Infantry Battalion Organisation
during the
Second World War
A chronicle of the evolution of the Infantry Battalion in the major Western Allied and Axis armies during the course of the Second World War.
Note to visitors;
After having recently removed the site, due to my belief it was now obsolete compared to other online resources, I've decided to backtrack on my decision, to an extent. It was by no means an avalanche, but a handful of people were kind enough to get in touch and express their regret at losing the information I'd compiled, along with numerous contributions from fellow enthusiasts.
Much of what I've spent the last ten years researching is now replicated elsewhere on the web, taken from the same official tables of organisation I've used myself, and usually given in full detail. When I began the site around 1999 or 2000 I was forced to use a summary approach for units, coupled with a commentary focussed on the Section/Squad and Platoon levels, due to lack of first hand detail. I've typed up more than two hundred British War Establishment tables for publication, and yes, it is as gruelling as it sounds. I won't be repeating that feat here, especially as I'd just be typing up what you can find elsewhere. Links to those sites are detailed at the foot of this page.
I've undertaken a limited restoration, concentrating on what was my first and abiding interest, the Infantry Battalion in its many forms. I can say that all the Battalion organisational information accessed via the below links is taken from contemporary documentation, rather than culled from published works authored by others. That is the reason for the current absence of any Red Army organisational information, it's not because I don't want to cover them, it's simply because all I have access to is the Red Army Handbook (Zaloga and Ness). Similarly I've never been able to find what I consider to be detailed information on Italian units, which is a shame as they used a wealth of organisations.
There will be some dead links on the site, as I haven't combed through all the pages yet. The Site Map has been updated and should show everything that's available. Outside of the Red Army section, the casualties have largely been restricted to the former Reconnaissance and Armoured units pages. Both of these needed heavy revision, and that was the job I was commencing when I decided the effort outweighed the result quite considerably. Likewise I do not have the encyclopaedic knowledge of armoured fighting vehicles (displayed by many web contributors) necessary to do the subject justice, having only put real effort into researching the British Army in Northwest Europe 1944-45 in terms of AFV holdings. When it comes to who had what AFVs, and when, and where, and what their relative protection, mobility and/or firepower was, and how common the issue of exotic AP ammunition was...well I tend to pass out or start playing songs in my head.
Reconnaissance units I do have a liking for, and they may return, though curiously enough here it's the British that provide the stumbling blocks, with so many types of LRC and armoured cars produced in service.
The site will also be available in a different format courtesy of Max Ahn, who kindly offered to give it a home. I'll post the link once his work is completed. My pages here are restored from my antivirus back-up (didn't even realise they were there), so may include errors I'd previously corrected. I will spend some time working through the pages and amending any errors, but it will take a while. Outside of convincing myself it's 'OK' to do the Red Army section based entirely and shamefully on secondary sources, I doubt much will change on the site, aside from a few tweaks. I will endeavour to keep it ad free though...
The British Army Infantry, Motor, Parachute and Air Landing Battalions (Commando pending)
Commonwealth Armies Australian, Canadian and New Zealand Infantry and Motor Battalions
The United States Army Infantry, Armored Infantry, Parachute, Glider Infantry and Ranger Battalions
The United States Marine Corps Marine Infantry, Raider and Parachute Battalions
The German Army Infantry, Volks Grenader, Panzer Grenadier, Schutzen and Parachute Battalions
The Japanese Army Infantry Battalions (Standard, Strengthened and Island Warfare)
Outline statistics and illustrations of the range of weapons deployed by infantry units during the conflict.
Infantry Weapons of World War Two
A brief examination of the tactics used by the Infantry Battalion and its sub-units.
Infantry Tactics of World War Two
Highly detailed descriptions of the authorised strength and equipment of a selection of Infantry units.
Full list of all pages on the site.
Comments, queries or corrections;
intel@bayonetstrength.150m.com
External links to sites covering unit organisation
www.warestablishments.net current emphasis on British and Commonwealth units
http://www.militaryresearch.org/freebies.htm reproductions of numerous US Army tables (emphasis on 1943 to 1945)
http://www.ghqmodels.com/pages/military/freerules.asp just a few tables, but includes USMC for 1942 and 1944
www.sturmpanzer.net German organisational tables in original format (emphasis on 1943 to 1945 at present)
http://www.wwiidaybyday.com/kstn/kstnmain.htm German tables reproduced with graphics of vehicles and weapons