TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM – EPISODE 29 TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to another episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. Through this podcast, we will bring you real world tactics, techniques, and procedures that will enable you to succeed on the MILSIM battlefield. It's time to get ready.
Hello and welcome to Episode 29 of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MILSIM. I am your host, Craig White. As always, thank you for being here. Now, today we're going to start discussing limited penetration room entry, also known as Limpen and related tactics, techniques, and procedures. Be aware that this series of episodes is intended to provide a more basic understanding of CQB TTPs. For a more detailed explanation of these tactics, techniques, and procedures, check out from Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures now available at Amazon.com.
As before the topics of this episode builds on the TTPs discussed in prior episodes. These previously discussed TTPs link with the lessons from this and future episodes to create an overall method for breaching and clearing rooms.
So with that in mind, let's get to it.
As an alternative to dynamic and deliberate room entry methods, team members may clear rooms using a limited penetration room entry technique. The primary difference between limited penetration room entry versus dynamic room entry and deliberate room entry is that the entry team engages enemy in the target room, primarily from outside the door or entry point. Only after all enemy visible from the entry point are eliminated does any of the entry team members enter the room to clear the near, in other words, hard corners.
Entry team members rely on diminishing sectors techniques, primarily the 40-90-45, from each side of the entry point to engage and eliminate enemy in the target room. Limited penetration room entry relies more on force protection while clearing rooms as opposed to the aggressive action associated with dynamic room clearing, That being said, limited penetration room entries can be performed fairly quickly. It is not the speed of the room entry method that defines it. Instead, it is defined by its reliance on “fighting from the door”.
Unlike dynamic room entry, which relies on speed surprise and violence of action to accomplish its goals, Limited Penetration Room entry focuses more on the use of walls and other cover and concealment to protect the entry team against enemy fire while the Point and Second men clear the interior of the room except for the near hard corners. Once the interior of the room has been cleared of enemy, the entry team does a limited breach of the target room to clear the hard corners and any remaining dead space in the room.
One of the advantages of limited penetration room clearing is that it typically limits and confines enemy movement in the room. Point and/or second man covers and keeps the central area, including the fatal funnel and partial view sections of the target room, clear long enough for the remainder of the entry team to breach the room enemy that attempts to displace or move into the cleared area will be engaged by point and or second man. The remaining members of the entry team can then focus on clearing the unclear portion of the room.
One advantage of limited penetration entry is that it usually avoids moving angle issues by clearing and continuing to hold cover over most of the interior of the target room. The point and second men will largely prevent enemy from moving into previously cleared areas of the room through doors leading from adjoining rooms or from other dead space in the target room.
Another advantage of Limpen method is that it largely prevents entry teams from being drawn into a fortified room. Limited room penetration relies on fighting from the outside of the target room. Enemy team members will typically remain out of the target room, except to clear the hard corners and/or to move through it to the next room.
Utilizing the limited penetration entry method lessens the odds of incurring friendly casualties. While clearing the room, the entry team has the opportunity to ascertain enemy strength and fortification in the room before committing to breaching it.
By engaging the enemy from a stationary position outside of the entry point while using a stable shooting platform, entry team members can also engage enemy with more accurate fire than while on the move.
Now, there are some disadvantages to limited room penetration method of room entry. The biggest disadvantage of this method is that members of the entry team are vulnerable to area of effect weapons such as grenade attacks. Point and second men are in close proximity to the entry point to the target room. Similarly, the entry team is also vulnerable to attacks from outside of the room such as from adjoining hallways.
Although medium sized rooms can be cleared by two man entry teams utilizing limited penetration room entry techniques, a four man team is recommended. This is because the third and fourth man will likely be conducting security against threats from outside the target room.
Another disadvantage of this room entry method is that it does not work well in L-Shaped and other oddly shaped rooms where a large portion of the room cannot be cleared from the entry point. It also does not work well in rooms containing large furniture and other obstructions that can create dead space in the room.
Because much of the room clearing is done from the entry point, the enemy has a limited area in which to engage the entry team. As such, the chances of interrupting the enemy's decision-making process is diminished. The enemy can focus its defenses on the entry point.
As with the Dynamic Room Entry and the Deliberate Room Entry method, each member of the entry team, utilizing the Limited Penetration Entry method, has specific responsibilities and must take specific actions during the breach of the target center fed room. For purposes of illustrating these basic TTPs, each team member will be identified from the front to the rear of the stack in the following manner. First, there is the first/point man, then the second man, then the third man, and then finally the fourth man.
