Important figures in a battalion headquarters include: Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101Battalion REME). 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. Their highly publicized exploits in basic training and combat in Italy helped . Bye. If so, the Army Reserve has undergone an immeasurable transformation over the past ten years. 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. 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. 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. Public duties, which I think are widely despised and probably dont help with guards recruitment, should be shared by units on low readiness across the services as much as possible, there are probably some very colourful uniforms gathering dust somewhere that would keep the tourists happy. Two teams make up a squad, which has four to 10 soldiers. The captain is responsible for the direction, training, and welfare of those below him. This question arises a fair bit with readers of WorldWar2Facts.org, so we have compiled a table to help explain what the unit or group names mean, what units made up larger WW2 army units, the rough size of the unit, and what rank of officer or NCO was normally in charge. One company Heavy armour battalion Fantastic comments. UK Infantry battalions have a Fire Support Company with five elements. Also the logistics and training burden of all the various disposable rocket systems could be removed with CG. The basic platoon structure of the Universal Battalion assumes that individual riflemen within sections will be equipped with the 5.56 mm L85A3 assault rifle (SA80) including two soldiers with 40 mm UGLs. Steven Aftergood In my world it would be EAGLE 44 and 66 to have commonality in light and medium protected mobility. Does this need a full battalion or just a Company? A company has anywhere from a few dozen to 200 soldiers. Life would be easier if we had nets so boys could just strap bergens to the outside of the wagon. Id integrate a fourth rifle company from the TA into your battalion too, to train alongside it and to be fully conversant with its people and its methodology. Service Ill add defence inflation here, everything costs a fortune and will cost more, all the time do more with less, how much will the reserves get? The basic individual weapon in the light infantry battalion was the M14 rifle, while the airmobile unit was authorized M16 rifles. This creates a requirement for 1 officer + 44 other ranks. Do we need to simplify the rank structures of UK Armed Forces? If its not can we at least work round it by concentrating on fire and manoeuvre? So providing extra seats at platoon level should be affordable. An official website of the United States Government, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Cramming ten blokes kit in is a nightmare. AT - The number in blue is the number of men within that level of command. 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. This option maximises dismounted mass. Each infantry brigade is equipped and capable of air assault operations. C FT with SC and three riflemen, D FT with 2IC, UGL, SS, LMG (ASM/NLAWs if appropriate). Either way possibly improving retention and a quality of life issue for regulars who may need some acclimatization to civilian life. 1. Medics require a lot of expensive training and continuous clinical exposure to remain competent, in date, and able to operate in the complex world of modern combat medicine. A colonel is generally in command. The discussion has been first -rate too. corporal. So that the tanks can seperate from the infantry completly and then act as an force for their own. Now that the GPMG has been returned to rifle sections, a separate, fourth fire support platoon is no longer needed. Your email address will not be published. endstream endobj 3744 0 obj <>stream A British battalion in theatre during World War II had around 845 men; as of 2012, a British battalion had around 650 soldiers. 3 x Rifle Sect: eight soldiers. Exellent article and I just thought Id add some thoughts. (b) In principal belongs to the auxiliary service. It is a proposal discussed at length already by a host of military commentators including UKLP. You have ended my four day long hunt! On each side behind the benches is a shelf for personal kit (actually designed as a rack for a couple of LAWs). It is worth noting that the current model of the Army Reserve infantry actually achieves the endstate you seek already: generating an additional rifle company as well as generating an additional section per specialist platoon. A step in the right direction? However, what about this suggestion with platoon manning lifted to 36 as follows: Pl HQ: Pl Comd, Pl Signaller, Pl Sgt, Pl Medic. Item No. battalions While Light Role battalions will primarily operate on foot, they will still need all-terrain vehicles that support them in the field. A division would consist of 2 Brigades and a CnC org (900) there would be 8 Divisions bringing the deployable combat force to 79.2k with an army HQ (4.5k) and Support division of 22.5k personnel inc. Army reserve backing this all up. Or fortunate, as you will. Rounds and weapon will be heavier for dubious long range body-armour piercing performance. There are combat arms battalions, as well as combat support and combat service support battalions. What it does do is massively hollow out the capability and capacity of the Reserve Infantry for little tangible gain beyond having a structure which is more aesthetically pleasing on an ORBAT chart. It also gives Platoon HQ additional firepower that can be allocated to individual sections as required. 