Infantry Drills

B-61: Area Fire



Previous: B-60: Point Fire

B-61. Involves distributing the effects of a unit’s fire over an area in which enemy
positions are numerous or are not obvious. If the area is large, leaders assign sectors of fire to subordinate elements using a terrain-based distribution method such as the quadrant technique. Typically, the primary purpose of the area fire is suppression; however, sustaining suppression requires judicious control of the rate of fire.

Next: B-62: Simultaneous Fire

Go Back To: U.S. Army FM 3-21.8: The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad