Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
Interesting. Obviously the level of fluidity or control is product of training, experience and even personality. UK Platoons also operate as Multiples, of 12-20 men in fire teams, either under a Sgt or Plt Cmd so are near identical to USMC 3 x 4 squads.

Point being, the organisation is subservient to the training and leadership. So my start point is how do you organised ANY given number of men, with any mix of weapons, to gain the levels of control you require to perform your mission. - and not many folk ponder than question.

I don't see organization being subservient to training & leadership, but to Usage & Intent.

Again, it comes down to how you (whoever is creating said squad) visualizes its squad's usage & visualizes it in action.

And yes fluidity is the product of training, etc. But if you have a system that is designed for the Plt Cmd to exhibit tight control over the squads so "he" can keep the Plt's formation tight & concise during manuever then their make-up will reflect that, being tight & concise, streamline in its makeup. You will have fluidity, but fluidity relative to the concise design of how your Plt Manuevers.

--In a system like that, a 44 man Plt of 3x 13man squads w/ independently moving & directing SqLdrs would be far too large & unwieldly. In that kind of system the SL's independent movements & direction would seem redundant to that of the PC.



But when the USMC visualizes a Plt manuever they don't evision a concise tightly moving Plt based on the direction of a Central figure.

They envision using alot of Space & alot of Firepower coming fr/ multiple sides & angles over an area of dispersion that is too large for one man to -directly- control.

In that type of system you need independently operating SqdLdrs who can control & direct all of that FP, while controlling the spacing, & act in the sted of the Plt Cmdr, moving by the feel of the PC's overall intention & not his by direction.

Not saying this doesn't happen in concise more centralized Plt's but do to design its to a much different degree.