Smoke camouflage devices are used to blind the enemy, hide friendly troops and individual objects, their actions, as well as to indicate the activity of false objects (fires after artillery shelling or air raids, smoke from stoves, camp kitchens and field hearths, etc.). These include smoke bombs; artillery smoke shells and mines; hand and rifle grenades; smoke machines and devices mounted on military equipment; aviation bombs and pouring devices.

In the absence of means of industrial production, local smoke products are used (sawdust, damp branches, fir cones, moistened straw, rags, lubricants, fuel oil, and others), which are burned in special foci.

Smoke bombs are divided into three groups by weight and size: small (2-3 kg), medium (7-8 kg) and large (up to 40-50 kg). All of them are made in the form of metal cylinders filled with a solid smoke mixture. The checkers used for camouflage are filled with mixtures that produce non-toxic white or white-gray smoke. The duration of smoke formation by checkers is from 5 to 15 minutes. The length of the cloud (depending on the type of checker and weather conditions) - from 50 to 200 meters; its width is from 15 to 40 meters.

Except smoke bombs, the troops are armed with smoke machines and aerosol generators designed to smoke various objects with neutral smoke. With one filling of a smoke-forming substance, the machine can create an impenetrable smoke screen of at least 1 km in length in 5-7 minutes.

The capabilities of 2 aerosol generators correspond to one machine.

Concealing smoke screens can be placed at friendly positions or between friendly troops and the enemy. When disguising troops and objects from an air enemy, an area is smoked that exceeds the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe area where the masked objects are located at least five times. The placement of camouflage smoke screens between friendly troops and the enemy is used to camouflage troops from enemy ground reconnaissance and fire weapons. When areas of troop deployment are filled with smoke, camouflage with smoke can be carried out by creating a number of small smoke screens within the smoky area. So, when disguising a motorized rifle (tank) battalion in a smoke area of ​​20-25 sq. km, 10-12 smoke screens can be created. When troops and installations are deployed over large areas, it is economically inexpedient and technically difficult to create continuous smoke over the entire area. Therefore, in order to mask troops and large objects located in a concentrated area, only the most important elements of masked objects and false objects within the general smoke area with a ratio of masked areas to total area 0,1-0,25.

The area is smoked in such a way that the masked object is not located in the center of the smoke screen. In this case, not only masked objects are exposed to smoke, but also those local objects that can serve as landmarks for the enemy to reach the target. Favorable for setting smoke screens is the wind at a speed of 2-4 m/s. Unfavorable meteorological conditions - wind speed up to 1.5 m/s or more than 8 m/s, unstable gusty wind, strong ascending air currents (convection).

Pyrotechnics are used to reproduce light, smoke and sound unmasking signs inherent in shooting, explosions, fires, etc. on fake objects. These include special pyrotechnic cartridges and checkers (imitators of shots, explosions), explosives, combustible materials, lighting and signal rockets.

Models and false structures.

Models and false structures are used to imitate military facilities in places where they do not actually exist. Models can imitate the material part, combat, transport and special equipment, weapons, ferries, bridges, people. False structures can imitate engineering structures: trenches, trenches, communications, observation posts, shelters, wire barriers, minefields, anti-tank ditches, roads, railways and bridges, communication lines, buildings and other structures. When simulating troops and various objects, models and false structures are most often used in close connection with each other. They, as a rule, complement each other, creating a natural combination of individual elements on the ground, which characterizes the presence of a simulated object here. So, when simulating troops, not only the material part, but also trenches, trenches, shelters, command posts, etc. should be shown. To the tanks artillery pieces, self-propelled artillery mounts, rocket launchers, armored personnel carriers, vehicles that the enemy must see located in trenches or shelters, it is necessary to imitate the corresponding traces of movement, smoke, muzzle cones, traces of people, etc.

So, when simulating a warehouse, it is necessary to the right combination show mock-ups of the material part and false structures typical for a warehouse, parking lots for arriving vehicles, mock-ups of cars and roads. Models and false constructions must faithfully reproduce the appearance of imitated objects. Therefore, such unmasking signs as the shape, main dimensions and color of mock-ups and false structures correspond to the real ones. In the manufacture of mock-ups and false structures, they strive to reproduce those details that, on the one hand, emphasize the specifics of the simulated object, and, on the other hand, can be detected by the type of reconnaissance for which they are designed. In addition, the imitation of military equipment includes not only the arrangement of mock-ups, but also the demonstration of the operation of these "objects". After all, any military and transport equipment cannot always be in a fixed position in the same place.

In areas of location and concentration, fixed models are widely used. Fixed layouts can be frameless and wireframe.

Frameless fixed layouts the material part is made of earth or snow. To reduce the amount of work, such layouts are shown located in trenches or in shelters, which at the same time enhances the effect of imitation, since such an arrangement is the most common and certainly more plausible. In these cases, a layout, a false trench or a shelter are arranged at the same time. The body of frameless models is usually made of untouched soil or snow, and elements such as the tank turret, the upper part of the body of a self-propelled artillery mount, the cab of a car or tractor are laid out from turf in summer and from snow in winter. The barrel of a fixed model of a tank or a self-propelled artillery mount is imitated by attaching a log to the turret. To reduce the time required to construct frameless immovable models of materiel, such elements as turrets of tank models and the upper parts of the self-propelled gun hull are often prepared in advance, making them collapsible, and installed on the earthen or snow hull of the model. Such collapsible models of towers are also convenient in that they can be periodically rotated on the fixed body of the tank model, which increases the imitation effect. In some cases, frameless fixed models of materiel can also be made outside trenches or shelters. The easiest way to make such layouts in winter is from snow, in a specially made wooden or plywood formwork.

