The strength of the army. How many people are in a company, battalion, platoon, and so on. The smallest tactical unit of the armored forces
The word platoon comes from the Russian word "to cock", used in the command "to cock a weapon" and replaced the foreign word plutong (derived from the French peloton,) used as a designation for a small detachment of soldiers, introduced by Peter the Great.
Initially, the word platoon meant only a small infantry rifle detachment, indicating the type of unit and how many people it contained, and not an army organizational unit as it is now.
How many people are in a platoon of soldiers?
A platoon is a military unit, most often consists of 2-4 squads, is part of a company or battalion (in some cases it exists independently). Usually in a platoon from 9-12 to 45-50 people, depending on the type of troops, country or purpose of the platoon. Platoon commanders are sergeants, warrant officers, junior lieutenants, lieutenants or senior lieutenants, that is, they can be in both officer and non-commissioned officer ranks.
How many people were in a platoon in Tsarist Russia
At the beginning of the 20th century, assault platoons began to appear in all infantry and grenadier regiments of the army. Russian Empire. The platoon consisted of 48 privates, divided into four squads, and the command was carried out by four sergeants and one officer, who was the platoon leader. The assault platoons were armed with carbines (revolvers for officers), bebut daggers and grenades. The equipment also included steel shields and "Hadrian's helmets". Two bombers were allocated per platoon.
motorized rifles
Motorized rifle units were divided according to the type of equipment used. For example, in platoons on the BTR-50 there were three squads of 12 people each, total number was 37 (together with the commander). There were 28 people in the platoon on the BMP-2. In addition to the shooters, each squad usually had one machine gunner and a grenade launcher. One orderly and 1-2 snipers were attached to the entire platoon. The armament consisted of AKM assault rifles, PM pistols (for an officer), RPK machine guns, RPG-7 grenade launchers, SVD rifles and hand grenades.
Paratroopers and Marines
In a platoon of paratroopers on a BMD-1 and a platoon marines there were 28 people on the BTR-70, but when performing reconnaissance missions, the number was reduced to 15-18 people. Armed with AKMS, RPG-7D, PM pistols, RPKS machine guns, sniper rifles SVD-S and hand grenades.
Tank forces
A tank platoon could be either as part of a tank battalion that was part of a tank regiment and then it had three tanks, or as part of a tank battalion that was part of a motorized rifle regiment and then it had 4 tanks. Since the squad in the tank platoon is the crew of the tank, then, depending on the type of tank, it could have 3 people (T-72) or 4 people (T-54). The total number of personnel ranged from 9 to 16 people, depending on the type of troops and the type of tanks.
Special forces units
In parts of the Special Forces, a military unit equivalent to a platoon was called a group, which also included 3 squads, with a total number of 9 to 18 people. Due to the specifics of reconnaissance and sabotage tasks that require increased mobility and secrecy, squads of 3-4 people could operate completely independently. It is not uncommon for special forces groups to be staffed exclusively with officers and ensigns, which once again emphasizes the elitism of these units. In service used a wide range infantry weapons various types, from AKS-U assault rifles and silenced Stechkin pistols, to ATGMs, MANPADS or long-range sniper rifles, depending on the nature of the mission.
Artillery units
Number of branches (settlements) in artillery platoon and its total strength, fluctuated depending on the type of guns. Most often, in mortar (2S4) platoons there were 2 fire crews of 5 people each, and in a howitzer platoon (2A36) - 3 crews of 8 people each. The total number ranged from 10-12 to 25-27 people. The exception was the anti-tank platoon, the total number of which reached 42 people. Regularly armed were 6 9K11 ATGMs, 3 SPG-9M grenade launchers, 5 armored personnel carriers.
How many people are in a platoon in the army of modern Russia?
The organizational and staff structure of platoons in the army of the Russian Federation has practically not undergone significant changes in relation to Soviet period after the 60s. The weapons used have changed somewhat, generally corresponding to the late Soviet period. AT modern platoons began to stand out in terms of number and composition of the department of the board.
In the motorized rifle platoon on the BTR-80 there were 32 fighters, and on the BMP-2 - 30 fighters. More attention has been paid to sniper fire, often a sniper is present in every squad. Now the soldiers are equipped with individual means of communication, the range of automatic grenade launchers has been expanded.
