chapter 5 demolition operations

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Chapter 5

Demolition Operations

This chapter implements STANAG 2017 (ENGR),

STANAG 2123 (ENG R), QSTAG 508, and QSTAG 743.

Section I. Demolition Plan

5-1. Dem olition O bstacles. Although engineers use explosives for quarrying, land clearing, andother projects, their most important military application is creating demolition obstacles. Engineersuse demolition obstacles in conjunction with many other types of obstacles, including mines. Theyalso use explosives to destroy materiel and facilities that must be abandoned (denial operations).

5-2. Barriers and Denial Operations. Division or high er-echelon comm and ers norm ally d irectthe use of extensive barriers and denial operations. Commanders must carefully prepare and closely

coordinate these operations with all tactical plans. Engineer units provide technical advice andsup ervision, estimate th e resour ces necessary for obstacle construction, construct barriers orobstacles, and recommend allocation of engineer resources. They usu ally construct d emolition

obstacles because they have the special skills and equipment to accomplish these tasks.

5-3. Demolition Plann ing. Base any dem olition project on careful p lanning and reconnaissance.Use the following factors as a basis for selecting and planning demolition projects:

Mission.

Limitations and instructions from higher authority.

Current tactical and strategic situation and future plans (conditions that indicate the lengthof time you mu st delay the enem y, the time available for demolition, and the extent ofden ial objectives).

Enemy capabilities and limitations, as well as the effect our d enial operations have onenem y forces, strateg ically and tactically.

Likelihood that friendly forces may reoccupy the area, requiring obstacle neutralization.

Econom y of effort.

Time, material, labor, and equipment available.

Effect on the local pop ulation .

Target protection required.

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Section II. Types of M ilitary D em olitions

5-4. Dem olition O rders.The authorized command ers use the Orders for the Demolition to passtheir orders to d emolition gu ards and dem olition firing parties. The Orders for the Demolition, asoutlined in STANAG 2017 and QSTAG 508, is a stand ard four-page form u sed by North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO) and ABCA countries. Use this form for preparing all reserved an dpreliminary d emolitions. Page one of the form contains the instructions, du ties, and responsibilitiesof demolition personnel. A sample of the orders is includ ed in the samp le target folder in AppendixF (page F-4).

5-5. Prelimin ary D emolitions.

a. Purpose. Provided you have prior authority, detonate a preliminary demolition immediatelyafter preparation. These demolitions present fewer difficulties to both commanders and engineersthan do reserved demolitions. Command ers may restrict preliminary dem olitions for tactical,political, or geographical reasons.

b. Advantages. The advantages of a preliminary demolitions are

Engineers normally complete each task and move to the next without having to leavedemolition guard s or firing p arties at the site.

Preparation efforts are less subject to interference by enemy or friendly troops.

Elaborate precautions against failure ar e not requ ired; preliminary dem olitions requireonly single-firing systems.

Engineers can p erform the d emolition op erations for a particular target in stages ratherthan all at once.

c. Progressive Preparation. When p reparation time is limited, engineers prepare thedemolition in progressive stages. Doing this gives engineers the ability to create effective obstacleseven if preparations m ust stop at any stage. For examp le, in the case of a bridg e dem olition,engineers wou ld make one span the top p riority, completely prep aring it before continu ing withother spans, piers, or abu tments. As they complete other stages, engineers incorpor ate them intothe firing system.

5-6. Reserved Demolitions.

a. Purpose. The responsible commander must carefully control a reserved demolition targetbecause the target m ay be a vital par t of the tactical or strategical plan or because the d emolitionwill be performed in the face of the enemy.

b. Considerations. Occasionally, errors in orders, control, or timing cause seriousconsequences during demolition operations. In addition, engineers may encounter special problems

when dealing with reserved demolition targets:

Engineers must usually keep traffic lanes open until the last moment. This normallymeans they cannot use the simp lest and quickest demolition techniques to accomp lishthe m ission.

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The demolitions must be weatherproof and protected from traffic vibrations and enemyfire over long p eriods. Use du al firing systems, and carefully p lace and protect thedemolitions from passing vehicles or pedestrians.

A guard must remain at the demolition site until the demolitions are fired.

c. States of Readiness.

(1) State of Readiness 1 (Safe). The demolition charges are in place and secure. Vertical andhorizontal ring m ains are installed (Figu re 2-33, page 2-27) but are not connected. Ch arges areprimed with detonating-cord knots or wraps to minimize the time necessary to convert the systemfrom State of Readiness 1 to State of Readiness 2. Charges that requ ire blasting caps for p rimingcannot be prim ed at State of Readiness 1 nor can branch lines with caps crimp ed to th em beconnected to ring mains. Blasting caps and initiation sets are not attached to charges or firingsystems.

(2) State of Readiness 2 (Armed). All vertical and horizontal ring mains are connected.Blasting caps are inappropriate charges and initiation sets are connected to ring mains. All chargesand firing systems are comp lete and ready for deton ation. The demolition is ready for immed iate

firing.d .Responsibilities.

