The Canadian Infantry Battalion, 1943 to 1945
Prior to deployment in Sicily, Canadian Infantry Battalions adopted a slightly modified version of the British War Establishment that was introduced in April 1943.
For a more detailed description of the 1943 to 1945 War Establishment, please see the Canadian Infantry Battalion entry in the Example TOE section.
The Infantry Battalion, circa 1943 to 1945
Battalion Headquarters (5 Officers, 45 men) * increased by 1 officer and 9 men, September 1944
Headquarter Company (5 Officers, 94 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 5 men)
Signals Platoon (1 Officer, 35 men)
Administrative Platoon (3 Officers, 53 men) * increased by 1 man, October 1944
Support Company (7 Officers, 185 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (1 Officer, 8 men) * reduced by 1 man, October 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, September 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 848 all ranks (37 Officers and 811 men) * increased by 1 officer and 1 man September 1944
Points of Note
The Canadian unit was modelled extremely closely on its British counterpart. The principle differences between British and Canadian units in Europe were normally in the area of vehicles.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters – 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.
When snipers were removed from the Rifle Companies and concentrated in Battalion Headquarters, Canadian units added a Subaltern, plus batman, as their commander. Canadian units often referred to this subunit as the Scout Platoon, which might suggest a larger force than the ten men it usually contained.
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. As with all Canadian units of Battalion size, the Admin Platoon included a Pay officer, plus his sergeant and batman.
Mortar Platoon - the Mortar Platoon served six 3-inch weapons, each transported by a modified Universal Carrier. The six detachments were paired into three Sections, each provided with an ammunition truck to augment the carrier load. The truck also carried a projector, infantry, anti-tank (the PIAT) for defensive purposes. There was a seventh carrier and a motorcycle element for Platoon HQ.
Carrier Platoon - the Platoon contained four Sections, each of three carriers, plus one at Platoon HQ for a total of thirteen. Each Carrier had a four man crew, of an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen, plus a motorcycle orderly for each Section.
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 - had six 6-pdr anti-tank guns, each detachment provided with two T16 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. The T16 was an American made version of the Universal carrier, used by the Canadian Army as a tower for the 6-pr anti-tank gun instead of the British Loyd carrier. Platoon HQ fielded a Universal Carrier, plus the usual trucks and motorcycles.
Assault Pioneer Platoon - the 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, while the Pioneer Section was comprised of tradesmen and the Pioneer Sergeant.
The Rifle Company - the ultimate staying power of the Battalion was 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 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. 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.
Platoon HQ consisted of a Platoon commander, a Sergeant and two men. One, the officer's batman, served initially as a runner, or depending on the issue of the No.38 hand-held set to Platoons, as a signaller. The second man maintained his role as a runner, carrying messages to the Rifle Sections who had no radios. The officer carried the traditional revolver, but it was not uncommon for a rifle to be adopted until the Sten offered a more attractive alternative and 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 both carried rifles.
Three men operated the Platoon’s 2-inch mortar, which 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. The gunner carried a Sten, the other two men both rifles.
The three Platoons served under a Company HQ, which 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, made up of a Sergeant, Corporal and two Lance-Corporals, plus the scout officer and batman as described above.
The Company was commanded by a Major, with a Captain as his second-in-command. Company transport was three 15-cwt trucks and one Jeep, plus a Universal Carrier with a Bren and 2-inch mortar on board. Company HQ also administered the infantry anti-tank weapons consisting of three Projectors, Infantry, Anti-tank, more often known as the PIAT. 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.
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The Canadian Infantry Battalion 1943-1945