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Thread: Infantry Unit Tactics, Tasks, Weapons, and Organization

  1. #21
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    Default Battalion Level Weapons

    For the Battalion-level, I propose something more or less along the following lines:

    A Weapons Company consisting of a Heavy Machine Gun Platoon, with 8 or 9 40 mm GMGs; a Mortar Platoon with 8-9 81 mm Medium (Foot Infantry) or 120 mm Heavy Mortars (Armoured Infantry); an Anti-Tank Platoon with 16-18 Medium (Foot Infantry) or Heavy (Armoured Infantry) ATGM Launchers; a Pioneer Platoon of 3-4 Sections for Field Engineer Battlefield Tasks; and a Reconnaissance Platoon with 6-8 Recce Teams, and 3-4 Sniper Teams.

    Also, in Armoured/Mechanized Infantry Battalions, a Carrier Company of 4 or 5 Carrier Platoons (4-5 APC/MICV/IFV each). This would centralise training and maintenance; each Carrier Platoon may be attached to a given Company on a habitual basis to encourage familiarity and tactical cooperation.

    I am concerned however, that wherever possible, even Battalion-level Heavy Weapons should be capable of being man-packed (including in Armoured/Mechanized Infantry Battalions). As such, I view the 120 mm Mortar and the TOW (and like Heavy ATGMs) as something that I would prefer to see organized in their own Companies, and located at Regiment/Brigade level; not to mention that I suspect that they are more effectively used that way most of the time anyway. I would much prefer not to have 120 mm Mortars and TOW-type ATGMs organic to the Infantry Battalion, but rather attached to them from Regimental/Brigade-level.

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    Artillery and mortar types soundoff: would there be any advantage (or problems) in having a mixed battery of 105 howitzers and 120 mortars? Say a battery of four 105 tubes and four 120 tubes?

    Would two types of ammo in the battery be a logistical problem? We have more than one type of small arms ammo in a company now and it doesn't seem to hinder operations.

    I was just thinking (dangerous, I know): why to we need a heavy mortar platoon at battalion level at all when battalions have an artillery battery attached? It seems the 120s might fit better there.
    Last edited by Rifleman; 12-30-2007 at 11:19 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post
    For the Battalion-level, I propose something more or less along the following lines:
    Of course its easy for me to suggest--given that it just takes me a ten second post to throw out the challenge--but it would be very useful (and fun) to pull together all of the discussions on platoon/fireteam organization, platoon weapons, and now battalion weapons into a proposed battalion TO&E (hint, hint, Norfolk).

    A couple of modest suggestions for anyone who tries it:

    1) Specify not only whether its a light/foot or heavy/mech battalion, but also whose battalion it is. If it is for a non-US force (and I'm including here Canada, Australia, parts of Europe) it may not need to be configured to handle high intensity conflict, but rather a spectrum that runs from fairly permissive (post-Dayton Bosnia) PKOs to Somalia-type humanitarian intervention to Afghanistan-type stabilization missions.

    2) Specify the IFV (MICV, APC, whatever). It clearly makes some difference if you're fielding 4 mounted ATGM tubes or zero at platoon level, etc.

    3) OK, this is the evil political scientist in me. The quipment has to exist now. Try to make some reasonable assumptions about procurement ...otherwise you'll all want Type III phasers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rifleman View Post
    Artillery and mortar types soundoff: would there be any advantage (or problems) in having a mixed battery of 105 howitzers and 120 mortars? Say a battery of four 105 tubes and four 120 tubes?

    Would two types of ammo in the battery be a logistical problem? We have more than one type of small arms ammo in a company now and it doesn't seem to hinder operations.

    I was just thinking (dangerous, I know): why to we need a heavy mortar platoon at battalion level at all when battalions have an artillery battery attached? It seems the 120s might fit better there.
    Ken would be the perfect man to tell us about this; he bin' there, he dun it, and he'd probably have written the book about, but writing may not have been invented yet back then...

