A platoon is commanded by either a second lieutenant or lieutenant, assisted by a platoon sergeant holding the rank of sergeant. Lieutenantgeneral andrew leslie1 what is an infantry rifle section for. Feb 18, 2009 well, as mentioned above, there are several different types of infantry platoons depending on the country, branch of service army or marine, type mechanized, rifle, scout, mortar, stryker, etc. Mar 15, 2003 the story of a young mans indoctrination into combat as an infantry platoon leader in the famed 173d airborne brigade, is told with pace and style in what has become a classic in the literature of americas war in vietnam.
Other force structure changes in army aviation that occurred in fy 1989 included the activation of the 3d battalion, 160th aviation regiment, at hunter army airfield, georgia. Platoon leader was a great book to give you a concise glimpse into the reality of one young army leader in vietnam. Jan 28, 2009 a platoon is commanded by either a second lieutenant or lieutenant, assisted by a platoon sergeant holding the rank of sergeant. Infantry platoon tfr702 includes one formation commander famas rifle team, five famas team with ac58 antitank, one apilas antitank team, two lrac 89mm anti tank team, three twohole small bases, one threehole small bases, five foruhole medium plastic bases, one plastic base insert sprue and six unit cards. Well, as mentioned above, there are several different types of infantry platoons depending on the country, branch of service army or marine, type mechanized, rifle, scout, mortar, stryker, etc. The use of the term battalion varies by nationality and branch of service. It provides the tactical standing operating procedures for infantry platoons and squads and is tailored for rotc. Enjoy every minute of it, even the difficult times, and give of yourself freely to your mission and. Light infantry tie, light infantry silk tie, light infantry polyester tie, light infantry blazer badge, light infantry cufflinks, light infantry bow tie and other light infantry regimental gifts and clothing accessories at the light infantry shop. A platoon composed of tanks, ifv infantry fighting vehicles or apcs armored personel carriers substitues vehicles for squads. Army published the record of decision rod to construct and operate a modern infantry platoon battle course ipbc and associated. Various information gleened indicates that this is supposed to be a battle against iraq or iran while the more powerful u. Its purpose is to provide the readerwhether infantryman or notwith hitherto unavailable insights on the role that infantry plays in the larger battle and how that has helped shape the.
A day in the life of an infantry platoon article the. James mcdonough graduated from west point and served in vietnam as an infantry platoon leader in the legendary 173d airborne brigade. Assigned to the 1st light brigade stationed in new africa on the colony world of beta canum venaticorum iv it was one of the units destined to be in the frontline of resistance to the kafer. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance marines, and combat engineers. Platoons consist of two or more squads, sections, or crews. Robert welsh was a platoon leader of k company, 347th in the saar, a tiger patrol leader in the battle of the bulge, a cavalry task force leader in the siegfried line, and an armored force tanker for several weeks. And when the jungle suddenly erupted in the chaos of battle, the platoon leader was the congs first target. The proposed platoon composition is therefore only suitable for a light infantry unit with truck support, or if the platoon will never conduct a mission as a whole but will always be tailored to the mission with the rest staying behind as a ready reserve. It provides the tactical standing operating procedures for infantry platoons and squads. In the new zealand army, an infantry platoon is commanded by a 2nd lieutenant or a lieutenant, with a platoon sergeant, a platoon signaller and a medic where relevant composing the platoon headquarters. Infantry platoon structure soldiers and their units.
A platoon is composed of two or more similar squads. Platoons then make up companies and companies make up battalions etc. Jul 29, 2015 a platoon is composed of two or more similar squads. The corps of light troops reenacts the british light infantryman and colonial ranger during the french and indian war and pontiacs uprising. Marshall default last month during the last months, we have dissected the light infantry platoon. I can tell you the typical current composition of a u. It does this across fullspectrum operations by manoeuvre to seize an objective with a view to holding. A remarkable memoir of smallunit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in vietnam. Heavy weapons platoon hwp is a term from military science which refers to an infantry platoon equipped with machine guns, mortars, rocketpropelled grenades, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, antitank weapons, or any other weapons that are portable but heavier than a single infantryman can reasonably transport and operate by themselves for combat, generally a crewserved weapon. British army the infantry platoon organisation armed. A military theorist who has helped shape the postcold war armys thinking, he is also the author of the defense of hill 781 and the limits of glory. As the diagram highlights, the basic light infantry platoon is composed of three rifle squads, a. The first allfemale infantry platoon in the united states military, despite breaking lots of sexist barriers, has also broken lots of rules, sources say.
