BASIC

EVASION
TECHNIQUES
by Jess McElroy
attitude of "it couldn_'t
should be countered With "1t
to me, but if it does, I will be prepajed."
Knowledge potential
should have. a ba,ckground knowledge,j()f
evasion and esdape principles
lated+matters:>To be forewarned is
forearmed. Knowledge of what to expect';
is important .. because when circumstan-
ces arise which have been considered in
advance, they can be carried out more
quickly an easily.
Recognize reality - a single
stration of impatience could result iri'
failure--mistakes and captivity. Patience.
is paramount. For example, night:move-
ment is slower, more demanding and
detailed than daylight movement
through strange territory; but it is in-.
correct to say that night movement is
to tough. The alternative to night move- .
men:t might be capture.
execution of plans cannot
be overemphasized, since . capture of
evaders in the past has generally been
due to one or more of the following
reasons:
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1) Untauiiliarity with emerg-
. ency equipment -
2) Walking on roads or paths
3) Inefficient or insufficient
ce.mouflage
4) Lack of patience when i:>in
ned down
5) Noise or movement--or re-.
fiection of equipment
6) Failure tQ have plans if sur-
prised by the enemy
7) Failure to read signs of
enemy presence
8) Failure to check and recheck
course
9) Failure to stop, look and
.listen frequently
10) Neglecting safety measures
when crossing roads, fences,
streams
11) Leaving tracking signs be-
hind
12) Underestimating time re-
. quired to cover distances
under varying conditions
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Evasion requires extreme Qaution and
steady nerves. One of the chief causes
of nervousne.sjmd subsequent debility
is lack of slet)p: It is t)SSential to have
plenty of tindi&tmbed sleep. A hideout,
if possible, should be warm, dry, and
oomlortable and locilted.' ,so that there
will be little charicc:i of,)its', occupant
being disturbed.
An evader's feet
are hi6J most impor-
tant physical asset,
and must be given
every consideration
to keep them in
good condition.
Wherevet an evader finds himself,
food will be important. He should be able
to live off the land. Food should be stolen
only when theft has no chance of being
detected. Though an evader may be short
of food, fl. goof} supply of water will keep
him going for some time.
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Travel - when far behind enemy lines,
night travel is preferable (after mid-
night if possible). After establishing his
general direction or specific goal, the
evader must still select a route.
Choose a route which gives best ter-
rain features for guidance. Avoid areas
with too thick cover (trees, bushes,
brush) because it will only increase
the possibility of the evader making
too much noise as he moves. When reach-
ing clearings, stay near the edge or go
around rather than cross the middle of
them.
Always watch the skyline, since an
enemy sentry's only field of vision on
a dark night is the skyline. Knowing
this, he stands low in order to watch
spots or stretches where evaders will be
silhouetted.
Avoid single or lone objects. Rest in a
group of trees or bushes, rather than
near a single tree or bush. A guard's
attention is attracted more often and for
longer periods of time by single objects
rather than a mass.
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Survey roads where they curve andre-
connoiter in bOth directions before cross-
ing. Beware of' Ul.lr\tesroad.blocks or
gu8.rd posts &NJ apt to be located 'Oil' or
nearthem. '
Practice stop and .go movement at
night. Travel a.S though hunting. The
evader sees and hears; much more by
moving short distances; then: stopping to
look and listen before moving again.
Move With periods of sileht smvey; it
may be slow, but it is safer than,con-
ettant motion.
Avoid rfmnirig at night--the enemy
can hear the evader's direction of travel
and chances of injury at"e very great.
Run only when circumstances call for
extraordinary measures.
The evader should camouflage his
person and eqUipment in accordance
with local cover, and change camou-
flage when cover changes. Attention
mum also be given to avoiding serious
falls. during night t ~ v e l Personal in-
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juries have caused .JD&ny evasion at-
tempts to fail.
Use sounds and noises. The sound of
a stream, moving train, a high wind,
heavy rain, a truck convoy, etc., can
cover sounds of your movement. In
crossing a dangerous area, wait until
some natural sound or noise provides
audio cover.
Use of formations- either because of
escape or multiplace aircraft. Consider
both the amount of light and the terrain.
In pitch darkness, there is no moon, no
reflections from cities, no artificial or
northern lights, etc. so evaders can
'travel very close together. Bad weather
reduces visibility and also enemy alert-
. ness. A single column--hands on the next
guy--is best for maintaining contact and
receiving signals. Each evader should
have a specific direction in which to
watch.
If there is any light at all, spread
out. The more light there is, the greater
the distance should be between evaders.
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However, evaders, should not spread out
beyond limits of their communications.
Flexibility change formation as ter
rain and light conditions change. Every
evader should beih contact with at least
one other evader. security of the
group is no better than the alertness of
each individual.
Night communications no human
sounds should be made. Use hand
signals, arm signals, or tappmg sounds
made by tapping two rocks or pieces

of wood together (do not use metal).
