How do soldiers determine if enemy soldiers who are in the prone position are dead?
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So in situations where having a POW could be very impractical and using materials that could otherwise be used on your own hurt soldiers we were taught to keep firing on any fallen enemy until we are within 10 feet. I mean yes its brutal. But war is never really pretty.
Grandad was hit by a mortar and shredded his back up. Left for dead. Several days later, US troops showed up, was ordered to loot bodies of ammo, etc.
Someone went over to my grandad and looted him. Grandad grabbed his arm and said, “Hope you’re not leaving me here.” Strapped to a tank and slowly made his way back home to UK.
So, the majority of the time, they probably don’t have a clue until right up close or have been monitoring after prolonged periods of time.
As you advance on the position, any body that you see would be shot a couple more times prior to walking up on it.
In my experience, clearing the EKIA of hazards was the responsibility of attached EOD personnel.
Well, during Iraq, Marines and soldiers were allowed to conduct dead checks. After an enemy combatant was shot down, they’d shoot rounds into the body to ensure they were dead.
It sounds like a war crime, but it wasn’t. It was a modified rule of engagement due to enemy combatants feigning death or serious injury, and then would use a grenade when Marines or soldiers closed in to tend to their wounds/take them prisoner. The enemy wanted to kill themselves and take service members with them.
historically you would have teams roaming the battlefield who would be either collecting wounded for treatment or imprisonment depending on what side they were on. or to finish them off to loot the corpse of any weapons, usable armour and so on.
this was done historically with spears. you’d just walk upto a body and give it a good poke with the blunt end. or just stabb it with the pointy end.
then it was done with bayonetts and then with an extra bullet.
now there’s laws and stuff in the way of that and Im unfamiliar with how it works now so someone else can answer that.
but yes after a battle it was often a case of “lets see what good shit the enemy had. and if they’re still alive. well lets correct that mistake.”
Judging from the Ukraine war videos I’ve seen pop up every now and then, double tap is usually the way to go unless they surrender willingly before-hand.
And I can understand, given reports about russians ‘surrendering’ while hiding a grenade on themselves to take out more enemies, war is awful.
Infantry here.
Some hard truths:
1. As you assault through, you shoot everyone with a weapon within 1m of them. Again. Unless they’re making a visible attempt to surrender. There’s a procedure for that too.
2. You clear a corpse as a buddy team, both rifles on the guy, if he moves at you, you shoot him again. eyeball flick/tap is the fool-proof method to see if someone’s actually dead. They can’t suppress that reaction. It’s a reflex not a pain response. You can also see a wounded guy breathing. There are several methods that are circulated like kicking the body in the nuts that don’t work because you’re going to move the whole ass body when you do. Some people, particularly the unconscious don’t react to getting kicked in the shit, but the blink reflex is present until someone dies.
3. All wounded enemies not putting up a fight get treated by a medic, restrained and evacuated to the MPs for detention and follow on medical treatment.
Real conflict isn’t like video games, you’re not in this mad dash to rush to the end screen. If you’re taking a building, or an area, you stay there and the bodies will be taken care of, weapons collected, depots and more reports written, then the after meeting, and maybe a few follow up after meetings
Real war is terrifying and boring beyond most peoples wildest idea.
If you’re talking in the middle of combat, recon by fire works.
After a gun fight, the muzzle brake is rather hot. Touch their eye lid with it to see if they react to the sizzle.
We marked the dead, using the iron cross position and removing their weapons. If you don’t know if they’re dead when approaching, it’s safe to shoot them again, given the situation at the time. Eye pokes, sternum rubs, and a smack to the nuts makes anyone move though, as stated by a few comments already.
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