AT company Russian armies maybe enter from 18 before 360 human. An important role is played by the type of troops, for example:

• AT tank company amount soldier rarely exceeds 35 human;
• AT motorized rifle companies maybe be 60-110 soldier;
• AT nautical infantrye – about 130 human;
• AT air— landing troops – before 80 soldier and t. d.

A company consists of several platoons, which, in turn, consist of squads. The average department may have from 3 before 15 human, in platoon – from 9 before 45 human. More often Total in company included 2-6 platoons.

A company is the smallest formation that has tactical value. Those. on the battlefield, the company is capable of performing small tactical missions. In cavalry, companies are called squadrons, in artillery - a battery, in border troops - outposts, in aviation - aviation units. Most often, companies are part of battalions and regiments, but there are also separate formations that are not tied to larger structures.

A company is led by a commander, who is often called a company commander by soldiers. This person must have a major's position, ie. is in the rank of lieutenant or captain.

As a rule, the presented data refer not only to Russian, but also to foreign armies. For example, motorized infantry companies USA have number 100-120 human, such same companies in Germany – 120-130 human.

The army, like any other phenomenon, has many interesting facts that interest even ordinary people who have nothing to do with the army.

1. Some are interested in why the buttons on soldier's uniforms are on the front side, and not as it should be on the side. This design was invented by Peter. This was due to the fact that many soldiers of that time were simple peasants who did not know the norms and rules of etiquette. Therefore, Peter 1 placed the buttons on the front side, so that it would be inconvenient for the soldiers to wipe their mouths with a sleeve from their uniform.
2. Are there gay guys among the soldiers? Now a lot of people are joking about it. Like, if you don’t want to serve in the army, pretend that you are gay. More and more young people are resorting to this trick. In our country, such persons are not allowed to serve in the army. However, history says that the ancient Greek commanders, on the contrary, created separate detachments from representatives of non-traditional orientation. Moreover, such units were considered invincible. And the thing is that men were simply afraid to sink in the eyes of their beloved, which made them give all their best on the battlefield.
3. Now it is far from news that there are women's groups. Today the feminist movement of women is very popular. They are trying to prove their strength and independence from men. The creation of women's squads is partly a way to achieve this goal. But still, one of the main tasks of a woman is to illuminate others with her beauty. Therefore, a vote was taken on the most attractive and sexy female army. So, Romania took first place, and Russia third.

The company depends on the type of troops, so in a motorized rifle company there are 60-101 people; builders up to 250 people; Airborne Forces up to 80 people; tankers from 31 to 41 people. Motor rifle company:

• Defense: 1 ... 1.5 km along the front to 1 km in depth
• Offensive: 0.5 ... 1 km

Battalion. This is either 3 or 4 companies + headquarters and individual specialists (gunsmith, signalman, snipers, etc.), a mortar platoon (not always), sometimes air defense and tank destroyers (hereinafter referred to as PTB). The battalion includes from 145 to 500 people. Commanded by the battalion commander (abbreviated as battalion commander). This is a lieutenant colonel. But in our country both captains and majors command, who in the future can become lieutenant colonels, provided that this position is retained.

How many people are in a company, battalion, platoon and so on

Platoon. A platoon includes from 3 to 6 squads, that is, it can reach from 15 to 60 people. The platoon leader is in command. This is an officer position. It is occupied by a minimum of a lieutenant, a maximum of a captain. Company.

The company includes from 3 to 6 platoons, that is, it can consist of 45 to 360 people. The company commander is in command. This is a major. In fact, a senior lieutenant or captain is in command (in the army, a company commander is or is affectionately called and abbreviated as a company commander).

Battalion. This is either 3 or 4 companies + headquarters and individual specialists (gunsmith, signalman, snipers, etc.), a mortar platoon (not always), sometimes air defense and tank destroyers (hereinafter referred to as PTB). The battalion includes from 145 to 500 people. Commanded by the battalion commander (abbreviated as battalion commander). This is a lieutenant colonel.

The structure of the armed forces

From two to ten divisions of different types of troops + rear units + repair shops and so on. The number can be very different. On average, from 200,000 to 1,000,000 people and above. The army is commanded by a major general or lieutenant general.

Front. In peacetime - a military district. It's hard to give exact numbers here. They vary by region, military doctrine, political environment, and the like. The front is already a self-sufficient structure with reserves, warehouses, training units, military schools, and so on.

The front commander is in command. This is a lieutenant general or army general. The composition of the front depends on the assigned tasks and the situation.