The organization of platoons (groups) of the Special Forces has not undergone practically any changes. In tank platoons, the number is 9-12 people (depending on the type of troops), all tank crews are now 3 people each.
The equipment of the soldiers of the Russian army began to include the promising equipment Ratnik. It includes special frost-resistant and heat-resistant clothing, body armor covering up to 80-90% of the body surface of a fighter (including body armor 6V47, which provides protection against bullets from modern assault and sniper rifles with a caliber of 5.56 and 7.62 mm), communications and positioning, sensors physical condition, sighting systems with optical and thermal imaging channels, night vision devices, eye monitors (allowing firing from behind cover, when transmitting a television image from a sight), friend or foe sensors, wearable field computers (field tablets) for exchanging tactical information and orders .
According to its characteristics, the Ratnik equipment meets the most modern requirements and is similar to the uniform of soldiers in the most advanced armies of NATO countries.
How many people are in a Marine Platoon in the US Army?
Platoon of American Marines consists of three rifle squads and headquarters. The headquarters consists of 3 people, a platoon leader (usually a first lieutenant or second lieutenant), a platoon sergeant and a medic. Each rifle squad includes 3 firing groups of 4 people (group commander with the rank of corporal, armed with M4 / M16, one machine gunner with M249 and 2 submachine gunners with M4 / M16). Squads are commanded by sergeants or staff sergeants. The total strength of the platoon is 39-48 fighters (if the platoon headquarters is additionally equipped with snipers, machine gunners and submachine gunners).
The main weapon is assault rifle M4 \ M16, the main machine gun used is M249, various sniper rifles (including foreign ones), M72 LAW grenade launchers, TOW anti-tank systems are used. HMMWV, MRAP armored vehicles and LAV-25 armored personnel carriers are used as means of transportation and support.
Designed to operate behind enemy lines, destroy nuclear attack weapons, command posts, capture and hold important areas and facilities, disrupt the command and control system and work of enemy rear lines, assist ground forces in the development of the offensive and forcing water barriers. Equipped with air transportable self-propelled artillery, rocket, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, armored personnel carriers, combat vehicles, automatic small arms, means of communication and control. The available parachute landing equipment makes it possible to drop troops and cargo in any weather and terrain conditions, day and night from various heights. Organizationally, the airborne troops consist of (Fig. 1) airborne formations, an airborne brigade, military units special troops.
Rice. 1. Structure Airborne Troops
The Airborne Forces are armed with airborne self-propelled units ASU-85; self-propelled artillery pieces"Octopus-SD"; 122-mm D-30 howitzers; combat vehicles landing BMD-1/2/3/4; armored personnel carriers BTR-D.
Part of the Armed Forces Russian Federation may be part of a joint military force (e.g. CIS Joint Forces) or be under a joint command in accordance with international treaties Russian Federation (for example, as part of peacekeeping forces United Nations or CIS collective peacekeeping forces in zones of local military conflicts).
branch
The smallest military formation in - department. The squad is commanded by a junior sergeant or sergeant. Usually in a motorized rifle department there are 9-13 people. In the departments of other branches of the armed forces, the number of personnel of the department is from 3 to 15 people. Typically, a squad is part of a platoon, but may also exist outside of a platoon.
Platoon
Several departments make up platoon. Usually there are 2 to 4 squads in a platoon, but more are possible. A platoon is led by a commander with an officer's rank - junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant. On average, the number of personnel in a platoon ranges from 9 to 45 people. Usually in all military branches the name is the same - a platoon. Usually a platoon is part of a company, but it can also exist independently.
Company
Several platoons make up company. In addition, a company may include several independent squads that are not included in any of the platoons. For example, in a motorized rifle company there are three motorized rifle platoons, a machine-gun squad, and an anti-tank squad. Usually a company consists of 2-4 platoons, sometimes even more platoons. A company is the smallest formation of tactical value, i.e. a formation capable of independently performing small tactical tasks on the battlefield. Company commander Capt. On average, the size of a company can be from 18 to 200 people. Motorized rifle companies are usually about 130-150 people, tank companies 30-35 people. Usually the company is part of the battalion, but often the existence of companies as independent formations. In artillery, this type of formation is called a battery; in cavalry, a squadron.
