What can you really hear in combat?

In many war movies I've seen, which are my only point of reference, orders are passed verbally and conversations of other types are done without screaming during combat.

I have been to many auto races and know that most of the time during racing conditions normal conversation is nearly impossible. I can only imagine that combat is far louder and far more confusing.

For those of you that have been in combat, 1st, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din. 2nd, is anything other that the general noise actually audible? 3rd, have you sustained any permanent hearing damage? One time at a friends house a few of them brought some pistols and a spur of the moment target shoot took place, and since I wasn't prepared for this I didn't bring my hearing protector and developed a case of tinnitus that lasted for several years and still is there at times, although not nearly as severely as before. I know that my experiences working on race cars and attending races didn't help and likely made things worse.

 

Thanks slipdigit, I did do a search but guess I didn't use the correct terms.

 

Not having been in real combat but as a Civil War reenactor its very hard to hear anything when there are hundreds of rifle muskets going off beside you and with the sounds of the cannons going off. Ihave sometimes had to were earplugs to help. But I have always had a hard time hearing afterwards. But Im lucky because I have suffered from tinnitus since my youth so I cant really tell the difference LOL.

 

JC do you mind expanding on your thoughts just a tad? Are you able to actually hear any verbal orders during the gunfire in the reenactments or do you rely entirely/partially on what you see happening?

I would think that during battle this is an incredible handicap, although I'd assume roughly the same handicap for both sides?

In modern combat is there radio communication through helmet systems or something? I haven't seen Blackhawk Down for some time but if I remember correctly they had something like that then. If so is this reliable?

Thanks again to any and all contributors for their input.

Jeff

 

It really depends on the intensity and proximity of the fire on what you can hear and for how long you are exposed to it. After awhile your hearing does tend to get a little harder. When in a battle reenactment I look to my fellow unit members and my Sergeant as to what the orders are. There are also the bugle calls and the drums that are use to issue commands And they are usually loud enough to hear and understand. Though standing nearby when a 6 pounder or 12 pounder cannon goes off you cant hear anything for a little bit. Then everything is done by hand signals. LOL

 

I've been in a couple of firefights and I was able to hear the commands being yelled out by team leaders. I was able to tune out the combat while I was doing my job. All I can say is that it seemed surreal.

Now there was no bombardment directed at us so it could have been different if there was. Later, there was a bombardment against the enemy via Apache gunships and it sounded more like a thump versus a loud sound.

 

PzJgr

Thank you for your input to my question and far more importantly for your service to our great nation.

 

The "fog of war" contributed to limited visability and the ability to hear commands. In addition to what JC mentioned concerning bugle calls and drum beats meaning different things to a soldier, so did hand and arm signals. For example, if a soldier placed his hand directly in front of his face, palm out, and raised it up and down in a rapid motion, that meant "cease fire." If a soldier sighted the enemy during an advance, he merely extended his arm that was holding his weapon and pointed it towards the sighted enemy position. This would alert the rest of the patrol and the patrol leader of immediate danger or action. Of course everyone who has seen a war movie knows that when a soldier in front of a column raises his hand, we know that means "halt." There were hundreds of signals, and they varied from army to army. It's been awhile since I've been on active duty, so many of the signals are forgotten.

 

You have to be on the ball. Eye contact is important, since it is the only way to gauge the mental state of your lads. Hand signals work, and shouting is imperative.

Combat takes many forms. Not all are sound intense. Chattering of machine guns is bad enough when you are a few feet away. Since everybody knows the commands, it is not neccesary to hear every word. When things go wrong it is surprisingly often due to a junior leader trying to do some sort of ninja trick, rather than commonly understood and practised drills.

As for damage to the hearing. I have reduced hearing, most on my left ear as a result of an unexpected mortar fire.

I remember back in 1996 one of my riflemen got tinnitus after a drill where we were ambushed and tried to get fire superiority. Our skirmish line put him to close to the next mans barrel.

 

Once again, many thanks to the veterans for your input to the thread and much more so for your service.

Jeff