fm 001, utilization of ball, eye, human, mki, mod 0, 2 ea

8/6/2019 FM 001, UTILIZATION OF BALL, EYE, HUMAN, MkI, Mod 0, 2 Ea

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fm-001-utilization-of-ball-eye-human-mki-mod-0-2-ea 1/15

FM 001, UTILIZATION OF BALL, EYE, HUMAN, MkI, Mod 0, 2 Ea

The Mk. I Human Eyeball still remains the most effective targetdetection system.

“…eyes have they, but they see not;”

Psalm 135:16

“Sir, I would like to tell you that a man’s keenness or dullness of eyemay determine whether or not he will live.”

Platoon Sergeant R. A. Zullo, 5th Marines, Guadalcanal

“There must be training in difficult observation, which is needed for

the offense. It is my observation that only 5% of the men can really see while observing.”

Col. Merritt A. Edson, Marine Raider Bn, Guadalcanal

Target detection is one of the hardest steps in finding andengaging an enemy. In a country of ever expanding urbanization, a

http://benandbawbsblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/fm-001-utilization-of-ball-eye-human.html

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BBoO_FbVyc/Th3j30goehI/AAAAAAAABuI/uJaXWNFEW0A/s1600/blog%2Beyeball.gif




disconnect from the natural world, and a hectic “always faster”lifestyle, target detection has become a very difficult undertaking for many. Military sniper schools may teach this, but for the averagecombat arms soldier, the skill is mentioned only in passing in themanuals and seldom, if ever, actually practiced and developed in fieldtraining.

To me, a life-long hunter, it is almost second nature and it tookme a lesson to realize that not everyone has “the eye”. This wasbrought home to me a couple of decades ago when I took my city-raised stepson on his first squirrel hunt. We eased into a nice patch of oak-hickory woods before first light, and say down with our backs to abig white oak to wait for the tree rats to make their appearance.

It was a good patch of timber. There were fox squirrelseverywhere. Having shot my share over the years, I sat and waitedfor my partner to take his shot(s). And waited. And waited. Finally,after about an hour, he whispered that he had had enough, havingnot yet seen a single squirrel.

“Whaddaya mean? They’re all around us.”

“Where?”

That little light bulb icon suddenly flickered belatedly over myhead and I got it.

So we sat there and I pointed out the varmints. Those leavesmoving on a windless morning marked the progress of a squirrelgoing from branch to branch. That slight repeated flicker moving intune to that chirping noise was a squirrel’s tail nervous tail. The slightpattering sound was pieces of acorn falling onto the leaves fromabove, where a squirrel sat busily gnawing away on his breakfast.The papery rustling noise was a squirrel scampering about on the

ground through the fallen leaves.

Chris picked up on it quickly and learned the skill of spottingquarry in a variety of terrain. I hope it served him well in the 82nd inIraq, but never got around to discussing it in detail.



Even many, if not most, casual sportsmen don’t have “the eye”.Too many wander through the woods expecting to see this animal thesize of a cow standing out in the open broadside. Whether it’s thePennsylvania deer hunter’s hardwood forest or the north-facingRocky Mountain black timber where the elk bed down, the hunter’seye looks for tiny bits of a jigsaw puzzle to make the whole appear…the flicker of an ear, the glint of a stray sunbeam on an antler, a patchof color that just doesn’t look right.

Coming from the woods of the East to the wide open,apparently featureless terrain of the high plains where the anteloperoam, even a good hunter has to “re-calibrate” the Mk. I eyeball. Hehas to learn to look far off into the distance, even miles distant, anduse binoculars to glass the landscape. He looks for the same tell-tale

signs of something just not being “right”…the white rump of a speedgoat, the slow movement of one or two animals while the rest arebedded down and motionless, a pattern of dots on a distant hillsidethat just doesn’t seem to be properly spaced to be rocks or juniper bushes…only further away than he’s used to.