    It seems kind of doubtful to me Rifleman. I'm no Gunner (my paternal grandfather was though), but it strikes me as just needlessly complicated for an Arty Battery. You'd need two sets of Plotting Tables, maybe even an extra radio set in order to get around the radio logjam for both the guns and the tubes; and maintainence and supply would be complicated. Calibration could be fun too. Survey shouldn't be a problem though, even if GPS weren't available to effectively avoid that "little" detail.

    I think the Army tried something somewhat similar (but in separate Batteries, not Platoons/Troops in each Battery) with the Pentomic Division. Didn't work out real well.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rex Brynen View Post
    Of course its easy for me to suggest--given that it just takes me a ten second post to throw out the challenge--but it would be very useful (and fun) to pull together all of the discussions on platoon/fireteam organization, platoon weapons, and now battalion weapons into a proposed battalion TO&E (hint, hint, Norfolk).

    A couple of modest suggestions for anyone who tries it:

    1) Specify not only whether its a light/foot or heavy/mech battalion, but also whose battalion it is. If it is for a non-US force (and I'm including here Canada, Australia, parts of Europe) it may not need to be configured to handle high intensity conflict, but rather a spectrum that runs from fairly permissive (post-Dayton Bosnia) PKOs to Somalia-type humanitarian intervention to Afghanistan-type stabilization missions.

    2) Specify the IFV (MICV, APC, whatever). It clearly makes some difference if you're fielding 4 mounted ATGM tubes or zero at platoon level, etc.

    3) OK, this is the evil political scientist in me. The quipment has to exist now. Try to make some reasonable assumptions about procurement ...otherwise you'll all want Type III phasers.
    Sah! [Norfolk utters in his best Parade-Square Drill Voice]

    I will get right on it, Sah!

    PS: Does it hurt when you get zapped by a Type III Phaser, or is it over real quick?
    Last edited by Norfolk; 12-30-2007 at 11:45 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post
    Sah! [Norfolk utters in his best Parade-Square Drill Voice]

    I will get right on it, Sah!
    Sir? My parents were married, dammit

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rifleman View Post
    Artillery and mortar types soundoff: would there be any advantage (or problems) in having a mixed battery of 105 howitzers and 120 mortars? Say a battery of four 105 tubes and four 120 tubes?

    Would two types of ammo in the battery be a logistical problem? We have more than one type of small arms ammo in a company now and it doesn't seem to hinder operations.

    I was just thinking (dangerous, I know): why to we need a heavy mortar platoon at battalion level at all when battalions have an artillery battery attached? It seems the 120s might fit better there.
    The logistic problems of dealing with the different munitions would be a huge pain plus there is huge difference in the FDCs. Most of the infantry battalions I have seen have habitual relationships with external units that support them, ie. artillery, engineers, ADA etc. That frees up the battalion from logistical, administrative and maintenance support of these units but allows them to work together. Furthermore, this allows more flexibility to the brigade commander. If he needs to push more assets to one battalion he can do so without having to pull it out of the other battalions.

    SFC W

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    I am concerned however, that wherever possible, even Battalion-level Heavy Weapons should be capable of being man-packed (including in Armoured/Mechanized Infantry Battalions). As such, I view the 120 mm Mortar and the TOW (and like Heavy ATGMs) as something that I would prefer to see organized in their own Companies, and located at Regiment/Brigade level; not to mention that I suspect that they are more effectively used that way most of the time anyway. I would much prefer not to have 120 mm Mortars and TOW-type ATGMs organic to the Infantry Battalion, but rather attached to them from Regimental/Brigade-level.
    Speaking of better man-portability, I had a conversation with a retired SgtMaj who is working on the acquisition team to field new 81mm and 60mm tubes, made out of a new composite that not only boasts a greater round count life, but also substantial savings in weight.

    In the Marine Corps, we used to have TOWs at the Regimental level, as well as a recce platoon. Those went the way of the dodo starting about 10 years ago, though I don't know the reasoning behind the T/O shift.