So let's start by talking about point man entry. The point man should stack at a distance from the door that allows him to point his weapon at the door or entry point of the target room without his muzzle extended beyond the edge of it … where it would be visible to the enemy. This allows the point man to cover the door and eliminate any enemy that decides to exit through it. Maintaining some standoff distance from the door or entry point can help avoid projecting shadows across them. When stacking up, the point man should stay off the wall.
Upon receiving the required signal from second man, Point man will move across, but not through, the entry point to the target room and we'll take a position against his outside wall and just outside of the opposite edge of the entry point. While in cover, point man will then clear as much of the target room as possible by using a pie slicing/diminishing sector techniques, such as the preferred 45 - 90 - 45 technique. Point man will then eliminate enemy threats in the target room as he acquires them. Point man will avoid exposing himself to enemy fire by only clearing the portions of the target room that he can see from a position of cover. He will rely on second man to clear the portion of the room that is out of his line of fire.
Once point and second man have eliminated all enemy threats that are visible from their respective sides of the entry point, typically 90 percent of the room except for near corners, he or the second man will give the signal to breach the room using crisscross entry method. Typically, raising the weapon to high ready by point or second man is the signal for the other to enter the target room first. However, entry teams can formulate a different signal as part of their SOPs.
So this brings us to second man entry. As point man moves across the entry point but not into the room, second man moves up to the near edge of the same entry point and proceeds to clear as much of the target room as possible using slicing the pie/diminishing sector techniques. As before, the 45-90-45 technique is preferred for this type of room entry method. Second man will then eliminate enemy threats in the room as he acquires them. Like the point man, second man will avoid exposing himself to enemy fire by only clearing the portions of the room that he can see from his position of cover. He will then rely on the point man to clear the portion of the room that is out of his line of fire.
So now let's talk about third and fourth man entry. Initially third and fourth men provide security for point and second men from threats outside of the target room. Depending on entry team SOPs, either third or fourth man will cross past the entry point to a position past the point man in order to provide long security down the hallway on the opposite side. The remaining entry team member will then provide rear security from the direction from which the team approached the target room.
Depending on entry team SOP's. third or fourth men can also breach the target room after point and second men to provide support. Otherwise, they remain outside of the room to provide security.
If there are more than four members on the entry team, they will need to be positioned between 3rd man and 4th man. They will cover danger areas not already covered by the other four members of the entry team. They need to distribute their security coverage so as to protect the stack from all angles. In the rare occasions where the stack is comprised of two entry team members, they will fill the third and fourth man positions.
So now let's talk about applying limited penetration room entry to corner fed rooms. Corner fed rooms are typically easier to analyze from the door than center fed rooms. When approaching a center fed room from the narrow angle, which is the first view into the target room from the wall on the same side of that room, you cannot tell how far both sides of the room extend from the entry point.
Typically, a corner fed room is defined as being a positive or negative corner fed room. With a positive corner fed room, you can see the sidewall from the narrow angle and are able to immediately not only determine it is a corner fed room, but also that the room extends along the inside of the room towards the stack. With a negative corner fed room, you can see the open area of the room beyond the entry point, but cannot see the side wall. The room mimics a center fed room until either point man or second man identifies the sidewall as they take their positions on either side of the entry point into the target room.
Now with a corner fed room, the point man should stack at a distance from the door that allows him to point his weapon at the door entry point without extending his muzzle beyond the edge of it where it would be seen by the enemy. This allows the point man to cover the door and eliminate any enemy that decides to exit through it. Maintaining some standoff distance from the door entry point can help avoid projecting a shadow across it. When stacking up, point man should stay off the wall.
Now, upon receiving an appropriate hand signal from second man, point man will quickly move across, but not through the entry point to the target room and take a position outside his outside wall and just outside of the entry point… and the same time, second man moves up to clear the room from the near side of the entry point. While in cover, point man would clear as much of the target room as possible by using a pie slicing or diminishing sector techniques. Point and second man will then eliminate enemy threats in the target room as they acquire them.
Both point and second men will avoid exposing themselves to enemy fire by only clearing the portions of the target room that each of them can respectively see from their position of cover. Point and second men will rely on the other to clear the portion of the room that is out of their respective lines of fire.
Once point and second men have eliminated all enemy threats that are visible from the entry point, which is typically 90 percent of the room except for near corners, he or the second man give the signal to breach the room using a crisscross method of entry.