Wireframe fixed layouts The material part usually consists of a frame made at the location of the layout, and a skin that imitates the surface of the object. When constructing frames, poles, metal tubes, wire and shells (rubberized fabric, roofing material, roofing felt, tarpaulin, boards, plywood, standard camouflage kits) are used. Movable models of the material part most often consist of a frame and skin and are divided into portable, towed and self-propelled.

Portable layouts they are usually made of light frames sheathed with a thin dense or mesh fabric. At the same time, for the device of portable layouts designed for aerial reconnaissance, it is possible, in order to lighten the mass and reduce the cost of forces and means, to reproduce only the upper part of the simulated object visible from the air. When such a layout is located in a bush, the desired effect is also obtained during ground reconnaissance of the enemy. Portable layouts of the material part can be standard or made from improvised materials. During the fighting in the Persian Gulf (1991), the Iraqi army very widely used light inflatable models of equipment (tanks, armored personnel carriers, radars, rocket launchers, trucks) made of light synthetic materials. In total, several tens of thousands of such factory-made models were involved. It was on them that the main part of the missile and bomb strikes by the aircraft of the USA, Great Britain, and France was carried out. Inflatable mock-ups are usually equipped with a metal thread, so they are well spotted by airborne radars of aircraft and helicopters.

Towed layouts of the material part are intended both to show the movement of military and transport equipment from place to place in the area of ​​​​the location of a false object, and to simulate it on the march by towing behind a tank, car, armored personnel carrier. Depending on the power of the tractor and the quality of the road surface, up to five dummies can be towed one after the other on straight sections of the road. The frames of mock-ups must have sufficient strength, therefore much attention is paid to the supporting element of the frame, the lower frame and the axle fastened to it, on which the wheels are mounted. For towing on packed snow, skids are installed instead of wheels. In order to simplify the design of layouts, skids are sometimes used on a flat road devoid of snow. To reduce the weight and volume of work on the manufacture of towed models, a significant simplification of their design is allowed. Such a simplified layout is a rigid frame, where the most characteristic elements for this machine are attached, which can be detected from the air.

Self-propelled layouts suit mainly to simulate the movement of tanks, self-propelled guns, infantry fighting vehicles, combat vehicles, air defense systems, etc. in the rear of their troops and are designed only for aerial reconnaissance of the enemy. Such models are usually mounted on trucks and motorcycles, the movement of which gives the impression of moving military equipment.

In layouts of the material part, corner reflectors are often installed at the rate of one reflector per one layout, which makes it possible to reflect radio waves, as well as from a real material part.

false structures should be simple in design and made with the maximum use of improvised and local materials. False trenches for machine guns, guns, mortars, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, as well as shelters for vehicles and special equipment suit with a piece of soil to a depth of at least 50 cm within the contour of the false structure. The parapet is imitated by an inverted turf, removed from the soil surface before the passage, or bulk soil, taken out during the passage of the false structure. False trenches and communication passages are arranged with a piece of soil manually or by means of mechanization to a depth of 50-60 cm along the intended route with the bottom powdered with dark materials (slag, peat, coniferous branches). The effect is greatly increased if false trenches and communications in certain areas are masked with improvised materials.

Device false trenches, trenches and communications in winter period comes down to shoveling snow to the ground in the area of ​​the false structure and powdering the bottom with dark materials. In all cases, when arranging a false object and placing mock-ups of the material part on it, for greater plausibility of imitation, paths are laid to them, imitate traces of the movement of tanks, cars, armored personnel carriers to the parking lot, show trampling near the mock-ups. False roads are imitated during a snowless period by cutting off the top layer of soil (one or two passes of a grader or bulldozer), followed by adding soil to match the color of the roads in the area. Traces of the movement of military and transport equipment are reproduced by repeated passage of the above equipment. In winter, roads are imitated by clearing snow along the indicated route, followed by powdering with darkening material.

false buildings, as well as layouts, are used to simulate and hide various objects. So, when simulating the location of troops, false closed firing structures, shelters and other similar fortifications are erected, when simulating warehouses - false warehouse buildings, gasoline tanks, and when hiding objects against the background of a settlement, false houses, outbuildings, etc. are erected as masks. False buildings are designed mainly for aerial reconnaissance of the enemy. By their design, they can be frameless and frame. In all cases, the location of false buildings on the ground must be plausible, meeting the requirements of simulation. Hiding and imitation of objects by false structures can be most effective if the latter have not only specific unmasking features, but also all the signs of activity inherent in such structures, characterizing them as real, not false. So, if residential buildings are simulated, then, depending on the situation, they show chimney smoke, a fire during an air raid, etc.

Advance and maneuver camouflage.

Concealment of the advancement and maneuver of subunits is decided by organizational and engineering measures. Organizational camouflage measures include:

The use of camouflaging terrain properties that help hide troops (natural masks, terrain features, local objects);

Use to hide the actions of the troops of the dark time of day and conditions limited visibility;

The dispersal of troops and the periodic change of areas of location, firing positions and command and observation posts;

Compliance by personnel with the rules and requirements of camouflage discipline, which limits or excludes the appearance of unmasking signs of troop activity.

Organizational measures also include demonstrative actions and measures to misinform the enemy.

Engineering and technical measures for masking the advance and maneuver include:

The use of artificial masks and camouflage covers;

The use of deforming masks and accessories;

Use of light-camouflage devices (SMU);

The use of smoke screens.

Fulfillment by troops of the requirements of organizational and engineering measures significantly reduces the effectiveness of the use of enemy reconnaissance assets.

Unmasking signs of targets.

The success of reconnaissance is facilitated by the knowledge by the scouts of the main unmasking signs by which one can detect various targets, determine their characteristics and activities.