    In terms of 120mm mortars, they are being tested/fielded at the arty battalion level. I have a buddy who used to be in a battalion thathad received 120s as part of the OT&E phase, and I believe they are going to be a permanent fixture.

    Much of the discussion about platoon/coy/battalion heavier weapons cannot be separated from the discussion about the means of coveyance. Among USMC infantry companies, each of the three rifle companies within a battalion must retain the capability to move by small boat, amphibious assault vehicle, helicopter, truckin' it, or on foot. Although the MEUs do have a degree of specialization involved (i.e. one company focuses on small boats, helos, etc.) they all need to retain a baseline of expertise to move via any of the other means. Since basic foot movement remains a core task, we'll probably always see weapon weights as a limiting factor.

    If we do actually shift to a true distributed operations framework, that will throw everything I've said aside, but I don't see the Corps completely embracing DO the way the proposals make it out to be.

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    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.
    Last edited by Norfolk; 12-31-2007 at 05:12 AM. Reason: Forgot the Pathfinders! Pathfinders Light the Way!

  10. #30
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    Default Ken is the past imperfect tense...

    Quote Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post
    Ken would be the perfect man to tell us about this; he bin' there, he dun it, and he'd probably have written the book about, but writing may not have been invented yet back then...
    Was too. Wore out many a chisel on the stone tablets...

    I think the Army tried something somewhat similar (but in separate Batteries, not Platoons/Troops in each Battery) with the Pentomic Division. Didn't work out real well.
    Yep, each Battle Group, 4 or 5 BIG rifle Companies, a Hq Co and a Mortar Battery, manned by Artllery people. Said Artillerists HATED it and thought mortars beneath them. It worked okay tactically and they still had the DS 105 Bns in the DivArty. Biggest problem was that the human factors, specifically, full Colonels commanding only 12-1,500 troops instead of a 3K man Regiment or Brigade (that was beneath them...), didn't work out.

    I can see no practical value to mixing the 120 / 105. The logistic and FDC problems UBoat509 cited are real and significant. Plus, IMO, the Bn having it's own indirect fire capability with a greater bursting radius if less range than the 105 is a good thing. The Army now trains 11Cs on all three mortars instead of a specific tube and TOEs are being modified so that both 60s and 81s are available at Company level; the tube carried being mission selected. The 120s are all being provided purpose designed trailers to haul 'em so they can go into and out of action more quickly.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
    The Army now trains 11Cs on all three mortars instead of a specific tube and TOEs are being modified so that both 60s and 81s are available at Company level; the tube carried being mission selected.
    Thanks for that. It's encouraging to know the Army is taking that step. I've wondered why mortar sections haven't been using an "arms room concept."

    Now, please tell me they went back to three tubes per line company!
    "Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen." - Jeff Cooper

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    I do believe there is need to keep the Bradly with 25MM Cannon to support armour and to do the things that Mech Infantry do. However, I also see a need for an APC that can deliver a whole dismount squad which can also take a lot of abuse.

    The Stryker or 113 can deliver a squad, but is limited in survivability. That's why I'd like to see an APC that can take MBT type abuse. Just imagine an Abrams, thats a little bit thinner, and without a turret. This APC would deliver Infantry in very dangerous places. It should have a low profile, and a seating arrangement similar to a BMP. The facing out seating arrangement will allow for more visibility in those very dangerous places. This seating, will also need to be more comfortable. Its not uncommon to be in an APC for 10-15 hours at a time.

    The longest I sat in one without getting out was 18 hours. Despite cries from the crew that "all we do is sleep", there is no real sleeping in a Bradly. This new APC will allow soldiers to be rest when possible. Sometimes Mechanized warfare does not allow for soldiers to get out and take a two hour nap under a poncho liner. Instead, hour after hour is spent in the vehicle.

    This APC would require a .50 cal or 40MM remote controlled system on top. There would also be visual sensors on top for the squad leaders or PL to view the battlefield with. This vehicle should have some capability to blow holes through walls that allows for the infantry squad to literally step out of the APC into the building.