9 man sections work very well, in effect the section commander is freed up to command 2 Lcpls who then command thier fire teams. Does it have to be infantry? The tables contained in Part II of this book are the Marine Corps Tables of Organization approved by the Commandant 27 March, 1944 (with changes of 22 July, 1944). Between 1939 and 1943 the German standard infantry division contained three regiments with a total of nine rifle battalions. For historical reasons, armor and Ranger units of brigade size are called regiments, and the equivalent Special Forces units are called groups. equipped with heavy Machine Guns and 81mm Mortars(See chart for The first use of the word in English was in the 1580s. Intelligence Cell Your email address will not be published. INSIGNIA 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. unit or a light cannon One of the most readable and enjoyable articles on defence I have read recently. [27][28], A Soviet artillery battalion in the late 1980s consisted of a battalion headquarters, a headquarters platoon, a maintenance and supply platoon and three firing batteries, each with six artillery pieces, whether the self-propelled 2S1 Gvozdikas or the towed D-30 howitzers, and numbering 260 personnel or 240 personnel respectively. Automatic 120mm mortars have small crews for high firepower. Given the requirement, identify organizational structure and chain of command within the Marine Corps, per the references. This set up allows the squad to fire and maneuver at the same time, with one team able to act as a "support" element and the other as an "assault" element. A group consists of four or five field armies and between 400,000 and 1 million soldiers. Each Rifle Company had a Heavy Weapons Platoon that was divided into a Theyre commanded by a general and are considered self-sufficient for indefinite periods. Infantry Battalion Structure - Bharat Rakshak - Indian Army & Land Forces Units Infantry Battalion Structure Email Created: 12 October 2006 Written by Table of Equipment Hits: 69412 Note: Figures in Red denote the number of personnel in that particular section. After all, the Army Reserve is not the job which pays the bills. It may indeed prove a good idea if explored and developed further but I dont understand what problem you seek to solve nor what the advantages are: it will do nothing for quality of training, Reserve professionalism and competency, morale and retention or, crucially, deployability. There is a case for a light mortar to be carried by each Platoon HQ. This new structure eliminated the need to task-organize companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. What if you disbanded the reserve artillery regiments and added reserve batteries to your regular regiments? The British Army has 32 regular infantry battalions, but six different battalion types. 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. The US Marine Corps already adopts a similar approach to the one described here. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/join/mhvThis video gives an overview on the structure and organization of an US Army Infantry Battalion in 1944. How can Royal Navy Ship numbers be realistically increased? In the Royal Netherlands Army, a mechanised infantry battalion usually consists of one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry companies, and one support company, which has three platoons with heavy mortars and three platoons with anti-tank missiles (TOW). Both featured the same support units as well, with a signal platoon, supply platoon, repair workshop and medical aid station. An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, and the Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. These are: The Mortar Platoon typically operates 8 or 9 mortars each with a crew of 4 plus a Mortar Fire Controller for each detachment of 2 mortars. A battalion may also contain a combat support company. This is an interesting idea, but would impose an increased weight and logistical burden on rifle companies. The Department of Defense provides the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security. Organization of the formations and units of the German Army after the start of the Russian campaign until 1945. 