442ndRCT Soldier's Forum

Question: In Saving Private Ryan, you'll hear Captain Miller (the Tom Hanks character) use the term "defilade" a lot.

What does the term "defilade" mean?

Websters says=defilade means to arrange fortifications so as to protect the lines from frontal or enfilading fire and the interior from fire from above.

enfilading is a noun

What does it mean to an infantry soldier, If it is shouted at the squad?

What should or would an infantry solider, do if he hears this shouted out?

Um... pull out his trusty issued M1 dictionary and look it up?

Is this another SPR screwup ?

I am guessing here now but the soldier would go to a pre assighned position and defend that position.

Watching SPR on my PLA DVD, I will stick my neck out and say-"I don't know why they are saying defilade?"

The first one I guess is address to Jackson the sniper.
I would think Miller would of just said-
"Jackson, see that hole, use that for cover to shoot at that machine gun nest."
The word 'cover' being used instead of defilade.

I can't recall if defilade was a common term in WW2 field manuals, or if it is a Dale Dye(sp) term.

It take some research, "use google" - A soldier should aways take and use cover, but the word and the answer has more depth. And like all answers there are several variations.

Here is some examples

Sergeant Horvath:"We're in business! Defilade! Other side of the hole!"
Go to this site and listen to one example, here Sgt Horvath uses the phrase.
http://www.moviesoundclips.net/sound.php?id=91


This has come up before

I was watching saving private ryan and in the movie on omaha they say the word "defilade", in the sentence "That should give you complete defilade from that machine position"


Here is an example outside of the movie

Even simple things like how to Flank an enemy position, or setting up defilade and enfilade fire would be useful.


One Day in War: Don Malarkey and the 101st Screaming Eagles

Malarkey crawled up to a hedge, pushed his way through the vegetation, and peered through. Not far in front of him he saw the outline of one of the 105’s dug in well under heavy camouflage netting. Winters had scratched together a plan and it was time to get into the war. In an orchard just outside of Brecourt, Winters ordered each man to line up and spray four clips into the general area of the gun positions. As the men fired away, Winters ordered Malarkey to cross the field to set up a defilade position. Taking a deep breath, Malarkey got ready to run. Just then the gravelly voice of Sgt. Buck Compton called him back. Compton makes the run himself, disappearing through the dense underbrush. Now the sixty man German garrison is alert and returning fire in all directions.

Enfilade,
A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis such as trench, column or rank.

Defilade,
A unit or position is "in defilade" if it is protected from direct exposure to enemy fire such as reverse slope, indirect fire from mortars or artillery.


If i am right do i win a cookie?

Close enough

Answer:

During group movement on foot, maintaining certain formations help minimize disadvantages if attacked, or maximize advantages when attacking. One of the primary concerns here is the enfilade. "Enfilade" is a fancy foreign word (with no English equivalent) for a situation in which troops are alligned such that one bullet or burst could go through two or more men.

In Saving Private Ryan, you'll hear Captain Miller (the Tom Hanks character) use the term "defilade" a lot. Defilade is another fancy foreign word which means, roughly: deny the enemy an enfilade.

For each formation, you will need to assign a hand signal. You might want to assign "On Line" both a hand signal and a whistle command, since there are some situations in which you might come under fire before your men are deployed in this formation.

1944 response via Ft Benning
(a) When the guns are employed to deliver enfilade fire,
full advantage is taken of the depth of the beaten zone.
Enfilade fire is fire in which the long axis of the beaten zone
coincides with the long axis of the target. (See fig. 5.) Oblique
fire takes partial advantage of the depth of the beaten
zone. Although not as remunerative as enfilade fire, it can
be delivered with a minimum of maneuver. Frontal fire
against a shallow target, such as a line of skirmishers, and
flanking fire against targets of little width should be employed
only when the terrain and other factors of the situation
make it necessary. Fire against these types of targets
fails to take advantage of the depth (length) of the beaten
zone, but its use may be essential to establish fire superiority
or to repel a hostile counterattack.

I'm just a poor dumb bleedin Irishman, lol. I hope you gossoons don't be expectin me to be after rememberin dem fancy French terms now?

Yeah, I'm doing good to remember which end of my rifle to point at the enemy!

The interesting point is when in formation, not to line up in perfect angles or lines. Also to watch out for "direct line of shot"

Dem kruddy krauts are in for it now.