So now let's talk about third and fourth men entry using limited penetration techniques into a corner fed room. As with the corner fed room, third and fourth men provide security for point and second man from threats located outside of the target room. Depending on entry team SOPs, either third or fourth man will cross past the entry point to a position beyond the point man in order to provide long security down the hallway on that side. The other team will provide security to the rear and toward the direction from which the entry team approached the target room.
Depending on entry team SOPs, third and/or fourth man can breach the target room after point and second men to provide support. Otherwise, they remain outside of the room to provide security for the rest of the entry team.
So now let's talk about post room entry procedures. After the hard corners and dead space within the room are cleared, each entry team member will signal whether his sector or area of responsibility is clear. Use of the word “clear” signifies there are no active threats in the entry team member's sector or area of responsibility. This should preferably be done in a quiet manner as possible or via radio. Use of a thumbs up hand signal or other nonverbal signal as determined by entry team TTPs is preferable. Team members announce “clear” in the order in which they have entered the room.
Once the entire room is announced as clear, each team member will announce their readiness status by checking off with a position in the stack. For example, one up, two up, etc. This check should be done via radio whenever possible to minimize noise. Alternatively, the entry team leader can accomplish this procedure by looking at each entry team member in order that he or she entered the room. Entry team members would respond with a thumb up for good, thumb sideways for okay, but need to reload, et cetera, or a thumb down for dead or otherwise out of action at that point.
The entry team should immediately set 360 degrees security while casualties are revived. And, or other entry team members change magazines. All casualties and magazine changes need to be made prior to moving to the next target room.
Once the target room is secured, the entry team must control all non-friendly personnel in the room. If the MILSIM event rules provide for it, separate weapons from any personnel that are not immediately known as being friendly, the entry team will then search the target room for evidence, intelligence, and objective counters. Searches should be conducted with a minimum of a two man team. One team member covers while the other conducts the search. All searching must take into account the possibility that the area being searched and everything in it could be booby trapped.
Now for our last topic of this episode, I want to cover individual entry team sectors and areas of responsibility. Understanding each team member sectors and areas of responsibility are critical to understanding team member movement into the room.
So first let's talk about point and second men sectors and areas of responsibility with respect of use of limited penetration room entry methods. The point man and the second man are responsible for clearing the majority of the interior of the target room from the doorway or entry point. If the decision is made to breach the room, point and second man are tasked with entering the target room and clearing the near corners on their respective sides. In doing so, point and second men move a few steps down the inside of the near wall on their respective sides. Their primary areas of responsibility are 1). The visible areas of the room from their side of the doorway. 2). Upon decision to breach, The near corners of their respective sides and 3). Any new danger areas located on their respective sides of the target room.
So that brings us to third man’s sector and area responsibility. The third man provides outside security for both the first and second men. Should the decision be made to breach the target room third man moves up into the room but remains near the doorway between the first and fourth man. His sector or area of responsibility is to clear and cover the center of the room and any danger areas deep in the room.
With regards to the fourth man's sectors or areas of responsibility. He is responsible for providing outside security for both the first and second men. Should the decision be made to breach the target room. fourth man moves into the room, but remains near the door between the second and third man. His sector or area of responsibility is to clear and cover the center of the room and any danger areas deep in the room.
As with dynamic and deliberate room entry methods, the entry team using the limited penetration entry method may also need to back clear to the entrance of the building once the last room has been cleared.
I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Tactical Tuesday. Tune in for our next episode when we're going to continue our discussion of tactics, techniques and procedures related to limited penetration room, clearing, or LimPen for short, including possible problem areas and variations and LimPen TTPs.
If you have any topics you would like to see covered in future episodes of Tactical Tuesday, please let us know by posting it on the Modern MILSIM Facebook page. If it's not one of the topics that we already plan to cover, we will likely add it to our ever-growing topic list. If you like this podcast, please subscribe to it on Apple podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, as well as on many other podcast directories.
As always, thank you for your support and I'll see you at our next episode. See you then.
To our listeners out there, thank you for tuning in and I look forward to providing you with new episodes every two weeks. If you like what you're hearing on this podcast, please subscribe and provide us with a review. We want to know what you like and how we can improve. You can also contact us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/modernmilsim with any suggestions you may have. In our next episode of Tactical Tuesday, we will continue our discussion of tactics, techniques, and procedures related to limited penetration room clearing, especially analysis of potential problem areas and other variations in LimPen TTPs.
If you want to know more about application of real world tactics, techniques and procedures to MILSIM, check out From Alpha to Omega: A MILSIM Tactical Primer and Training Manual as well as From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. Both books are available at amazon.com. As always, thank you for your support. I'll see you at our next installment of Tactical Tuesday.
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