Modern battle tactics

As I gear up to play some Modern Spearhead using the models I recently acquired, I realised that it's probably a good idea to brush up on / get some kind of grounding (whichever the case may be!) in real world tactics.

To this end I've been looking through the US army's field manuals, some of which can be found here.

Of particular interest for the scenario I'm working on now has been Field Manual 71-1, "Tank and Mechanized Infantry Combat Team".  It is a very useful resource and includes many handy diagrams, such as this one from the chapter on defensive positions.

For a US interpretation of Soviet tactics we also have the FM 100-2 series, which is again gold for a novice like me, even if, as some have said, not everything is 100% correct.

But illustrations like this example from FM 100-2-1 really help set the tone for the kind of fictional Cold War encounters I aim to play out.

As the small table will be in use for these games, most battles will see only one to three battalions per side, and the kind of information these field manuals provide is just what I need.