Typically a battalion consists of 300 to 800 soldiers and is divided into a number of companies. A military police mp platoon from the divisions mp company conducts reconnaissance of main supply routes, performs a variety of area security operations, processes enemy prisoners of war, and maintains law and order. Platoon sergeant for a 45 man stryker equipped infantry platoon consisting of three rifle squads, a weapons squad, and four stryker vehicles capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 96 hours. Since the initial training pipeline is divided between coasts, marines from areas east of the mississippi river usually graduate from mcrd parris island and move on to soi at soi east located at camp geiger, a satellite facility of camp lejeune in. This atp provides employment of the sbct infantry battalion in decisive action. These fundamentals have application at the platoon and squad level. In august 1780, lieutenantcolonel abraham van buskirk of the 4 th battalion, new jersey volunteers, received orders to form a light infantry company. Recce platoon 2 x recon infantry, 3 x 60mm mortar 1, 3 x m8 ac, 3 x jeep. Within a light infantry platoon the succession of blocks are. May 19, 2015 in august 1780, lieutenantcolonel abraham van buskirk of the 4 th battalion, new jersey volunteers, received orders to form a light infantry company. Besides the straight infantry squad, a platoon will also normally be equipped with a weapons squad.
The light infantry rifle company organization and maneuver when the smoke cleared away, it was the man with the sword, or the crossbow, or the rifle, who settled the final issue on the field. The procedures apply unless a leader makes a decision to deviate from them based on the factors of mettt. The average number of squads in a platoon is three because it gives the officer two squads to fight with and a squad to keep in reserve. Light infantry company from militaryinfo publishing the lost and found department, of historical military technology, in business for over 20 years now.
As the name suggests, the weapons squad can be an extremely lethal unit on the battlefield. We have discussed these in great detail in prior articles so we will not elaborate here. A military police mp platoon from the divisions mp company conducts reconnaissance of. It reflects the current thought of the school and conforms to published department of the army doctrine. The reconnaissance platoon in light infantry, airborne, and air assault battalions consists of 1 officer and 18 enlisted soldiers that are organized into a platoon headquarters and three squads. Light infantry was a key component of wellingtons army in the peninsula, and was again at waterloo in 1815. Among the infantrys basic fundamentals are the principles of war, the elements of combat power, and the tenets of airland battle.
A day in the life of an infantry platoon united states army. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described. Two platoon, a company, 1st 168th durham light infantry battalion, the light infantry is an almost typical british light role infantry platoon. In some countries, the word battalion is associated with the infantry the term was first used in italian as. Under normal circumstances, the whole platoon with the exception of the lmg light machine gun gunners are armed with iw sa80 individual weapon. It will have two m240 type machine guns and two antitank missile systems normally a javelin. Another volume in praegers the military profession series, this revised edition of the 1984 praeger classic tells the story of infantry in the 20th century and its impact on the major conflicts of our time. British army the infantry light role infantry battalion. This publication provides doctrinal guidance for commanders, staff, and leaders who are responsible for planning, preparing, executing, and assessing operations of the sbct infantry battalion.
Charlie company, 1st battalion of the 506th infantry, and how the war followed them home. The units as we addressed in an earlier article, any unit is a sum of its parts. The platoon is subdivided into three section of between 710 soldiers, each commanded by a corporal with a lancecorporal as the section 2ic. A remarkable memoir of small unit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in vietnam. Gun, 2 x medium truck antitank gun platoon 3 x 37mm atg, 3 x light. Now retired from active duty, mcdonough lives with his family. As part of an infantry platoon, the infantry sections extant role is to close with and destroy the enemy. Using a lean style and a sense of pacing drawn from the tautest of novels, mcdonough has produced a gripping account of his first command, a u. Basic infantry building block army university press.
