Night Combat Guide:
Forward:
Night combat is combat that occurs during the hours of darkness. It is distinguished from daytime combat by lower visibility and its reversed relation to the Circadian cycle. Typically combat at night is favorable to the attacker, with offensive tactics being focused on exploiting the advantages to maximum effect. Defensive night tactics mainly focus on negating the advantages given by the night to the attacker.
Classical Antiquity
Night battles were rare in ancient times. Night logistics were mostly limited to the carrying of torches, or navigation by what little light was provided by the stars or moon.
Offensive Tactics
The decision to engage at night or continue an engagement at night is usually made by the attacking force. Combat continued at night is aimed at exploiting an advantage gained from an attack during the day or similarly denying the defending force the opportunity to regroup or reinforce. Combat initiated at night can either be aimed to gain an advantage (such as territory or prisoners) which is then held during the following day or to harass and demoralize the enemy before disengaging prior to sunrise. The latter case is considered a raid.
Historically, night combat involves greater risk and reward compared to similar battles in the day time. Victories can be crushing, with the defending side taken completely by surprise and hardly a shot fired in response to an attack. Alternatively, defeats can be disastrous with huge casualties resulting from attacking armies floundering around chaotically while they themselves are ambushed in pitch darkness.
Perhaps the most important deciding factor in a battle at night is preparation. This includes training, reconnaissance, and planning. As with any military operation, leadership is important in both the high ranking officers and the low level squad and unit leaders.
Training
Training is important in any military operation, but it is especially invaluable in night combat. Soldiers must be psychologically prepared to fight at night. In addition, soldiers must know the mechanics of night combat.
Operation at night is unusual and therefore unfamiliar. This adds to the fear and confusion inherent in fighting at night. Even the simplest of night training routines, those that are simply mirrors of daytime training routines, can greatly alleviate the panic involved in night combat and therefore the likelihood to rout. Experienced German World War II commanders recommended that half of training be done at night in order to counteract the dulling of senses that city-dwelling soldiers have experienced, thus producing effective night fighters.
Reduced Sight Range:
Without the aid of a thermal imaging device, starlight scope, night vision, or some other low light enhancing device a normal human’s sight range is greatly reduced during night time combat. The individual’s sight range will vary depending on the environment, the amount of ambient light from city lights, flashlights, fires, the moon, stars, ect. See below for estimated sight range values
Desert Plains with small rocky outcroppings, sand dunes, salt marshes, ect:
Cloudy sky/New moon: Sight Range is limited to 50’ to 60’ feet
Regular moon: Sight range is limited to 60’ to 80’
Full moon: up to half a mile.
Forest Environments:
Cloudy sky/New moon: Sight Range is limited to 5’ to 10’ feet
Regular moon: Sight range is limited to 10’ to 20’
Full moon: Up to 100’ feet with light covering. Up to 30’ feet with dense covering.
Urban Environments with No artificial lighting:
Cloudy sky/New moon: Sight Range is limited to 10’ to 20’ feet
Regular moon: Sight range is limited to 20’ to 50’
Full moon: Up to 250’ feet with light covering. Up to 50’ feet with dense covering.
Full moon: Up to 100’ feet with light covering. Up to 30’ feet with dense covering.
Urban Environments with moderate artificial lighting:
Cloudy sky/New moon: Sight Range is limited to 50’ to 60’ feet
Regular moon: Sight range is limited to 60’ to 120’
Full moon: Up to 500’ feet with light covering. Up to 100’ feet with dense covering.
Other things to take into consideration:
Fires/ flashlights/ect
These provide you with light in your camp or area of operation. They also give away your position to enemies far beyond your sight range. Unless you have a way to hide the light with rocky outcroppings, tents, building, fences, ect, then it is not recommended to use these lighting sources unless you have someone with thermal or night vision to stand guard and scan the area.
Night Raids:
At night time sound travels just as well as it does during the day. Because of humans being sight dependant with their vision limited at night and in low light environments they will most likely pay greater attention to noises. Gun shots, footsteps, vehicular transports and cyber-horse footsteps will catch the attention of the enemy. This can be used to your advantage. Decoys work much better at night as it allows you to take the enemy by surprise and gives your decoy time to hide or go silent without the enemy knowing the decoy’s has moved from its position when they last heard the noise. A good combination to use with the night raid is indirect strategy. For example attacking an enemy encampment by flanking them and attacking in the rear behind enemy controlled territory, rather than the front where they expect you to come from. This extra work will be rewarded by taking the enemy further off guard and lessening chances of resistance and your squad sustaining casualties.
Muzzle Flash:
All fire arms produce a muzzle flash. This can be greatly reduced by adding a suppressor which absorbs most of the gases that create the sound and flash or by a flash hider. Currently all assault rifles and the Harpy Sub Machine gun come with flash hiders built into the gun's barrel. This doesn't eliminate the flash- only disperses it and reduces it. Making it harder to see in the distance and making it harder for an enemy combatant to determine your exact location,
