MECHANIZED OPERATIONS
North Korean mechanized forces comprise the exploitation forces of their army. The mission of mechanized forces is to exploit the success of first echelon divisions in penetrating ROK defenses. These are the forces that the Dragon Force will fight.
The increased speed and mobility offered by mechanized forces is a significant increase in north Korean capabilities. Many historians believe that it was a lack of this kind (and this amount) of mobility that cost the north Koreans a victory in the Korean War. Knowing this they developed a large number of mechanized units which are capable of conducting independent operations in South Korea.
Mechanized forces of the nKPA are very different than mechanized forces in the American army. The majority of north Korean mechanized forces are truck mobile. A truck mobile unit is transported to combat aboard cargo trucks. The trucks transport the infantry soldiers to a dismount point where they enter the fight as foot infantry. Truck mobile infantry is required to dismount earlier then infantry forces that are transported to battle in the VTT-323 (the north Korean APC).
North Korean mechanized forces fight the same as their infantry counterparts. They use the same formations and fight with much of the same equipment. In the case of units equipped with the VTT-323, they employ the 14.5mm machinegun much the same as an American Bradley crew uses their 25mm.
MECHANIZED INFANTRY BATTALION FORMATIONS
March
The mechanized brigade march formation mirrors that of the infantry regiment. A mechanized brigade’s advance guard is a mechanized battalion.
The advance guard precedes the main force on the same route as the reconnaissance unit and provides movement security and warning. The advance guard of a mechanized brigade is a mechanized battalion reinforced with an artillery battalion, engineers, and anti-armor equipment.
The advance guard detaches a forward security element (FSE) to its front, consisting of one third of its combat power. The FSE element is a reinforced company. Preceding the FSE is the combat reconnaissance patrol (CRP). This element is normally a platoon reinforced with engineer assets and NBC reconnaissance elements. Flank and rear security for a regiment on the march is conducted by platoon size units.
Each element of the march formation is responsible with destroying enemy forces before they can slow the main body. If the unit is unable clear the way for the main body, they maintain contact with the enemy, holding them in place until the next unit in the column can join the fight.
Pre-battle
As with infantry battalions, a mechanized battalion in pre-battle formation advances with companies in column, see figure 11. A unit does not deploy laterally beyond platoon columns.