Annotation: The AK-74 manual recommends a direct shot at the chest figure, but chest targets do not exist on the battlefield. The fire duel must be fought with the main target. Therefore, it is necessary to fire up to a range of 300m with a direct shot with a "3" sight, which will allow the submachine gunner to conduct a fire duel even with the help of a standard mechanical sight.
The scientific version of this article was published in the publication of the Academy of Military Sciences "Vestnik AVN" No. 2 a 2013.
Part 1 The submachine gunner must hit the head piece
In the past two decades, in hostilities, where our small arms have been used against small arms made by the United States, the ratio of losses is not in favor of our weapons.
But it is generally recognized and confirmed by tactical and technical data that there is no superiority, for example, of the M-16 or M-4 itself over the Kalashnikov assault rifles. On the contrary, the legendary reliability of the AK gives a head start to any opponent. Therefore, it is customary for us to explain the unsatisfactory ratio of losses by the poor training of the troops that fought with our weapons.
However, along with the weapon, we also supply manuals for its use, our military schools and academies, our advisers train the recipients of our weapons in the methods of shooting. Therefore, it is unacceptable to dismiss such results of the combat use of our weapons and our methods of shooting.
Let's analyze what methods of firing a machine gun are taught by our "Guide to the 5, 45 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK74, AKS74, AK74N, AKS74N) and the 5, 45 mm Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK74, RPKS74, RPK74N, RPKS74N)" [1]:
Figure 1. Excerpt from Article 155 of the AK-74 Manual [1].
As you can see, in the first paragraph of Art. 155 declared the indisputable position necessary for the maximum probability of hitting the target. Indeed, as succinctly indicated in the monograph "The effectiveness of firing from automatic weapons" [2]: "3.5. The degree of alignment of the midpoint of hits with the center of the target determines the accuracy of the shooting."
But the second paragraph of Article 155 recommends a direct shot at the chest figure as the main method, because "P" corresponds to the range of a direct shot at the chest figure. On the standard sectoral (mechanical) sight of the Kalashnikov assault rifle there is a special position "P" - the range of a direct shot at the chest figure. That is, the sight of the assault rifle is optimized for a direct shot at the chest figure.
Therefore, the question of how many chest targets are in battle is the main question for assessing the effectiveness of our main method of firing from a machine gun.
The chest figure, the height of which is 0.5 m, is equal in height to the shooter in the position for shooting lying “from elbows to shoulder-width apart” on an absolutely flat surface, for example, in the middle of an asphalt area. And how many targets are there in a battle that have taken a firing position on an absolutely flat area?
What firing positions are taught to occupy soldiers in foreign armies? Let us analyze this according to the document "Manual for planning and executing training on the 5.56-mm M16A1 and M16A2 rifles" [3], which can be translated as "Guidelines for planning and conducting trainings with 5.56-mm M16A1 and M16A2 rifles" (hereinafter translation author). This guide was developed at the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning for US Army commanders and instructors [3, PREFACE]. This guide is taught to soldiers of the US Army and other countries armed with M-16 rifles.
Here is the main requirement of this Firing Positioning Guide:
« IMPORTANT:… Although the shooter must be positioned high enough to observe all targets, he must remain as low as possible to provide additional protection against enemy fire”[3, FIRING POSITIONS].
The requirement to “stay as low as possible” is repeated in different variations for each type of firing position and determines the choice of firing position by the US Army soldier.
“When taking up a position, a soldier adds or removes soil, sandbags or other types of parapet to adjust its height,” and only then takes ready position to fire behind this parapet. And it is specifically indicated "to put your elbows on the ground behind the parapet" (and not on it) [3, Supported fighting position]:
Figure 2. Supported fighting position [3, Supported fighting position].
Figure 3. Modified Firing Positions [3, Modified Firing Positions].
That is, if an American soldier has a few minutes, he is obliged to build a parapet and take cover behind it out of the blue. Moreover, it will necessarily hide behind a stone or other natural parapet:
Figure 4. Alternate prone position [3, Alternate prone position].
“Figure 3-15 shows a soldier firing over the roof ridge and leaning out just enough to hit the target” [3, MOUT Firing Positions]:
Figure 5. Firing over rooftops [3, MOUT Firing Positions].
“Figure 3-17 emphasizes the need to stay in the shadows when firing from a window, and supports the requirement to take cover” [3, MOUT Firing Positions]:
Figure 6. Firing from windows [3, MOUT Firing Positions].
As you can see, shooting from the window, the US Army soldier does not put his elbows on the windowsill, but is behind the windowsill and uses it as a cover. If in Figure 6 we trace the direction of the shooting (downward, along the approaches to the house), it becomes clear that only the shooter's head and shoulders are visible to the enemy above the windowsill, but not his chest.