The basic building bricks of the infantry battalion are the platoon and the section. The operation took about an hour from the time the platoons first strykers rolled into the village at 4. This section provides the mission of the infantry and the doctrine principles basic to the infantry rifle platoon and squad. The commanding officers of five other provincial battalions around new york city also were directed to form light infantry companies composed of men drawn from the rest of their battalions. We have discussed the individual soldier, the fire team, the rifle squad, and the weapons squad. Mcdonough retired is an impecable example for future and current young lieutenants that are preparing to take command of their first platoons. Hello everybody, i am looking for information of rifle platoon structure for a few forces. Mos 11b psd platoon sergeant platoon sergeant of 14 man protective services detachment platoon tasked with guarding the battalion command team in support of combat operation in xxxxxx, afghanistan. United states marine corps school of infantry wikipedia. The hhc has 170 solders 19 officers, one warrant, and 150. Enjoy every minute of it, even the difficult times, and give of yourself freely to your mission and your men.
In an armoured or mechanised battalion, the platoon vehicles could be either warrior or afv 432. What is the composition of a british army infantry platoon. As a consequence, a wheeled infantry squad only has six functioning infantry troopers, with the seventh being considered part of the vehicle and thus nonexistent as far as the tw rules are concerned. It provides the tactical standing operating procedures for infantry platoons and squads and is tailored for rotc cadet use. A spokesman for the us army infantry center of excellence at fort benning, ga. First allfemale infantry platoon sets record for misconduct. Below, we will address the blocks of a platoon the fire team and squad. One agenda of the rigorous exercise, rocke said, was to stress young leaders. A rifle platoon from an infantry company consists of three sections of eight men, plus a signaller operating the radio, plt sergeant, plt commdr and a mortar man operating a light mortar, this means the platoon has 27 men and. Tactics 101 093 the infantry platoon armchair general. The rifle platoon after reading john antals similar book about tank combat armor attacks where the reader was commander of an m1 abrams tank. Infantry platoon 3 x infantry, 3 x light truck heavy weapons platoon 1 x mmg, 1 x 60mm mortar 3, 2 x jeep, 1 x jeep. Infantry platoon tactical standing operating procedure this publication is an extract from fm 78 infantry rifle platoon and squad.
Gun, 24 x limber heavy infantry gun platoon 2 x 150mm inf. Heavy weapons platoon hwp is a term from military science which refers to an infantry platoon equipped with machine guns, mortars, rocketpropelled grenades, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, antitank weapons, or any other weapons that are portable but heavier than a single infantryman can reasonably transport and operate by themselves for combat, generally a crew. You have the ability to mold men and make our country stronger 24 hours a day. A battalion is typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. The infantry section is the heart of the canadian army. Infantry rifle and mechanized platoon collective task. Being an infantry platoon leader is the greatest job in the world.
Now retired from active duty, mcdonough lives with his family in tallahassee. The operation took about an hour from the time the platoon s first strykers rolled into the village at 4. Strategically and tactically sound and capable of rapid deployment, the division could be used across the operational continuum, according to army. A place to remember and pay your respects to all the light infantryman that have died whilst serving in. The school of infantry soi is the second stage of initial military training for enlisted united states marines after recruit training. The 85th was the oldest, if not the most senior, of the light infantry regiments by virtue of its succeeding to the precedence number of the original 85th, the royal volunteers light infantry raised in shrewsbury in 1759 the first light infantry regiment ever formed in the british army. For the light infantry company the building blocks are. In infantry combat the reader leads a rifle platoon charged with protecting the flank of u. This publication is provided for resident and nonresident instruction at the us army armor school. Love is not always a two way street, sometimes you give more than you get, and love is a choice. Lets put it together and address the light infantry platoon. Lt t floyd 25 lf, from messines to 3rd ypres describes his platoon at ypres as consisting of a sergeant, a corporal, a bombing section of 8 men, riflemen, 11 rifle grenade men and 2 lewis gun sections of 7 men each. A rifle platoon from an infantry company consists of three sections of eight men, plus a signaller operating the radio, plt sergeant, plt commdr and a mortar man operating a light mortar, this means the platoon has 27 men and one officer.
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