(1) Authorized Comm anders. These comm and ers have overall responsibility for theoperational p lan. At any stage of the op eration, they may delegate responsibilities. For examp le,when authorized commanders withdraw through other units intermediate positions, they normallypass control to the comm and ers holding the interm ediate positions. The comman ders hold ing theintermediate positions then become the authorized commanders. Authorized comrnanders

Designate demolition targets as reserved targets.

Order the demolition guard, detailing the strength and composition of the guard party.

Specify the state of readiness and ord er changes to the state of read iness, if necessary.Give the orders to fire demolitions.

May give the demolition guard or the firing-party commander the authority, in case ofimm inent captu re, to fire the dem olition on h is own initiative.

Destroy captu red or aband oned explosives and d emolition materials to prevent them fromfalling into enemy hands. Commanders should carefully select the demolition site andconsider all safety precautions necessary wh en d estroying aband oned dem olitions.Chap ter 6, Section IV (page 6-13), covers p rocedures and methods for destroyingexplosives.

Issue the written instructions (demolition orders) to the unit providing the demolition

guard and firing party.Notify all headquarters of any delegation of authority or reclassification of any demolitionfrom a reserved to a preliminar y status.

Establish effective channels for comm un icating firing orders and readiness states todemolition gu ard comm and ers or firing-party comm anders.

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(2) Demolition Guard Commanders. These commanders are normally the infantry or armortask-force comm and ers who control the target area. These comm and ers

Command all troops and firing parties at reserved demolitions.

Provide protection for reserved demolitions, firing parties, and targets.

Control all traffic over or thr ough targets.

Pass written state-of-readiness ord ers to commanders of demolition firing p arties, includ-ing changes to these orders.

Keep authorized commanders informed of the status of preparations, targets, and opera-tional situations at sites.

Pass written firing orders to demolition firing-party commanders to fire demolitions.

Report results of demolitions to authorized commanders.

Maintain succession (chain of comm and ) lists for ap pointm ent to d emolition gu ardcommander and demolition firing-party commander.

(3) Firing-Party Com man ders. These comman ders are norm ally officers or noncommissioned

officers (NCOs) from the engineer unit that prepared the demolitions. They sup ervise the preparing,charging, and firing of the dem olition. Firing-par ty comman ders

Maintain the state of readiness specified by authorized commanders and advise demoli-tion guard commanders of the time requirements for changing states of readiness andcompleting obstacles.

Fire dem olitions w hen ord ered by the au thorized comm ander, and ensure d emolitionsare successful and complete.

Report the results of demolitions to demolition guard commanders or, if none, to theauthorized commanders.

Report the results of demolitions up the engineer chain of command and complete Section

5, pages 33 through 36, of the obstacle folder, if issued.Maintain succession (chain of command) lists for appointment as demolition firing-partycommander should the initial commander become injured.

e. Command and Control of Reserved Demolitions.

(1) Command Post. Ideally, the demolition guard commander should place his command postwhere he can best control the defense of the demolition target from the friendly side. This locationmay conflict with th e requirements of the d emolition firing p oint, which shou ld be close to orcollocated w ith the comm and post. Usually, some comp romise is necessary.

(2) Firing Poin t. The firing p oint is norm ally as close to the target as safety allows. The firingpoint must protect the firing party from the effects of blast and falling debris and be positioned sothat the demolition firing-party commander is

Easily accessible to the demolition gu ard comman der for receiving ord ers.

In close contact w ith the firing par ty.

Able to see the entire target.

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(3) Alternate Positions. The demolition gu ard comm ander should d esignate an alternatecommand post an d firing point, if possible. The firing party should be able to fire the d emolitionsfrom either the primary or alternate firing points.

(4) Check Point. When u nits are w ithdraw ing from a enemy advance, identification can be aproblem. Withdraw ing troops are respon sible for iden tifying themselves to the demolition gu ard .

The dem olition guard mu st always establish an d operate a check point. The d emolition guardcommander may use military police to perform this duty. Good communication is essential betweenthe check point and the demolition guard commander. Each un it withd rawing through thedem olition target shou ld send a liaison officer to the checkpoint, well in ad vance of the withd rawingun its arrival.

(5) Refugee Control Points. The demolition guard commander may need to establish andoperate a refugee control point for civilian traffic. He should place a check point on the enemy bankand a release point on the friendly bank to control refugees. The comm and er may u se military orlocal police to operate the control points. The personnel operating the check points should haltrefugees off the route and then escort them, in grou ps, across the target to the release point. Refugeesmust not interfere with the movement of withdrawing forces or demolition preparations.

Section III. Dem olition Reconn aissance

5-7. Reconnaissance Orders. Thorough reconnaissance is necessary before plann ing a dem olitionoperation. Reconnaissance provid es detailed informa tion in all areas related to the p roject. Priorto condu cting any reconnaissance, the reconnaissance-party comman der mu st receive clearobjectives. The reconnaissance order specifies these objectives. This information helps thereconnaissance party to determine the best method of destroying the target and to estimate thepreparation time required. For example, if the reconnaissance party knows that manpower and timeare limited but explosives are plentiful, they may design demolitions requiring few men and little

time bu t large quan tities of explosives.These orders should detail the reconnaissance party to

determine the following:

Location and nature of the target.

