The understanding we always had with the TA was that they would fight the big one, the clue was in the name really, well until 2014 at least. Genuine question because I do not think that Guardsmen do dislike public duties to the extent you suggest. As far as anti-tank weapons are concerned, these tend to be issued according to the threat faced. Your fantasy FF2020 is pretty much identical to mine, but I want three brigades of each type, for 1 in 3 rotation cycle. Hence a few questions. The Quartermasters Platoon will be comprised of support staff whose job it is to manage and distribute material and other resources to each of the rifle companies. A colonel is generally in command. A battalion may also contain a combat support company. Germany Army Unit Organization 1942-45 > WW2 Weapons No, I am asking us to attack the sacred cows of ceremonial roles to put troops in combat formations ! But each platoon then gains four or five extra soldiers. Indeed, I can see Warrior being used for the next ten, fifteen, even twenty years. The battalion organization allows the commander to scale his force to accept like-type additional infantry or intelligence organizations. 1. I have always been rather sceptical that public duties require two battalions plus the incremental companies. In turn each rifle company consists three platoons. Theyre generally headed by a four- or five-star general. A common structure with an identical headcore for each bataillon and protected mobility for each of it would therefore create an force which in the case of the UK forces would be to small to fight in closed terrain and would not achieve the necessery critical mass there and to the opposite would not have enough fighting power to achieve victory in open terrain against an more tank heavy but despite of its higher fighting power smaller and therefore more faster and agile enemy force. Finally, a REME Detachment will provide repair and recovery services for all Battalion Armoured Vehicles. 37mm Introduction Purpose of Organization.--The purpose of military organization is to secure the most effective use of the men, weapons, and other resources of a body of troops. Military They are not man-portable. U.S. Army Units Explained: From Squads to Brigades to Corps - THIRTEEN For the light infantry company the building blocks are: Soldier>Fire Team>Squad>Platoon. I suppose they might have a home defence role or be trained as medics or something, but they would be on a specific contract and would not be deployable. I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. Vehicle tools, pegs for the troop shelter and bits like that that dont live in the side or back bins usually go under the left bench, the right has the hydraulic ram for the back door under it and a big tray for the rations. (Please click on the image for a larger version) Operating in pairs, the No.2 will have a L129A1 DMR. (c) distributed as required when regiment is broken-up in detachments. An infantry fire team might include two riflemen, one of whom is the team leader; a grenadier and an automatic rifleman, who is used when small reconnaissance or special missions are required.. I of course being TA/Army reserve would have any idea how to be a Regular Army medic keep my medical competencies up etc as I do the job five days a week and not spend an inordinate about of time counting tent pegs. It normally consists of a headquarters and three or more companies. Army Infantry Division Infantry Battalion (AEF) of the Infantry Regiment Rifle Company (1917 1921) Army Air Service Monoplace Pursuit Group of the Monoplace Pursuit Wing Monoplace Pursuit Squadron (1918) Marine Regiment Infantry Battalion (AEF) Rifle Company (Sep. 1918) Army Regular Division Regular Brigade Regular Infantry Regiment (1861 1867) Basic Organization of the Canadian 'Infantry (Rifle) Battalion' on New Zealands cavalry troops are structured in this way, having 46 soldiers in six NZLAVs (18 crew, 28 dismounts). A company is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the assistant. Thisproposal is in-line with what rifle companies already have. The total then is simply calculated as 18338. What if you disbanded the reserve artillery regiments and added reserve batteries to your regular regiments? With a 7.62mm MG, 7.62mm DMR and 6 shot 40mm GL in each section I would not want to follow the Yanks direction to an overly powerful 6.8mm AR for everyone. This is because the Army Reserve Infantry works to a 1 in 3 model whereby a battalion-strength Reserve unit is expected to muster one third of its strength for a deployment. The specialised infantry are acknowledged not to have a primary combat role and if these are left unchanged then the increase is 2050. So back to my original question , can firepower and manoeuvre replace infantry mass, at least for armoured infantry units for the missions they will be used for, while maximizing boots on the ground for protected mobility Battalions which would have a different primary mission set ?? A group consists of four or five field armies and between 400,000 and 1 million soldiers. My preferred direction is to to look at a common organisation for the Armoured and Mechanised infantry, and a different organisation for light infantry including air assault. As I said in a previous comment, IFVs do require all THREE crew to be properly effective. With the 1 + 35 structure, platoons can change their configurations with relative ease. The wagons overall capability is diminished because youre tasking a soldier to do two soldiers jobs in an incredibly stressful situation the middle of a firefight! For all modern technology, gunning and commanding really require two people, else you have an ineffective platform. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably. The Universal Infantry Battalion Wavell Room I think that wider structures, instead of ten BCTs we should look at the French and Australians. Clambering out of the turret, the other problem I have with this idea of max capacity is that there is no flexibility for transporting additional personnel (for example: terp, MFC, A/Pnr, EOD, blokes whose wagon has been hit, casualties etc) or carrying extra stores. This can either be decided before hand by the squad, or when contact is made the team that makes contact first becomes the supporting element. You say this would enhance their professionalism. Traditionally, most British regiments have had more than one battalion. When infantry commanders are able to plan around having 36 soldiers in all circumstances, this is bound to have a positive impact on training, tactics and procedures. Either way possibly improving retention and a quality of life issue for regulars who may need some acclimatization to civilian life. Perhaps in Armd/Mech it could even be comverted into a 120mm Mortar Pl, complementing the 81mm which can struggle in the faster-moving and dispersed Armd battle? of US Divisions, Corps and independant units that served in Italy. 100th Infantry Battalion | Densho Encyclopedia The elements in the organizational chart for the U.S. Army span from the individual soldier all the way to the largest building block commonly used, the Corps. A U.S. Army battalion includes the battalion commander (lieutenant colonel), executive officer (major), command sergeant major (CSM), headquarters staff, and usually three to five companies, with a total of 300 to 1,000[31] (but typically 500 to 600) soldiers. firepower and protection yes (which would possibly be over kill), but at the expense of a massive logistical footprint. This is because a battalion's complement of ammunition, expendable weapons (e.g., hand grenades and disposable rocket launchers), water, rations, fuel, lubricants, replacement parts, batteries, and medical supplies normally consists of only what the battalion's soldiers and the battalion's vehicles can carry. In the late 1980s, there was a fourth "line" company added (DCompany) in most infantry and tank battalions. Starting Discussions About Defence Issues. Some armies are looking at 40 mm medium velocity grenades to reach-out to 800 metres. 1. Light Role Battalions are likely to need fewer mechanics, so there is room for downward adjustment. This option maximises dismounted mass. 40mm is under used in general in my opinion. www.canadiansoldiers.com The infantry community has a problem. That might work for armoured Infantry or Boxer based mechanized infantry, where the infantry are close protection for armoured vehicles, or their closely supporting artillery firepower. The figures given for the number of soldiers carried, number of dismounts etc. The US Marine Corps already adopts a similar approach to the one described here. 40mm MV is would be an excellent addition to the ammo mix in sections bit there will be some work for the SASCs to update Pams and traces so unlikely to happen. Organization, Strategy & Tactics - The Napoleon Series The Civil War led to the establishment of the first American staff school in order to train officers in the art of order transmission and execution. By embedding these assets at the battalion and brigade levels these organisations get used to working autonomously and are supported by more CSG as each level moves up. From the 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) and A, B, and CCompanies, plus a combat support company (CSC), with a scout platoon, 107mm (4.2 inch) heavy mortar platoon, along with other elements that varied between organizations. To deal with 3 points infantry mass, use of TA, and number of vehicles, which are all interconnected: 1. Great conversation going here, I am squished onto public transit in 30 c temps in Ontario, so please excuse typos ! United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into Battalion Landing Teams (BLTs) as the ground combat element (GCE) of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). 300 BLK ). In the United States Army, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two to six batteries, companies, or troops. Fired from multi-shot launchers, these can reliably deliver HE at distance. General Frederick Weyand, from. Is it time to recognise that for platoons to have sufficient dismounted mass in lower-capacity IFVs we now require five or six vehicles per platoon? Battle Order We have personally given to the UNHCR's efforts to help those affected by war in Ukraine. Beginning in the early 1980s, some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the headquarters company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organization (ground surveillance radar and air defense), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (ECompany). On each side behind the benches is a shelf for personal kit (actually designed as a rack for a couple of LAWs). One of the most significant changes in military structure was the introduction of the United States Colored Troops in 1863, the first official military integration policy. In deployment in current year, it would be common for a Light Rifle Company to be equipped with 4 MRAPs per platoon and 2 MRAPs per headquarters section. To differentiate them from field armies, groups are usually written with Arabic numerals (example - 12th Army Group) as opposed to having their number written out. I have been asked many times about our Army infantry structure in Vietnam. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy Landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? Warrior can only carry four dismounts comfortably with full scales and definitely not more than six so manpower is neutral in armour (you could even have a two man surplus (9+9+9+7=34) who could crew the Coy HQ wagons. Either way, this creates a requirement for 1 officer + 23 other ranks. . Prior they would have travelled in an M1165A1 HMMVW, although any mark of HMMVW that was available likely would have been used. Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101Battalion REME). This is why the dismount numbers vary a bench seats however many can fit, a seat is for one. Service Company, a support unit of a Regiment It could be the primary weapon and role of squaddie per section to be the grenadier. Table of US Divisions Is putting the GPMG back Into the section enough to ditch 12.7mm or 40mm GMG from a heavy machine gun platoon in the Support Company ? For dismounted infantry, the US Army is looking at .338 (8.59 mm) medium weight machine guns to provide increased firepower and range. 338 MMGs are going to make GPMG SF obsolete. Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment - Wikipedia worn on US uniforms. Armored DivisionTable of Organization and Equipment. Unless you seek to change the structure of Reserve TACOS call-up liability then keeping reserve battalions paired to regular battalions is a good way of being able to generate an extra company of volunteers. Also in such an modular overall force you can also much more easily deploy and re-role then only tank units or only infantry units and this would the increase the strategical mobility and the overall flexibility of the UK forces imo very much. A nominal structure of 1 officer + 19 other ranks is proposed. I thought of this after reading your article on assault guns. The 100th Infantry Battalion, initially made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans from Hawai'i already in the army prior to World War II, represented the first group of Japanese Americans to see combat during World War II. Instead, why cant be we be open to moving beyond the status quo of four vehicles per platoon? Significantly, you would reduce the Reserve Infantry from 16 battalions to just 33 rifle coys and so lost not just 15 rifle coys but lost all the support weapons specialists and G1/4/6 troops. Its more the lack of balance than PD itself. Ground Combat Element (GCE) = Marine Infantry Battalion Landing Team (BLT) Aviation Combat Element (ACE) = Composite . Are you implying that there is a problem with their professionalism and, therefore, competency? Does it have to be infantry? The BTR battalion also featured an anti-tank platoon with four AT-3 Sagger or AT-4 Spigot launchers and two 73mm SPG-9 recoilless guns; BTR units on high-readiness status sometimes had six missile launchers and three recoilless guns. This is an excellent weapon. Do we need to simplify the rank structures of UK Armed Forces? US Army Table of Organization and Equipment - Federation of American I really disagree with the LMG being retired. within a Battalion was designated as a Heavy Weapons Company and it was This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. The size of this sub-unit must be sufficient to support the tracked vehicles of Armoured Infantry battalions, so a Detachment structure of 1 officer + 37 other ranks is proposed. In addition, each section now has an organic 7.62 mm L7A2 GPMG gunner plus a designated marksman with the 7.62 mm L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle. Police. This would truly maximise the boots on the ground and moreover at the same time the tanks in the open and moreover the overall agility, speed, deployability and so on because of smaller units sizes for both the infantry and the Bronegruppa Tank Units (which are complete seperate independent units) which then can assist them if the need arises. Increased use of the reserves suggests to me that government wants to underpin our foreign adventures on the cheap and at the expense of the regular army. Division Organization - 25th Infantry Division Association Over time, the regiments were turned into battalions, the reserve units amalgamated and more regular units raised and disbanded. You wouldnt task the Mortar No4 to act as CPO and lay and prep fuses and fire and correct all on his own as a matter of routine, would you? The heavy battalions on Boxer and Warrior would be different. The U.S. Army's Infantry Rifle Platoon consists of a platoon headquarters, 3 rifle squads, and 1 weapons squads. Fireteam A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. GROUND WAR. TO&Es OF LARGE UNITS: GERMAN AND SOVIET ORGANIZATION IN 1941 If you look only at the bataillon here one should realize that a bataillon because of its small size is very insufficient for any real infantry combat in terrain which is suited for infantry. Because of the protected mobility this general purpose infantry would become to slow, to few and to dependent on specific logistical assets. I really like your idea of sharing public duties! The battalion must have a source of re-supply to enable it to sustain operations for more than a few days. The battalion was a standard tactical organization throughout the 20th Century, and overseas deployments were usually done with formations . and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (BatteryA, CompanyA, TroopA, etc.). on Bushmaster as their ride. The three commanders of the U.S. forces during the Vietnam War were: General William Westmoreland, from 1964 to 1968. 1. However, there is no escaping from the fact that a 40 mm grenade packs much less HE than a 51 mm mortar bomb. A platoon consists of a few squads and up to a few dozen soldiers. This page describes the organizational structure of a typical US Infantry Division. This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel. In a trentch or a building 5.56mm belt feds are superb. A heavily loaded German infantry unit marching into a new position on the Eastern Front in 1943. A HIMARS trucker mounted single pod MLRS rocket launcher has only a crew of 3. The captain is responsible for the direction, training, and welfare of those below him. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or .