Murphy's Laws of Combat
· You are not Superman.
· Recoilless rifles aren't.
· Suppressive fire won't.
· If it's stupid, but works, it's not stupid.
· Don't look conspicuous. It draws fire.
· Never draw fire. It makes everyone around you nervous.
· When in doubt, empty the magazine.
· Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than you.
· Always keep in mind that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.
· If your attack is going well, it's an ambush.
· If you can't remember . . . the claymore is probably pointed at you.
· All five second grenade fuses are three seconds.
· Try to look unimportant. The enemy may be low on ammo.
· If you are forward of your position the artillery will be short.
· The enemy diversion you're ignoring is the main attack.
· The easy way is always mined.
· The important things are always simple.
· The simple things are always hard.
· When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.
· Incoming fire has the right of way.
· No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
· No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.
· Teamwork is essential. It gives the enemy other people to shoot at.
· If the enemy is in range, so are you.
· Friendly fire isn't.
· Anything you can do can get you shot ... including doing nothing.
· Make it too tough for the enemy to get in ... and you can't get out.
· Tracers work both ways.
· The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
· Radios will fail as soon as you need something desperately.
· When both sides are convinced they are about to lose . . . they are both right.
· Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs.
· All weather close support doesn't work in bad weather.
· The bursting radius of a grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range.
· The only terrain that is truly controlled is the terrain upon which you're standing.
· The law of the bayonet says the man with the bullet wins.
· REMFs are everywhere.
· The best tank killer is another tank. Therefore tanks are always fighting each other . . . and have no time to help the infantry.
· Remember, your weapons and equipment were made by the lowest bidder
· Precision bombing is normally accurate within plus/minus one mile.
· Cluster bombing from B-52s and C-130s is very, very accurate. They always hit the ground.
· Murphy was an 11 Bravo
· Perfect plans aren't.
· The easy way generally gets you killed.
· The side with the fanciest uniforms losses.
· Armored vehicles are bullet magnets; a moving foxhole that attracts attention.
· If you are short of everything except enemy, you're in combat.
· No plan survives the first few seconds of combat.
· Ammo is cheap; your life isn't.
· It's easier to expend material in combat than to fill out the forms for Graves Registration.
· If you can't see the enemy, they still may be able to see you.
· Final protective fire doesn't.
· You can win without fighting, but it's a lot tougher to do. And the enemy may not cooperate.
. If 2 items are required to be together to work, they can not be packaged together or shipped together.