Company, division, battalion: strength

• Brigades are a separate unit. According to their position, the brigades stand between the regiment (the regiment commander is a colonel) and the division (the division commander is a major general). In most armies of the world, between the ranks of colonel and major general, there is an intermediate rank of “brigadier general”, corresponding to the brigade commander (and during the Second World War, the Waffen-SS had the title of “oberführer”). Traditionally, there is no such title in Russia. In the modern Russian army, the Soviet division military district - corps - division - regiment - battalion, as a rule, is replaced by an abbreviated military district - brigade - battalion.
Different levels[edit | edit code] armed forces In Russia, the units indicated in this article are divided into subdivisions (from a squad to a battalion), units (from a separate company to a regiment), formations (brigade, division, corps) and associations (army, district, group of troops, front).

Military ranks of the Russian Federation

From the brigade and above (in terms of the number of people) for 11 months of service, we did not even say. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I do not serve in a military unit, but in an educational institution. How many people do they include? Branch. Depending on the type of troops, it has from 5 to 10 people.
The squad leader is in charge. A squad leader is a sergeant's position, so a chest of drawers (short for squad leader) is often a junior sergeant or sergeant. The squad is named after its type of troops (tank, motorized rifle, engineer-engineer, communications) In the motorized rifle squad, approximately 9 to 13 people (in addition to the squad leader: grenade launcher, private with RPG-7, PM; assistant grenade launcher, private with AK74; machine gunner, private with RPK74; senior gunner, corporal with AK74; 3 ... 5 gunners, privates with AK74; BMP driver mechanic and gunner-operator / BMP machine gunner / BMP).

The number of military units in the Russian Federation

Attention

Accordingly, they can stand out separate battalions, each of which is independent military unit, or even separate companies. Also, each regiment can be part of a division, or (at a higher level) immediately report to the command of the corps (“regiment of corps subordination”), or, at an even higher level, the regiment can report directly to the command of the military district (“regiment of district subordination”);

• In an infantry regiment, the main units - infantry battalions - report directly to the regiment commander. All auxiliary units are already subordinate to his deputies.

The same system is repeated at all levels. For example, for an artillery regiment of district subordination, the chief will not be the commander of the troops of the district, but the chief of artillery of the district.

Hierarchy of military formations

The battalions are different, so it is impossible to answer exactly how many there are, for example, the SME on the BTR-80 has 530 people, and on the BMP-2 - 498 people; PDB - 360-400 people, and for DShB - 450-530 people; OBMP and ODSHB approximately 650-700 people; TB on the T-72 - 174 people, and motorized rifle - 213 people; OBS - 200-250 people; reconnaissance battalion of about 600 people; OISB - about 300 people; doctors - 157 people; chemists, repairmen, builders, commandants, as well as airfield maintenance do not have a staffing table at all and are formed depending on the need Motorized rifle battalion:

• Defense: 3…5 km along the front and 2…2.5 km in depth
• Offensive: 1…2 km

Regiment. From 3 to 6 battalions, that is, from 500 to 2500+ people + headquarters + regimental artillery + air defense + PTB. The regiment is commanded by a colonel. But maybe also a lieutenant colonel.

The concept of "part" most often refers to the regiment and brigade. External signs parts are: the presence of their own office work, military economy, a bank account, a postal and telegraph address, their own stamp seal, the commander’s right to give written orders, open (44 training tank division) and closed (military unit 08728) combined arms numbers. That is, the part has sufficient autonomy. IMPORTANT! Please note that the terms military unit and military unit do not mean exactly the same thing.

The term "military unit" is used as a general designation, without specifics. If we are talking about a specific regiment, brigade, and so on, then the term "military unit" is used. Usually, its number is also mentioned next: “military unit 74292” (but you can’t use “military unit 74292”) or in short - military unit 74292.

Compound.
This is the case if the regiment is not part of the division, but is directly part of the army (corps, district, front). For example, 120 separate regiment of guards mortars. Note 3: Please note that the terms military unit and military unit do not mean exactly the same thing. The term "military unit" is used as a general designation, without specifics.

Info

If we are talking about a specific regiment, brigade, etc., then the term "military unit" is used. Usually, its number is also mentioned next: “military unit 74292” (but you can’t use “military unit 74292”) or in short - military unit 74292. Connection. By default, only a division is suitable for this term.

The very word "connection" means - to connect the parts. The division headquarters has the status of a unit. Other units (regiments) are subordinate to this unit (headquarters). That's all together and there is a division. However, in some cases, the brigade can also have the status of a connection.
This formation is led by a full-time commander with the rank of junior sergeant or sergeant. Among the military, the term "dresser" is used, which means "squad leader" for short. Depending on the type of troops, units are called differently. For artillery, the term "calculation" is used, and for tank troops"crew". The composition of the unit As part of this formation, the service is from 5 to 10 people. However, a motorized rifle squad consists of 10-13 soldiers.