Areas to be avoided as a general
rule, wJ:ten terrain permits, the evader
will avoid valleys and crests of hills
when traveling through the countryside.
He will ford streams instead of attempt
ing to use bridges.
In determining the most direct route
to the destination, note the towns and
villages and other obstacles to be avoid-
ed, as well as the possible and best lo-
cations for food, water and shelter. In
general, the best plan is to follow a
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series of (jog legs, scouting out paths,
trails and .forest boundaries if within
20 degrees of your heading.
If possible, a prom-
inent landmark should
be chosen in the de- Q
sired direction of trav-
el, and as this is ap- / /
. preached, another one
farther away should
be lined up.
The only safe land-
Jilarks are natural
as riv-
ers and hills. It is best
to develop.a conscious-
ness for watersheds
and contours, and an
instinct as to the slope
of . the ground to be
traversed.
Concealment - full use should be made
of natural cover (ditches, hollows, em-
barkments, folds in the ground) and con-
cealment (trees, bushes, dead falls).Con-
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cealed routes should be used when
possible and movements should be made
rapidly as possible when crossing
open areas. should be directed
towards avoiding silhouetting oneself
against a contrasting background or the
skyline. Care should be taken to ensure
that nothing on the person 'Will refiect
light or otherwise attract attention.
Tracks should be concealed as far as
possible by traveling on hard ground
or when fDllowed by dogs, in water. Great
care should be taken to leave as few
tracking signals as possible. Such things
as overturned stones, b:roken branches,
unconcealed droppings, are a great asset
to a pursuer.
Most often it is safer to travel along
a road at night. The evader must be pre-
pared to himself off-road at a
moment's notice.
Ridges -whether .the evader chooses to
travel on ridges below the crestline,
along valleys or streams, on existing
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routes or Will be det-=:r-
mined by the situation and the environ-
ment--topography, climate . and vegeta-
tion. However, traveling on a ridge
(below crestlj.ne) is often easier than
moving in a valley . or along a stream.
Along a ridge, vegetation is usually less
dense, the ridge itself serves as. a guide, .
land.marks .are .. seen more easily and .
there are fewer streams .and swamPs
to cross. Care, however, must be given
. to concealment by avoiding skylines. .
Streams and valleys - following. a
stream generally requires fording, de-
1?uring, and penetrating thick vegeta-
tion. In mountainous country, travel
may be impeded along the stream by
waterfalls, cliffs and tributary valleys:
In fllll.t country, streams tend to meander,
vegetation may be dense, . observation
points rare and swamps common. Even
so, following a stream presents some ..
In a strange country it
proVldes a comparatively definite course.
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Also, rivers and streams are a source
of food, water and a possible means of
travel by boat or raft.
Mountains mountainous or deeply
eroded country offers special difficul
ties. What appears as a single ridge
from a distance may prove to be num-
erous ridges and valleys all of which
must be crossed to reach the main ridge.
The best course in the mountains is to
follow valleys or ridges, not to travel
at right angles to them.
CliffEf and Slopes . if it is necessary
to climb or descent a cliff, attempt to
choose a route that appears to offer hand
and foot holds, cracks and ledges in an
unbroken path from top to bottom. Every
hold should be carefully tested before
trusting weight to it. Weight should be
distributed evenly on two or more spots
particularly when traversing loose rock:
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may consist
of loose rocks. If the I
slope is of fine . mat- ..
erial, avoid if possible.
If not, the . . .
should turrl slightly
in descend-
ing, keeping joints . -....,
loose, taking a diag-
course and using
long steps or jumps.
If the slope is of
course material, or
large rocks, the evader
should descend more
carefully because
loose rock might roll
und& his weight.
Rock falls are fre-
quent in rugged coun-
try. should,
therefore, avoid trav-
eling at the b8$e of
cliffs or slopes where
these falls could occur.
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Alertness - the evader must ever be
on the alert so that he will not be sur-
prised by enemy movement. He should
continually scan the countryside and,
like a wild animal, stop and remain
motionless and listen at intervals.
He should move silently, trying not to
alarm birds or animals whose cries
might give warnings of his presence.
Bearings should be checked and rest
should be taken frequently. A slow,
steady rate of travel will enable an
evader tor travel much farther more
comfortably than a fast rate which will
exhaust him in a short period of time.
The success of an evasion or escape
depends largely upon the ability of the.
evader to orient himself and meet and
overcome obstacles to his movement.
These will be many and varied, but
kDowledge, aided' by thought, ingen
uity, common sense and a natUral in-
stinct for self-preservation, will solve
most of the problems. One of the most
important thing is to AVOID PANIC.
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When in doubt, find a safe hide-out, ~ i t
down and think it over. Establish a dir-
ection and keep cool. More o t ~ n t h ~
not, a reasonable course of .action will
present inself.
OLD CHINESE SAYING: The good
Lord gave you a brain and a
behind--use one to save the
other.
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