The unmasking signs of goals include:

Characteristic outlines of objects;

The color of objects, if it differs from the color of the surrounding area;

Shadows on the objects themselves and shadows falling on them;

The characteristic location of objects;

Reflections of glass and unpainted metal parts;

Signs of activity - movement, sounds, flashes of fire, smoke, etc.;

Traces of activity - trampled places, new roads and paths, traces of fires, remains of building materials, etc.

When evaluating the results of reconnaissance, it must be taken into account that the enemy will try to deceive our reconnaissance and hide signs of real objects by various deceptive actions (creating false targets, wandering fire weapons). Only a combination of several features will make it possible to make a correct conclusion about the reliability of goals (objects).

Observation posts are usually located on the slopes of heights and on various local objects. Most often they are discovered during their occupation and equipment, as well as during the change of observers and when correcting the communication line. The unmasking signs of an observation post are:

Periodic short-term appearance of people in a certain place;

Projected against the background of some local object (or against the background of the sky), the head of the observer or the observation device;

telephone wires, suitable for NP, periodic movement of telephone operators along them, correcting the line;

The appearance of new local objects, the change in the shape and color of local objects and vegetation as a result of their use for camouflage;

A viewing slit observed as a dark horizontal stripe on some local object;

dark spot on general background leaves of trees, a camouflaged observation platform, stairs or steps carved into the trunk of a tree, the swaying of the top of a tree in calm weather;

Periodic appearance due to any cover of a periscope or other observation device;

Glitter glass optical instruments;

The presence of sources of infrared radiation at night.

Trenches (trenches) are most often torn off on the front slopes and ridges of heights.

In areas overgrown with forests, dense shrubs, and in settlements, trenches, as a rule, are carried forward from the edge (outskirts of a settlement) or pulled back into the depths of a forest (bush, settlement).

From ground-based OPs, trenches (trenches) are observed in the form of a dark, sometimes merging with the terrain, broken line with small breaks.

The firing positions of machine guns should be sought in areas where the enemy can conduct flanking fire or a wide frontal shelling is possible.

The trench for the machine gun is often carried forward from the trench. A firing machine gun can be detected by flashing sounds of a shot.

Wood-and-earth and long-term firing structures are located in places where it is possible to conduct frontal and flank fire. They should be looked for on the slopes of heights, on the edges of the forest, in the basements of the outer houses of the settlement, at the intersections of streets, in the bends of trenches and barriers.

These structures can be observed on the ground in the form of a tubercle, sometimes differing from natural elevations in its color. Embrasures in such tubercles are observed in the form dark spots. In winter, the snow near the embrasure thaws and turns black from gunpowder smoke. When firing defensive structures, the sound is muffled.

Rocket launchers strongly unmask themselves by shooting, while during the day there is a large cloud of smoke and dust appearing above the firing position, at night - a growing glow and projectile routes.

The positions of air defense systems (ADMC) are determined in the electromagnetic field by radar radiation, in the optical field by their appearance, a large number of auxiliary units, by their relative position, as well as by the location of radar stations together with fire weapons and control points.

Headquarters and command posts are located, as a rule, in places sheltered from ground observation (in a forest, ravine, populated area, etc.). The signs of the location of the headquarters (command post) are:

The movement of special and light vehicles, single soldiers, cyclists, motorcyclists (liaisons, messengers) to the location of the headquarters (command post) and back;

Approach to one place of several wired communication lines from different directions, the presence of radio stations;

Enhanced protection of the area and its cover anti-aircraft artillery;

Availability near the area of ​​a landing site for aircraft and helicopters;

Complete or almost complete absence of local residents in small settlements; there are barriers and guards at the entrances to the settlement.

In general, the prospects for further development of means of reducing visibility are associated with integrated approach to the solution of this issue, implying both certain layout solutions advanced technology and the widespread use of special multifunctional materials. The most promising and interesting is the direction of coatings adaptable to external conditions, which provide a distortion of the external appearance of objects in the optical, thermal and radar wavelength ranges.

Smoke camouflage devices are used to blind the enemy, hide friendly troops and individual objects, their actions, as well as to indicate the activity of false objects (fires after artillery shelling or air raids, smoke from stoves, camp kitchens and field hearths, etc.). These include smoke bombs; artillery smoke shells and mines; hand and rifle grenades; smoke machines and devices mounted on military equipment; aviation bombs and pouring devices. In the absence of means of industrial production, local smoke products are used (sawdust, damp branches, fir cones, moistened straw, rags, lubricants, fuel oil, and others), which are burned in special hearths.
Smoke bombs are divided into three groups by weight and size: small (2-3 kg), medium (7-8 kg) and large (up to 40-50 kg). All of them are made in the form of metal cylinders filled with a solid smoke mixture. The checkers used for camouflage are filled with mixtures that produce non-toxic white or white-gray smoke. The duration of smoke formation by checkers is from 5 to 15 minutes. The length of the cloud (depending on the type of checker and weather conditions) - from 50 to 200 meters; its width is from 15 to 40 meters.
In addition to smoke bombs, the troops are armed with smoke machines and aerosol generators designed to smoke various objects with neutral smoke. With one filling of a smoke-forming substance, the machine can create an impenetrable smoke screen of at least 1 km in length in 5-7 minutes. The capabilities of 2 aerosol generators correspond to one machine.
Camouflage smoke screens are created to camouflage friendly troops and simulate decoys. They can be placed in the disposition of their troops or between their troops and the enemy. When disguising troops and objects from an air enemy, an area is smoked that exceeds the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe area where the masked objects are located at least five times. The placement of camouflage smoke screens between friendly troops and the enemy is used to camouflage troops from enemy ground reconnaissance and fire weapons.
When areas of troop deployment are filled with smoke, camouflage with smoke can be carried out by creating a number of small smoke screens within the smoky area. So, when disguising a motorized rifle (tank) battalion in a smoke area of ​​20-25 sq. km, 10-12 smoke screens can be created.
When troops and installations are deployed over large areas, it is economically inexpedient and technically difficult to create continuous smoke over the entire area. Therefore, to mask troops and large objects located in a concentrated area, only the most important elements of masked objects and false objects within the general smoke area are smoked with a ratio of masked areas to the total area of ​​0.1-0.25. The area is smoked in such a way that the masked object is not located in the center of the smoke screen. In this case, not only masked objects are exposed to smoke, but also those local objects that can serve as landmarks for the enemy to reach the target.
Favorable for setting smoke screens is the wind at a speed of 2-4 m/s. Unfavorable meteorological conditions - wind speed up to 1.5 m/s or more than 8 m/s, unstable gusty wind, strong ascending air currents (convection).
Pyrotechnics are used to reproduce light, smoke and sound unmasking signs inherent in shooting, explosions, fires, etc. on fake objects. These include special pyrotechnic cartridges and checkers (imitators of shots, explosions), explosives, combustible materials, lighting and signal rockets.

