h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thank You very much for replying to me. However I have been stuck on this question for ages and have never had the perfect answer to it.

In a company of around 100, they would be split up into platoons. Would these be split up into squads? How many would be in a squad? Were there different types of squads with different purposes, such as a rifle squad or mortar squad (don't really know what i'm talking about)? Were squads split up? what men did these contain, rifle, bren, sub machine etc etc.

Thank you very much for all the help

Joe

Hello Joe,
What you are asking is "how many grains of sand on a beach" a Regiment of Infantry can be as big or as small as circumstances allow.
I think if you went into the research library you would find books on the British Army to give you the answers you want.
What you need to grasp is that there is the ideal as laid down in the book and the pratical as laid down by the daily needs of a unit.
Idealy we had three sections of 10 men to a platoon or sqad as they are one and the same. We had a full Corporal and six Riflemen plus one Lance Corporal and two men they would be the Bren section of the full section and have one bren gun and two rifles. So it was 1) Corporal, 1) Lance Corporal, One Bren gunner and gun, then 7 Riflemen per section.
Three sections were a Platoon plus a HQ section with one Officer one Sergeant a Wireless operator and some riflemen as runners. You may even have one extra section as a Reserve section but not often.
With sick lame and leave, plus courses for upgrading and in battle conditions often a lack of replacements a Regiment could often be working with just over 50% of its true manning.
Nothing is perfect in this world Joe and if you went into action with a full unit you did not have them long. The replacements were not lined up at HQ waiting to come running in and fill the places so as I said "count the grains of sand on a beach" impossible well so is trying to tie down the size of a platoon.
Sorry I cannot be more specific but a platoon is a squad and that is mixing your thoughts.
Regards Frank.