Purp ose of the demolition op eration (for examp le, to delay an enemy infantry battalionfor three hours).

Proposed classification of the demolition (reserved or preliminary).

Type of firing system desired (dual or single).

Economy of effort (wheth er the d emolition m ust be completed in one stage or m ultiplestages).

Utility of the target during demolition operations (whether the target must remain open

to traffic during demolition preparations).

Amou nt of time allowed or expected between prep aration and execution of the dem olitionoperation.

Amount of time allowed for changing the state of readiness (Safe to Armed).

Labor and equipment available for preparing the demolitions.

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Types and quantities of explosives available.

5-8. Reconn aissance Record. The reconnaissance par ty rep orts the r esults of their reconnaissanceon DA Form 2203-R. Use the form w ith appr opr iate sketches, to record and repor t thereconna issance of military d emolition p rojects. Append ix F conta ins a samp le of DA Form 2203-R

(Figure F-2, pages F-38 through F-42) and instructions to complete it. For sketches, use available

pap er and attach to the completed DA Form 2203-R.

a. Purpose. When time an d cond itions perm it, use this report as the source document forpreparing the obstacle folder. If the obstacle folder is not available, use this report in its place. Incertain instances the report may require a security classification.

b. Information Required. DA Form 2203-R shou ld contain th e following:

A bill of explosives that shows the quantities and types required.

A list of all equipment, including transportation, required for the demolition operation.

An estimate of time and labor required for preparing the demolitions and placing thecharges.

A time and labor estimate for arming and firing the charges.

A time, labor, and equ ipment estimate to complete any r equired byp ass. Specify thebypass location and method. Include details for any supplementary obstacles required.

A situation sketch showing the relative position of the target, terrain features, andcoordinates of the target.

A list of all unusual site characteristics. Indicate the location of these unusual charac-teristics on the situation sketch.

Plan and elevation (side-view) sketches of the target, showing overall dimensions, linesof cut, and dem olition chambers.

Plan and elevation sketches of each mem ber targeted , detailing d imensions, cham bers,

quantity of explosives, lines of cut, charge locations, and p riming an d initiation meth ods.

A sketch showing firing circuits and firing p oints.

Section IV. Obstacle Folder

5-9. Purpose. The obstacle folder, as ou tlined in STANAG 2123 and QSTAG 743, prov ides allof the information necessary to complete a specific demolition operation. NATO and ABCApersonnel use this booklet to collect information and to conduct demolition operations. Theresponsible commander should prepare an obstacle folder during peacetime for all preplannedtargets to allow for efficient d emolition operations. Prepare obstacle folders for reserved and

preliminary demolitions. The obstacle folder is not normally used in tactical situations because thedetailed information in the obstacle folder, includ ing m ultiple languages, is not easily completedun der field or ta ctical cond itions. A samp le obstacle folder is includ ed in the sam ple target folderin Append ix F (page F-4).

5-10. Language. Since not all NA TO and A BCA per sonn el speak the same langu age, obstaclefolders must be multilingual. The preparing unit may speak a different language than the unit

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actually conducting the dem olition operation. Therefore, it is essential to prepar e the obstacle folderin more than one language. How ever, prepare m ap n otes, plans, sketches, and so forth, in onelanguage, and provide translations for the other languages in the available space. Use the following

guidelines when determining the languages necessary in an obstacle folder:

Languages of the units involved in the dem olitions.

Language of the host nation.

One of the two official NATO languages (English or French).

5-11. Contents. The obstacle folder contains six parts for recording information. Additionalinformation may be noted in the ap prop riate place within the obstacle folder and then inserted asan additional page immediately following the notation (for example, see page 4a). The six partsof the obstacle folder are

Location of target (pages 1-5).

Supply of explosives and equipment (pages 6-17).

Ord ers for pr eparing and firing (pages 18-28).

Han d-over and take-over instructions (pages 29-32).Demolition rep ort (p ages 33-37).

Official signature (page 38).

5-12. Special Instructions. The list of explosives, stores, and mines requ ired (paragraph 2d, pages14 and 16 of the obstacle folder) does not cover every possible situation. However, it does indicatea logical order for recording or determining the requ ired materials. Mark only the materials requiredfor your p articular target. The tran sport team leader u ses the first list. For m ajor opera tions, notethe size, comp osition, and m ission of the various w ork p arties participating in pa ragraph 3a,subp aragrap h 5. Paragraph 3a, subparagraph 6 concerns only nuisance or protective mine fieldslaid to protect the dem olition target and does not app ly to tactical (barrier) mine fields. Comp lete

paragraph 5 of the Demolition Report up on comp letion of the d emolition. The firing partycomman der m ay d etach the first copy of the demolition report (pages 33-37) and forward it to ahigher-echelon engineer headquarters.

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