Standard Stormtrooper Intermediate Training Course
  
HOW TO ATTACK AND CLEAR DEFENDED BUILDINGS
Regardless of a structure's physical characteristics or area type, there are four interrelated requirements for attacking and clearing a defended building. They are:
•  Fire Support
•  Assault
•  Movement
•  Reorganization
Proper application and integration of these requirements reduce casualties and hasten accomplishment of the mission. The degree of application of some requirements is determined by the type building to be attacked and by the nature of adjacent urban terrain. For example, numerous areas with numerous open spaces   require increased fire support to suppress/obscure enemy gunners while infantry units move across open terrain.Conversely, in areas of numerous covered routes will decrease fire support requirements.
  
FIRE SUPPORT
Fire support and other assistance to enhance the advance of the assault force are provided by an overwatch force. This assistance includes:
•  Suppressing/obscuring enemy gunners within objective building(s) and adjacent structures.  
•  Isolating the objective building(s) with indirect/direct fires to prevent enemy withdrawal, reinforcement, or counter-attack.  
•  Breaching walls en route to and in the objective structure.  
•  Destroying enemy positions with direct-fire weapons.  
•  Securing cleared portions of the objective.    
•  Providing replacements for the assault force.  
•  Providing re-supply of ammunition and explosives.  
•  Evacuation of casualties and prisoners.
  
The size of the overwatch force is determined by:
•  Type and size of objective building(s).    
•  Adjacent terrain, which detemines open or covered approaches.    
•  Organization and strength of enemy defenses, which determines what firepower is required to suppress/obscure enemy gunners.

Depending on the situation, the overwatch force may consist of only one squad fire team, with Imperial Repeater Rifles, grenade launchers, and heavy multi-shot flame weapons, to support another fire team's assault. In situations involving a larger assault force, a platoon or company, reinforced with hovertanks, engineers, and self-propelled artillery, may be required to support movement and assault by an adjacent platoon or company. Upon seizure of objective buildings, the assault force re-organizes and may be required to provide overwatching fires for the displacement or assault by the overwatching force.
Technique of Fire
Each weapon is assigned a target or area to cover. Individual small arms place fires on likely enemy weapon positions, like loopholes, windows, or roof ledge areas. Snipers are best employed in placing accurate fire through loopholes or engaging long-range targets. Multi-shot flame weapons and grenade launchers direct their fires through windows or loopholes.
Thermal Detonators and Land Mines, in conjunction with Imperial Repeater Rifles, are employed to penetrate walls constructed of light material, barricades, and window barriers on the ground level of structures. Hovertank main turbolasers engage first-floor targets and breach walls for attacking infantry. Tank laser cannons engage suspected positions on upper floors and in adjacent structures. In addition to destroying or weakening structures, tank main missile projectiles create casualties by hurling debris throughout the interior of structures.
Artillery and mortars use delayed action fuzes on rooftops and ledges to cause casualties among defenders within the structure by high-explosive, shrapnel, and falling debris effects.
  
MOVEMENT
The assault force (squad-platoon-company) minimizes enemy defensive fires during movement by:
•  Using covered routes:
Through underground structures.
Through or behind secured buildings.
Through streets (rubble, vehicles, etc.).
•  Moving only after defensive fires have been suppressed or obscured.
•  Moving at night or during other periods of reduced visibility.
•  Selecting routes that will not mask friendly suppressive fires.
•  Crossing open areas (streets, space between buildings) rapidly under the concealment of smoke and suppressive fires provided by overwatching forces.
•  Moving on rooftops and ledges that are not covered by enemy direct fires.

In lightly defended areas, the requirement for speed may dictate moving through the streets and alleys without first clearing all buildings. Under these circumstances, the maneuver element should employ tanks, if available, to lead the column, closely followed and supported by infantry. If the infantry is mechanized, it should remain mounted until forced to dismount. It should remount to cross open areas. When dismounted, rifle elements move along each side of the street with leading squads keeping approximately abreast of the lead tanks. When not accompanied by tanks, rifle elements move in single file along one side of the street under cover of fires from supporting weapons. They are well dispersed and move quickly. Each man in the leading element is detailed to observe and cover a certain area, such as second-floor windows on the opposite side of the street.
  
