typical WW2 1944 platoon organization ?

[sundayhero]

Hi,

I'd like to know what are typical platoon organizations for :

germany
soviet union
USA (europe gi and pacific marines)
Japan

After 1944 ?


I searched on google, but found diferent answers, and sometimes too much details. My goal is to build 4 "wargame" (basic, all around) platoons for NUTS.


I plan to build these platoons in 10mm scale (pendraken). I already own fantasy pendraken minis, and they are well enough detailed even for a sub platoon level, individual bases game, in my opinion.


thank you for your help.

[Sarmor]

US Rifle Platoon

Platoon HQ
1 Leader (Lt)
1 Sergeant
1 Guide
2 Messengers

3 Rifle Squads
1 Leader
1 Assistant Leader
2 Scouts
6 Riflemen
1 Automatic Rifleman
1 Assistant

That's how it looked in theory, but I'd say every experienced squad would try to get more than 1 BAR.
Should I state their weapons?

[sundayhero]

Thank you !

Yes please feel free to add details if you want !

[dadlamassu]

There will be no absolute answer. 

The best online starting point I can give is Bayonet Strength http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/

[Sarmor]

USMC Rifle Platoon (1944-5)

Platoon HQ
1 Lieutenant (carbine)
1 Sergeant (carbine)
1 Guide (rifle)
3 Messengers (rifles)
1 Demolition Corporal (rifle)

3 Rifle Squads
1 Sergeant (carbine)
3 Fire Teams
1 Corporal (rifle)
1 Rifleman (rifle)
1 Automatic Rifleman (BAR)
1 Assistant (rifle)

This structure was adopted in 1944, earlier platoons had less BARs (during the war the USMC Rifle Platoon organization changed twice).
Carbines could be exchanged for SMGs.

There will be no absolute answer.

There were official TO&Es, though of course in combat both organization and equipment could change.

[sundayhero]

Thanks

Bayonet and Strenght seems to be good for higher level, batallion or company. I still have to find infos on the main armies platoons.

[Sarmor]

There are platoon TO&Es on Bayonet and Strength, but in the form of paragraphs, not lists.

And here you can find info on Soviet Rifle Platoons: http://www.avalanchepress.com/BehindCounters3.php

[cromojaro]

There are a lot of TO&E in the Nafziger Collection. You can found them here: http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/nafziger.asp

[sundayhero]

Thanks !

In the mean time, I found some cheap 15mm minis already sold in organized platoons, it will make my life easier 

[MartinR]

As mentioned above, Bayonet strength is OK on theoretical platoon structures, for the Red Army you need something like The Red Army Handbook.

However, most infantry platoons after any sort of period in combat ended up roughly the same - a couple of dozen blokes with some support weapons organised into three (sometimes four) sections/squads. Those sections would normally have one light machinegun or heavy automatic rifle (in some units like panzergrenadiers or fallschirmjager, two LMGs). There might be a light mortar at platoon level, or a mortar/MMG section at company level (or platoons of such at battalion level).

Complications arise in those armies who decided to equip whole sections/platoons/companies with SMGs or Assault Rifles, plus the allocation of disposable AT weapons (mainly panzerfausts, but also AT mines, molotovs, sticky bombs etc).

Most armies had also given up on subdividing their sections into gun and rifle groups, although the very late USMC experimented with squads of three fireteams each centered around a BAR.

For most armies, from a wargames pov, you need a small platoon HQ, three sections led by an NCO with some sort of LMG (BAR/MG42/Bren/DP) and 'some' riflemen (say half a dozen, possibly more) plus a few higher level support weapons.

Cheers
Martin