Battalion consists of several companies (usually 2-4) and several platoons that are not included in any of the companies. The battalion is one of the main tactical formations. A battalion, like a company, platoon, squad, is named according to its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-sapper, communications). But the battalion already includes formations of other types of weapons. For example, in a motorized rifle battalion, in addition to motorized rifle companies, there are mortar battery, material support platoon, communications platoon. Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel. The battalion already has its headquarters. Usually, on average, a battalion, depending on the type of troops, can number from 250 to 950 people. However, there are battalions of about 100 people. In artillery, this type of formation is called a division.
Regiment
Regiment- this is the main tactical formation and a completely autonomous formation in the economic sense. The regiment is commanded by a colonel. Although the regiments are named according to the branches of the military (tank, motorized rifle, communications, pontoon-bridge, etc.), but in fact this is a formation consisting of units of many branches of the military, and the name is given according to the predominant branch of the military. For example, in a motorized rifle regiment there are two or three motorized rifle battalions, one tank battalion, one artillery battalion (read battalion), one anti-aircraft missile division, reconnaissance company, engineer company, communications company, anti-tank battery, chemical protection platoon, repair company, material support company, orchestra, medical center. The number of personnel of the regiment is from 900 to 2000 people.
brigade
Just like the regiment brigade is the main tactical formation. Actually, the brigade occupies an intermediate position between the regiment and the division. The structure of the brigade is most often the same as that of the regiment, but there are much more battalions and other units in the brigade. So in a motorized rifle brigade there are one and a half to two times more motorized rifle and tank battalions than in a regiment. A brigade may also consist of two regiments, plus auxiliary battalions and companies. On average, there are from 2,000 to 8,000 people in a brigade. The brigade commander, as well as in the regiment, is a colonel.
Division
Division- the main operational-tactical formation. As well as the regiment is named after the type of troops prevailing in it. However, the predominance of one or another type of troops is much less than in the regiment. A motorized rifle division and a tank division are identical in structure, with the only difference being that in a motorized rifle division there are two or three motorized rifle regiments and one tank regiment, while in a tank division, on the contrary, there are two or three tank regiments, and one motorized rifle regiment. In addition to these main regiments, the division has one or two artillery regiments, one anti-aircraft missile regiment, a rocket battalion, a missile battalion, a helicopter squadron, an engineer battalion, a communications battalion, an automobile battalion, a reconnaissance battalion, a battalion electronic warfare, material support battalion, repair and restoration battalion, medical battalion, company chemical protection and several different auxiliaries companies and platoons. Divisions can be tank, motorized rifle, artillery, airborne, missile and aviation. In other military branches, as a rule, the highest formation is a regiment or brigade. On average, there are 12-24 thousand people in a division. Division Commander Major General.
Frame
Just as a brigade is an intermediate formation between a regiment and a division, so frame is an intermediate formation between the division and the army. The corps is a combined-arms formation, that is, it usually lacks the sign of one type of troops, although there may also be tank or artillery corps, that is, corps with a complete predominance of tank or artillery divisions in them. The combined arms corps is usually referred to as the "army corps". There is no single corps structure. Each time the corps is formed on the basis of a specific military or military-political situation, and may consist of two or three divisions and a different number of formations of other military branches. Usually a corps is created where it is impractical to create an army. It is impossible to talk about the structure and size of the corps, because how many corps exist or existed, so many of their structures existed. Corps Commander Lieutenant General.
Army
Army- it's a big one military formation operational purpose. The army includes divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops. Usually, armies are no longer subdivided according to the types of troops, although there may be tank armies, where tank divisions predominate. An army may also include one or more corps. It is impossible to talk about the structure and size of the army, because how many armies exist or have existed, so many structures existed. The soldier at the head of the army is no longer called "commander", but "commander of the army." Usually the staff rank of the army commander is Colonel General. In peacetime, armies are rarely organized as military formations. Usually divisions, regiments, battalions are directly part of the district.
Front
Front (district)- This is the highest military formation of a strategic type. Larger formations do not exist. The name "front" is used only in war time to form, lead fighting. For such formations in peacetime, or those located in the rear, the name "district" (military district) is used. The front includes several armies, corps, divisions, regiments, battalions of all types of troops. The composition and strength of the front may be different. Fronts are never subdivided according to the types of troops (i.e., there cannot be a tank front, an artillery front, etc.). At the head of the front (district) is the commander of the front (district) with the rank of army general.