ASSAULT
The assault force, regardless of size, attempts to close on the flank(s) or rear of an objective building. If the building is located on a street with numerous adjacent buildings under enemy control and an envelopment is not feasible, a frontal attack is required. Alternatively, the assault force can initially clear nearby buildings and then attack the final objective simultaneously from the front and flanks.
In the following example, the assault force has been organized into two teams; each team is assigned an entry point on the ground floor. Preferably, entry is gained through walls breached by explosives or laserfire. Assault teams avoid windows and doors as entry points because they are usually covered by fire or are booby-trapped.
Immediately prior to the assault, suppressive fires are increased on the objective and continue until masked by advancing forces. Once masked, such fires are shifted to upper windows and continue until assault forces have entered the building. At this time, supporting fires are shifted to adjacent buildings to prevent enemy withdrawal or reinforcement.
Assault teams close on the building rapidly; however, prior to entry through a breached wall, window, or smashed door, a Thermal Detonator is thrown inside. Immediately after the explosion, assault teams enter and spray the interior with laser fire.
Once inside the building, the first task is to cover with laser weapons the staircase(s) leading to upper floors and the basement; and, secondly, to seize rooms that overlook approaches to the building. These actions are required to isolate enemy forces within the building and to prevent reinforcement from the outside. Previously designated teams clear each ground floor room and then the basement.
Room Clearance
A searching team (two-trooper minimum) is assigned to clear one or more rooms. When entering a room avoid touching door acess panels. Either shoot the panels to open the doors, open the doors through computer system hacking, or blast the door open with Thermal Detonators or Land Mines. Whichever method is used, throw another Thermal Detonator into the room. After detonation, one trooper quickly enters, sprays the room using either a Stormtrooper Rifle or Imperial Repeater Rifle (preferred), and takes up a position where he can observe the entire room. At this time, a second trooper enters and conducts a systematic search.   Avoid clearing each room in a repetitive manner.
Basement
If there is a basement, it should be cleared as soon as possible, preferably concurrent with clearance of the ground floor.
Securing Upper Floors
Frequently, stairways will be blocked with land mines and booby-trapped. Stairs are usually covered by enemy fires, and entry into the stairwell can easily be denied by defenders throwing thermal detonators into the stairwell. Avoid stairways whenever possible. Select room(s) that have ceilings intact and place a heavy detonative explosive charge against the ceiling. The resultant explosion should kill or stun defenders and provide uncontested access to the next floor. After securing an initial foothold, the remainder of the floor is cleared.
Clear Basement
Occasionally, buildings can be cleared from top to bottom. In block type constructions, assault forces may outflank an enemy position by seizing an adjoining structure, breaching through the walls in upper stories, and clearing downward, floor by floor. Stairs are guarded by friendly security elements, but not used. Entrance to lower floors is gained by breaching the floor/ceiling with explosives and/or using lowering rope to enter the lower floor. Enemy mouseholes to lower floors are used only after a thermal detonator has been dropped into the lower room. After detonation, a search team enters and clears the room.
In situations where assault forces are masked from enemy fires, access to the top floor or middle floor may be gained by using   escape shutes, downspouts, grappling ropes, or ladders. If a middle floor is reached, assault teams clear that floor first, then upper floors, and finally lower floors.
Where to enter a specific building is one of the critical decisions for platoon and squad leaders. The normal rule of thumb is to enter at the highest level possible to minimize the amount of upstairs fighting and to avoid enemy heavy-weapons positions, which will usually be located on lower levels.
Other considerations which will affect the decision on the point of entry are the availability of access means to upper storeys and the cover and concealment in the area. Often a squad or platoon leader will have to evaluate the relative risks of scaling the side of a building or clearing upward from the ground floor. Clearing from the bottom up may be the most frequent method in isolated, detached construction.
  
REORGANIZATION
In a captured building, reorganization of the assault force to repel enemy counter-attacks must be rapid. After securing a floor (bottom, middle, or top floor), selected members of the assault force will be assigned to cover potential enemy counter-attack routes to the building. These sentinels alert the remainder of the assault force to approaching enemy forces and place a heavy volume of fire on the enemy. These troopers cover/guard:
•  Enemy mouseholes connecting adjacent buildings.
•  Covered routes to the building.
•  Underground routes into the basement.
•  Approaches over adjoining roofs and ledges.
As the other members of the assault force complete search requirements, they are assigned defensive positions. After the building has been completely cleared, the following actions are taken during reorganization:
•  Replenish and/or redistribute ammunition.
•  Mark building to indicate to friendly forces that the building has been cleared.
•  Cover advance of overwatch force or assume overwatch mission and support assault on another building.
•  Treat and evacuate wounded.
•  If the building is to be occupied for any period of time, start development of a defensive position (Module 3).

Assault Fundamentals
The following fundamentals are to be considered when assaulting buildings:
•  Each soldier must know his responsibilities and his role in the overwatch or assault force.
•  Close and continuous co-ordination is required between the overwatching and assaulting forces.
•  Each assault member must know his entrance point into the objective building.
•  When conducting the initial entrance into a building, avoid using doors and windows. Use explosives or shell holes to gain entry.
•  Make intelligent use of cover.
Avoid windows, door, and hallways. Streets and open space between buildings are killing zones, so use suppressive fires, cover, and smoke when moving through these areas.
Use buildings adjacent to the objective to mask enemy fires in the final assault.
•  Thermal Detonators.
                     Avoid, unless absolutely necessary, throwing thermal detonators at upper windows or upstairs; they may
bounce back.
                     Use thermal detonators before entering the building, basement, and all rooms.
  
                   Vigorously throw thermal detonators into rooms so they bounce about, denying the enemy an opportunity to throw them back.

•  Use rapid laser fire when entering and clearing a room.
•  Do not open doors by hand or attempt to kick them open. Either shoot the door open by firing heavy assault weapons through the door or blow the door in with explosives.
•  In buildings with lightly constructed interior walls/floors use Imperial Detonators and Land Mines to clear rooms by throwing/placing them at walls, ceilings, and floors. Land Mines are very effective in this role.
•  Avoid set patterns of clearing; vary entry methods from room to room and floor to floor.
•  Boobytraps.
Be constantly alert for them in doors, windows, halls, stairs, and concealed in furniture.
Do not attempt to deactivate them; mark for later disarming by trained engineers.
Use previously cleared routes where possible.
If the boobytrap must be removed by untrained personnel, evacuate building; destroy in place with explosives, re-clear the building.
  
•  Assault and room-clearing teams should consist of at least two troopers.
•  Avoid initial entry of building through middle floors; clear up or down; keep the procedure simple.
•  Re-organize assault teams for defense of captured buildings immediately.