FINDING THE ENEMY

DETECTION

WHY THINGS ARE SEEN

Although essentially the same as those found in Americanmilitary manuals, I have taken this list from the quite well doneCanadian Army Fieldcraft manual, as even slight differences mayprovide a trick or two to help the Soldier on the ground. Exactpassages from the manual are in blue.

1. The ability to observe effectively is an acquired skill. Things areseen because they contrast with their surroundings in one way or another. There are 11 reasons why things are seen:

a. shape;

b. shadow;

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6141631/Canadian-Military-FieldCraft

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6141631/Canadian-Military-FieldCraft



c. silhouette;

d. movement;

e. spacing;

f. position;

g. texture;

h. colour;

i. scale;

j. noise; and

k. shine.

SHAPE

Experience teaches one to associate an object with its shape or outline. At a distance, the outline of an object can be recognized longbefore the details that make it up can be determined.

It is notable that very few military special operators or snipers

choose to wear Kevlar helmets unless ordered to do so by theREMFs. Even in rocky terrain, nature is short on round shapes, suchas the top of a helmet.

An interesting example I noticed involved the net worn on USmilitary helmets in WWII and Korea. Intended to be used for enhancing camouflage, by sticking leaves and twigs through themesh, too many GIs and Marines simply wore the net over the barehelmet. For some reason, this actually caused the helmet to be moredetectable rather than less to the enemy.

On Guadalcanal, Sgt. C.W. Arrowood of the 164th Infantry of theAmerical Division, said. “I have been on 15 patrols and each time apatrol was fired on, the man with the net on his helmet drew the fire…so, as for me, I use a fatigue field cap.”



On the other side of the world, a German Panzer-Grenadier captured in Italy noted the same thing; “The net cover on the helmetsof Allied soldiers permits us to see the outline of the helmet distinctly,and at a considerable distance, in the daytime.”

Vehicles, weapons and equipment, on the other hand, have anabundance of straight lines, something else which stands out innature, except in the urban environment. Camouflage of these itemsmainly involves the breaking up of these strait lines.

SHADOW

Against a dark background, the light surfaces of an object will bedistinguishable, while against a light background, the dark or shadowed sides will show.

In this case, shadows actually make these vehicles andweapons more readily identified from the air.

In addition, an object may cast a shadow beside it that may bevisible even though the object itself may be out of sight. Objects in ashadow may be missed because the eye tends to accept

conspicuously dark or light areas as uniform and does not seek outminor differences in darkness or lightness within them.

As for ones own self, if shade is there, use it. In someenvironments, as the desert, shade is hard to come by, but eveningshadows do provide some. In other environments, from forest tourban, taking advantage of shadow makes one harder to see,

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9a3kOFkiRLg/Th3bh07AGfI/AAAAAAAABtY/D03PUZUgKWo/s1600/image004.jpg



especially in the woods, where stepping out into a sunlit opening ispractically begging to be seen.

Shadows good, shadows your friend. The danger of silhouettingoneself is also readily apparent.

In low light situations especially shadows are your friend. Asentry or lookout in a lighted area cannot really see into the darkness.As an example, looking out the window of a lighted room at night, it isvery difficult to see what is outside in the yard, while from the outsideit is very easy to make out all the details looking into the lit room.

Keeping this in mind, if you’re looking for someone in the dark,it is always best to keep light sources to your back so you can moreeasily see into the shadows. If the light source is in your face, theshadows become even more impenetrable.

SILHOUETTE

Anything silhouetted against a contrasting background isconspicuous. Any smooth, flat background, like water, a field or (mostfrequently) the sky, will provide such a contrast. Any object may be

silhouetted simply by being seen against a background of a differentcolour. Choose clothing and camouflage to match the background, if possible.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oK1fhGu_o3U/Th3bhN6ItkI/AAAAAAAABtI/VXOxj4l1CqQ/s1600/image002%2Bshadow.jpg



Quick movement always instantly attracts the attention of thehuman eye, while very slow movement can be almost imperceptible.In fact,

Patience is not a virtue of the average American. WWII MarineCorps Raider Pioneer, Carlson Evens, and many others even calledfor American fighting men to have training in patience.

