Knock Out a Bunker
Bunkers are built to beat frontal fire. Beating one is a base of fire that wins the firefight, an assault element that flanks to the blind side under that fire, and a grenade through the aperture. This page is the squad drill against a single bunker, the fight a nine-man squad can win: A Team on the gun, B Team on the flank, then both teams through to the limit of advance. Two bunkers that cover each other is the platoon version of this drill. Here is the squad drill, step by step, the way it runs on the ground.
Interactive Walkthrough
Hit play and watch the drill unfold from above, or step through it at your own pace. Gold is A Team, blue is B Team, white is the squad leader, red is the enemy. Every movement on the map matches the written steps below.
The Ranger Handbook (TC 3-21.76) is the source for every drill on this page — mandatory kit for any military leader.
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Task · Conditions · Standards
Knock out an enemy bunker from which the unit is receiving fire: suppress it with a base of fire, maneuver an assault element along a covered route to its blind side, and destroy the bunker by grenade and assault, then push through to the limit of advance and consolidate off the objective.
The squad is moving tactically as part of a larger force when the enemy initiates contact from a single concealed bunker. A mutually supporting pair is the platoon drill. All or part of the unit is receiving accurate direct fire.
The unit destroys the designated bunker by killing, capturing, or forcing the withdrawal of the enemy, while keeping the base of fire from masking the assault. The unit maintains a sufficient fighting force to repel a counterattack and continue operations.
The Full Sequence
Squads that walk this drill on a terrain model before stepping off run it clean the first time live — build the objective, talk every phase.
Comms & Reports
The 3 D’s — Calling the Bunker
Whoever spots the aperture passes it so the squad can mass fire on it.
- Distance — “One fifty!”
- Direction — clock direction / TRP
- Description — “Bunker, MG, treeline!”
Fire Commands (ADDRAC)
The base-of-fire team leader masses fire on the aperture: every gun, one hole.
- Alert · Direction · Description
- Range · Assignment — “SAW, cyclic!” to win it, then “rapid”; “Grenadier, 40 mike-mike on the port” · Control
The Lift / Shift Signal
The rehearsed signal that moves the guns off the assault’s approach:
- Shift — fire moves to the far side of the bunker
- Lift — fire comes off the bunker before the grenadier is at the wall; the guns stay up and watch the flanks and the far side
- Signal is unmistakable — voice, pyro, or visual per SOP
On the Bunker — Buddy-Team Talk
Two-man drill at the aperture, called out loud:
- “COVERING THE EXIT” — one man on the doorway
- “COOK-OFF — FRAG OUT!” — two-second cook, then through the aperture
- “CLEAR!” — after entry and clearing
SALUTE Report — to the PL
Sent so the platoon knows what you found and can push enablers:
- Size · Activity · Location
- Unit · Time · Equipment (number/location of bunkers, wire, trenches)
ACE Report — On the Objective
Team leaders report to the SL after the clear:
- Ammo — count and cross-level: the base of fire shot the most, so the assault team gives up mags until everyone is even
- Casualties — treat and evac priority
- Equipment — sensitive items, SLMs, weapons up
SALUTE, ACE, and every report above gets written, not memorized — in the all-weather leader book that’s standard issue for a reason.
Where Squads Fail This Drill
Assaulting Before Fire Superiority
Moving an assault element before the base of fire owns the firefight feeds men into interlocking bunker fire. Win the firefight first — the assault only lives because the aperture can’t be worked.
Assuming It Is Alone
Bunkers are usually built to cover each other. The squad drill is one bunker. If the one that fired has a second one covering it, nine men do not have the odds: report it, keep the gun up, and let the platoon run the drill with a full support element. Keep looking for the second one the whole way through.
Masking the Base of Fire
An assault element that drifts into its own base of fire’s gun-target line forces the guns to stop early — and the bunker comes back to life. Move on the covered route, clear of the lane.
Throwing a Live Grenade Straight In
A grenade with a full fuse can be thrown back out before it cooks. Cook it off for two seconds (no more), announce “FRAG OUT,” and put it through the aperture — and always cover the exit.
Reporting Clear Without Clearing
A bunker called clear that still has a live enemy inside reopens fire behind the platoon. Enter on the detonation, clear it for real, then inspect and mark it per SOP.
No Security After the Clear
Consolidating on a cleared bunker with no security out invites a counterattack or the next position’s fire. Push through to the limit of advance with sectors out the instant the position is clear.