Military art in Russia, as well as throughout the world, is divided into three levels:
- Tactics(the art of combat). Squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment solve tactical tasks, that is, they are fighting.
- operational art(the art of waging a battle, battle). A division, a corps, an army solve operational tasks, that is, they conduct a battle.
- Strategy(the art of commanding war in general). The front solves both operational and strategic tasks, i.e., it wages major battles, as a result of which the strategic situation changes and the outcome of the war can be decided.
Is a regiment. The number of its composition depends on the type of troops, and its full complement of personnel is one of the factors in ensuring the combat capability of the army. The regiment consists of smaller structural units. Let's find out what a company, regiment, battalion is, the number of these units according to the main branches of the military. We will pay special attention to the configuration of the artillery regiment.
What is a regiment?
First of all, let's find out. We will find out the number of personnel in various branches of the military in this unit later.
Polk is combat unit, which is often commanded by an officer with the rank of colonel, although there are exceptions. The regiment of the Russian Federation is the main tactical unit on the basis of which
The regiment includes smaller structural units - battalions. The regiment itself can either be part of a formation or be a separate combat force. It is the command of the regiments that in most cases makes decisions of a tactical nature during a large-scale battle. Although quite often the shelves are used as completely separate and independent units.
Number of members
Now let's find out the number of military personnel in the regiment, taking as a basis the composition of the rifle regiment as the most typical. This military unit, as a rule, contains from 2000 to 3000 soldiers. Moreover, approximately this number is observed in almost all (except perhaps excluding artillery and some other types of troops) and even in law enforcement agencies. A similar number of servicemen, for example, has an infantry regiment, the number of soldiers in which also ranges from two to three thousand people. Although there are exceptions, the minimum number of military personnel in a regiment in any case cannot be less than 500 people.
Typical rifle regiment consists of a headquarters where major decisions are made, three motorized rifle battalions, communications company, tank battalion. Also, this unit should include an anti-aircraft division, a reconnaissance company, an anti-tank battery, a communications company, an engineer company, a repair company, a company of chemical, biological and radiation protection. AT recent times more and more important functions are performed by the company. Although in Soviet times this unit was also very significant. The composition of the regiment is supplemented by auxiliary units: a commandant's platoon, a medical company and an orchestra. But they are additional only conditionally, since, for example, the medical company performs functions that are much more important, if I may say so, than other units. After all, the lives of other soldiers depend on the soldiers of this structural unit.
Approximately such a structure has a typical regiment. You can see photos of the fighters of this formation above.
Composition of the battalion
Typically, two to four battalions form a regiment. We will now consider the number of military personnel in the battalion.
The battalion is considered the main tactical unit of the ground forces. The range of personnel strength of this unit generally ranges from 400 to 800 people. It includes several platoons, as well as individual companies.
If we consider artillery, then the combat unit that corresponds to a battalion is called a division.
As a rule, a battalion is commanded by a soldier with the rank of major. Although, of course, there are exceptions. Especially often they can be found during hostilities, when in the armed forces of the country or a separate division there may be an acute shortage of staff officers.
Consider the structure of a battalion using an example. As a rule, the backbone of this structural unit is three motorized rifle companies. In addition, the battalion includes a mortar battery, grenade launcher platoon, anti-tank platoon, control platoon. Additional, but no less important units are platoons of material and technical support and a medical center.
Company size
Rota - this smaller structural subdivision belonging to the battalion. As a rule, it is commanded by a captain, and in some cases by a major.
The size of a battalion company varies greatly depending on the specific type of troops. Most soldiers are in companies of construction battalions. There their number reaches 250 people. In motorized rifle units, it varies from 60 to 101 servicemen. Slightly fewer personnel in the landing troops. Here the number of army men does not exceed 80 people. But the least soldiers are in tank companies. There are only 31 to 41 military personnel there. In general, depending on the type of troops and on a particular state, the number of military personnel in a company can vary from 18 to 280 people.
In addition, in some military branches there is no such unit as a company, but at the same time there are analogues. For cavalry, this is a squadron, which includes about a hundred people, for artillery - a battery, for border troops - an outpost, for aviation - a link.