“If I were training my Battalion again, I would have training inpatience. I would have patrols wait for the enemy to expose himself.They move around too. They have to relieve themselves and have toget food. I would have the men in this patience training be made tostay still for hours at a time.”

On the other hand, patience has traditionally been practicedmuch more in the Oriental world. To Japanese and Vietnameseinfiltrators in particular, patience coupled with very slow movementenabled them to slip through defenses and into places one wouldhardly believe possible.

An impressive exampled occurred during Operation Maui Peakduring the Vietnam War. Marine defenses overlooked a flat open areawith only scattered bushes for cover. Visibility was good with a fullmoon and no overcast. Holding a bush in front of them, NVA raiders

took seven hours to crawl 100 meters, their movement so slow as togo unnoticed by the human eyes scanning the area. When withinrange of the Marine lines, the NVA bombarded them with a barrage of hand grenades and then escaped in the resulting confusion.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RGXUHhNlMWw/Th3e1zclDgI/AAAAAAAABtw/_FpVmTjRSlg/s1600/blog%2Bsapper.jpg



Texture may be defined as the relative smoothness or roughness of asurface. A rough surface, such as a field of grass, reflects little lightand casts many shadows on itself. It appears very dark to the eye or on a photograph. A smooth surface, such as an airstrip or the roof of a building, reflects more light in an aerial photograph.

WWII Japanese soldier camouflaging his steel helmet with

mud.

Military helmets have from the beginning been a source of trouble inregards to texture, as smooth metal obviously stands out. Methods tocounter this have included smearing them with mud, using paint withsand mixed in, and the wide variety of helmet covers and nets togarnish with foliage.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FCbzUPMDhIc/Th3coKuGsVI/AAAAAAAABtg/j2kI-DyKkas/s1600/blog%2Bmud%2Bon%2Bhelmet.jpg



Texture is a big part of what makes a Ghillie Suit so effective.

COLOUR

Colour is an aid to an observer when there is contrast between thecolour of an object and its background. The greater the colour contrast, the more visible the object. While colour alone will notusually identify an object, it is often an aid in locating an object or confirming a tentative identification. A secondary consideration is thetone of a colour. Usually, the darker shades of a given colour will beless likely to attract an observer's attention than the lighter, morebrilliant shades.

One of the easiest colors to see in the field is human skin, evenblack skin. Try it sometimes. Compare a fully camouflaged man withone fully camouflaged except for the face and hands. You will beamazed just how much they stick out like a sore thumb. VC and NVAtroops were in fact trained not to look up at American helicopters

when seeking to remain undetected.

Simple colors, of course, are important. Someone clad inwoodland pattern BDU’s in the middle of an open snowfield isobviously going to attract attention rather than avoid it. Likewise,someone in snow cammo in the dark woods bare of snow is alsogoing to immediately draw the eye.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8uxirUmntWA/Th3bhK42qsI/AAAAAAAABtQ/0uo8qeGnvP8/s1600/image003%2Bghillie%2Bsuit.jpg



In days of old, when infantry whaled away at each other in nicerows with inaccurate muskets, colored uniforms were less of anissue, although hidden Colonial riflemen proved otherwise during theRevolutionary War. Later, in the age of the accurate, long-rangemagazine rifle, uniforms which blended in became imperative.

On the flat, open, featureless high veldt of South Africa wherethe British Army squared off against the pioneer-like Boers with their excellent fieldcraft, shooting skills and 7mm Mausers, khaki uniformsbecame the order of the day to help soldiers avoid attracting the eye.Ever pragmatic, seasoned NCO’s of the war advised new men, “Don’tstand close to white rocks or officers.”

SCALE

Objects that differ greatly in size from those around them will be morereadily distinguishable than objects amongst others of approximatelythe same size.