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. The corps is the highest level of command that can provide operational direction for actual combat. The Table of Organisation and Equipment (TOE) is based on document from the early 80s. So Rifle Sections of 9 soldiers would work well. Encouraged by his children, Uchida began to write his memoirs when he was in his seventies . The Forward Observer and Fire Fupport RTO work as a team to direct fire support, including but not limited to company mortars, battalion mortars, and field artillery. Regimental pride is at stake. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors. So it is a very flexible number. Remember this guy? [26], Prior to the late 1980s, Soviet tank battalions consisted of three tank companies of 13 T-64, T-72 or T-80 tanks each, along with a battalion headquarters mounted in a command tank and a headquarters and service platoon, for a total of 165 personnel and 40 tanks; battalions using the older T-54, T-55 or T-62s tanks had 31 or 40 additional enlisted personnel. Linked to above hopefully we could afford extra MRV-P APC, lets say Bushmaster, and JLTV to fully equip extra reserve Coys deployed to the motorized infantry. This essentially gives us a diamond structure with a centralised support function for each unit and is creates a fully contained self supporting unit at battalion level that has everything it needs, crucially this structure allows for every battalion in the force to have 1 company at high readiness, 1 training up, 1 coming off and 1 at rest and this can revolve in 3 or 6 month cycles. The HQ Company was equipped with. However, your suggestion of four rifle sections will require even greater manpower to maximise effect. Should we be looking to bring UAVs to company or even platoon-level? Such a doctrine would also change the very nature and character of many infantry units which would then become mech-inf and therefore their thinking, their self-understanding, their military culture and so on will change. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably. It is a genuine concern that the British Army lacks sufficient protected vehicles. I like your idea: dismounted mass needs to be maximised. Total battalion headcount can be determined by considering how many soldiers are needed within each component unit type. Forgive me if Ive misunderstood, but I dont see how counting drivers makes for a bigger platoon, surely we should be counting dismounts, which given the ever shrinking number of seats and the ever increasing size of our soldiers should be 28. A company is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the assistant. In the late 1980s, there was a fourth "line" company added (DCompany) in most infantry and tank battalions. Battalion HQ will usually be comprised of 6 officers + 10 other ranks. The Combat Medic is attached from the Combat Medic Section of the Battalion's Medic Platoon while the Forward Observer and their RTO are attached from the Field Artillery Battalion. Teams can serve as a base-of-fire or as a maneuver element. The way my unit does it is to strip kit down to belt kit and daysack for fighting and then have gonk bag in a canoe bag and a single rocket pouch containing admin kit. Yn a|FKtpW"[I'nJpbR].VB`8~q}RBTw'#g( Three rifle companies with 190 men each. First Army serves as a mobilization, readiness and training command; Third Army, or U.S. Army Central, commands all Army forces for U.S. Central Command; Fifth Army, or U.S. Army North, commands all Army forces for U.S. Northern Command; Sixth Army, or U.S. Army South, commands all Army forces for U.S. Southern Command; Seventh Army, or U.S. Army Europe, commands all Army forces for U.S. European Command; Eighth Army commands all U.S. Army forces in South Korea; and Ninth Army, or U.S. Army Africa, commands all Army forces for U.S. Africa Command. @Captain Nemo To solve this problem, and to give flexibility through spare seats (needed for terps, picking up dismounts whose wagons are elsewhere and any atts and dets), to build on your idea would it be an idea to give the Pl Sgt and Pl Comd their own wagon each? It just seems a bit of an own goal to me youve got a big powerful IFV that you cant exploit fully. At present, infantry battalions have a fourth platoon that provides fire support via GPMGs. Gary Uchida was an original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion. VFHVe xC=E>wPK gk R$~(k: CQuu9#MN mb)jNE1>SCBC+l 1 Anti-tank platoons usually have 6-8 dismounted Javelin ATGM launchers. The thing about 36 is that it divides neatly a number of ways 4 x 9, 3 x 12, 3 x 10 + 6, 4 x 8 +4. The Army currently has 13 Active Component and 20 National Guard IBCTs. Instead, why cant be we be open to moving beyond the status quo of four vehicles per platoon? The newer light weight medium/ long range calibres ( eg. Troops in IFVs will additionally benefit from 40 mm CT40 cannons and 7.62 mm chain guns for support. Part of a wider CRAM matrix? A staff sergeant is often in charge. With a universal size, it is easy to see gaps and to fill them. When studying World War 2, a common question that arises is what exactly each army group or unit name means? Anti-Tank platoons do that but thats because in the anti-tank variant the left bench is replaced by racks for Javelin LTAs so there really is NO space for personal kit. endstream endobj 3745 0 obj <>stream 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. I really disagree with the LMG being retired. Go to Units Unfortunately, it is only attached if a battalion deploys and may not train often enough with the battalion to which it is allocated to achieve the desired level of integration. it would have a very vulnerable breaching capabilty and 105mm arty that is out ranged and very vulnerable to counter battery fire. Ok thats a long post so short range air defences, and infantry use of drones later !! ), probably Boxer SPH.. And sometimes Recruiting Team. @whitehaxkle I like this idea, keeps the flexibility of providing vehicle crews while improving the firepower ! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Nominally, an extra GPMG and DMR are proposed, but a light mortar or multi-role 40 mm AGL could be carried instead. Headquarters Section (2Officers, 6 Enlisted, 5 Attached), , Sergeant(OR-5), armed with 1 M4A1Carbine, , First Lieutenant (OF-1), armed with 1 M4A1Carbine, , First Sergeant or Master Sergeant (OR-8), armed with 1 M4A1Carbine, , Sergeant (OR-5), armed with 1 M9/M17 Pistol. Mortar platoons with 8 or 9 x 81 mm tubes has been proven on many occasions to be sufficient. The structure outlined translates into an overall battalion size of 32 officers + 658 other ranks or 690 soldiers in total. An armor or air cavalry unit of equivalent size is known as a squadron. Maybe if you feel they have to, actual Infantry roled Guards Battalions could have more establised posts for SNCOs and junior Officers, who could do rotations with these ceremonial Battalions. But each platoon then gains four or five extra soldiers. I have proposed just what you suggest in your comment. Officers Mess Staff The infantry battalion was a key structure in the Royal Army and thus its structure went through a fair few changes during the course of the war. Each can conduct major tactical operations and sustained battlefield operations. I can understand not having an SF Pl in armoured and mechanised battalions because the loss of firepower is offset by 30mm but in light-role battalions it is a battle-winner, especially in the defensive battle! 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. Returning to three standard rifle platoons with organic GPMGs, avoiding the need for a fourth fire support platoon, streamlines the overall battalion structure and reduces the administrative burden of bringing soldiers from Army Reserve units. @UKLP The GPMG Light Role and GPMG Sustained Fire are very different weapons with very different roles and capabilities. 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.. SAAB has produced a lightweight version of the Carl Gustav 84 mm recoilless anti-tank weapon. Other corps usually use the term "regiment" instead. 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. I am also a big advocate of platoons having their own medic and signaller. 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). Its a conundrum for,sure. British Army Infantry Battalions are a hodgepodge of different unit sizes and structures. Infantry Battalion. In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100 and 200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. The mortar section consists of two Mortar Squads, each with a Squad Leader, Gunner and Ammo Bearer. The United States Navy has construction battalions and navy cargo handling battalions. This amounts to 1 officer and 38 permanent enlisted personnel, as well as 3 usually attached enlisted personnel. 3 regiments with 3 infantry battalions, plus supporting troops. Required fields are marked *. With all these components, a battalion is the smallest military unit capable of "limited independent operations".[1]. This formation of three infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, an artillery battalion, a cavalry squadron, and a support battalion needs to be restructured to maximize an infantry . [4] Member nations have stipulated the different names they will use for organizations of this size. of the U.S. Army as it exists within the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). In between are the intermediate elements of Army organization, including the squad, platoon, company, battalion, brigade and division. Each type of brigade ( infantry or airborne infantry) has the same basic organization. . They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) An MEB is one of the standard Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine aircraft group including rotary wing, fixed wing, and tiltrotor aircraft), and a combat logistics element (a Marine combat logistics regiment, which includes naval construction forces [Seabees] and naval medical elements). I understand the need to count drivers and gunners in overall numbers, but in an armoured infantry platoon the actual number you put in the field is 28 because your vehicles might want to go away again, whereas (if I understand you correctly) paras would land and fight with 36, so platoon combat effectiveness is going to vary by up to 25% by