The company consists of command personnel and several platoons. Also, a company may include special squads that are not part of platoons.
Smaller divisions
The platoon consists of several squads, and the number of its personnel varies from 9 to 50 people. As a rule, the platoon commander is a soldier with the rank of lieutenant.
The smallest permanent unit in the army is the branch. The number of military personnel in it ranges from three to sixteen people. In most cases, a soldier with the rank of sergeant or senior sergeant is appointed as the squad leader.
The number of artillery regiment
The time has come to consider in more detail what an artillery regiment is, the number of personnel of this unit and some other parameters.
An artillery regiment is a structural unit of such a type of troops as artillery. It usually comes in as component in an artillery division, consisting of three or four divisions.
The strength of an artillery regiment is smaller than the corresponding unit in other branches of the military. This indicator depends on how many divisions are included in the regiment. In the presence of three divisions, its strength is from 1000 to 1200 people. If there are four divisions, then the number of servicemen reaches 1,500 soldiers.
Artillery regiment structure
Like any other military unit, an artillery regiment has its own structure. Let's study it.
The structural elements of an artillery regiment are divided into three main groups: command and control, logistic and combat support units, as well as the main striking force itself - line units.
It is these elements that make up the artillery regiment. A photo of the regiment's structure is located above.
Composition of the regiment
In turn, the management of the regiment is divided into the following elements: command, headquarters, technical unit and rear.
The command includes the regiment commander (most often with the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel), his deputy, chief of physical training and assistant commander for educational work. The last post in Soviet times corresponded to the post of political officer.
The headquarters unit includes the chief of staff, his deputy, as well as the heads of intelligence, the topographic service, communications, the secret part, the computer department and the assistant for the combat unit.
In the rear part of the regiment's administration are the deputy commander for logistics, the heads of the food, clothing, fuel and lubricants and clothing services.
The technical part of the regiment's administration includes the deputy for armaments, the heads of the armored, automobile, and missile and artillery services.
In addition, the chiefs of financial, chemical and medical services report directly to the regiment commander.
The composition of the logistic and combat support unit
The logistic and combat support unit is divided into the following structural elements: a medical center, a club, a repair company, a material support company, a battery and a control battery.
This unit is commanded by the deputy commander of the regiment for rear, who himself is part of the administrative part of the regiment, as mentioned above.
Composition of line divisions
It is on the line subunits that the main function of the existence of an artillery regiment is entrusted, since they conduct direct fire at the enemy from guns.
The regiment consists of four linear divisions: self-propelled, mixed, howitzer and jet. Sometimes a mixed division may be missing. In this case, the backbone of the regiment remains three units.
Each division is subdivided, as a rule, into three batteries, which, in turn, consist of three to four platoons.
The number and structure of the division
As mentioned above, three or four regiments form an artillery division. The number of personnel in such a unit reaches six thousand people. As a rule, the command of a division is entrusted to a soldier with the rank of major general, but there have been cases when these units were commanded by colonels and even lieutenant colonels.
Two divisions form the largest link in artillery - the corps. The number of military personnel in artillery corps can reach 12,000 people. The commander of such a unit is often a lieutenant general.
General principles for the formation of the number of units
We studied the size of a division, regiment, company, battalion, division and smaller structural units of various branches of the military, with an emphasis on artillery. As you can see, the number of servicemen in similar units in different troops can vary significantly. This is due to the direct purpose of the various branches of the armed forces. The most optimal number of servicemen to perform specific tasks is taken as a basis. Each indicator is not only the product of rigorous scientific calculation, but also the experience of combat operations in practice. That is, each figure is based on the spilled blood of the fighters.
Thus, we see that in the army there are both very small units, in which the number of servicemen can be equal to even three people, and the largest units, where the total number is in the tens of thousands of servicemen. At the same time, it must also be taken into account that foreign countries the number of similar units may differ significantly from domestic options.
Like everything in this world, the science of warfare is progressing, new technologies and even new types of troops are emerging. For example, in Russia, the Aerospace Forces appeared not so long ago, which are the product of evolution and development. Air force. With the advent of new types of troops and changes in the forms of warfare, it is certainly possible to adjust the number of personnel of subunits, taking into account the new conditions.