For instance, in a locker room my brother Ben’s big horse dickis readily distinguishable from normal willies.

SHINE

Flashes of light reflected off uncamouflaged materials such as glassand metal quickly attract the attention of ground and air observers.

As noted under color, the flesh of the human face has a kind of shine to it which stands out readily.

Shine is also the reason why light discipline is so very importantduring night operations. Just as sound travels better and further at

night, light is also more readily visible at much longer ranges. AJapanese night fighting proverb said, “Fire and light appear close atnight.”

The U.S. Army provides these figures for how far light sourcescan de detected at night.



Source: Distance:

Vehicle headlights Up to 8 kilometers

Open fires 6 to 8 kilometers

Flashlights 1.5 to 2 kilometers

Cigarettes 0.5 to 0.8 kilometers

Shine is just as important a consideration during the day. Recallthe scene from The Wild Bunch where William Holden and ErnestBorgnine are observing a posse through binoculars in open terrain.They have newspapers wrapped around the objective lenses toensure the sun does not glint off the glass.

Modern rifle scopes have been fitted with sunshades to thetube body which extend ahead of the objective lens far enough tokeep the sun from directly striking the lens, and also serve the doublepurpose of cutting the glare to provide the shooter with clearer sighting.

Even more recently, such companies as Leupold and killFlashhave come out with ARDs (Anti-Reflection Devices). These consist of

a honeycomb-like matrix cover to fit over a scope’s lens. Less than aninch long, they are supposed as effective at reducing glare as a 7-inch-long sunshade.

Military binoculars such as these Steiners have reflective lenscoatings to protect the Soldiers' eyes from battlefield lasers.Notice how effective the Leupold ARD is at concealing the lenson the left compared to the normal lens on the right.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OE1EiPZWzH8/Th3h31tm_kI/AAAAAAAABuA/TrxnCldaRGw/s1600/blog%2Bleupold-mark-4-tenebraex-ard-anti-reflection-devices-2.jpg



PUTTING IT ALTOGETHER

SEARCHING GROUND

NORMAL METHOD

The usual method of scanning is to divide the ground intoforeground, middle distance and distance. One scans from the rightto the left. Where the ground is fairly open this is the best method.When scanning is done horizontally, it is not necessary to continuallyalter the sense of scale (see Figure 2-1).

Figure 2-1

CLOSE COUNTRY

In close or broken country, different types of ground requiredifferent treatment. First, carefully examine areas likely to containenemy positions, either because of their tactical value, slope andrelation to crests or because of the possibility of good cover. Then,look along the junctions between such areas and other areas. Next,examine all areas visible through any screen, trees or foliage. Then,

examine all remaining areas of light or sunlit ground. Finally, examineall areas of dark or shadowed ground. The sequence adopteddepends on the terrain and range of observation.

MINIMAL LIGHT CONDITIONS

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YSP-rsaQWaI/Th3coR1VBUI/AAAAAAAABto/Y7_7c_JkgVc/s1600/blog%2Bcdn%2Bscan.jpg



At dusk or in half moonlight or starlight, naked eye scanning isslower than in full light. The observer pauses for a few secondslooking in one direction, paying attention to objects off the direct lineof vision. Then he shifts his line of vision by about 110 to 170 mils(approximately a fist's width at arm's length) and again pauses untilobjects become visible near his line of vision. He rests his eyes for 10seconds every minute or two. With binoculars, a similar "move andstop" method is used, with attention paid to objects visible "out of thecorner of the eye".

SEEING THROUGH

When attempting to see through a nearby screen, foliage,etc.,the observer looks at the area under observation and ignores the

screen. A small head movement automatically extends the area to beobserved.

Noise is also a major factor in how things are detected, but we’ll leavethat for another time, in an article devoted entirely to the sense of hearing by both night and day.

For now, keep your eyes on the sight, your sling tight, and your stick on the ice.


fm 001, utilization of ball, eye, human, mki, mod 0, 2 ea

Documents