A weapon that emits smoke, of course, does not look very impressive against the background of tanks, cannons and rockets. It does not have destructive power, innovative technologies and some special militant romance. However, for all its simplicity, the means of smoke camouflage saved many soldiers' lives and made it possible to carry out many spectacular operations.

A smoke bomb, spreading thick red smoke, masks the landing site of a military helicopter. Curtains around landing and taking off "boards" are widely used in the "hot spots" of the world, where enemy saboteurs can use portable air defense systems. In particular, Russian federal troops placed smoke (aerosol) screens around the Khankala airfield during the conflict in Chechnya.

Edition PM

April 16, 1945 - the day the Berlin operation began - was marked by two important events. The troops of the 1st Belorussian Front attacked the positions of the German 9th Army in the area of ​​the Seelow Heights, and the 1st Ukrainian Front crossed the Neisse River. The troops of the 8th Shock Army went on the assault on the Seelow Heights in the illumination of anti-aircraft searchlights shining in the back. Whatever considerations Zhukov was guided by, it was not very a good idea. Not only did the most powerful artillery preparation iron the first line of trenches left by the enemy in advance, almost without affecting the second, the exploding shells lifted tons of soil into the air, creating an almost impenetrable curtain of luminous dust in front of the advancing troops. But the defenders saw perfectly in the backlight going to the assault Soviet soldiers. The forcing of the Neisse by Konev's troops became a kind of mirror image of the Zhukovsky offensive. The reconnaissance discovered the traditional German trick in time, and the artillery preparation caused serious damage to the second line of trenches. Nobody illuminated the crossing over the river - on the contrary, assault bridges were built under the cover of a smoke screen.

In the photo, representatives of the American security forces are learning how to handle a stun grenade created by Sandia, which specializes in military high-tech. When the fuse is fired, the aluminum instantly reacts with the potassium perchlorate, producing a loud bang, a bright flash, and puffs of white smoke. The grenade enters the service of the army and police.

Ordered to smoke!

"Chemists" did a great job at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War. Smoke screens protected the attackers during the battles for Kustrin preceding the Berlin operation, and then in Berlin itself. An exceptional role was played by smoke masking during the bloody crossing of the Dnieper, although then, in 1943, not all commanders of the Red Army understood how effective blowing smoke into the eyes of the enemy was. Evidence of this is the order issued on October 26, 1943 to the troops of the Western Front "on the mass and daily use of masking smoke." The order noted that "the use of smoke is episodic," and "smoke agents are conserved in large quantities at divisional exchange offices, army warehouses." The same document contained an exhaustive list of combat situations in which it was required to use smoke masking equipment.

The order instructed artillery, mortars and aviation to use smoke weapons to blind enemy firing positions, observation posts and fire systems, to mask the battle formations of infantry and tanks when forcing water lines and to hide troop maneuvers. Smoke also had to be used to bring infantry closer to the enemy, when blocking bunkers, strongholds and resistance nodes.

Smoke bomb DM-11 and incendiary smoke cartridge (ZDP)

Smoke bomb DM-11 is designed to generate significant volumes of aerosols of solids in order to create smoke zones. During the burning time (5-7 minutes), the checker creates an opaque smoke cloud measuring 50x50 m. On the right is an incendiary smoke cartridge (ZDP). The cartridge consists of a launch tube, an igniter and a rocket. The launch tube is made of cartridge paper and is inserted into a metal base.

Hand smoke grenades were ordered to be widely used in combat by small infantry units, tank crews, gun crews and sappers. These funds were supposed to cover and simulate the burning of tanks, defensive structures and artillery positions. Smoke masking was also required to cover the evacuation of military equipment from the battlefield. In order to divert and disperse enemy artillery, mortar and aviation fire, commanders had to use false smoke screens more often, organizing them on a wide front, especially when advancing and forcing water lines. From now on, the squads (groups) of "smoke guns" were included in the forward and assault detachments.

Invention of the bootlegger

The history of smoke screens is rooted in the distant past: both the Romans and the Vikings hid their movements on the battlefield in puffs of smoke. It is believed that the dragon head on the nose of kobukson - Korean warship XV century - spewed smoke created by the burning of sulfur and saltpeter, and these caustic clubs served, among other things, for camouflage. However, the real significance of camouflage smoke was appreciated only in the 20th century - in the century of total wars, during which it was often necessary to break through a continuous, in-depth defense of the enemy.