December 2nd, 2012
If the Soviet and German rifle squads and platoons were approximately similar in composition and structure, then there were very significant differences between the Soviet rifle and German infantry companies.
The main difference was that the Soviet rifle company, unlike the German one, did not have material supply and support units in its structure.
It was a 100% combat unit.
The rear support of the company was a rifle battalion and a regiment. There were corresponding rear structures, rear convoys, etc.
At the level of a rifle company, the only person who was directly involved in providing the company was the company commander himself and the company foreman. It was on them that all the care for a simple company economy hung.
The rifle company did not even have its own field kitchen. Therefore, hot meals were provided at the battalion or regiment level.
The situation was quite different in the German infantry company.
A German infantry company can be conditionally divided into two parts: combat and logistics (convoy, two quartermaster detachments, a mobile workshop).
it rear units companies that were engaged in supplying the company with everything necessary.
Directly in the fighting on cutting edge they did not participate and during the offensive the companies were directly subordinate to the battalion and regimental rear structures.
From the front line, these units were at a distance of 3-5 km.
And what was the combat unit of the German infantry company?
German infantry company (Schuetzenkompanie).
The total strength of the German infantry company - 191 people
(in the Soviet rifle company 179 people).
This is what it looks like schematically:
Four messengers up to and including Gefreiter.
One of them is simultaneously a bugler, the other a light signaller.
Armed with carbines.
Two cyclists in the rank from to gefreiter (Gefreiter) inclusive.
Armed with carbines. They ride bicycles.
Two coachmen in the rank up to Gefreiter inclusive. They drive a heavy horse-drawn carriage drawn by four horses.
Armed with carbines.
Groom for an officer's horse up to and including Gefreiter. Armed with a carbine. For movement is equipped with a bicycle.
Thus, the total number of combat units of the control department was not 12, but 9 people. With the company commander - 10 people.
The basis of the combat unit of an infantry company was infantry platoons.
There were 3 of them, just like in the Soviet rifle company.
The total number of soldiers in infantry platoons was 49x3 = 147 people.
Taking into account the number of combat units of the control section, including the company commander (10 people), we get 157 people.
Infantry platoons at the company level received reinforcements in the form of an anti-tank squad (Panzerabwehrbuchsentrupp).
There are 7 people in the department. Of these, 1 non-commissioned officer and 6 soldiers.
The group weapons of the squad are three Pz.B.39 anti-tank rifles.
Squad leader in rank from Obergeifreiter to Unterfeldwebel. Armed with a carbine.
Three calculations of anti-tank guns.
Each calculation consisted of a PR shooter in ranks up to Gefreiter inclusive (personal weapons - a pistol) and his assistant in ranks up to Gefreiter inclusive. Armed with a carbine.
The total number of calculation is 4 people.
Squad strength - 7 people (3x2 +1 squad leader)
The anti-tank squad was armed with:
Anti-tank gun Pz.B.39 - 3 pcs.
Mauser 98k magazine rifle - 4 pcs.
Pistol 8-shot - 3 pcs.
In total, in a German infantry company of combat strength 157 + 7 \u003d 164 people out of 191 people in the company.
27 people are rear guards.
Vehicles:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Bicycle - 3 pcs.
Only 4 horses per company.
A few words about the Pz.B.39 anti-tank rifle.
German anti-tank gun Pz.B.39
The German army in World War II had two main types of anti-tank guns - the PzB-38 and its later modification PzB-39.
The abbreviation PzB stands for Panzerbüchse (anti-tank rifle).
Both the PzB-38 and the PzB-39 used the "Patrone 318" 7.92x94 mm cartridge.
Several types of such cartridges were produced:
Patrone 318 SmK-Rs-L"spur- a cartridge with a pointed bullet in a shell, with a poisonous reagent, tracer.
Patrone 318 SmKH-Rs-L"spur.- a cartridge with a pointed bullet in a shell (solid) with a poisonous reagent, tracer.
This is actually an armor-piercing cartridge.
Number 318
represented reciprocal number old designation (813 - 8 mm bullet in 13 mm sleeve).
smk meant Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (pointed bullet in a sheath)
SmKH- Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (Hart) (pointed bullet in a jacket (Hard)
Rs- Reizstoff (Poison agent), because the bullet had a small amount of tear gas to affect the crew of armored vehicles, chlor-acetophenone was placed in the recess at the bottom of the core - a tear-acting poison, but due to the small amount of tear gas in the capsule, the crew most often simply did not notice. By the way, until the German samples of anti-tank rifles were captured, no one suspected that there was gas in their bullets.
