Suppressive fire
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Suppressive fire is a military term for firing weapons at or in the direction of an enemy with the primary goal of reducing their ability to defend themselves or return fire, by forcing them to remain under cover.
History
Suppressive fire became possible with the advent of firearms capable of rapid fire, and more particularly of automatic weapons. Note that the use of large groups of archers or musketeers firing multiple arrows or projectiles at enemy troop concentrations is defined as massed, rather than suppressive, fire.
Usage
Suppressive fire may be either aimed (at a specific enemy soldier, group of soldiers, or vehicle) or unaimed (for example, at a building or treeline where enemy soldiers are suspected to be hiding.) To be effective, suppressive fire must be relatively continuous and high in volume. Suppression of enemy fire is vital during troop movement especially in tactical situations such as an attack on an enemy position. The use of suppressive fire is not limited to the use of infantry weapons. During an amphibuous assault on a beachhead, as often occurred during World War II, naval warships would fire their cannons at known or suspected enemy artillery, mortar, or machine gun positions, on or behind the landing beaches. This was intended to suppress enemy fire from these positions which could be directed against the landing troops.
Example of suppressive fire
- The defenders hold a position, such as a building or trench line, perhaps reinforced with sandbags, landmines, barbed wire or other obstacles.
- The defenders have a clear field of fire, so the attacking force has very few places to take cover.
- The attacking force has a group of soldiers "lay down" suppressive fire on the defenders, in order to induce the defenders to take cover and minimize their return fire.
- Under the cover of suppressive fire, a second group of attacking troops advances toward the defenders' position, then stops to lay down suppressive fire in their turn while the first group advances.
- The process repeats as needed, with each attacking group alternating roles (advancing or laying down suppressive fire) until they can attack the defenders at close quarters.
Weapons used
Suppressive fire is usually delivered by specialized weapons, such as machine guns. Within an infantry squad, this role is usually filled by squad automatic weapons like the M249, the PKM and the RPD, especially when attacking, as these weapons can be quickly deployed. Suppressive fire can also be delivered using other weapons such as assault rifles, but the volume and intensity of fire generated is less than that of machine guns, as the rifles overheat more rapidly and require reloading more often.
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