Already after the Second World War in different countries world, including the USSR, many types of equipment and ammunition were developed to create camouflage curtains. It should be said right away that a smoke screen is not necessarily smoke. Smoke, i.e. products of combustion, spread camouflage based on pyrotechnics. Other devices generate liquid aerosols, that is, fine suspensions consisting of microscopic droplets. The credit for inventing liquid aerosol curtains belongs to American World War I veteran Alonzo Patterson, who was, among other things, known for smuggling alcohol during Prohibition in the United States. It was he who came up with the idea of ​​evaporating oil by heating it with hot gases. When mixed with cold air, the oil condensed into tiny droplets, creating a thick white mist.

Two days in the fog

The Russian army today has several machines that allow you to put up powerful aerosol curtains. For example, on the TMS-65 car, built on the basis of the Ural-375 car, a gas turbine was installed instead of a body (an engine from the MiG-15 fighter). Basically, TMS-65 is intended for degassing and decontamination of equipment, but can also be used to create smoke screens. In this case, the nozzles supply diesel fuel to the gas stream, which is sprayed, forming an aerosol. During exercises to force the Zeya River (width 4-6 km) in August 1973, two TMS-65 vehicles completely covered the area forcing a motorized rifle division with smoke for two days. TMS machines are in service separate battalion chemical protection of the division, corps and army.

The unified smoke grenade UDSH is designed for setting masking smoke screens manually, as well as using mechanization means: a mobile mine layer PMZ-1, a helicopter mine spreader VMP-1 and a system remote control chimney SDU-D. Other means of smoke concealment include: 1. Smoke projectiles of 122 and 152 mm caliber and mortars of 120 mm caliber. They are used by artillery regiments (artillery battalion) and divisions (artillery regiment) mainly for sighting, target designation and setting sudden short smoke screens. 2. Smoke bombs DAB-100−80F. Used by front-line aircraft at the request of ground troops. There was never a real need for them.

The TDA machine based on the GAZ-66 is designed for setting smoke screens of high density and length. The smoking time from one filling is up to four hours. TDA is in service with separate smoke battalions, each combined arms or tank army has such a battalion.

Finally, the ARS (auto-bottling station) has equipment for degassing the area, but can also be used to set up smoke screens. The smoking time from one filling is three hours, the length of the smoke screen extends for 2 km. ARS are in service with a separate chemical defense battalion of a division, corps and army and are used to create smoke screens in a regimental or divisional level.

The ARS-14KM filling station is a truly universal machine that is suitable for washing personnel, decontaminating and creating masking aerosol curtains.

AT hand grenades, grenades launchers mounted on armored vehicles (installations of the 902 Tucha type), and pyrotechnic (metal chloride and anthracene) compositions are used in smoke bombs, and all these means are already really smoking. In small units (squad, platoon), fighters are given RGD-2 grenades with white smoke for camouflage and black for simulating knocked out armored vehicles. To set up smoke screens in the company-battalion-regiment link, smoke bombs (DM), large smoke bombs (BDM) and unified smoke bombs (UDSH) are used.

Curling Shield

The use of white and black smoke, respectively refracting or absorbing radiation in the optical range, is not limited today. A range of colored smokes has been developed. In different countries, there are compositions that make it possible to hide the radiation of masked objects not only in the visible, but also in the infrared, and also partially in the microwave ranges.

yellow mist

A multi-scale technique for setting up smoke screens was created, of course, in the event of a major war, including with the use of nuclear weapons However, the era of local conflicts has begun, in which there was no place for forcing rivers under many kilometers of curtains and similar operations of a strategic scale.

The use of smoke weapons during the war in Afghanistan was somewhat neglected by our military, since the enemy did not create threats that would require covering the troops with smoke. Occasionally, smoke grenades or checkers were used to smoke out dushmans from karezes and caves. Smoke grenades were also used to orient landing helicopters in relation to the direction and strength of the wind at the point of arrival. Artillery smoke shells were sometimes used for shooting and target designation.

During the conflict in Chechnya, federal troops repeatedly resorted to smoke camouflage, and not only RGD-2 grenades and smoke bombs were used (for example, when crossing the Sunzha River), but also 81-mm smoke grenades fired by the 902 Tucha installation - this is how armored vehicles defended themselves from aimed fire. In urban battles, the use of the TDA machine was recorded - with its help, the troops "cleansing" Grozny from militants covered themselves from sniper fire from windows and basements. Smoke bombs and aerosol camouflage worked well in the area of ​​the Khankala airport, protecting take-off and landing aircraft from shelling.

Smoke on guard

It is interesting that smokes are used not only in the military, but also in the security sector. Some firms, such as the British company Smokescreen, offer customers, including boutiques and supermarkets, systems based on aerosol generators. It is not so easy to protect yourself from burglars - they will open any lock and break any door or lattice. Video cameras do not frighten them either, because, even when they are noticed, the criminals manage to do their dirty work even before the arrival of the police. But everything will be different if, at the moment the alarm is triggered, the hacked room suddenly begins to quickly fill with smoke. The effect will be exacerbated by the flashes of a stroboscopic lamp and a loud, mentally oppressive sound. Obviously, in this situation (tested by experience), the robbers will prefer to quickly retire empty-handed. After all, they will be seized by horror, and not a single sight is visible around.

The editors would like to thank Colonel Alexander Shamov for his help in preparing the article.

Smoke disguise

Smoke camouflage devices are used to blind the enemy, hide friendly troops and individual objects, their actions, as well as to indicate the activity of false objects (fires after artillery shelling or air raids, smoke from stoves, camp kitchens and field hearths, etc.). These include smoke bombs; artillery smoke shells and mines; hand and rifle grenades; smoke machines and devices mounted on military equipment; aviation bombs and pouring devices. In the absence of means of industrial production, local smoke products are used (sawdust, damp branches, fir cones, moistened straw, rags, lubricants, fuel oil, and others), which are burned in special foci.

