Air Fronts: FM 21-25, Elementary Map and Aerial Photograph Reading - CHAPTER 12. The Army On the Map

CHAPTER 12: THE ARMY ON THE MAP

When the army moves onto the land, it also moves onto the map of that land. There are symbols on a map for the activities of the army, and these signs make sense, just as the ordinary signs on a map make sense. In this chapter are a number-but not all-of the more important military symbols. In FM 21-30 you will find information on this subject.

Kind of Unit

The symbols for different kinds of army units are not only very simple, but they are connected with -the nature of the militarv activity itself. You will notice this by  comparing the photographs with the symbol which illustrate the unit or activity. The basic symbol for an army unit is a rectangle (fig. 127). We put a little staff on the rectangle (fig. 128) and make a flag out of it; that means a command post  or headquarters. The flag represents the unit comander's flag, which always used to be at his headquarters tent.

Figure 127                                   Figure 128

Some arms are shown simply by abbreviations, as in the following list:

Size of Unit

The size of a unit is also shown by little signs. A squad is shown by a single dot (fig. 141); a section by two dots, and a platoon by three. A company is shown by a single line (fig. 142). The following list shows you these signs, in order, as the unit gets bigger:

Figure 141                                   Figure 142

Using the Unit Signs

We combine these singn, a rectangle, and numbers and abbrevations to show exactly what unit we mean. For example:

Other Symbols

Following are some of the more common symbols which stand for kinds of military activity.

Figure 143                                   Figure 144

An observation post is simply a triangle, and we indicate whose observation post it is by the same marks as we use with the rectangle. For example, the sign for the observation post of A battery of the 2d Artillery Battalion is shown in figure 143. Supply points are indicated by circles (fig. 144). Inside the circles, other symbols show what kind of supplies are there. For example, in figure 144, the crescent-moon means food, because food is usually brought up during the night for the next day; the oil funnel stands for gasoline and oil; and the shell stands for ammunition.

Figure 145 shows the - symbol for gassed areas. To show a unit defense area, we draw a line around it with the sign for whatever unit it is. For example, a squad defense area is shown as a line with the squad symbol in it (fig. 146).

Figure 145                                   Figure 146

Following is a selected list of other military symbols:

 Colors

On military situation or operation maps, the enemy troops and installations are shown in red, our own, in blue. Figure 147 shows what our map of Sackville and vicinity -looks like with military symbols on it.

Figure 147