    The company would be configured like a Stryker unit. However, instead of a MGS platoon, it would be supported by a PL of tanks or PL of Brads. Maybe even 2 tanks and 2 Brads?

    I realize that the Abrams has a turbo engine, so the challenge lies in building an engine that can carry the kind of armour that a MBT offers. The engine would have to be in the front-due to the infantry-so this may be difficult?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ratzel View Post
    . That's why I'd like to see an APC that can take MBT type abuse. Just imagine an Abrams, thats a little bit thinner, and without a turret. This APC would deliver Infantry in very dangerous places.

    The engine would have to be in the front-due to the infantry-so this may be difficult?
    You may want to look at:
    http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapo...era/Namera.htm

    It is worth noting that the IDF has always rejected the idea of an MICV, and is set to continue to do so. They make a firm distinction between Infantry and Armour. As I understand it, like Acharitz, Namer, or Namera, - or the Namereem! - will be crewed by Armoured Corps, not infantry
    Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"

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    - If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
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    Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
    You may want to look at:
    http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapo...era/Namera.htm

    It is worth noting that the IDF has always rejected the idea of an MICV, and is set to continue to do so. They make a firm distinction between Infantry and Armour. As I understand it, like Acharitz, Namer, or Namera, - or the Namereem! - will be crewed by Armoured Corps, not infantry

    I was thinking the same thing. Iwas also about to post a youtube clip on the expeditionary fighting vehicle. I don't know what the armor is rated against, but the ability to carry up to 17 infantrymen has to make some folks here drool, eh? Just two could carry a platoon made of bigger teams, or squads, or whateverwe've reached consensus on...

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    I am not really sure where this would fit in our infantry. It's too heavy to replace the Stryker and probably too light, at least in armament, to replace the Bradley. If you are going to put that much armor on a vehicle, why not give it a heavy gun.

    I don't know what the armor is rated against, but the ability to carry up to 17 infantrymen has to make some folks here drool, eh? Just two could carry a platoon made of bigger teams, or squads, or whateverwe've reached consensus on...
    I am not so sure. I don't know what the specs are on this thing but 17 men implies that it must be pretty big. Furthermore, anti-armor seems to be progressing faster than armor these days. Hezbollah had some fairly advanced antiarmor weapons that cost the Israelis much more than they had thought. A hypothetical conventional Army that we may face in the future will likely have even better stuff or at least greater quantities. Given that, I'm not sure that loading 17 men into one vehicle with only a machine gun to defend themselves is necessarily the best course of action.

    SFC W

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    Quote Originally Posted by Norfolk View Post
    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!
    Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"

    - The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
    - If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
    Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition

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    Council Member Ratzel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
    You may want to look at:
    http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapo...era/Namera.htm

    It is worth noting that the IDF has always rejected the idea of an MICV, and is set to continue to do so. They make a firm distinction between Infantry and Armour. As I understand it, like Acharitz, Namer, or Namera, - or the Namereem! - will be crewed by Armoured Corps, not infantry

    Thanks for that link. Yes, there's a couple vehicle's here that fit my description well. Also, I always liked the idea APC's being manned by armour people. For some reason, that idea never took off?

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    I am not so sure. I don't know what the specs are on this thing but 17 men implies that it must be pretty big. Furthermore, anti-armor seems to be progressing faster than armor these days. Hezbollah had some fairly advanced antiarmor weapons that cost the Israelis much more than they had thought. A hypothetical conventional Army that we may face in the future will likely have even better stuff or at least greater quantities. Given that, I'm not sure that loading 17 men into one vehicle with only a machine gun to defend themselves is necessarily the best course of action.
    It slings a 30mm cannon.

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    Quote Originally Posted by William F. Owen View Post
    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.