Smoke bombs are divided into three groups by weight and size: small (2-3 kg), medium (7-8 kg) and large (up to 40-50 kg). All of them are made in the form of metal cylinders filled with a solid smoke mixture. The checkers used for camouflage are filled with mixtures that produce non-toxic white or white-gray smoke. The duration of smoke formation by checkers is from 5 to 15 minutes. The length of the cloud (depending on the type of checker and weather conditions) - from 50 to 200 meters; its width is from 15 to 40 meters.

In addition to smoke bombs, the troops are armed with smoke machines and aerosol generators designed to smoke various objects with neutral smoke. With a single filling of a smoke-generating substance, a machine can create an impenetrable smoke screen of at least 1 km in length in 5-7 minutes. The capabilities of 2 aerosol generators correspond to one machine.

Camouflage smoke screens are created to camouflage friendly troops and simulate decoys. They can be placed in the disposition of their troops or between their troops and the enemy. When disguising troops and objects from an air enemy, an area is smoked that exceeds the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe area where the masked objects are located at least five times. The placement of camouflage smoke screens between friendly troops and the enemy is used to camouflage troops from enemy ground reconnaissance and fire weapons.

When areas of troop deployment are filled with smoke, camouflage with smoke can be carried out by creating a number of small smoke screens within the smoky area. So, when disguising a motorized rifle (tank) battalion in a smoke area of ​​20-25 sq. km, 10-12 smoke screens can be created.

When troops and installations are deployed over large areas, it is economically inexpedient and technically difficult to create continuous smoke over the entire area. Therefore, to camouflage troops and large objects located in a concentrated area, only the most important elements of cloaked objects and false objects within the general smoke area are smoked with a ratio of camouflaged areas to the total area of ​​0.1-0.25. The area is smoked in such a way that the masked object is not located in the center of the smoke screen. In this case, not only masked objects are exposed to smoke, but also those local objects that can serve as landmarks for the enemy to reach the target.

Favorable for setting smoke screens is the wind at a speed of 2‑4 m/s. Unfavorable meteorological conditions - wind speed up to 1.5 m/s or more than 8 m/s, unstable gusty wind, strong ascending air currents (convection).

Pyrotechnics are used to reproduce light, smoke and sound unmasking signs inherent in shooting, explosions, fires, etc. on fake objects. These include special pyrotechnic cartridges and checkers (imitators of shots, explosions), explosives, combustible materials, lighting and signal rockets.

7. OBSERVATION

Means of optical observation

Visual observation is carried out using optical daytime observation devices, and at night and in conditions of limited visibility - night vision devices.

To enhance the capabilities of ground reconnaissance in visual observation and detection of distant objects during the day, optical devices are commonly used: binoculars, periscopes, stereo tubes, reconnaissance theodolites, optical observation devices with a stabilized field of view, optical and laser rangefinders. Their main characteristics are: magnification, resolution and plasticity.

The main characteristics of optical observation devices

Name Resolution of instruments Increase ability Plastic

Binoculars 7‑12 8‑5 12‑25

Stereo tubes 10‑20 6‑4 25‑100

Periscopes 10‑30 5‑2 -

Optical 2‑4 15 -

Electron-optical night vision devices (NVD) include devices with IR irradiation of an object and non-illuminated devices.

Night vision devices with IR irradiation of an object, due to the presence of illumination sources, night vision devices are of considerable size and weight, and also consume relatively high power. In addition, IR illuminators are easily detected even with simple detectors at ranges up to three times the optimal night vision range.

In connection with these shortcomings, in recent years night vision devices with IR irradiation of an object are being replaced by non-illuminated night vision devices.

Non-illuminated (passive) night vision devices are the most promising in military affairs, since they allow observation at night in the presence of low natural illumination created by star and moonlight or due to the own radiation of objects (targets). At present, the armies of NATO countries have such devices based on electron-optical and microchannel image intensifiers.

1st generation non-illuminated night vision devices began to enter service in 1965. The Americans widely used them in the conduct of hostilities in Southeast Asia. Backlit night vision devices of the 2nd generation are made on microchannel image intensifiers. They have less weight and dimensions while maintaining the same range. The characteristics of some passive night vision devices developed in the USA and France are shown in the table. (Since the mid-1970s, work has been underway to create third-generation night vision devices using solid-state radiation converters in the form of mosaic plates containing a large number of sensitive silicon elements).

Characteristics of some 2nd generation night vision devices

Characteristic Shooting Device Binoculars

observation sight

Range, m 1000 1000 100

Field of view, deg. 15 9 45

Magnification, times 3.7 6.2 1

Weight, kg 1.4 3.05 1.0

reconnaissance by photography

Photography has significant advantages over other reconnaissance methods, since it allows obtaining high-quality optical images of objects. The study of photographs gives the largest number intelligence information compared to visual, television or radar surveillance, as well as when using infrared intelligence. Therefore, modern experts consider photography one of the most effective ways reconnaissance in relation to ongoing engineering and technical measures to camouflage troops and facilities.

In accordance with the materials used, photography during reconnaissance can be: conventional, color and multi-zonal. Color film is used in photographic reconnaissance to a limited extent, since when shooting from long distances, the color differences between the object and the background are leveled out, and therefore the decoding properties of color images are worse than those of black and white.

Spectrozonal photography is used specifically for opening camouflaged objects. Its essence lies in the simultaneous photographing of objects in two different zones of the spectrum on a two-layer photographic film. The top layer of the film perceives only infrared rays, while the bottom layer is sensitive to visible light.

Due to this, in spectral-zonal photographs, objects differ from the background in color, since there is a difference in reflectivity between them in one of the sensitivity zones of the photographic material used.

It should also be borne in mind that any violations of the vegetation cover, roads, bridges, fortifications and other artificial objects are easily detected on spectral zonal images; hardwoods are different from conifers.

