Sound

Depending where you are there may be animals, birds, insects and road traffic all making their particular noise. What catches the listener’s attention is a noise out of place. Especially a repeated noise out of place. You can get away with one gunshot in a bar or city street. People will just stop and wonder what they heard then convince themselves it was a car backfiring. Two shots and there will be screaming and everything that goes with it.

In a normal combat situation you need to be quiet at key times – like in ambush positions – so you need to keep in mind what causes the problems. As a rule the metallic clang of a mess tin or rifle working parts sliding shut is a definite sign of soldiers. Low talk carries but it could be anyone talking. The ‘squelch’ on a radio – if yours do that – is a dead give away so better to switch off than risk that. If you have to talk then try to do so in a trench or hollow to hide the sound. If that is not possible then wait for some local noise and use it as cover for your own. Before setting off on patrol have all the men jump up and down to check they don’t rattle.

Spacing

Spacing catches the eye or saves lives depending where the spaces are.

Good spacing: When you are on patrol make sure you keep 5 yards between each man. This gives you two benefits. If a mortar comes down, someone treads on a mine or an ambush is sprung then it reduces how many men are killed. It may even cause an ambush not to be sprung if the enemy think enough will survive to turn on them.

Bad spacing: Anything which is spaced out evenly catches the eye. A bunch of fairly well camouflaged heads evenly spread along a hedge line will catch your eye as something artificial and make you look closer. Spread more randomly and it will not be as obvious. A small thing but small things add up.

Sign

When you leave an overnight camp or an ambush position be sure to take with you as much as possible of your rubbish. What you leave behind can often tell the enemy a surprising amount about you. The most obviously useful fact is how many men you have. Even a good tracker cannot be totally accurate numbering a group of men walking in each other’s boot prints. But if you leave a few cigarette butts at each sleeping or firing position, or you leave wrappers you can often give away your numbers. This might not matter or it might kill you all – don’t take the risk.

Probably the most unpleasant result is from you leaving behind something personal which can give away an address or phone number belonging to your loved ones. Your nearest and dearest are quite likely to pass on information like this in letter so don’t carry letters – or mobile phones with a call record or list of numbers. And that is all of them. If you leave a phone behind, at best the bad guys might get in touch with your loved ones and tell them what they are going to do to you. At worst they may pay them a visit. Take care of yourself and your family by not being stupid.

Concealment

This sounds so obvious but I have to say it: the bad guys can only shoot at you when they can see you. When you travel try to stick to tree-cover, stream beds, dead ground or whatever. When you stop for a smoke, for a brew or the night, try to get out of sight.

This next titbit should be tattooed across your forehead: when you are in a fire-fight show as little of yourself as you can. Do not climb up on the trench rim to get a better shot. Do not stand up hosing fire at the enemy. It looks great on war films for kids but it will get you killed. Make yourself as small a target as you possibly can and release accurate, aimed shots at the enemy.

Crowds and mobs

I have said before that I feel very uncomfortable when faced with a mob. You probably will too the first time. Don’t let crowds get too close or someone will stick a knife in you and/or take your weapon. Point your rifle at the crowd and use the muzzle to fend people off before you open fire. Keep your rifle or your pistol attached to your body by strong cord or wire. Keep the wire short to make it difficult to turn them on you. If a crowd turns ugly bring the team close together as then defence against the mob becomes more important than against a sniper. I have limited sympathy for guys who get lynched.

If a crowd gathers for no obvious reason it may be to distract attention away from the movement of weapons or explosives. Or it might be to draw you together to make a target. Do as the situation demands and keep your wits about you. Try to think of what the terrorist might be wanting you to do and then do something else. Keep watching the upstairs windows and flat roofs in a town as that is where the snipers will be. People rarely look above eye level in normal life so you need to get into the habit.

Don’t go for your pistol or you may lose it. Don’t try to use your rifle butt. If it gets to look like a lynching toss a grenade over their heads so it lands a few yards away and duck. The crowd will shield you from the blast and then be stunned for a moment – then you come out shooting. Argue the toss with the lawyers afterwards.

Movers

If you burst into a room containing terrorists/hostage-takers AND hostages, shoot the movers first, then the men who are armed. This because anyone moving is over the shock and therefore a danger. The armed men may be frozen but the fact they are armed means they are not hostages.

My own opinion is that you should never enter a room in this way – though it is taught to special police units and Special Forces the world over. Throw a nice grenade in first then walk in and finish off the bad guys. The hostages will patch up. But your commanders will no doubt disagree with me and ultimately you have to follow orders.

About the best you can do with a standing search: Iraqi civilians are searched on the outskirts of the city of Basra in Iraq in 2003. (Corbis)

Body Search

I’m sure your sergeant has told you but when you search a person – obviously living or apparently dead – it is a two-man job. It is better to make them lie down with arms and legs spread, but obviously this doesn’t make any friends amongst the locals. One man stands at a safe distance from the head end and covers the searchee while their partner does the searching. If the body appears to be dead already then beware a grenade or other explosive hidden under the body. If the searcher rolls the body towards themselves first then a grenade may become apparent and the body will offer some protection.

With a live searchee, feel the crutch area carefully because if someone is going to hide something 9 out of 10 times that is where it will be owing to the embarrassment most men feel for ‘touching up’ another man. Then check the small of the back at waist height as this is another favourite area which allows a weapon to be hidden, is often missed in a quick ‘pat down’ and allows for a quick draw. I have used it myself many times.

Don’t be shy about searching women either. I have known women carry explosives in hollowed out dead babies strapped to their backs. Generally, to search women you need women soldiers or military police. I’m old fashioned in many ways and wish it were not necessary to have women in a theatre of war but they are vital when dealing with civilians – not that women don’t make frighteningly good soldiers when they want to.

Car search

If you stop a car get the occupants to open the bonnet (hood) and boot (trunk) while you stand well, well back. These compartments may be set to explode automatically on opening.

REMEMBER:

A senible enemy will hit your unit when you have just started your tour and don’t know the ropes or when you are about to go home and have let your guard down. So don’t.