Unlike Russian army, in the United States, the group is considered the smallest army formation. The unit itself in the US consists of two groups. Platoon In the Russian Armed Forces, a platoon consists of three to four squads. It is possible that there are more of them. The number of personnel is 45 people.

The leadership of this military formation is carried out by a junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant.

Generals have always found it difficult to manage large military units. To facilitate management, it was decided to create subunits commanded by junior commanders. Below is a list of these subunits. Of course, each army has its own manner of command, but the sub-units are often similar in different armies. After all, the management of military units of the army is an extremely responsible matter, and the smaller the unit commanded by an officer, the easier it is for him to understand the situation. This reduces liability.

In this article we will also consider the organization and armament of units foreign armies. This is a very serious topic, which is of interest to many. Large units of foreign armies are divided into their small parts. The first such part is a link.

Link, or fire group

A wing is a small military unit of the infantry and is designed to optimize fire, movement, tactical doctrine in combat. Depending on mission requirements, a typical fireteam consists of four or fewer members:

• submachine gunner;
• assistant machine gunner;
• shooter;
• designated team leader.

The role of each fireteam leader is to ensure that everyone acts as a unit. Two or three fireteams are organized into a squad or section in coordinated operations led by the squad leader.

Military theorists regard effective fireteams as essential to the modern professional military as they serve as the core team. Psychological research conducted by the United States Army has shown that the survivability and readiness of soldiers to fight is more influenced by the desire to both protect and support other members of the fireteam than by abstract concepts or ideologies. Historically, nations with effective fireteam organization have had significant best performance from their infantry units in combat than those who were limited to traditional operations: with larger units.

The fireteam is the primary link on which the organization of modern infantry in the British Army, the regiments of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Marines, the US Army is based. The concept of fireteams is based on the need for tactical flexibility in infantry operations. The link is able to act autonomously as part of a larger unit. Successful operation as part of fireteams depends on the quality training of military personnel in small units, the experience of working together among members of fireteams, the existence of sufficient communications infrastructure and quality NCOs to provide tactical leadership of the group.

These requirements led to the successful use of the fireteam concept by the more professional military. Conscription makes squad development difficult as team members are less effective as they gain experience over time by working together and building personal connections. The tactics of actions of army units as part of a link are quite diverse.

In combat, when attacking or maneuvering, a fireteam typically spreads out to 50 meters (160 ft), while in defensive positions a team may cover their weapon range or line of sight, whichever is less. In open country, an effective group can travel up to 500 meters (1,600 ft), although detection range limits effectiveness beyond 100 meters (330 ft) or so without special equipment. A team is effective as long as its main weapon remains operational. Link as part of an army unit on this moment very effective combat unit.

The next division consists of several links. This large unit of the army is called a detachment.

Detachment

In military terminology, a detachment, or squadron, is a unit led by a non-commissioned officer who is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries that adhere to the traditions of the British army (Australian army, Canadian army, etc.), this organization is called a section. In most armies, a squad consists of eight to fourteen soldiers and can be divided into fireteams.

During World War II, the infantry unit of the German Wehrmacht (or Gruppe) was built around the general purpose machine gun. The advantage of the general purpose machine gun concept was that it greatly increased the total amount of fire that could be given by the squad. MG-34 or MG-42 were actively used as such a machine gun.

The infantry group consisted of ten people: a non-commissioned officer, a deputy commander, a group of three people (a machine gunner, an assistant gunner and an ammunition carrier) and five shooters. as a personal small arms the squad leader was issued a rifle or, from around 1941, a submachine gun, the machine gunner and his assistant were issued pistols, and the deputy squad leader, ammunition carrier and marksmen were issued rifles.

Riflemen carried additional ammunition, hand grenades, explosives or a machine gun tripod, as needed. They provided security and covering fire for the machine gun group. Two of the standard issue 98k Carbine rifles could be replaced with Gewehr-43 semi-automatic rifles, and sometimes assault rifles StG-44s could be used to rearm the entire detachment, except for the machine gun.

In U.S. Army units, historically, a troop was a division of a section consisting of two soldiers up to 12 men, and was originally used primarily for training and administrative purposes.