L "spur- Leuchtspur (tracer), the bullet had a small tracer in the back.
His bullet weighing 14.5 g accelerated in the barrel to 1180 m / s. A rather high armor-piercing effect of a bullet penetrating 20 mm armor set at an angle of 20 ° to the normal at a distance of 400 m was provided by a tungsten core.
According to other data, the PTR pierced 20 mm armor from a distance of 300 m and 30 mm armor from a distance of 100 m at an angle of 90 °.
In practice, fire was fired from a distance of 100 to 200 m, mainly on the tracks and fuel tanks of the tank in order to stop it.
However, at the same time, the PTRovets very quickly found its position and became an excellent target for shooters.
Therefore, if the PTRs were a strengthening of the German infantry company in the confrontation with tanks, then not too significant.
The main part of the tanks was destroyed all the same anti-tank guns, which were not at the disposal of the German infantry company.
Now let's compare a German infantry company with a Soviet infantry company, not from the point of view of the total number of staff, but from the point of view of the combat strength of those who were directly at the forefront.
Soviet rifle company
The rifle company was the next largest tactical unit after the platoon and was part of the rifle battalion.
He commanded a rifle company company commander (company commander) with the rank of captain.
The company commander relied on a riding horse.
Because on the march of the company, he had to control the movement of the company, which was stretched during the march, and if necessary, the horse could be used to communicate with other companies or the battalion command.
Armed with a TT pistol.
The assistant commander of the company was a company political instructor.
He led the educational work in the divisions of the company and kept in touch with the watered department of the battalion and regiment.
Armed with a TT pistol.
But the actual assistant to the company commander was the company foreman.
He was in charge of a poor, one must say frankly, company economy, dealt with issues of providing company units with everything necessary, getting everything they needed in a battalion, which included a rifle company.
For these purposes, the company had one horse with a cart, which was driven by a rider in the rank of private, armed like a foreman with a rifle.
The company had its own clerk. He was also armed with a rifle.
There was one messenger in the company with the rank of private. But despite the ordinary rank, he was, perhaps, the left hand of the company commander. He was entrusted with responsible tasks, he was always close to the battalion commander, he knew all the platoon and squad commanders well, etc. And he was known not only in the divisions of the company, but also in the battalion.
He was also armed with a rifle.
The basis of a rifle company was rifle platoons.
There were 3 such platoons in a rifle company.
At the company level, rifle platoons received reinforcements, primarily in the form of a machine-gun platoon.
Machine gun platoon.
The machine gun platoon was led by a machine gun platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant.
Armament - TT pistol.
The machine-gun platoon consisted of two crews of the Maxim machine gun.
Each crew was commanded by a sergeant.
Armament - TT pistol.
The calculation consisted of a calculation commander and four privates (gunner, assistant gunner, cartridge carrier and rider), armed with rifles.
According to the state, each calculation relied on a horse and a cart for transporting a machine gun (tachanka). The calculation was armed with rifles.
The number of machine-gun crew was 6 fighters.
The number of machine gun platoon was (6x2 + platoon leader) = 13 fighters.
In service with a machine gun platoon:
Machine gun "Maxima" - 2 pcs.
Self-loading rifle SVT 38/40 - (4x2) = 8 pcs.
TT pistol - 3 pcs.
The main purpose of the Maxim machine gun was to suppress enemy firing points and support infantry.
The high rate of fire (combat 600 rounds per minute) and the high accuracy of the machine gun fire made it possible to carry out this task from a distance of 100 to 1000 m to friendly troops.
All fighters of the machine gun crew had the same skills in shooting from a machine gun and, if necessary, could change the crew commander, gunner, etc.
Each machine gun carried a combat set of cartridges, 12 boxes of machine-gun belts (tape - 250 rounds), two spare barrels, one box of spare parts, one box of accessories, three cans for water and lubricants, an optical machine gun sight.
The machine gun had an armored shield that protected against shrapnel, light bullets, etc.
Shield thickness - 6 mm.
German machine gunners have no protection other than a helmet.
True, this shield did not always save the machine gunner.
