The United States Infantry Battalion, 1942 to mid 1943
The need for units to be kept light enough to facilitate transport across either the Atlantic or Pacific was an important consideration for US Army planners. For the Infantry Battalion this resulted in a unit of around 900 men with a motor pool of less than fifty light and medium trucks.
The Infantry Battalion, circa 1942
Battalion Headquarters (4 Officers)
Headquarters Company (5 Officers, 130 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 22 men)
Battalion HQ Section (16 men)
Communications Platoon (1 Officer, 28 men)
Ammunition & Pioneer Platoon (1 Officer, 28 men)
Antitank Platoon (1 Officer, 36 men)
Heavy Weapons Company (5 Officers, 178 men), comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 29 men)
Two Machine Gun Platoons, each (1 Officer, 44 men)
Mortar Platoon (1 Officer, 61 men)
Three Rifle Companies (6 Officers, 192 men), each comprised of;
Company HQ (2 Officers, 18 men)
Weapons Platoon comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 7 men)
Mortar Section (19 men)
Machine Gun Section (13 men)
Three Rifle Platoons, each comprised of;
Platoon HQ (1 Officer, 9 men)
Three Rifle Squads, each comprised of 12 men
Total Strength of 916 all ranks (32 Officers and 884 men)
Points of note
The Battalion was provided with several layers of fire support, with each Rifle Squad having its own automatic weapon, each Rifle Company its own light machine guns and mortars, and the Battalion its own heavy mortars and machine guns. Interestingly, all the automatic rifles and machine guns were designs had been introduced during or immediately following the First World War.
The elements of the Battalion
Battalion Headquarters - Battalion Headquarters consisted of the commander (Lieutenant Colonel), Executive Officer (Major), Adjutant (Captain) and Intelligence Officer (Lieutenant).
Company HQ - the HQ of the HQ Company provided the various cooks, supply men and specialists required to keep the Battalion functioning.
Battalion Headquarters Section - provided scouts and drivers to the Officers at Battalion HQ.
Communications Platoon - maintained radio, wire and telephone communication between the Battalion and higher and parallel formations.
Ammunition & Pioneer Platoon – had a small HQ with a 2nd Lieutenant, Sergeant, a Basic and two drivers. One driver was armed with a BAR, the other an M1903 rifle fitted with grenade launcher, and each drove a ¾ ton truck. There were then three Squads, each of eight men commanded by a Corporal.
Antitank Platoon - the Antitank Platoon provided the Battalion with a limited ability to resist armoured attack. It was armed with four 37-mm towed antitank guns. These small weapons, modelled on the German Pak 35/36, acquired the nickname of 'varnish removers' for their less than impressive effect on the Panzers in North Africa. Each gun was towed by a Jeep, with a further such vehicle at Platoon HQ which carried a BAR for air defence, while each gun commander had a rifle grenade launcher. Each 37-mm was served by seven men, with a Sergeant commanding each pair of guns, plus extra personnel at Platoon HQ.
Machine Gun Platoon - each of the Machine Gun Platoons served four .30 cal Browning M1917 heavy machine guns, a weapon that had proven its effectiveness during the First World War. Each of the four squads was provided with a ¾-ton truck, the drivers in the second and fourth Squads each armed with a BAR for anti-aircraft use.
Mortar Platoon – had six 81-mm weapons, in three Sections, each commanded by a Sergeant. Transport followed that of the Machine Gun Platoons, with a ¾-ton truck for each Squad. Here again each Section had a BAR in one of its trucks for AA use, crewed by the driver.
The Rifle Company - the Rifle Company founded the format that would be used through to the end of war by the US Infantry Battalion, with one Weapons and three Rifle Platoons.
Each Rifle Platoon had three Squads, each consisting of twelve men at full strength. The Squad was commanded by a Sergeant, with a Corporal as his assistant, and had seven riflemen plus a three man team to man the Squad’s single Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR. The M1 Garand was officially the standard rifle of the US Army, however, due to the absence of a suitable rifle grenade launcher for the M1, the Corporal in each Rifle Squad was equipped with the older bolt action M1903 Springfield. Several authors have incorrectly identified the issue of the Springfield to each Squad as being for the sniper role, however the scoped M1903A4 model did not begin to appear until 1943, and then only at the rate of one per Rifle Platoon.
Platoon HQ consisted of a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant, two Sergeants (one Platoon Leader, the other Platoon Guide), two runners and five Basics. By 1942 the Lieutenant had a Carbine, the others all rifles.
The Weapons Platoon had a Mortar Section with three 60-mm weapons and a Light Machine Gun Section with two belt fed M1919 light machine guns. It had one ½-ton and one ¾-ton truck, each with a BAR for AA defence.
Company HQ provided the usual command and administrative functions. The commander was a Captain, a 1st Lieutenant serving as his Executive Officer. At this time the unassigned Basics were distributed among the various Platoons of the Company.
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The United States Infantry Battalion