Ranger patrol tactics
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 7:36 pm
Background
One of the things my group does as an activity is field archery. So we have had the opportunity to move as a group through the woods, armed with bows. One of my members had gone through training as a US Army Ranger, so he couldn’t resist teaching us about tactical movement. For my part, I served briefly in the National Guard and got a little infantry training.
Source
Tolkien appears to reveal the composition of a typical Ranger unit:
The four-man team that Tolkien illustrates, it rang a bell some time ago. Now I remember where I had heard of it.
The 4-Man SAS Patrol
Most basic small-unit patrol formations (diamond, chevron, most ambushes) need at least four people to perform. In typical file formation, the first man watches directly ahead and also pays attention to tracks. The number two man would watch and guard to the right, the third would watch to the left. The last man would watch behind. In modern military parlance this relates to "sectors of fire".
Adaptation
So perhaps the Professor was thinking of spears and arrows providing complementary support. Arrows alone might not provide enough security; a couple of archers would not stop a horde of orcs in their tracks. A handful of rangers, even at best, is limited in the number of arrows they can get out in a minute, and most of them may not be instantly fatal. If the formation is overrun, something like a couple of spears would help slow the enemy's charge. Probably on the march, the spears would be in the front and in the rear, since the archers can shoot past them.
One of the things my group does as an activity is field archery. So we have had the opportunity to move as a group through the woods, armed with bows. One of my members had gone through training as a US Army Ranger, so he couldn’t resist teaching us about tactical movement. For my part, I served briefly in the National Guard and got a little infantry training.
Source
Tolkien appears to reveal the composition of a typical Ranger unit:
Modern equivalentIf they were astonished at what they saw, their captors were even more astonished. Four tall Men stood there. Two had spears in their hands with broad bright heads. Two had great bows, almost of their own height, and great quivers of long green-feathered arrows. All had swords at their sides, and were clad in green and brown of varied hues, as if the better to walk unseen in the glades of Ithilien. Green gauntlets covered their hands, and their faces were hooded and masked with green, except for their eyes, which were very keen and bright.
The four-man team that Tolkien illustrates, it rang a bell some time ago. Now I remember where I had heard of it.
The 4-Man SAS Patrol
I remember reading elsewhere about this size of unit being ideal, since two can keep watch while two sleep or tend to other duties. And of course, each can watch a different quarter of the compass.The SAS commonly deploy as four-man patrols. Such a small number has proved its worth during the SAS's experience in jungle combat in Malaysia. It was found that, for many operations, smaller patrols worked best. Four is small enough to avoid detection and still carry enough stores to get the job done. A four-man patrol is the smallest tenable unit possible since it allows for a wounded member to be carried out by two others whilst being covered by a third.
Most basic small-unit patrol formations (diamond, chevron, most ambushes) need at least four people to perform. In typical file formation, the first man watches directly ahead and also pays attention to tracks. The number two man would watch and guard to the right, the third would watch to the left. The last man would watch behind. In modern military parlance this relates to "sectors of fire".
Adaptation
So perhaps the Professor was thinking of spears and arrows providing complementary support. Arrows alone might not provide enough security; a couple of archers would not stop a horde of orcs in their tracks. A handful of rangers, even at best, is limited in the number of arrows they can get out in a minute, and most of them may not be instantly fatal. If the formation is overrun, something like a couple of spears would help slow the enemy's charge. Probably on the march, the spears would be in the front and in the rear, since the archers can shoot past them.