Fm 3-97.61 pdf download

Inform and Influence Activities. Space Support to Army Operations. The Army In Multinational Operations. NBC Reconnaissance. Military Police Operations. Military Police Leader's Handbook.

Law Enforcement Investigations. Civil Disturbance Operations. Military Working Dogs. Police Intelligence Operations. Chemical Accident Contamination Control.

The Infantry Rifle Company. The Infantry Weapons Company. The Infantry Battalion. The Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Pathfinder Operations. Mechanized Infantry Platoon and Squad Bradley. Army Support to Security Cooperation. Improved Target Acquisition System, M Javelin Medium Antiarmor Weapon System. Tactical Employment of Nonlethal Weapons.

Crew-Served Machine Guns, 5. Crew-Served Machine Guns 5. Mortar Fire Direction Procedures. Light Antiarmor Weapons. Grenades and Pyrotechnic Signals. Grenades And Pyrotechnic Signals. Tactics In Counterinsurgency. Map Reading and Land Navigation. Map Reading And Land Navigation. Civil Support Operations. Combined-Arms Breaching Operations. Environmental Considerations. Engineer Reconnaissance. Topographic Operations. Engineer Diving Operations.

Topographic Surveying. Military, Nonstandard Fixed Bridging. General Engineering. Engineer Prime Power Operations. Army Prepositioned Operations. Deployment Fort-to-Port. Appendix B contains a measurement conversion chart for your convenience.

Submit changes for improving this publication to doctrine benning. Subscribe Now! Sign In Sign Out. Site maintained by: John Pike. FM Training for Mobilization and War. FM Northern Operations. FM Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. FM Desert Operations — 24 August FM Counterguerilla Operations. FM Decisive Force.

MCWP Historical Study — Night Combat. MCDP 1 Warfighting. MCDP Tactics. MCRP MCWP Counterintelligence. Establish a multi-point anchor system using a bowline on a bight or any other appropriate anchor knot. Situations may arise where, due to the length of the rappel, the rappel rope cannot be tied to the anchor if the rope is used to tie the knots, it will be too short to accomplish the rappel. The following techniques can be used:.

The rappel rope will have a fixed loop tied in one end, which is attached to the anchor created. Use this loop to create an equalizing or pre-equalized anchor, to which the rappel rope will be attached. Due to the inherent dangers of rappelling, special care must be taken to ensure a safe and successful descent. Climbers at the top of a rappel point must be able to communicate with those at the bottom.

During a tactical rappel, radios, hand signals, and rope signals are considered. For training situations use the commands shown in Table Table Rappel commands. Allows only one man on the loading platform at a time and ensures that the rappel point is run orderly.

Ensures that each man is properly prepared for the particular rappel: gloves on, sleeves down, helmet with chin strap fastened, gear prepared properly, and rappel seat and knots correct if required. He also ensures that the rappeller is hooked up to the rope correctly and is aware of the proper braking position.

Clears the route, placing loose rocks far enough back on ledges to be out of the way, which the rope may dislodge. After the rope is cleared and the rappeller is off rappel, he acts as the belayer for next rappeller. When carrying equipment or additional weight, a modified L-shape is used with the legs slightly lower than the buttocks to compensate for the additional weight.

The rappeller's back is straight. He looks over the brake shoulder. The guide hand is extended on the rope with the elbow extended and locked. The rope slides freely through the guide hand. The guide hand is used to adjust equipment and assist balance during descent. The rappeller grasps the rope firmly with the brake hand and places it in the brake position.

Releasing tension on the rope and moving the brake hand regulates the rate of descent. The rappeller never lets go of the ropes with his brake hand until the rappel is complete.

Tying Off During the Rappel. It may be necessary to stop during descent. This can be accomplished by passing the rope around the body and placing three or more wraps around the guide-hand-side leg, or by tying off using the appropriate knot for the rappel device. After almost all personnel have descended, only two personnel will remain at the top of the rappel point.

They will be responsible for establishing a retrievable rappel. Establishing the Retrievable Rappel. To set up a retrievable rappel point, a climber must apply one of the following methods:. Place the rope, with the bight formed by the midpoint, around the primary anchor. Join the tails of the rappel rope and throw the rope over the cliff. Tie a clove hitch around a carabiner, just below the anchor point, with the locking bar outside the carabiner away from the gate opening end and facing uphill.

Snap the opposite standing portion into the carabiner. When the rappeller reaches the bottom, he pulls on that portion of the rope to which the carabiner is secured to allow the rope to slide around the anchor point. Adjust the joining knot so that it is away from the anchor.

Tie a clove hitch around a carabiner just below the anchor point with the locking bar outside the carabiner away from the gate opening end and facing uphill. Upon completion of the rappel, pull the rope to which the carabiner is secured to allow the rope to slide around the anchor point. Retrieving the Rappel Rope. The next to last rappeller will descend the lane, removing any twists, and routes the rope for easiest retrieval.