unit. And to the opposite for open terrain which is tank friendly the said general-purpose all-mech infantry would be more expensive than simple tanks without infantry which would dominate the open terrain against such infantry as the more numerous enemy infantry would rule the closed terrain against the to few of the general-purpose bataillons because the number of infantry outside the vehicles would become much lower if you include all this vehicles in an infantry bataillon. is the close combat element of the Infantry Battalion, with this article specifically covering the Rifle Company as it exists in the Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). This coincided with the U.S. Army's reorganization and implementation of the Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). Generally, the RTO sticks with the Platoon Leader to keep them in constant communication with their squads and company headquarters. a crew of three (driver, gunner and commander) plus six dismounts. Here to Germany Army Unit Organisation 1939-41. Do MANPADS have a place in the future infantry battalion? Also not every infantry unit would then need an kind of sister tank unit (because of rotation, because of terrain and so on) and so the number of vehicles for the protected mobility units which could at the same time act as independent fighting units seperate from the infantry could be smaller as if every infantry unit would have its own protected vehicles. In 2016, the Army reorganized its brigades into brigade combat teams, which are autonomous modular brigades that most commonly include one combat arms brigade and its assigned support and fire units. That idea could be developed but I dont think it is right for all British infantry. I have been asked many times about our Army infantry structure in Vietnam. 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No, I hesitated on the TA bit because it sounded derogatory, but note that I said enhance their professionalism, not that they were unprofessional. A Logistics Platoon (formerly the Motor Transport Platoon) will be responsible for operating resupply and replenishment trucks. The figures given for the number of soldiers carried, number of dismounts etc. Platoon-size unit per Division The Table of Organization (T/O) of the Marine Corps lays out the organizational structure and the equipment required to function. And a Canadian infantry (rifle) battalion, in an armoured division, was organized, and consisted of: - a Battalion headquarters of six officers and 54 other ranks - a Headquarters company of five officers and 94 other ranks, within - a company headquarters - a signal platoon - an administrative platoon How would they operate together from a logistical view point? 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) The Infantry Battalion was the basic tactical unit of the ground forces of the Canadian military throughout the 20th Century. Anti-drones? Regiment). 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. Someone pointed out that US stryker brigades had been gamed against Russian motorized and were looking at I think 50% casualty rates in under a week. This would lead directly to an to small infantry force wich would not be able to create the said necessary critial mass and also such an infantry would simply not have the overall size which is necessary to fight in an infantry-terrain (like woods, urban etc). This is an excellent weapon. The U.S. Army also created independent tank battalions to attach to infantry divisions during World War II in order to give them fire support. In the U.S. Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in "Marine Expeditionary Brigade" (MEB). Opportunity for Reservists too? However, two of the infantry regiments were reduced to two battalions each and their supporting artillery battalions had only two firing batteries. Battle Order is for informational purposes only. If Warrior was to go, is there a reason for not looking at the KF41 Lynx rather than Ajax? At that time, as it is now, the battalion was organized under the Tables of Organization (TOE) shown below. This means instead of giving every infantry unit organic protected mobility, i would even take the units that have such now this vehicles and would create own fighting units out of them which are then part of the tank troops. Light infantry Battalion It is important to include drivers and vehicle gunners in section ORBATs, because so often they are not specifically catered for in organisational structures. Platoons moving around the battlefield in MIVs may additionally get the 30 mm M230LF chain gun (the same light cannon used in the Apache attack helicopter). In an infantry squad, the teams divide duties: one serves as a base-of-fire element, while the other serves as the maneuver element. Secondly, top-slicing the Army Reserve and a Regular-Reserve integrated ORBAT: I struggle to see what the problem is you seek to solve and what the advantages are of integrated Reserve companies compared to the current system.
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