Terrestrial photography allows you to get large-scale images of objects and photo panoramas. For this purpose, photosystems with a focal length of up to 250 cm are used. On photographs taken with such a camera from a distance of up to 10 km, combat and transport vehicles are well deciphered. The use of films sensitive in the near infrared region of the spectrum makes it possible to reveal differences between the masked subject and the background that are not perceived by the eye. Repeated photographing of the same area makes it possible, by comparing photographs, to fix changes in the situation and discover new objects.

Television and thermal imaging intelligence

Television reconnaissance means are designed to transmit moving or still images over a distance by radio channel or by electrical signal wires. They make it possible to obtain reconnaissance data on enemy troops in a visual form and in a short time. Television reconnaissance equipment is used by both aviation and ground reconnaissance groups. With its help, it is possible to detect troops on the march and in areas of location, to study objects of destruction before applying missiles to them, nuclear strikes, evaluate the results of fire impact on troops. The transmission range of tactical television ground reconnaissance systems reaches 16-40 km.

Television equipment is a promising means of reconnaissance.

Specialists associate its improvement primarily with solving the problem of creating small-sized television equipment operating in low light conditions.

The transmission of moving images in military television is carried out at a frequency of 25-30 frames per second on ultrashort waves, which propagate almost rectilinearly, and maximum range such a television transmission is determined by the height of the transmitting antenna: the higher it is, the farther from it reception is possible.

Thermal imaging equipment makes it possible to obtain an image by registering the thermal contrast between an object, the surrounding background, and their individual elements. Its advantages are: secrecy of reconnaissance, relatively high noise immunity, the ability to detect and identify camouflaged targets even in bad weather conditions (fog, smoke, rain). The dimensions and weight of the devices make it possible to use them as sights for artillery and small arms.

An example of equipment for this type of reconnaissance is the one created for ground forces USA thermal imaging device AN/PAS‑7. It is wearable and consists of two blocks (surveillance device and power supply) with a total weight of 5 kg. Using the device, you can observe the relief and terrain, camouflaged equipment and people at a distance of up to 2000 m. The detection range of “hot” targets (having an elevated temperature during operation) reaches 3000 m.

Map and terrain

The area should be read like a book - thoughtfully, sensibly. Entire books, entire volumes about the area have been written by specialists specially engaged in this matter - military topographers. Hundreds of thousands of copies were recorded and reproduced at special map-printing factories for each sector of the terrain, and as a result, commanders receive maps of the terrain on which their troops will have to operate. Always such a card is given to scouts before they are placed combat mission. Going to the specified area, they are already familiar with the area on the map.

However, on the map it is impossible to depict the details of all the folds, streams, hollows, meanders, tubercles, bushes. There would not be enough space for this and a lot of conventional signs would be required, since the largest-scale maps reduce the depicted area by 25, 50 and 100 thousand times. Therefore, only the most important folds of the terrain, the most necessary local objects, are marked on the maps. And everything else must be considered by the scout himself.

And now the living book of the real area is revealed to the observer. The scout must study it to perfection in order to understand everything that is necessary for him to identify the enemy.

Where should you start exploring the area?

First of all, it is necessary to compare local objects and landmarks located on the ground with a map. This must be done in order for the observer to accurately study the lane set by the commander who set the task for observation. Otherwise, an error may occur and the observer's data will mislead the commander.

After checking the map with the terrain and fully understanding the problem, it is recommended first of all to inspect the terrain with a simple, naked eye and draw up a schematic observation plan or landmarks. The observer puts on the landmark scheme:

Place NP;

Observation sector;

Surveillance zones;

Landmarks (numbered in the direction of inspection of the area);

Fields of invisibility.

Then the reconnaissance observer begins to sequentially study the terrain with the help of an optical device.

In the scheme, which the scout-observer made in advance, the observation sector is usually divided into three zones: near, middle and far. They, in turn, can be further divided into the extreme right, middle and left lanes.

observation posts

Scouts choose observation posts on any terrain, taking into account the possibility of camouflage and the prospects that open up from the OP.

Every scout needs to know that:

You should not choose a place for observation near sharply defined landmarks;

When observing from hillocks and heights, one should not appear on their crest;

When observing from behind a tree, a pole or a road sign, one should not stand; one must observe lying down, being on the shadow side of the object;

For observation from a ditch, it is necessary to choose a place so that there is an embankment, a hillock or a bush behind, then the observer's head will not be projected against the sky;

Careless movement in the area of ​​the observation post unmasks it;

Trees are often used for observation in the forest; however, you can not arrange NP on trees that exceed the surrounding trees in their height.

As an NP, you can use a haystack, padded armored vehicles, a railway embankment, false local objects (hummocks, boulders, stumps) and much more. In this matter, the decisive role is played by the ingenuity of the scout, his ingenuity.

Observation in the village

Features of observation in the village are as follows:

Limited view due to proximity tall buildings;

High probability of destruction of the NP during artillery shelling and bombardment from the air.

However, observers and observation devices can be well placed in houses, as well as disguised. In the course of the battles for the cities, the device of the NP justified itself, mainly behind the destroyed wall, in the factory chimney, in the attic.

Observation from behind a broken wall. It is very beneficial in terms of disguise to choose a place for observation in a ruined house. The scout punches an embrasure in the wall facing the enemy and calmly monitors the actions of the enemy. In order to hide from fragments during shelling, he digs a trench near the wall. This type of observation is shown in

An observation post in a factory chimney. Suppose that a scout has chosen a place for observation in a factory chimney. He, like a mole, dug a hidden passage under it, then arranged a ladder, climbed to the height he needed, laid a platform from the boards, knocked out a few bricks, and the observation post was ready. Experienced scouts who had to use this method in combat testify that factory chimneys withstand air bombardments and artillery shelling well up to the middle of their height.

