Previous: B-38: Sector of Fire
B-39. A direction of fire is an orientation or point used to assign responsibility for a particular area on the battlefield being covered by direct fire. Leaders designate directions of fire for purposes of acquisition or engagement by subordinate elements, crew-served weapons, or individual Soldiers. Direction of fire is most commonly employed when assigning sectors of fire would be difficult or impossible because of limited time or insufficient reference points. Means of designating a direction of fire include the following:
- Closest target registration point.
- Clock direction.
- Azimuth or cardinal direction.
- Tracer on target.
- Infrared laser pointer.
- M203 smoke round.
Next: B-40: Quadrants
Go Back To: U.S. Army FM 3-21.8: The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad