How-To Defend Your Retreat Location

How-To Defend Your Retreat Location

by MaterielGeneral

For those of you that are new and have no tactical training and are wondering how you can defend your retreat, this is what this article is geared for. Keep in mind it is written for your survival after a complete collapse or WROL (without rule of lay) situation only. For information purposes only.

OK, you have your retreat, some are secluded, and some are not so secluded. How are you going to defend it? I will give you some basics to follow. I’m not perfect and this article will not be perfect. It will get you to think and to get advice from other people with more experience.

Chain of Command

The person with the most tactical experience should be the leader and followed. Combat arms veterans should be designated as squad leaders or something similar. Non security issues such as planting a garden should be ran by the most experienced person but overseen by the military commander so that security is not compromised. Remember this is survival.

Threats

First, take a minute and look at the retreat from the outside looking in. How would you attack this location? What avenues of approach would you take? Isolation is a great defense but it is not enough.

If you have neighbors and a lot of them, are they prepared, armed? Predators will be attracted to areas of easy picking. After the SHTF you may want to talk to your neighbors and find out so that you can unite and provide mutual support if one is attacked. Better yet you may want to have some sort of conversation now and form a mutual assistance group (MAG). If you don’t think it will be good then work on another location for a retreat. Use your best judgment.

There are several different types of attacks that you could experience. The first one and most common would probably be the exposed or frontal attack. This attack is where looters or other semi organized groups simply charge your perimeter with inaccurate fire or coordination. Your scouts and guards should alert you in plenty of time to react to this attack.

Another type of attack that you may experience is the Stealth or covert type of attack. This is will probably be the most dangerous to your group. This is when an attacker takes advantage of the darkness and attacks at night, usually early morning when your guards are the most vulnerable and tired. Attackers using this type of attack may have military or other training. Having alert guards and early warning devices is your best defense.

You may experience a scout or intelligence gathering type of attack. This is where an advanced party reveals themselves to you to see what your reaction is, what type of firearms you are using. It is best to respond initially with .22LR and shotguns. This may draw them into an exposed attack or they may simply withdraw to report their findings to the main attacking force and then the main force may attack exposing themselves. You can then respond with your larger calibers and high capacity rifles and improvised security devices, maybe hide a small team nearby to hit the main force in the rear during their attack to cause confusion and disarray.

Operation Security (OPSEC)

As you organize you will need to create and implement standard operating procedures (SOP). SOP will be the rules that you live by, train by, react to in defense. They will basically create your OPSEC.

Guards are mandatory! You will want roving guards and stationary. Stationary guards will be the most concealed because the human eye will pick up movement. The best camouflage will not help you. Your guards will be your quick reactionary force to immediately put fire down range until the rest of the group can deploy. A group member must never be further from their weapon than an arm’s reach. Preferably the weapon will always be on them. When doing manual labor this is not always possible. It is very important to instill this into your members.

Use psych-ops, if you are being attacked by an enemy in small numbers, respond with .22 rifles and a couple of shotguns. The attack may just be a way for your possible enemy to feel out your defenses and come back later in force. Then you respond with your assault rifles and other gadgets. Show no mercy eliminate your threat fully to the extent that you can. Prisoners will be a burden and then what do you do with them? Send them down the road so they can come back later to attack again? Remember this is survival without rule of law (WROL).

Never, ever let any stranger into your retreat area. Stop them at your gate or further away. The closer to your retreat someone gets the more they can see and they will be able to tell what kind of defenses and weakness you have. If the person is instructed to stop and they refuse, you eliminate them (WROL). Chances are it may be somebody that wants to barter. You still stop them a ways away from your retreat until you have established a long term relationship with them. If you do allow a straggler to come in, give a complete strip search or at least a pat down. Watch them very closely if you will integrate them into your group. Assign a shadow to this person for 24hr observation even if it is a kid that sanctuary has been given to. Children have been used as spies throughout history. Keep the person confined indoors for at least a week to begin to prevent the person from running off right away with Intel. If they are a spy, maybe the larger force will have moved on after a week or two of waiting.

Camouflage, obtain military camo nets and use them for your retreat and fighting positions to conceal from threats that may be a distance away. Try not to be easily located.

Perimeter Defense; ideally it would be nice if you had a fence (type depends on you) around your retreat location with a gate for your primary in and out movements. The fence is meant to slow the enemy down not stop them. You will want a hidden emergency exit in case you have to retreat. Your gate will be your weakness. Make it so that it will funnel an attacker into a kill zone.

You will want interlocking fields of fire covering the gated area. I would add stuff to your fence to make it harder to cross over or thru, barbed wire, concertina wire, boards with nails sticking up thru them on both sides of the fence on the ground. You can use other tools to help protect you also. There is a device that uses a 12 gauge blank, flare, teargas round or? that is intended to help protect your perimeter. Yes this could be converted to be used as a man trap but it is very illegal to do so and remember it is like a land mine and is not recommended , it would kill indiscriminately and if used further away from your shelter. A deer or other animal can set it off.

You can also use an electrical device to warn of intruders; Voice Alert 6 it is basically a motion sensor that sends a signal to a receiver and then the receiver alerts you of the zone in your own recorded voice ex. “movement on the northern perimeter”. It has a range of 300 feet through walls and up to 1000 feet in open space. You are allowed up to six sensors.

There are several similar devices on the market, some cheaper, some more expensive. This is the model I chose. It’s affordable and it got good reviews.

The old simple method of adding cans to brush or wire so that they will jingle if they are moved may be an option.

I hope I haven’t scared anybody off yet, remember this is survival.

You will want to have OP and LP (observation/listening) posts established in areas that will offer great fields of view. You may want to obtain military camouflage netting to help conceal the hide location. The hide will not be very large and must look like part of the landscape. How will you communicate with the hide? You can use military wired field phones (preferred) and you can also use hand held radios. Make sure if you use the radios you use communication security (COMSEC), preferably you don’t even use them (radio silence) unless the OP/LP has something to report.

You will want to send out scout patrols every day. Scouts will be your eyes and ears. Use at least two members’ minimum for a patrol. How far out should they patrol? That will depend on your location and your intent. Scouts can be used for detecting the enemy, deer hunting to supplement your supplies, and investigate abandoned building/residences for supplies. The latter being very dangerous.

You could be shot buy a home owner on the down low. You may decide to have the patrol report the grid co- ordinance to base and a different team picks up the game or investigates a possible resupply in force. Your scouts will be your sniper teams also. They should be excellent marksman.

You can buy sandbags off of eBay, surplus stores and Amazon. Sandbags will absorb the shock from being hit unlike wood which will splinter and concrete that will chip and shatter. If given a choice, always choose the synthetic one over the burlap style. Burlap will rot over time, the synthetic ones will not. You probably will not use them until after the SHTF. Once it does you will want to dig defense fighting positions strategically around your retreat area.

It will take hundreds if not thousands of bags to supply your fortifications. Basically you will be building a Vietnam era style fire base. Even if your retreat buildings are made out of concrete, I would add sandbags to the walls of buildings about 4’ high to further protect you during a fire fight to prevent the concrete blocks from being shattered. When you build your fighting positions make sure you place them so you have interlocking fields of fire. Make a range card so that personnel will know the range to different land marks.

Tactical Withdrawal

As mentioned above you will want a back door for your perimeter to use in an emergency to make a tactical withdrawal. You will want bug out bags always ready to take with. Make pre-planned rally points and have members memorize their locations. At these rally points you will want to cache supplies a head of time. In the cache you will have items that you will need to supplement your BOB and to survive such as first aid, shelter, ammunition, food and some back up weapons and whatever else you may think is important to have. In another location further away you may want to make an emergency shelter like a cabin in the woods for a more permanent base of operations until you can re capture your retreat or until you can find a replacement.

Topographical Maps

A lot of people undervalue topo maps. With topo maps you can see the terrain and elevation, water sources, buildings, avenues of approach. You can recon with topo maps. You can set a meeting place with coordinates with the maps latitude and longitude features. You can download free topo maps from the U.S. Geological Survey at You can download them for free on .pdf format or you can buy printed ones for 8.00 each, plus shipping. You can download a free add on for .pdf from the USGS website that allows you to see the grid coordinates where ever your mouse is at on the .pdf topo map . Look on the lower left corner of the website. Look for the Terra Go Technologies link.

With topo maps, you will want to have GPS units to help with locations, routes etc. Don’t let a GPS be your only navigation aid. Always have a magnetic compass available for use.

Optics and other equipment

You will want to provide your OP/LP and strategically placed guards with binoculars or spotting scopes so that they can see any threat or ally from a distance and to provide early warning. For night time you may want to consider an amplified audio aid called “Bionic Ear” to allow your LP to hear any distant audio such as talking or walking with clanging equipment. If finances allow you may want to consider night vision and thermal devices. Stay away from cheap generation 1 night vision equipment as they suck. Generation 3 is much better and worth the investment.

If you’re willing to settle for generation 1, then you may want to consider night vision meant to be toys call Eyeclops and Modern Warfare 2 night vision goggles. They basically run off surveillance camera technology. They use infrared lights and you can see approximately 50+/- feet with them. You can extend that range with an infra red lens on a flashlight. If you can afford generation 3 devises then you may want to consider a thermal device. Thermal cameras and sights detect heat. You can buy devices in color but many are white hot/black hot meaning white hot will show the heat source detected in a white pattern with colder surroundings being a darker color vise/versa with the black hot.

I do not like the color models. The white/black hot models are simple and easier to detect the heat source when you’re looking at the optics. With the best camouflage in the world you cannot hide from thermal. You can see thru smoke. Heavy fog will hide you as fog is a blanket of cold. Hiding within heavy brush will conceal you as long as the thermal does not see you directly. If a part of a person is not within cover then the thermal will detect the heat.

Communications Security (COMSEC)

Some will argue for complete radio silence and that should be your goal, but you probably won’t be able to fully achieve that goal. For most preppers, they are not going to be able to afford any exotic and expensive radio systems. Most will be using a FRS/GMRS radios. Try to buy the best ones that you can. Remember that just because it says it can transmit 20 Miles, it won’t. It’s rated 20 miles on flat terrain that has no trees or other obstructions. After adding in the hills and trees you will get lucky with 3 miles out of it. Make sure the model you pick will have sub- channels on it. It will lower your chance that someone will monitor your conversation. Make sure you buy one that has a place for a push to talk ear bud to plug in. I like and prefer the Garmin Rino series of radios. They combine the FRS/GMRS radio with a GPS. If you pay extra for the map software you can download topo maps to the GPS.

If you have patrols out, you have to have the ability to communicate with them. If you are being attacked you have to have the ability to communicate for command and control purposes.

You will need to develop excellent radio procedures. Develop call signs and code words, make a series of different Brevity Matrix, for example it’s basically a spread sheet. Use numbers across the top and the alphabet letters down the left side. In all of the squares to the right of the letters and below the numbers you will put pre printed warnings, requirements or whatever you can think of. Use this on the radio instead of a lengthy transmission.

For example “Red six, this is Red two, 3-Juliet”. 3-Juliet could mean send your location. How would you know that? On your Brevity Matrix you would go horizontally across to the letter J, and then you would go down that column to where the J column meets the 3 column. In that box would be “Send your location”. It is very simple and proficient. Make several different ones and change them every 24 hours in case a patrol is captured and their Brevity Matrix is confiscated. The point of it is to keep radio traffic to a minimum and to have the ability to have an encrypted conversation.

BREVITY MATRIX OPERATIONS, AUTHENTICATION EDITION___TIME PERIOD______
↓→ / A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L
01 NUMBERS / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 15
02 MOVEMENT / PREPARE
TO
MOVE / MOVE TO
RALLY POINT__ / COME TO MY LOCATION / I AM MOVING / MOVEMENT COMPLETE / OBSTACLE AHEAD / INBOUND YOUR LOCATION / MOVE TO ALT POSITION / ARE YOU MOVING / TACTICAL WITHDRAWL
03 LOCATION / CROSSED
START POINT / I AM IN
POSITION______ / MY
LOCATION IS_____ / LOG PACK
LINK UP / AT RELEASE
POINT / LINK UP A
T CO-ORDINATES___ / SEND YOUR
LOCATION____ / EFFECT CO
ORDINATION AT / OCUPY ASBLY AREA AT / SEND YOUR LOCATION
04 LOCATION / CROSSED
LD / ETA YOUR
LOCATION__ / GO TO
CHECK POINT #_____ / TRAINS
LOCATED AT___ / FAAR
LOCATED AT___ / FORW ELEM
FROM_TO_ / LZ LOCATED
AT__ / ROUTE OF
MARCH IS CP # / REQ COURIER AT TIME_ / COURIER WILL BE AT_ TIME
05 INTEL / ENEMY IS
NORTH / ENEMY IS
EAST / ENEMY IS
WEST / ENEMY IS
SOUTH / ENEMY
LOCATED AT__ / ENEMY
PRESENT__ / ENEMY AIR MOB IN PROGRESS / ENEM;Y FORCE IN REAR / ENEMY HALTED / ENEMY ADVANCING / ENEMY FLED__ DIRECTION / FOUND SPEC PRISON INFO__
06 COMBAT
ACTION / PREPARE TO FIRE / IMPROVE YOUR POSITION / I AM PREPARED TO FIRE / BUTTON UP / UNBUTTON / DISENGA MOVE TO AA IN REAR / RECEIV ARTY FIRE_ / MOVE NOW / WHEN CAN YOU MOVE / WILL MOVE IN 30 MINUTES / LP/OP ESTABLISHED
07 ORDERS / CHANGE OF MISSIO FOLLOWS / ORDERS GROUP A AT__ / ORDERS GROUP B AT__ / EXECUTE CHANGE MISSION / Support Unit has Change Of Mission / EXECUTED ON ORDER MISSION / EXECUTE OPORD#_ at_ / ARE YOU IN POSITION / GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF UR ASS / SEND SITREP
08 LOGISTICS / I NEED CLASS I / I NEED CLASS III / I NEED CLASS V / I NEED CLASS IX / CANCEL__ RESUPPLY / ___ROUNDS REMAINING / ___ROUNDS REMAINING / REQ IMMEDIATE RESUPPLY__ / CAPTURED__ VEHICLES/TYPE / CAPTURED__ WEAPONS/TYPE / CAPTURED FOOD / CAPTURED__ CASES OF__
09 LOGISTICS
S4 / WHERE IS CMCP / CMCP AT__ / DESTROYED SYSTEM AT__ / __SYSTEM NON-OP / NON-OP SYSTEM OPERATIONAL / WHERE IS FIELD TRAINS__ / COMBAT TRAINS AT__ / __GALLONS DIESEL ON HAND / __GALLONS MOGAS ON HAND / SEND SUPPLY OF__
10 SECURITY
LEVEL / RED / YELLOW / WHITE / HOLD / TIGHT / FREE / DYNAMITE / LOOKOUT / IMMED CBT ACTION / NEED YOUR REPORTS
11 NBC / CHEM CONTAM AT__ / DOWNWIND CHEM HAZARD__ / DOWNWIND NUKE HAZARD__ / INIT UNMASK PROCEDURES / CHEM ATTACK EXPEXTED AT__ / RADIACTIVE CONT AT__ / ASSUME CHEM MOPP LEVEL__ / ASSUME NUKE MOPP LEVEL__ / NEED DECON AT__ / NEED SURVEY AT_(TIME/GRID)
12 RECOVERY / NEED MTRS CONTACT AT__ / NEED SYSTEM CONTACT AT__ / NEED COMMO CONTACT AT__ / VEHICAL DOWN AT__ / MEET RECOVERY AT__ / TAKE ALT ROUTE / ASSEMBLE AT__ / MEET ME AT__(TIME/GRID)
13 REAR / EMERG VERIFIED RED CROSS / RETURN TO REAR ASAP / BATTLE ROSTER / TYPE OF EMERGENCY / DEATH IN THE FAMILY / DEPENDENT IN HOSPITAL / SM UNDER CONFINEMENT / _TRP IN REAR WAITING TRANS / RETURN FOR MEETING AT_
14 AMMUNITION / 7.62MM / 5.56MM / 7.62X39MM / 7.62X54RMM / 50 CAL / 0.45 / 9MM / GRENADES / ANTI-TANK / GROUND TO AIR
15 PRISONER/
ENEMY / __OF ENLISTED PRISONERS / __OF OFFICERS PRISONERS / __PRISONERS/ CALIBRATORS / TRANSPORT IMMEDIATELY / INTERROGATOR NEEDED AT__ / INTERROGATOR__MEET AT / __WOUNDED PRISONERS / KILLED__ENEMY / CAPTURED___

Part of your communication SOP you will have reports, such as the acronym S.A.L.U.T.E..