Once he reaches the end of the rappel, he tests the rope for retrieval. If the rappel is retrievable, the last man will rappel down. Once he is off rappel, he pulls the lane down. During military mountaineering operations, many types of rappels may be used. The following paragraphs describe some these rappels. Hasty Rappel Figure The hasty rappel is used only on moderate pitches.

Its main advantage is that it is easier and faster than other methods. Gloves are worn to prevent rope burns. The hand nearest to the anchor is his guide hand, and the other is the brake hand. At the same time, he turns to face up toward the anchor point. Body Rappel Figure The rappeller faces the anchor point and straddles the rope.

He then pulls the rope from behind, and runs it around either hip, diagonally across the chest, and back over the opposite shoulder. From there, the rope runs to the brake hand, which is on the same side of the hip that the rope crosses for example, the right hip to the left shoulder to the right hand.

The rappeller leads with the brake hand down and faces slightly sideways. The foot corresponding to the brake hand precedes the guide hand at all times. The rappeller keeps the guide hand on the rope above him to guide himself--not to brake himself.

He must lean out at a sharp angle to the rock. He keeps his legs spread well apart and relatively straight for lateral stability, and his back straight to reduce friction. The BDU collar is turned up to prevent rope burns on the neck. Gloves are worn, and other clothing may be used to pad the shoulders and buttocks. To brake, the rappeller leans back and faces directly toward the rock area so his feet are horizontal to the ground.

Seat-Hip Rappel Figure The seat rappel differs from the body rappel in that the friction is absorbed by a carabiner that is inserted in a sling rope seat and fastened to the rappeller. This method provides a faster and more frictional descent than other methods. Gloves can be worn to prevent rope burns.

Then insert a locking carabiner into the two carabiners with opening gate on brake hand side. Then run the rope through the single carabiner. This helps to keep the rappel rope away from the harness. If using a right-hand brake, stand to the left of the rappel rope facing the anchor; if using a left-hand brake, stand to the right of the rappel rope.

Place the rappel rope s into the locking carabiner; slack is taken between the locking carabiner and anchor point and wrapped around the shaft of the locking carabiner and placed into the gate so that a round turn is made around the shaft of the locking carabiner Figure Any remaining slack is pulled toward the uphill anchor point.

If a single rope is used, repeat this process to place two round turns around the shaft of the locking carabiner.

Face the anchor point and descend using the upper hand as the guide and the lower hand as the brake. This method has minimal friction, and is fast and safe. However, care is taken that the rope is hooked correctly into the carabiner to avoid the gate being opened by the rope. Loose clothing or equipment around the waist may be accidentally pulled into the locking carabiner and lock stop the rappel. For this reason, the rappeller must tuck in his shirt and keep his equipment out of the way during his descent.

Figure-Eight Descender. The figure-eight descender puts less kinks in the rope, and it can be used with one or two ropes Figure Place the small eye into a locking carabiner. To reduce the amount of friction on the figure-eight, place the original bight into the carabiner and not around the neck of the descender. Less friction requires more braking force from the rappeller.

The brake hand goes on the slack rope. The brake is applied by moving the brake hand to the rear or downward. Other Devices. Many different types of devices are similar in design and operation to the basic plate. These include slots or plates and tubers. Follow manufacturer's directions for using these devices for rappelling.

Extending the Rappel Device. The rappel device can be extended using either a piece of webbing or cordage to move the device away from the body and the harness, preventing accidental damage Figure It also allows for easier self-belay. Self-Belay Techniques. A friction knot can be used as a belay for a rappeller Figure The knot acts as the brake hand when the rappeller must work or negotiate an obstacle requiring the use of both hands.

The knot acts as a belay if the rappeller loses control of the rope. The one-rope bridge is constructed using a static rope. The rope is anchored with an anchor knot on the far side of the obstacle and is tied off at the near end with a tightening system.

A one-rope bridge may be built many ways, depending upon the tactical situation and area to be crossed crossing a gorge above the tree line may require constructing artificial anchors. However, they all share common elements to safely construct and use the bridge: two suitable anchors; good loading and unloading platforms; a rope about 1-meter waist high for loading and unloading; a tightening system; and a rope tight enough for ease of crossing.

Which side the tightening system is utilized, or whether an anchor knot or retrievable bowline is used, depends on the technique. A suitable crossing site must have "bombproof" anchors on both the near side and far side. These anchors must be extremely strong due to the amount of tension that will be placed upon them. Natural anchors, such as large trees and solid rock formations, are always preferred. The site must also have suitable loading and off-loading platforms to facilitate safe personnel movement.

The transport tightening system provides a mechanical advantage without requiring additional equipment.