Infantry Unit Tactics, Tasks, Weapons, and Organization

[Norfolk]

As per Rex' Request for Proposal, here is the first:

Light Infantry Battalion – Table of Organization and Equipment

Principle Roles:

Forced Entry in Operational-Level Amphibious/Airborne Seize-and-Hold/Interdiction/Raid Operations; Operations in Specific Extreme Environments (Arctic, Mountain, Desert, Deep Jungle, Swamplands); Rapid-Reaction Intervention Operations (including as vanguard of Humanitarian Crisis Relief/Counter-Genocide/SSO Operations for Brief Durations (1-2 Weeks at most). Carries 3-4 Days worth of Supplies within Battalion.

Suitable for Most European and English-Speaking Armies; Commando-trained (ex. Royal Marines, Belgian Para-Commando Brigade, US Army Rangers).

Headquarters Company –

•Command Section (Battalion CO, Battalion 2i/c, Battalion Staff)
•Command Post (Company CDR, Company 2i/c, Regimental SGTMJR, 4 Clerks, 4 Runners/Drivers)
•Intelligence Section
•Police Section
•Signals Platoon (including Dispatch Riders on Motorcycles – Yeehaaww!)
•Supply Platoon (Stores, Transport, and POL Sections)
•Maintenance Platoon (including Recovery Section and Mobile Repair Team Section)
•Medical Platoon (including Aid Station)
•Mess Platoon (One Field Kitchen per Company)

Infantry Company – (X3)

•Company HQ (Company CDR, Company 2i/c, Company SGTMJR/1st Sgt, 4 Signalers, 2 Clerks, 2 Runners/Drivers)
oCommand Section
oCommand Post
oCompany Quartermaster

•Rifle Platoon (X3)
oPlatoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Runners/Drivers, 4 Designated Marksmen)
Rifle Section (X4) – 11 men
•Weapons Squad (Section CDR/Grenadier, LMG Gunner, 2 Riflemen)
•Rifle Squad (Section 2i/c, 6 Riflemen – 1 w/ RPG-7V2)

•Weapons Platoon
Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
Machine Gun Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, Gun Controller, 2 Signalers)
•4 Machine Gun Squads (each one 7.62mm MAG-58 and 4 men)
Mortar Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, Mortar Fire Controller , 2 Signalers)
•4 Mortar Squads (each one 60 mm M224 and 4 men)
Anti-Tank Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 2 Signalers)
•4 Anti-Tank Squads (each one MBT-LAW and 4 men)

Weapons Company –

•Company HQ (Company CDR, Company 2i/c, Company SGTMJR/1st Sgt, 4 Signalers, 2 Clerks, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•Command Section
•Command Post
•Signals Section
•Company Quartermaster

•Machine Gun Platoon
•Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•4 Machine Gun Sections (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 2 Gun Controllers, 2 Signalers)
2 Machine Gun Squads (each one 40mm GMG and 5 men)

Mortar Platoon
•Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•4 Mortar Sections (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 2 Mortar Fire Controllers, 2 Signalers)
•2 Mortar Squads (each one 81 mm Mortar, and 6 men)

•Anti-Tank Platoon
•Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•4 Anti-Tank Sections (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 2 Signalers)
•2 Anti-Tank Squads (each one ATGM launcher, 5 men)

•Pioneer Platoon
•Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•4 Pioneer Sections (each 11 men, as per Rifle Section)

•Reconnaissance Platoon
•Platoon HQ (Platoon CDR, Platoon 2i/c, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
•4 Reconnaissance Sections (2 Reconnaissance Squads each of 4 Patrolmen/Surveillance System Operators, one light vehicle per Squad)
•Sniper Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, Signaler, 4 2-man Sniper Teams)
-Pathfinder Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 4 4-man Pathfinder Squads - Scouting and Holding Beachheads, Watercourses, DZ's/LZ's, Mountain Paths, etc.)

Note: Typical Attachments may include Light Tank Squadron/Company, 105mm Light Gun Artillery Battery, Field Engineer Troop/Platoon, Anti-Aircraft Troop/Platoon, etc.

[William F. Owen]

As per Rex' Request for Proposal, here is the first:

Light Infantry Battalion – Table of Organization and Equipment

OK.
@ Is this the deployed OOB or the Garrison OOB?
@ Platoons are 49 men?
@ Rifle Companies are over 200 men? So 25 approx vehicles per Company? The Unit must be close to 200-250 vehicles?

