Quote Originally Posted by gute View Post
In Attack State Red (follows the Anglican Battalion in Helmand Province in 2007) most the kills by the Brits were from mortar, GPMG and snipers. When Taliban was killed in close it was with IW or grenades.
Has been true since WW1.
At the end of WWII the U.S. Army did a study about the performance of U.S. infantry in WWII and concluded that squads should be no bigger then 9-10 and a squad should solely be a maneuver element or a base of fire, but not both. There were similar conclusions at the end of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Treat such assertions with extreme caution. How big should the squad be is not a sensible question.
Question: Would a company commander be better off with three platoons of 40-45 or four platoons of 30 (not including weapons platoons) or does it not matter?
IMO, it doesn't really matter. Training and leadership matters more. The good guys would be able to use either organisation as and when it mattered.