Learning Event 4 Determining Spacing of Smoke Generators

Conduct Smsoke Operations
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Step 7. Locate and designate supply routes and access areas. Select routes for 2.5-ton trucks and a tactical fog oil

storage site.

Step 8. Determine the local weather and terrain peculiarities for their effects on smoke.

Step 9. Determine the security and defense requirements. Look for positions that offer good cover and

concealment. Analyze the terrain for vulnerability to enemy attack and make defensive plans accordingly. Note

the location of friendly units for mutual defense planning.

Step 10. Report the results of your reconnaissance to your supervisor.

Learning Event 4

DETERMINING SPACING OF SMOKE GENERATORS

To provide an effective coverage of a designated area, select generator positions that provide 360-degree

coverage. Select these positions after planning and reconnaissance of the target area have taken place. The

smoke line is a hypothetical line on the ground along which smoke generator positions are located. Because of

variations in terrain configurations, the smoke line is not necessarily straight or uniformly curved around the

selected area to be screened.

To determine the correct spacing for smoke generators, you must consider several conditions that control the

behavior of smoke. The conditions are terrain, wind speed, and temperature gradient. Once you have determined

these conditions, use the spacing guide to determine the distance between generator positions. The spacing guide

for smoke generators is shown in Figure 10. Having determined the distance between generator positions, you

must now determine the distance from the near edge of the target to the smoke line. This is done by moving to

the last column of the spacing guide.

Use the following three steps to determine the spacing requirement for smoke blankets and smoke hazes.

Step 1. Select positions for generators within your company sector shown in the overlay diagram.

Step 2. Enter the generator spacing guide (Figure 10) with the wind speed, temperature gradient, and the type of

terrain to obtain the spacing between generators.

Step 3. Move to the last column in Figure 10 to obtain the distance from the generator positions to the selected

area.