The British Infantry Battalion, 1943 to 1945
In the spring of 1943, the British Army introduced the War Establishment for the Infantry Battalion that would see it through to the end of the conflict in Europe.
For a more detailed description of the 1943 to 1945 War Establishment, please see the British Infantry Battalion entry in the Example TOE section.
The Infantry Battalion, circa 1943 to 1945
Battalion Headquarters (5 Officers, 45 men) * increased by 8 men, November 1944
Headquarter Company (4 Officers, 91 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 5 men)
Signals Platoon (1 Officer, 35 men)
Administrative Platoon (2 Officers, 51 men) * increased by 1 man, November 1944
Support Company (7 Officers, 185 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 8 men) * reduced by 1 man, November 1944
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 42 men)
Carrier Platoon (2 Officers, 61 men)
Anti-tank Platoon (2 Officers, 53 men)
Pioneer Platoon (1 Officer, 21 men)
Four Rifle Companies (5 Officers, 122 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 14 men) * each Company HQ reduced by 2 men, November 1944
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 3 men)
Light Mortar Section (3 men)
Three Rifle Sections, each comprised of 10 men
Total Strength of 845 all ranks (35 Officers and 809 men)
Points of Note
Previously, Headquarter Company had been responsible for both the fire support Platoons and Signals and Administrative subunits. In 1943, the Mortar, Carrier and Pioneer Platoons were removed from Headquarter Company and consolidated in a distinct Support Company. This was augmented by the introduction of an Anti-tank Platoon, while the previous Anti-aircraft Platoon was deleted entirely.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters – as ever consisted of the Battalion’s commanding officer, his second-in-command, Adjutant and Intelligence Officer, plus the attached Medical Officer. The other ranks provided drivers, batmen, orderlies and the like, plus twenty stretcher bearers. A Universal carrier was included among its vehicles for use by the commanding officer.
Signals Platoon - maintained radio, wire and telephone communication between the Battalion and higher and parallel formations.
Administrative Platoon - provided the bulk of the Battalion motor pool, plus the various cooks, fitters and tradesmen required to keep the unit functioning.
Mortar Platoon - by 1943 the Mortar Platoon was increasingly recognised as the single most powerful element of the Battalion. The 3-inch mortar had begun the war with a disappointing range of just 1600 yards. This was eventually increased to a respectable 2750 yards, making the weapon far more influential. The platoon served six such 'tubes', each transported by a modified Universal Carrier. It should be mentioned that unlike its German and US halftrack equivalents, the Universal carrier did not provide a firing platform. The four man crew had to dismount and assemble the weapon before they could begin operation. The six detachments were paired into three Sections, each with an ammunition truck to augment the carrier load. The truck also carried a projector, infantry, anti-tank (the PIAT) for defensive purposes. A seventh carrier and a motorcycle element provided Platoon HQ.
Carrier Platoon - the Carrier Platoon offered a unique blend of mobility and firepower to the Battalion. The Platoon contained four Sections, each of three carriers, plus one at Platoon HQ for a total of thirteen. Each Carrier now had a four man crew, of an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen. Each Section was also provided with a motorcycle orderly from 1943.
Each Carrier mounted a Bren gun, and each Section had a Projector, Infantry, Anti-tank, and a 2-inch mortar, which could be fired in or out of the carrier. This collection gave the platoon a higher number of light support weapons than a Rifle Company, but its manpower was insufficient for it to hold ground indefinitely, and the profusion of German anti-tank weapons made for a hostile environment. Platoon HQ added two trucks and further motorcycles to the Commander's Carrier.
Anti-tank Platoon - as mentioned earlier, initial anti-tank needs were met in North Africa by the 2-pdr gun. During 1942 the newer and more lethal 6-pdr gun began to arrive, but priority required it first be issued to the Royal Artillery, so the little 2-pdrs it usurped were dumped with the Infantry. By 1943, it was realised the 6-pdr had itself been overtaken by events, and the RA turned to the 17-pdr, the final step in British anti-tank gun evolution.
The Infantry again inherited the gunners' cast offs, and the 6-pdr became the standard infantry ant-tank gun throughout the campaign in Europe. The Platoon served six weapons, each detachment provided with two Loyd Carriers to tow the weapon and transport ammunition. The second carrier also added a Bren gun and 2-inch mortar, the latter providing smoke and illumination flares. Platoon HQ fielded a Universal Carrier, plus the usual trucks and motorcycles.
Assault Pioneer Platoon - the renamed Assault Pioneer Platoon deployed two Assault Sections and one Pioneer Section under an Officer and Pioneer Sergeant. Each five strong Assault Section had its own jeep and trailer, while a 3-ton lorry carried the bulk of the Platoon stores. The Platoon commander also had a Jeep and batman-driver. The Assault Sections provided specialist men and equipment for the disposal of mines and breaching obstacles. The British Army was not really keen on flamethrowers, but if issued the Pioneers would no doubt have deployed them. The Pioneer Section was comprised of tradesmen, a mason, bricklayer and carpenters under the Pioneer Sergeant, necessary to turn burnt out buildings into bearable accommodation for the riflemen.