Platoon

Platoon is combat unit army, usually consisting of two or more squads/sections/patrols. Platoon organization varies by country, but generally according to official organization charts published in U.S. military records, a full U.S. Infantry Rifle Platoon consists of 39 soldiers or 43 Marines(US Army or Corps marines USA, respectively). There are other types of rifle platoons (e.g. anti-tank, lightly armored recon, mortar, recon, sniper), depending on the service and the type of infantry company/battalion to which the platoon is assigned, and these platoons can range from 18 men (marine corps USA - sniper platoon) up to 69 people (USMC - mortar platoon).

The platoon was originally a firing unit, not an organization. The system was invented by Swedish Gustav Adolf in 1618. In the French army in the 1670s, the battalion was divided into 18 platoons, which were grouped into three "shoots". Each firing platoon either actually fired or reloaded. The system was also used by the British, Austrian, Russian and Dutch armies. The platoon leader is usually a junior officer: junior or senior lieutenant or a soldier of equivalent rank. The officer is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant. A platoon is usually the smallest military unit led by an officer.

Rifle platoons usually consist of a small platoon and three or four sections (commonwealths) or squadrons (USA). In some armies, the platoon is used in all divisions of the army. In several armies, such as the French army, the platoon is specifically a cavalry unit, and the infantry uses "section" as the equivalent unit. A unit consisting of several platoons is called a company/battery/detachment.

From October 1913, under the scheme of General Sir Ivor Maxs, the regular battalions of the British Army were reorganized from the previous eight companies into four company structures, with each company having four platoons as separate units, each commanded by a lieutenant with a platoon sergeant as his second-in-command. Each platoon was divided into four parts under the command of a corporal. Due to the lack of officers in 1938-1940. for experienced non-commissioned officers who commanded platoons, the non-commissioned officer rank of platoon sergeant major was introduced. In modern units of the Russian army, a platoon is one of the main army units.

Company

A company is a military unit, usually consisting of 80-150 soldiers, commanded by a major or captain. Most companies are formed from three to six platoons, although exact amount may vary by country, unit type and structure.

Usually several companies are grouped into a battalion or regiment, the latter of which is sometimes formed by several battalions. Sometimes independent or separate companies are organized for special purposes, such as the 1st Airborne Communications Company or the 3rd Reconnaissance Company. These companies are not organic to a battalion or regiment, but rather report directly to a higher level organization such as a Marine Expeditionary Force HQ (i.e. corps level command).

Companies in the units of the Russian army:

1. Motorized Rifle Company. Soviet motorized rifle company can be mounted with any armored personnel carrier, armored personnel carrier or infantry fighting vehicle, which were more numerous in the late 1980s. The armored personnel carrier of a rifle company consisted of a company headquarters, three motorized rifle platoons and a machine gun/anti-tank platoon. A rifle company with an infantry fighting vehicle had the same number of personnel and carriers, and consisted of a company headquarters, three motorized rifle platoons and a machine gun platoon equipped with six RPK-74s. Despite the seemingly smaller firepower, American commanders were advised to include the heavier armament of the BMP in their calculations.
2. Tank company. Until the end of the 1980s, a Soviet tank company consisted of a company headquarters and three tank platoons with T-64, T-72 or T-80 tanks, totaling 39 men and 13 tanks; companies using the old T-54, T-55 or T-62 tanks had 10 or 13 additional troops. However, the forces in Eastern Europe began to standardize tank companies for 10 tanks, with three tanks in each platoon instead of four.
3. Scientific company. Science companies were created in 2013 to allow college-educated conscripts to serve on scientific research assignments. There are 7 research companies:

• 2nd and 3rd Research Companies (Aerospace Force);
• 5th Research Company (Army);
• 6th Research Company (General Staff);
• 7th research company (communications);
• 8th research company (medical);
• 9th research company (RHBZ).

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit. The use of the term "battalion" depends on the nationality and type of service. Usually a battalion consists of 300-800 soldiers and is divided into several companies. A battalion is usually commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In some countries, the word "battalion" is associated with infantry.

The term was first used in Italian as battaglione (no later than the 16th century). It comes from the Italian word battaglia. The first use of the battalion on English language was in the 1580s, and the first use for "part of a regiment" is from 1708.

Independent Operations

The battalion is the smallest military organization capable of "limited independent operations" as the battalion is the lowest level organizational unit containing organic coordinating or executive personnel and a support and maintenance group (e.g. company headquarters and headquarters). The battalion must have a source of reinforcements so that it can continue operations for a long time. This is because the bulk of a battalion's load of ammunition, expendable weapons (such as hand grenades and expendable rocket launchers), water, rations, fuel, lubricants, spare parts, batteries, and medical supplies usually consists of only what can be carried. battalion soldiers and organic vehicles battalion.

