1. Harbour Area Drills

2. A Harbour area is a position established to provide safety during an extended halt.
Reasons for Harbour area:
Avoid detection
Lie up whilst recce is made in detail
Form a base for operations
Provide an RV for entry into enemy territory.
Provide safety during administrative halt. ie eat, sleep etc

3. A Common type of Harbour Area
Triangular Pattern
Ensures all round defence
Sentries positioned on corners
Ease of command with HQ in centre
Ease of use due to simple lay out

4. Procedure for Patrol Harbour
Selection
Occupation
Clearance Patrols
Sentries
Work Routine
Stand To

5. Selection Commander chooses an area that is/has: Easily defended
Dense vegetation to provide cover
Away from civilian areas
Near to water
Reasonable entry/exit routes
Good communications
Avoid: Obvious positions, Roads, Wet areas, Slopes

6. Occupation Flight stops short and conducts snap ambush
Commander, Section Commanders & Runner recce area.
Commander chooses corners & sets up perimeter wire.
Runner returns with 1IC to get Flight.
Flight enters at corner and each section is positioned by their IC.

7. Clearance Patrols
Each Section sends out 2IC + 2men from nearby corner (not their LSW gunner)
Walk to edge of visibility the walk across their arc. Then walk back in via their LSW gunner.
Look for:
Streams/rivers
Obstacles
Possible ERV sites
Possible enemy attack routes
Signs of enemy activity

8. Sentries Posted beyond limit of noise of Harbour Area
One sentry per section
Sentries return to section via LSW position if enemy attacks
Communication line between sentry and LSW
Sentries only posted during work routine
At night sentries are double staggered at LSW point.

9. Work Routine
Preparation of stand-to-points, construction of shell scrapes
Preparation of a path to allow silent movement at night
Communications cord laid from sentry point to LSW. LSW to IC. IC to Flight HQ
Positioning of shelters over shell scrapes at last light, taken down before first light.

10. Stand To
Stand-to is a period of complete alertness throughout the patrol
It marks the change from Day/Night routine.
The external sentry is recalled for Stand To.