Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
Sorry to go off topic here, and back to the old thread, but I don't see what the problem is. Platoons don't just attack things. They do a whole range of activities which the organisation has to account for. The whole problem of this debate is everyone defaults to F&M as being the defining purpose of Squad and Platoon organisation. It is not. The defining purpose should be simple and effective control.
The way I am coming at it is that F&M in particular, and closing with and destroying the enemy in general, constitute the primary and the most demanding tasks of the Infantry. The Defence, Patrolling, and other tasks do not seem to make quite the "manpower" requirements that A-to-C and the Attack do. As such, the "manpower" requirements (et al) of the Firefight, the Assault, and Holding against Counter-Attacks, which expose the Section and Platoon to usually the heaviest losses of any Infantry operation, are some of the chief considerations from that perspective. Smaller units may break down more quickly under sustained battle attrition.