In addition to sufficient personnel and equipment (typically at least two main mission companies and one mission support company) to carry out significant operations, as well as limited autonomous administrative and logistical capacity, a staff member is provided to the commander, whose function is to coordinate ongoing operations and plan future operations. The subordinate units of the battalion (companies and their organic platoons) are dependent on the battalion headquarters for command, control, communications and intelligence, as well as organizational structure service and support of the battalion to fulfill its mission. A battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service.

Motorized rifle battalion in the units of the Russian army

A motorized rifle battalion could be mounted either on APCs or BMP infantry fighting vehicles, with the former being more numerous in the late 1980s. The battalion headquarters includes 12 personnel and three motorized rifle companies(110 people in each). The APC battalion also had an anti-tank platoon with four launchers AT-3 or AT-4 and two 73mm SPG-9 recoilless guns. APC units on high alert sometimes had six rocket launchers and three recoilless guns.

tank battalion

Until the end of the 1980s, Soviet tank battalions included three tank companies of 13 T-64, T-72 or T-80 tanks each, together with the battalion headquarters, for a total of 165 personnel and 40 tanks. The battalions, using the old T-54, T-55 or T-62, had 31 or 40 additional enlisted men. However, forces in Eastern Europe began to standardize towards lesser education.

Art division

The Soviet artillery battalion in the late 1980s consisted of a battalion headquarters, a platoon headquarters, a maintenance and supply platoon, and three firing batteries, each of six artillery units, whether self-propelled 2s1 Gvozdika or towed d-30 howitzers, and totaled 260 people or 240 people respectively. Artillery rocket battalions consisted of a headquarters platoon, a service battery and three fire batteries equipped with BM-21 ("Grads"), with a total strength of 255 people.

brigade

The brigade is the main tactical military formation, which, as a rule, consists of three to six battalions plus auxiliary elements. This is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades can make up a division.

Brigades formed within a division are usually infantry or armored (sometimes called combined arms brigades). In addition to combat units, these may include combat support units or units such as artillery and engineers, as well as units or units logistic support. Historically, such brigades were sometimes referred to as brigade groups. In terms of operations, a brigade may include both organic elements and attached elements, including some temporarily attached for a specific task.

Brigades can also be specialized and consist of battalions of the same unit, such as cavalry, mechanized, armored, artillery, anti-aircraft, aviation, engineering, signal or rear. Some brigades are classified as independent or detached and operate independently of the traditional divisional structure. A typical standard NATO brigade consists of approximately 3,200-5,500 troops. However, in Switzerland and Austria, their number can reach 11,000 troops. Soviet Union, its predecessors and successors, mostly use "regiment" instead of brigade, and this was common in much of Europe before World War II.

The brigade commander is usually a major general, brigadier general, brigadier, or colonel. In some armies, the commander is rated as a general officer. The brigade commander has an autonomous headquarters and personnel. The chief staff officer, usually a lieutenant colonel or colonel, may be appointed chief of staff, although until the late 20th century the British and similar armies referred to the position as "brigade major". Some brigades may also have a second in command. The headquarters has a core of staff officers and support staff (secretaries, assistants and drivers) which can vary depending on the type of brigade. Headquarters will usually have its own liaison team.

Division

A division is a large military unit, or formation, usually consisting of 10,000-20,000 soldiers. Infantry divisions during the World Wars had a nominal strength of 8,000 to 30,000 men.

In most armies, a division consists of several regiments or brigades. In turn, several divisions, as a rule, make up a corps. Historically, the division has been a default combined arms unit capable of independent operations. Smaller combination weapons, such as the US Regimental Combat Team (RCT), during World War II were used when conditions favored them. AT recent times modern Western militaries have begun to use the smaller brigade combat team (similar to the RCT) as the default combined arms unit. At the same time, the division to which they belong was less important.

Although the focus of the article is on army units, in naval use division has a completely different meaning. Refers to either an administrative/functional division of a department (e.g., fire department, weapons department) aboard the naval and coast guard, ships, coastal teams, and in naval aviation units (including navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Aviation), in a subgroup of several ships in a flotilla or squadron, or two or three aircraft sections, operating under the authority of a designated unit leader.

Within an administrative/functional unit, unit size varies widely, although typically unit strength in the army is less than 100 and is roughly equivalent in function and organizational hierarchy/command relation to a platoon.

Frame

An operational formation, sometimes known as a field corps, that consists of two or more divisions. Another variety is the administrative corps - a specialized military service unit (for example, an artillery corps, a medical corps or a unit military police) or in some cases a separate service in the national army (for example, the United States Marine Corps). These practices often overlap. For example, during the Korean War, the United States Tenth Corps: Field Corps included infantry units from the US Marine Corps and smaller units from the various administrative corps of the US Army.

