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SECTION TRAINING
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NINE
But, the big picture for the SAF was that patrolling would remain a major preoccupation
in the event of operations in the local terrain, because they would inevitably bog down
into jungle warfare between regular and paramilitary forces on all sides. The British-run
Jungle Warfare School in Ulu Tiram, Johor was at the time the best training centre for such
warfare in the world and its core curriculum was structured around patrolling to locate,
fix and destroy the enemy.
4
The package on Patrolling for section training began with a
demonstration on ‘harbouring’ attended by both ‘A’ and ‘B’ companies in the sports field
beside the Officers’ Mess. It was conducted entirely by instructors from both companies and
it seemed to have been orchestrated solely by the SAF personnel, as the Advisors were also
keen spectators. They were hardly in a position to oversee this aspect of training, in which
the locals had had operational experience and which the British forces had made into a fine
art during the communist insurgency in Malaya.
The harbouring drill was rational and relatively simple: an advance party would identify a
suitable site in the jungle for deploying either an overnight tactical halt or a longer-term patrol
base, it would then lead the main body to the site usually in single file in section packets led by
section commanders. The advance party would then lead each section to its section deployment
area and the Platoon HQ to a suitable location in the centre of the base camp. Each section
would be in a state of stand-to covering their front, until the stand-down was signalled. All
actions were based on field signals so as to eliminate any tell-tale noise which could alert the
enemy. Only after the harbouring drill was completed, were the troops allowed to organise
their shelters for the night or the duration of the base camp, while stand-to and stand-down
were activated by a pre-determined code which would be tapped out on a tree trunk or log, as
such noises would not be out of place in the jungle. Stand-to was activated before dawn and
before dusk as SOP, partly to adjust for changing light conditions and required every soldier to
be at his perimeter defence position until stand down. Listening posts and sentry points were
placed around the perimeter at suitable distances to provide adequate reaction time for the base
in case of enemy approach or detection. Daily passwords were disseminated for any activity
outside the perimeter including patrols, while all departures for outside activities and returns
into the perimeter had to be escorted by sentry personnel along a pre-arranged secure route. If
time permitted, the base camp defences would be enhanced with obstacles.
Following the demonstration, platoon level harbouring was practised, initially around Pasir
Laba and later, in the Mandai forest reserve on an overnight deployment. But, the main part
of the training on patrolling involved section level recce (reconnaissance) patrol exercises
in the Pasir Laba/Lim Chu Kang area, during which the patrols were required to locate
checkpoints or other installations and bring back descriptions of the site, ‘enemy activity’ at
the site, and other details on which they would be debriefed by instructors who had planted
a variety of data and ‘enemy activity’ at the checkpoints.
One of the more exciting aspects of the programme was training on riverine patrolling in
the Seletar River. Aluminium assault boats were used. Trainees sat in an all-round defence