CHAPTER 8

Individual Movement

"Anticipate every situation which can arise in battle and think out your reaction to it well in ADVANCE."

Hoote

8-1. GENERAL

Snow affects movement many ways. Heavy snow cover hinders or slows movement, either cross-country or on roads. Snow cover also blankets many terrain features and hides obstacles.

The effect of snow on movement varies greatly with its depth and physical characteristics. Men on foot cannot travel well over flat terrain or roads when the snow is deeper than 30 centimeters. However, movement can be improved by the use of skis or snowshoes.

Figure 8-1. Using skis or snowshoes.

8-2. SKIS

Skis provide greater speed in moving, particularly over cleared trails. Troops mounted on skis and towed behind small unit support vehicles, or similar vehicles (ski-joring), are effective means for rapid cross-country movement. In heavy vegetation, skiing will always be more physically taxing than snowshoeing.

8-3. SNOWSHOES

Learning how to use snowshoes requires less training. Snowshoe movement is more practical in confined areas, such as assembly positions, field trains, and mortar and artillery positions. If traveling on foot, you should become skilled on both skis and snowshoes.

Your ability to use, and the availability of, over-snow equipment is a major factor in learning to travel well over snow-covered terrain. With previous training in cross-country skiing and if equipment is available, travel on skis is recommended. In most snow conditions and over most types of terrain, skis provide the fastest and most energy-saving form of travel. Use of snowshoes requires little training, but your speed will be slower and travel more exhausting.

Snowshoes are more exhausting than skis. However, a light crust on the surface of the snow prevents skis from sinking and provides for fast and easy skiing. A crust hard enough to support a man makes travel on foot feasible, but even then travel on skis is recommended.

In a survival situation, improvise equipment for travel if snow is loose and deep. Make snowshoes of willow or other springy wood using a wood separator and thong, wire, cord, etc.

USE SKIS WHEN:

Speed is essential.
Long distance must be traveled.
Stealth is necessary.
Conditions allow.

USE SNOW SHOES WHEN:

Moving through heavy brush.
Speed is not essential.
Troops are not proficient on skis.

Figure 8-2. Improvised snowshoes.

Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited.

The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source.

Operational Medicine 2001

Health Care in Military Settings

Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
2300 E Street NW
Washington, D.C
20372-5300

Operational Medicine
Health Care in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMED P-5139
January 1, 2001

United States Special Operations Command
7701 Tampa Point Blvd.
MacDill AFB, Florida
33621-5323

This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division. It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.