Corps can also be a general term for a non-military organization such as the United States Peace Corps.

field army

A field army (numbered army or simply an army) is a military formation in many militaries consisting of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Similarly, air armies are equivalent to formations in some air force. The field army consists of 100-150 thousand servicemen.

Specific field armies are usually named or numbered to distinguish them from "army" in the sense of the entire national land force. military force. In English, numbers such as "First Army" are commonly used to name field armies. While the corps, as a rule, are distinguished by Roman numerals (for example, I Corps) and subordinate formations - by serial numbers (for example, the 1st division). A field army may be given a geographical name in addition to or as an alternative to a numerical name, such as the British Army of the Rhine, the Army of the Neman, or the Army of the Aegean (also known as the Fourth Army).

The Roman army is one of the first official field armies, in the sense of a very large combined arms formation, namely the sacer comitatus, which can literally be translated as "sacred escort". The term comes from the fact that they were commanded by Roman emperors (considered sacred) when they acted as field commanders.

In some militaries, an army is or was equivalent to a corps-level unit. In the divisions of the Red Army, the field army in war time subordinate to the front (equivalent to an army group). It contained at least three to five divisions along with artillery, air defense, intelligence and other support units. It can be classified as a combined army or a tank army. Although both were combined arms formations, the former contained a larger number of motorized rifle divisions, and the latter a larger number of tank divisions. In peacetime Soviet army usually subordinated to the military district.

Modern field armies are large formations that differ significantly in numbers, composition and areas of responsibility. For example, in NATO, a field army consists of a headquarters and usually controls at least two corps, under which are located a different number of divisions. The level of the field army is affected by the movement of divisions and reinforcements from one corps to another in order to increase pressure on the enemy at a critical point. NATO troops are controlled by a general or lieutenant general.

army group, army group

Army Group – A military organization made up of several field armies that is self-sufficient indefinitely. It is usually responsible for a specific geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization, run by a single commander - usually a general or field marshal - and includes between 400,000 and 1,000,000 soldiers.

In the Polish Armed Forces and the former Soviet Red Army, the army group was known as the front.

Army groups can be multinational formations. For example, during World War II, the Southern Army Group (also known as the US 6th Army Group) included the US Seventh Army and the French First Army; The 21st Army Group included the British Second Army, the Canadian First Army and the US Ninth Army.

In both the Commonwealth and the United States, the army group number is expressed in Arabic numerals (eg 12th Army Group), while the field army number is spelled out (eg "Third Army").

Theater of operations, front

The theater of war is a sub-area on the theater of war. The theater boundary is determined by the commander, who organizes or provides support for specific combat operations within the TO.

The theater of operations is divided into strategic areas or military regions, depending on whether it is a war or peacetime. The United States military is divided into Joint Combat Teams (Regions), which are assigned to a specific theater of operations. The strategic direction is the army group, also known as target (field) forces or battle groups. A strategic command or direction would essentially comprise a number of tactical military formations or an operational command. In modern militaries, strategic command is more commonly known as combat command, which may be a combination of groups.

In the units of the Russian army

The large geographic division used by the Soviet and Russian Armed Forces to classify continental geographic areas is classified as a "theater". The separation of large continental and maritime areas helps to determine the limits within which action plans are developed for strategic military groupings of forces. This allows military operations to be carried out in specific, important strategic directions, known as fronts, which were named according to their "theater" of military operations, such as the Southwestern Front (Russian Empire), 1st Ukrainian Front and Northern Front (Soviet Union) . In peacetime, due to the loss of the strategic direction, the fronts were transformed into military regions (districts) responsible for the allotted sector of operations.

Conclusion

This article has reviewed military structure units, as well as the number of units in the army. The history of such optimization of command and control goes back to antiquity. Even in the military units of the Roman army, there was a division of the legion into small formations. These formations were centuriae and cohorts. The military units in the army of the Roman Empire were very successful. Therefore, the commanders adopted this tactic.

Individual structural divisions armies are a variable quantity. The number of people serving in a particular battalion or division depends on the effectiveness of the draft campaign and on the type of troops. Let's figure out how many people each of the army units contains.

The personnel of the division and its units: average values

Thanks to a large number military-patriotic films, practically everyone knows that the largest structural unit in the Russian army is a division. However, there is a much larger unit - the body. It is headed by a lieutenant general, and from two to four divisions can be assembled as part of this unit. The average number of people in the corps is from 30 to 50 thousand.

According to the charter, a division may be headed by a person whose rank is not lower than Major General. Under his command there are from 12 to 24 thousand people. Each division includes:

• from two to four brigades;
• from four regiments;
• from eight battalions.