The Rifle Company - the ultimate staying power of the Battalion remained founded on its four Rifle Companies.
Each Rifle Section was commanded by a Corporal, and consisted of a rifle group of six men, and a gun group with a Lance-corporal, gunner and loader. The Thompson submachine gun was now being increasingly replaced by the British made Sten. The Sten was a cheap, nasty and initially unreliable item, and fired more controllable 9-mm ammunition than the Thompson. It was also simple to produce and when cheaper to replace than repair. The six men of the rifle group were each now armed with the bolt action Rifle No.4, more easily produced version of the previous Lee-Enfield, still firing the powerful .303-inch round. While a perfectly sound weapon, like all bolt actions rifles it was handicapped by its relative slow rate of fire - especially in comparison with its semi-automatic US contemporary. The British Army never fielded a home produced semi-automatic rifle during the war, and the SMLE was still in service in 1956 when it was replaced by a British version of the Belgian FN FAL. The gun group served the Section's single Bren light machine gun. The Bren proved to be a superb weapon in all conditions and climes, and provided the section with its base of firepower. It was vital to maintain the weapon, no matter the cost, as without it the riflemen alone could not defeat a determined assault. If the gunner fell, another man would take his place, and again another. The Lance-corporal and loader each carried a rifle, the gunner the Bren.
In action, the gun group would lay suppressive fire to allow the riflemen to manoeuvre. As in other such sections, the weakness lay in the moment when the gun group had to up and move to catch the riflemen. The rifle group could not match the volume of fire with their bolt action weapons, and so could not equal the job done by the exposed Bren crew. The Corporal would try to guide the actions of his men, and lead in the close assault with his submachine gun. Overall the Section was workmanlike. The rifle group was large enough to sustain casualties and still operate effectively, and its mix of weapons was mostly adequate. It was not particularly suited to street fighting, the immediate nature of encounters requiring a higher portion of automatic weapons which could only be provided by increasing the issue of Sten guns on a local basis.
Platoon HQ had changed slightly. It still consisted of a Platoon commander, a Sergeant and two men. One, the officer's batman, served initially as a runner until the availability of radios permitted each Rifle Platoons to carry a hand-held set, and then he became a signaller. The second man maintained his role as a runner, carrying messages to the Rifle Sections who had no radios. The officer still officially carried the traditional revolver, but it was not uncommon for a rifle to be adopted until the Sten offered a more attractive alternative. Apparently, this was often obtained by 'swapping' the pistol with the 2-inch mortar gunner, but by 1944 Rifle Platoon Commanders were provided with their own Sten guns. The Sergeant, who in the absence or loss of the officer became platoon leader, batman and orderly all carried rifles.
Three men were now provided to operate the Platoon’s 2-inch mortar This odd little weapon had its equivalent in both the German and Russian armies, but both quickly discarded their versions. In British service though, the weapon endured. It could project small rounds up to 500 yards, but the effect of their charge was negligible. More useful were its smoke rounds, more of which were normally carried than high explosive. It was pretty much a mutated grenade launcher, but in the hands of some madmen it was known to be fired horizontally, braced against some object, like a massive shotgun. Quite useful for street fighting. The gunner carried a Sten, the other two men both rifles.
The three Platoons served under a Company HQ, which now included two snipers. During late 1944, the Battalion's eight snipers were withdrawn from the Rifle Companies and located in a distinct Section at Battalion HQ. This was a largely administrative exercise, but allowed a Sergeant, Corporal and two Lance-Corporals to be promoted within their ranks.
The Company was commanded by a Major, with a Captain as his second-in-command. The Rifle Platoons lost their individual trucks in the 1943 reorganisation. Company transport now became three 15-cwt trucks and one Jeep, while a Universal Carrier was added, with a Bren and 2-inch mortar on board. Company HQ also administered the infantry anti-tank weapons. Three were provided, in the form of the Projector, Infantry, Anti-tank, more often known as the PIAT. The PIAT was something of an oddity, but an improvement on the previous Boys. It 'threw' its bomb by a combination of a powerful spring and propellant charge. It was difficult to aim, and like the American Bazooka it was largely outclassed by late war German tanks, but it gave some chance of killing a panzer to the lowly rifleman. The absence of any back blast made it an ideal weapon in street fighting, a task which the men were heavily engaged in throughout Europe. There was no officially recognised standing crew for these weapons, so either the men at Platoon HQ had to regroup themselves, or a Section was lumbered with the extra weapon and ammunition.
Summary
Taking into account the weapons available and their relative shortcomings, the Battalion was a fairly well balanced formation. Roughly half of its men served in the Rifle Platoons, a very high bayonet strength but, carriers aside, their fire support was restricted to defensive anti-tank guns and medium mortars. A platoon of four Vickers medium machine guns was often allocated from the Divisional Machine Gun Battalion, but for the most part the Rifle Companies were reliant on other arms, such as armour and artillery. The advance was carried for the most part, as it had always been, by a walking rifleman with fixed bayonet.
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The British Infantry Battalion