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.
- Remembr, your weapnos 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 Bush
- 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.