How many people serve in these units of the army? The exact figure can only be said if you find out about a specific division. The fact is that the number is not a constant value. In one year, a division may consist of only eight battalions, and in others it may reach twelve.

Usually the brigade consists of three to five thousand people. It contains two or three regiments, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel. By the way, the colonel has the right to command a brigade, but most often a major general is placed at the head of this unit.

Up to three battalions can be assembled in one regiment. This structural unit is often called a division, which causes confusion among civilians. How many people can fit in a regiment? The answer to this question depends on the type of troops and the features of the hierarchy in them.

What is a battalion

For several years now, the most significant units of the army have been named, depending on the number of employees in them. AT modern Russia most often one unit includes a regiment, while in the Soviet one this association was larger and consisted of a brigade.

It is easy enough to get confused in the military hierarchy, since names can have different meanings depending on the type of troops or country. Let's say the word "squadron" is used in the navy to denote the association of several ships, while in aviation this name is given to a unit. In the US Army, the concept of "squadron" is used to refer to a battalion of cavalry, and in England it hides a company in tank troops.

The concept of "battalion" came from a literal decoding - a quarter of the battle (the so-called special type of infantry formation used to reduce damage during artillery shelling). How many people were in that formation? The battle included a thousand people who lined up in a large square, internally divided into four smaller ones. In the Middle Ages, there were exactly 250 people in the battalion. With the advent of small arms, this type of army building has ceased to be relevant, but the name has taken root around the world.

In Russia, a battalion is a structural unit that can:

• be part of the regiment;
• be a temporary assembly of military personnel;
• be a separate military unit as part of an association, corps, fleet or army.

If the regiment has several battalions of the same type, then they are given serial numbers. The name of this structural unit may contain the word "consolidated", which means the collection of military personnel from different units and units in it. How many people will serve in this association depends on the tactical task assigned to it.

What are the battalions

It is impossible to answer exactly how many people should serve in a particular unit of the army because of the different numbers of units and types of troops. Almost 85% military units The Russians are staffed with a reduced staff, and the rest are primarily replenished with conscripts and officers, since they are in constant combat readiness.

Interestingly, the number of soldiers in a battalion may vary, depending on the equipment that it uses. A motorized rifle unit armed with the BTR-80 usually includes 530 people, but if they use the BMP-2, then the personnel becomes smaller and amounts to only 498 military personnel.

As for the landing troops, the number here depends on the characteristics of the unit's professional training:

• the parachute battalion includes from 360 to 400 people;
• air assault consists of 450-530;
• separate units of the marines and air assault units are distinguished by the highest number - from 650 to 700 military personnel.

Tank battalions are distinguished by low numbers, if they are armed with T-72, then they will consist of 174 persons. Some types of army troops are formed out of necessity and do not have a clear staffing table. These include:

• chemical troops;
• repair units;
• commandant's office;
• building structures;
• airfield maintenance battalions.

At the same time, tank troops, in addition to military personnel, include 31 pieces of equipment, but if they are attached to motorized rifle troops, then the number of vehicles increases to forty vehicles.

The smallest divisions

In modern Russia, work is underway to transfer the structure of the army to a trinity. This is very clearly seen in the infantry. There, the battalion consists of three companies and several small structural units, for example, a communications platoon. In connection with the change in the hierarchy, personnel changes and reduction of officers are taking place in the army. It is precisely with this that fluctuations in the number of battalions and other units of the army are connected.

Companies appeared back in the time of Peter I. Then it became the main tactical infantry unit. The number of military personnel in a company has changed over time, as troops are constantly evolving. At the end of the imperial period, some companies were called machine gun crews, they consisted of 99 people. At this time, the number of soldiers was fixed.

How many companies and small units can be included in a battalion? It is permissible for this unit to include up to six companies, headed by a senior lieutenant or captain. One company can include up to eight platoons, which in turn are divided into squads and units.

Very often in feature films and literary works on military subjects, terms such as company, battalion, regiment are used. The number of formations is not indicated by the author. Military people, of course, are aware of this issue, as well as many others related to the army.

This article is addressed to those who are far from the army, but still want to navigate the military hierarchy and know what a squad, company, battalion, division is. The number, structure and tasks of these formations are described in the article.

Smallest Formation

A subdivision, or department, is the smallest unit in the hierarchy of the Armed Forces of the Soviet, and later the Russian army. This formation is homogeneous in composition, that is, it consists of either infantrymen or cavalrymen, etc. When performing combat missions, the unit acts as a single unit. This formation is led by a full-time commander with the rank of junior sergeant or sergeant. Among the military, the term "dresser" is used, which means "squad leader" for short. Depending on the type of troops, units are called differently. For artillery, the term "crew" is used, and for tank troops, "crew".