Bullet hits are visible.
And here in general a sieve. Apparently fired from armor-piercing cartridges.
And the trunk got it.
Thus, the main armament of the platoons at the company level was the 7.62 mm machine gun of the Maxim system of the 1910/30 model.
In addition, as a company reinforcement of platoons during the battle, there were 2 snipers in the company.
Sufficiently powerful strengthening of company units for the purpose of destroying enemy firing points from a long distance and incapacitating enemy unit commanders.
The snipers were armed with a Mosin rifle (three-line) with optical sight PU (short sight).
What is a sniper? A good sniper from a distance of 300 m per minute of shooting can easily lay down an infantry squad. And in pairs - half a platoon. Not to mention machine-gun points, gun crews, etc.
But they could work from 800 m.
The company also included a sanitary department.
The department was commanded by the commander of the department, a sergeant-medical instructor.
He had 4 nurses under him.
The squad is armed with 1 pistol.
Well, this is practically one orderly per platoon.
In rifle platoons, unlike the German infantry, the orderly was not supposed to be in the state.
But as we can see, the platoon still did not remain without a nurse.
Total: 5 people. Armed with one pistol.
Total company strength:
Company commander - 1 person.
Political instructor of the company - 1 person.
Company foreman - 1 person.
Messenger - 1 person.
Scribe - 1 person
Riding - 1 person.
Rifle platoons - 51x3 = 153 people
Machine gun platoon - 13 people
Sniper - 2 people
Sanitary department - 5 people.
Total: 179 people.
In service with the company:
easel machine gun"Maxima" - 2 pcs.
Machine gun PD Degtyarev - 12 pcs. (4 pieces each in each rifle platoon)
Light 50 mm mortar - 3 pcs. (1 piece each in each rifle platoon)
Submachine gun PPD - 27 pcs. (9 pieces in each platoon)
Rifle SVT-38, SVT-40 - 152 pcs. (36 pieces in each platoon + 8x4 = 32 + 8 pieces in a machine gun platoon + 4 for the rest)
Mosin sniper rifle with PU sight - 2 pcs.
TT pistols - 22 pcs. (6 pieces in each platoon + 1 in the machine gun platoon + 1 in the sanitary department + 2 in the commander of the company and political officer)
Vehicles:
Riding horse - 1 pc.
Horse with a cart - 3 pcs.
Total 4 horses
In service with a German infantry company / in comparison with a Soviet rifle company:
1. Light machine gun - 12/12
2. Machine gun - 0/2
3. Submachine gun - 16/27
4. Magazine rifle - 132/0
5. Self-loading rifle - 0/152
6. Sniper rifle - 0/2
7. Mortar 50 mm - 3/3
8. Anti-tank rifle - 3/0
9. Pistol - 47/22
From this we can conclude that the Soviet rifle company at the company level significantly outnumbered the German infantry company in terms of firepower and armament.
Conclusions on the number.
The total strength of a German infantry company is 191 people. (Soviet rifle company - 179 people)
However warhead infantry company was only - 164 people. The rest belonged to the rear services of the company.
Thus, the Soviet rifle company also outnumbered the German infantry company by 15 people (179-164) in terms of the number of combat personnel.
At the battalion level, this excess was 15x3 = 45 people.
At the regimental level 45x3 = 135 people
At the divisional 135x3 = 405 people.
405 people is almost 2.5 companies, that is, almost an infantry battalion.
advantage in vehicles, wagons and draft power at the company level in a German infantry company was associated with the work of the rear services of a German company.
The combat unit of the company moved on foot in the same way as the Soviet rifle company.
Vehicles of the combat unit of the Soviet rifle company:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Horse and cart - 3 pcs.
Only 4 horses per rifle company
Vehicles of the combat unit of the German infantry company:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Bicycle - 3 pcs.
3. 4-horse heavy wagon - 1 pc.
Only 4 horses per infantry company.
On the march, the German infantry company moved exclusively on foot, as did the fighters of the Soviet rifle company.
Therefore, the German infantry company had no advantage in vehicles over the Soviet rifle company.
Making a general conclusion, we can conclude that both in terms of the number of combat personnel and in terms of weapons and firepower, the Soviet rifle company was superior to the German infantry company, yielding to it only in the supply organization system.