There is also a position for shooting from a flat area in the Manual [3]. At this position, the height of the arrow is reduced in the following way:
- first, they force the “non-shooting” hand to hold the rifle only by the fore-end, but not by the magazine. As a result, this arm is extended and the “non-shooting” shoulder is lowered;
- and if now the “shooting” elbow is placed shoulder-width apart, then the “shooting” shoulder will be significantly higher than the “non-shooting” one. But "the soldier adjusts the position of the shooting elbow until his shoulders are aligned.." [3, Prone unsupported position]. That is, the "shooting" elbow is set aside, as a result, the soldier is pressed to the ground, which is facilitated by the short M-16 magazine:
Figure 7. Prone unsupported position [3, Prone unsupported position].
A comparison with our prone position is needed here:
Figure 8. Excerpt from Article 118 of the AK-74 Manual [1].
Figures 7 and 8 show that our gunner with AK-74 is higher than the gunner with M-16. This is due to the setting of the elbows shoulder-width apart, which leads to the rise of the shoulders and head to the level of the chest figure. And it is precisely on such a figure (measured according to our Guide) that we teach our submachine gunners to shoot.
But in the US Army, the only position that doesn't care about lowering the silhouette is the standing position. But it is provided not for a fire duel, but for “observing the firing sector, since it can be taken quickly while moving” [3, Standing position].
And even when shooting from the knee, which is used only when it is necessary to climb “over low grass or other obstacle” [3, Kneeling supported position], the “non-shooting” elbow is never placed on the knee, but necessarily “moves forward of the knee” [3, Kneeling supported position], as a result of which the head and shoulders of the shooter are lowered and the figure seen by the enemy over the obstacle is lowered:
Figure 9. Kneeling supported position [3, Kneeling supported position].
Thus, in the US Army there is not a single firing position in which the American soldier would be a chest target for the enemy; only the main target in a fire duel or a growth target when moving.
And in our army, people who have been under fire are also taught to lower their silhouette as soon as possible.
The author of this article in grades 9-10 of the school (1975-1977) conducted initial military training by a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, reserve colonel Dmitriev. He taught this way: “In battle, before getting up for a dash, outline a shelter where you will run: at least a hillock behind which you will hide, at least a hole in which you will fall. If you lie in front of the enemy, you will be killed."
And recently on the website "Military Review" in the article "Bringing the head to normal combat" I found a generally wonderful position for shooting at distances up to 1/10 of the actual fire:
Figure 10 “Prone Shooting” - Lowest visible silhouette of a shooter. If aiming is possible, shooting is very accurate”- [6].
Exercise "Tumbler" proposed by the author of this article is indicative. Out of 30 shots with a change in position for each shot, with a backpack weighing 30 kg, in 1 minute 50 seconds, from 80 meters, it is proposed to hit an A4 sheet thirty times (remember, 210x297mm), that is, into an almost exact copy of the head figure No. 5a … Surely, "Tumbler" - practicing actions in case of being ambushed. And quite rightly, the author of this exercise believes that since the organizers of the ambush had at least a few seconds to take positions, then the ambushed will not see any other targets, except for the head ones.
So, armies all over the world teach their soldiers to take up a firing position "high enough to observe all targets, but stay as low as possible." Therefore, in fire duels, the submachine gunner with the Kalashnikov almost never sees breast targets. Only the head pieces # 5 or # 5a from our "Shooting Course" [4]:
Figure 11. Targets No. 5 and No. 5a [4, Appendix 8].
And it is precisely at such - head - targets that our submachine gunner shoots a straight shot for a chest figure by rote. What this leads to - we will consider in the second part of the article.
Bibliography
[1] "Manual for the 5, 45-mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK74, AKS74, AK74N, AKS74N) and the 5, 45-mm Kalashnikov light machine gun (RPK74, RPKS74, RPK74N, RPKS74N)", Main Directorate of Combat Training of the Ground Forces, Uch.-ed., 1982
[2] "The effectiveness of firing from automatic weapons", Shereshevsky M. S., Gontarev A. N., Minaev Yu. V., Moscow, Central Research Institute of Information, 1979
[3] "Manual for planning and executing training on the 5.56-mm M16A1 and M16A2 rifles", FM 23-9, 3 JULY 1989, By Order of the Secretary of the Army, Distribution: Active Army, USAR, and ARNG.
[4] "The course of firing from small arms (KS SO-85)" of the USSR Ministry of Defense, put into effect by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of May 22, 1985 No. 30, Military Publishing House, Moscow, 1987
[5] "Tables of firing at ground targets from small arms of calibers 5, 45 and 7, 62 mm" USSR Ministry of Defense, TS / GRAU No. 61, Military publishing house of the USSR Ministry of Defense, Moscow, 1977
[6] "Bringing the head to normal combat", September 20, 2013, www.topwar.ru
The author of the article is Viktor Alekseevich Svateev, a reserve officer.
E-mail: [email protected]