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    Wilf:

    As far as Sabre went, I wanted a Light Tank that a Chinook Medium-Lift Helicopter could transport; as for the Land Rover, well I was out of tactical light vehicle ideas. But this Battalion would have a very great deal less than 200-250 vehicles; each Rifle Platoon, for example would only have a single light vehicle. Battalion HQ would only have about 4 light vehicles, and the Supply Platoon in the Headquarters Company would be likely to have only about 16-20 light vehicles. This Battalion gets to the Battlefield by Amtrac/Landing Craft/Hovercraft/Helicopter/Air-Landing/Parachute, and then it walks. As much as practically possible, this Battalion is to be relatively free of immediate dependence upon vehicles. There is no wheeled vehicle-mounted HMG/AT Troop/Platoon; a Heavy ATGM Platoon (on Wiesel 2-type tracked carriers) would be attached from Regiment/Brigade-level when tactically required, and the aforementioned Light Tanks would be attached instead of organic HMG/AGL-armed wheeled vehicles. Wheeled vehicles have trouble with some cross-country and bad-weather conditions; tracked vehicles are rather better.

    And you spoiled my surprise (well, no surprise to those who've seen me rave about it here before) for the HAPC for the upcoming Heavy Infantry Battalion with the Namera link.

    jcustis: As with so many things that the USMC has, the proposed 17-man capacity of the prototype AAAV does indeed make me drool, and profusely at times.

    If the Light Infantry Battalion is to be "lightened", reducing the Weapons Company by ~25% is doable, but eliminates its available reserve of firepower.

    The weapon for the Designated Marksman is the FN FAL 50.42 (Australian L2, Canadian C2) Automatic Rifle, but fitted with an ACOG-type sight. The original link was lost. Also, there were supposed to be 2 Mortar Fire Controllers in the Battalion Mortar Platoon, not in each Section! As each Infantry Company has its own MFC, more than 2 at Battalion is superfluous.

    Medium Infantry Battalion - Table of Organization and Equipment

    Principle Roles:

    Long-Duration Holding of Ground/Key Terrain in General War; Clearing and Holding positions in Close Country, as well as Open Country when properly entrenched; Long-Duration Intervention Operations, including Small Wars, COIN, SSO/Humanitarian Crisis Relief/Counter-Genocide Operations. Carries supplies for 6-8 days within Battalion.

    The Backbone Unit of any European and English-speaking Army. Can be partially or wholly mounted in APC/MICV/IFVs (attached from Regiment/Brigade/Division) if tactically or operationally required; can also be transported by Landing Craft/Amtrac/Hovercraft/Air-Landing/Helicopter.

    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 – (X4)

    •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 (X3) – 14 men (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, and one RPG-7V2 per Section)
    •Rifle Squad (X3) (Squad CDR/Grenadier, LMG Gunner, 2 Riflemen)

    •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 Mortar Fire Controllers, 2 Signalers, 2 Runners/Drivers)
    •4 Mortar Sections (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, 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 14 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 Tactical Light Vehicle per Squad)
    •Sniper Section (Section CDR, Section 2i/c, Signaler, 4 2-man Sniper Teams)

    Note:

    Typical Attachments may include Tank (MBT) Troop/Platoon or Squadron/Company, 155mm Towed Medium Gun Artillery Battery, Field Engineer Troop/Platoon or Squadron/Company, Anti-Aircraft Troop/Platoon, Heavy Anti-Tank Troop/Platoon, and an APC Company.

    The Rifle Sections are a cross of the USMC Rifle Squad and Tom Odom's proposed Rifle Squad. While the Medium Infantry Battalion is certainly capable of Offensive Operations in Low- and Medium -Intensity War, and in Close Country in High-Intensity War, it is ideal for Defensive Operations - heavy firepower, with organic wheeled transport to move troops and supplies, and large numbers of Infantrymen to absorb Battle Losses; in sum, great Staying Power. The 155mm Medium Artillery, when attached, is lethal to enemy attackers, even causing some difficulty for attacking Armour. Even a Troop/Platoon of MBTs plus a Heavy Anti-Tank Troop/Platoon attached to this Battalion would make for a potent defence.

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