If there is no basement in the house, then you need to dig a gap in the underground (or in the yard).

Unmasking signs of objects and people

The essence of camouflage techniques is to hide the unmasking signs of troops and objects and reproduce them when simulating troops and creating false objects.

And the task of the scout is precisely to detect all the signs that unmask the enemy through observation.

The revealing signs include:

Signs of activity: the movement of single fighters and subunits, combat and transport vehicles, sounds, lights, flashes, smoke, dust;

The ability to reflect and emit various radiations (electromagnetic, infrared, thermal), captured by special devices;

Traces of activity: trampled places, paths and roads, muzzle cones, traces of fires, leftover materials, household waste, etc.;

Characteristic outlines (shape), sizes and features of the location of objects;

The color of the surface of objects, and in some cases its brilliance (glare of glass, reflection of metal);

Shadows cast by objects, as well as shadows on the surface of the objects themselves. * * *

When observing in the forest, one should not focus on trees and shrubs that are nearby. You need to look beyond what surrounds the observer, through the gaps in the trees, thickets, foliage. On the contrary, when moving, it is necessary to first inspect nearby trees from the bottom up, in order to identify enemy observers.

Remember that it is easiest to detect a moving enemy. An experienced eye notices a quick movement of an arm, body or leg (even silent) from afar. Slow motion is easier to detect if you are not looking directly at the subject. Note that if you look to the right, left, above and below the object, you are using the sharpest part of your field of vision.

Edges, tree tops, dense thickets, blockages, entrances and exits in narrow places (bridges, gati, ravines, valleys, clearings, etc.) are also subjected to a thorough inspection. Being in a large forest area, if you climb on tall tree, you can detect the enemy by rising dust, smoke and other signs visible above the treetops. Inspection of the forest before entering it should be started from a distance, observing the edge. Signs of the presence of an enemy in the forest can be: takeoff and cries of birds; wheel tracks leading into or out of the forest; broken branches or peeled bark on trees; fire smoke; traffic noise; movement at the edge of the forest, the brilliance of glasses and weapons.

Special care is required when approaching populated areas or detached residential buildings. In buildings prepared for defense or occupied by observers, there are usually no signs of life and it seems that there is no one there, but it is the emptiness that should alert the scout.

When inspecting a locality, one should pay attention to Special attention on roofs, attics, windows of tall buildings, chimneys, from where the enemy can observe.

Features of observation at night. At night, the light of a burning fire is visible up to 8 km, a burning match at a distance of 1-1.5 km, a cigarette light is visible at a distance of up to 500 meters. However, one should not particularly count on such a hint; as for the observation itself, it has a number of features.

The human eye is unable to abrupt transition from light to dark immediately adapt, clearly distinguish objects. Therefore, at night, you should not look directly at the light source. When observing, one should always remember that it is only necessary to look at the light for a short time, as the adaptation of the eyes will be lost and it will take at least 20 minutes to restore it.

You should also not peer into the darkness for a long time, so as not to tire your eyesight, it is recommended to periodically close your eyes for 5-10 seconds. Such a short rest allows you to get rid of fatigue. Under artificial lighting (illuminating rockets, searchlights), you can not look at the light source, it is recommended to cover your eyes from it with your palm and observe only the illuminated area and the enemy.

When visually determining distances on a terrain illuminated by artificial light sources, it should be borne in mind that objects located in illuminated areas seem closer than they really are, and dark, unlit objects appear smaller and more distant.

In the dark, the attention of the observer is important, so at night one should not be distracted by any extraneous thoughts, conversations, actions, but it is necessary to direct attention exclusively to observation - this increases the sensitivity of vision by 1.5 times.

To increase attention and sensitivity of vision, it is recommended to observe in a sitting position. Deep breathing (full inhalation and exhalation eight to ten times per minute), wiping the forehead, eyelids, temples, neck, occiput cold water causes a significant increase in the sensitivity of vision and reduces the time of full adaptation to the dark from 20‑30 to 10 minutes. Temporarily increase visual acuity, relieve drowsiness and fatigue, pharmacological agents: caffeine, glucose, etc. For example, one caffeine tablet (0.1 g) increases the sensitivity of vision by an average of 30%, while its effect reaches its greatest effectiveness, usually half an hour after ingestion and lasts 1.5-2 hours. * * *

Noise is most often a signal of danger. Every scout should know by heart the table of audibility of various sounds (see pp. 312-313). It is even more important to personally check this table in order to adjust it to your hearing. After all, each person hears differently, and the speed of sound propagation in open areas, in a forest or among urban buildings is different.

The noise of disturbed birds, the clatter of a running animal, a quiet cough, the sound of a twitching shutter, the barking of dogs - these and many other sounds can warn of an ambush, of the approach of a patrol, of the location of a sentry. Sounds can warn those who hear and understand them.

Smell. Our scouts from the time of the last war constantly claimed that they could distinguish the Fritz from their own by smell for 40-50 meters. Apparently, that's how it was. Cigarette smoke can be felt from 100 meters away, the smell of food and sweat even further if the wind blows towards the observer. Unwashed human body, ammunition and explosives, small arms, machinery, fuel, lubricants - all this has a smell, sometimes very strong.

Zarutsky Trainingscout: systemspecial forcesGRU OCR Palek " Trainingscout: systemspecial forcesGRU": Harvest; 1998 ISBN 985 433 190 3 annotation Manual for preparing ...

Vitaly Karavashkin who betrayed Russia

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... special forces... Belozersky and Fedor Rostislavich... Taras... forwarded abstract letters... ( GRU). Passed trainingscout-saboteur ... Ogorodnik Alexander Dmitrievich, 1940 ... Anatolia Popov... Pavel Efimovich (?), ... systems management... and I.M. Zarutsky(cm. ...