells, and 1,793 500-pound (230 kg) bombs.

The Americans believed the bombardment was effective because, according to Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf, the Navy ran out of targets. In actuality, the vast majority of Japanese positions were undamaged. Even the last unit tasked with defending the beaches was virtually unharmed. During the attack, the defenders of the island employed an unorthodox shooting discipline to conceal their positions. The bombardment only succeeded in destroying the Japanese planes on the island and the structures surrounding the base. The Japanese remained in their reinforced positions, prepared to launch an assault on the American landing forces.

Chester W. Nimitz commands the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. commands the United States Third Fleet.

Vice Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson is in command of Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 31).

Major General