Why the 1980's equipment? Sabre is garbage, as is Land Rover WMIK. This exactly like a very inflated version of the Battalion I grew up in!

[Rex Brynen]

This exactly like a very inflated version of the Battalion I grew up in!

Wilf:

Why don't you have a go at the same--a full battalion TO&E.

[William F. Owen]

Wilf:

Why don't you have a go at the same--a full battalion TO&E.

Thanks, but it doesn't really help. OOBs don't tell you how the Unit operates, trains or anything about the real world restraints that have to be accounted for.

...but, my work focusses on Sub-units, that can plug into Battle Groups, so all a unit needs to generate is a BG HQ and then a 1-3 Company groups depending on the operations. So you might attach a Company to another Battle Group or your BG HQ has two Tank Squadrons attached to it.

My basic Company Orbat is 3 x 30 man platoons, each with 2 x LRR, 2 x GPMG, and 2 x ATGM like Spike or Javelin.

Carrier Platoon with 16 APCs crewed by 32 men. APCs armed with 7.62mm or HV 40mm TI-RWS, plus ATGM.

9 man Coy HQ, with a man packed UAV, and including a Casualty Evacuation Team (3 men).

[Norfolk]

My basic Company Orbat is 3 x 30 man platoons, each with 2 x LRR, 2 x GPMG, and 2 x ATGM like Spike or Javelin.

Carrier Platoon with 16 APCs crewed by 32 men. APCs armed with 7.62mm or HV 40mm TI-RWS, plus ATGM.

9 man Coy HQ, with a man packed UAV, and including a Casualty Evacuation Team (3 men).

This Company is superlatively efficient. It appears easy to control, wields heavy firepower especially for a sub-unit of its size, and is quite agile. The 40 mm in the RWS (et al) on the APC is a formidable weapon.

I have questions about it:

1. While Spike may be used in a role somewhat akin to that of a mortar, is it sufficient to replace the Mortar in all its roles? The 60 mm is good for laying down smokescreens quickly, and is useful for illumination to an extent. I am still impressed by its ability to supress with HE an enemy Section or Platoon position in combination with the GPMG and AT Weapons.

2. Battle Losses: In The RCR, we were told that the 8-man Section would suffer 60% casulaties in the first 24 hours of offensive operations; I have never found an offical study that states this. The CTC at Gagetown was responsible for testing these sorts of matters. Either the Melody article or the Karcher article (or maybe both) state two general figures for Squad casualties rates: The US Army Infantry School, in an historical analysis of Infantry battle losses, concluded that the Squad typically operates 20-25% below authorized strength; I think it was Melody who mentioned a figure of around 30%, based upon what I am unsure, though Vietnam may have been a factor here.

For Battle Losses, how is this Company designed or intended to cope with casualties, and at what rate?

Once again, a supremely efficient Company structure.

[William F. Owen]

1. While Spike may be used in a role somewhat akin to that of a mortar, is it sufficient to replace the Mortar in all its roles?

2. Battle Losses: In The RCR, we were told that the 8-man Section would suffer 60% casulaties in the first 24 hours of offensive operations;

@ For Battle Losses, how is this Company designed or intended to cope with casualties, and at what rate?

@ Once again, a supremely efficient Company structure.

1. No, Spike cannot replace mortars but it can do certain jobs better than mortars.

2. Losses purely relate to how you can re-organise to retain some capability. That's the logic. However the psychological effects of casualties are likely to be far more profound. The 30 man platoons can keep re-organising right down to a 5 man team. You don't just wait for sections to get wiped out. You keep re-organising the platoon. That's why principles of organisation are a better bet, IMO, than absolute organisation.

@ Thanks, but it's just one stab at the possible.

[Timothy OConnor]

You don't just wait for sections to get wiped out. You keep re-organising the platoon. That's why principles of organisation are a better bet, IMO, than absolute organisation.

Perhaps those who have been recently trained as team, squad, and platoon leaders can shed some light on this. Is low level organization seen as a hard and fast rule or a framework for real-time adjustments as needed?

Given real-world small unit strengths when deployed for a few months, what do the actual teams, squads, and platoons look like in Afghanistan and Iraq over time? Size and organization?