In addition to their mountaineering and demolitions expertise, Sappers are known for their sound understanding and application of patrolling principles. All combat operations are accomplished by performing a combat patrol, the patrol is simply distinguished by the tactical task it is aiming to accomplish. Actions on the Objective will differ based on that tactical task, but the rest of the patrol general remains the same.
A huge component of preparing for combat patrols is the Mission Brief / Operations Order (OPORD) Brief that leaders must give before conducting a mission. This is arguably one of the most difficult parts of Sapper School; giving a good OPORD brief can be daunting and damn near impossible.
If you want to pass Sapper School, you have to be a master of patrolling!
Fortunately for you, we've got the resources that will help you pass patrolling at Sapper School.
Before I dive into our provided resources, you should definitely get a copy ATP 3-21.8 and the Ranger Handbook (both can be downloaded for free from Army Publishing Directorate, just google it.). These two books cover patrolling and combat operations in great detail.
As for our resources, remember they are free, just download and use them!
The first resource at your disposal is a PowerPoint that does a great job of summarizing and consolidating all of the various patrols you will have to know. It can be found here: Sapper School Patrolling Basics
The second resource at your disposal is a powerpoint covering the smart way to prepare and conduct your mission briefs, as well as prefabbed Sapper Briefing Scripts for you to use! These are really, really useful: Sapper School OPORD Briefs the Smart Way and Sapper OPORD Brief Scripts
And that's it for patrolling! Be sure to check out the other posts that you need to be successful at Sapper School: Demo and Knots