The composition of the division

As part of this formation, the service is from 5 to 10 people. However, a motorized rifle squad consists of 10-13 soldiers. Unlike the Russian army, in the United States, a group is considered the smallest army formation. The unit itself in the US consists of two groups.

Platoon

In the Russian Armed Forces, a platoon consists of three to four squads. It is possible that there are more of them. The number of personnel is 45 people. The leadership of this military formation is carried out by a junior lieutenant, lieutenant or senior lieutenant.

Company

This army formation consists of 2-4 platoons. A company may also include independent squads that do not belong to any platoon. For example, a motorized rifle company may consist of three motorized rifle platoons, machine gun and anti-tank squads. The command of this army formation is carried out by a commander with the rank of captain. The strength of a battalion company is from 20 to 200 people. The number of military personnel depends on the type of troops. Thus, in a tank company, the smallest number of servicemen was noted: from 31 to 41. In a motorized rifle company, from 130 to 150 servicemen. In the landing - 80 soldiers.

A company is the smallest military formation of tactical importance. This means that company soldiers can perform small tactical tasks on the battlefield on their own. In this case, the company is not part of the battalion, but acts as a separate and autonomous formation. In some branches of the military, the term "company" is not used, but replaced by similar military formations. For example, cavalry is equipped with squadrons of one hundred people each, artillery with batteries, border troops with outposts, aviation with units.

Battalion

The number of this military formation depends on the type of troops. Often the number of servicemen in this case ranges from 250 to a thousand soldiers. There are battalions of up to a hundred soldiers. Such a formation is completed with 2-4 companies or platoons acting independently. Due to their significant numbers, battalions are used as the main tactical formations. It is commanded by an officer with the rank not lower than lieutenant colonel. The commander is also called "battalion commander". The activities of the battalion are coordinated at the command headquarters. Depending on the type of troops using one or another weapon, a battalion can be tank, motorized rifle, engineering, communications, etc. Motorized rifle battalion of 530 people (on the BTR-80) may include:

• motorized rifle companies, - a mortar battery;
• material support platoon;
• communications platoon.

Regiments are formed from battalions. In artillery, the concept of a battalion is not used. There it was replaced by similar formations - divisions.

The smallest tactical unit of the armored forces

TB (tank battalion) is a separate unit at the headquarters of the army or corps. Organizationally, a tank battalion is not included in tank or motorized rifle regiments.

Since the TB itself does not need to increase its firepower, it does not contain mortar batteries, anti-tank and grenade launcher platoons. TB can be exacerbated anti-aircraft missile platoon. 213 soldiers - this is the size of the battalion.

Regiment

In the Soviet and Russian army, the word "regiment" was considered the key. This is due to the fact that the regiments are tactical and autonomous formations. The command is carried out by a colonel. Despite the fact that regiments are named according to the types of troops (tank, motorized rifle, etc.), they may include various units. The name of the regiment is determined by the name of the predominant formation. An example would be a motorized rifle regiment, consisting of three motorized rifle battalions and one tank battalion. Besides, motorized rifle battalion equipped with an anti-aircraft missile division, as well as companies:

• communications;
• intelligence;
• engineer-sapper;
• repair;
• material support.

In addition, there is an orchestra and a medical center. The personnel of the regiment does not exceed two thousand people. In artillery regiments, in contrast to similar formations in other branches of the armed forces, the number of servicemen is smaller. The number of soldiers depends on how many divisions the regiment consists of. If there are three of them, then the number of military personnel of the regiment is up to 1200 people. If there are four divisions, then the personnel of the regiment has 1,500 soldiers. Thus, the strength of a battalion of a regiment of a division cannot be less than 400 people.

brigade

Just like the regiment, the brigade belongs to the main tactical formations. However, the number of personnel in the brigade is higher: from 2 to 8 thousand soldiers. In a motorized rifle brigade of motorized rifle and tank battalions, the number of servicemen is twice as large as in a regiment. The brigades include two regiments, several battalions and auxiliary companies. The brigade is commanded by an officer with the rank of colonel.

The structure and strength of the division

The division is the main operational-tactical formation, completed from various units. Just like a regiment, a division is named after its predominant branch of service. The structure of a motorized rifle division is identical to that of a tank division. The difference between them is that a motorized rifle division is formed from three motorized rifle regiments and one tank regiment, and a tank division is formed from three tank regiments and one motorized rifle. The division is also equipped with:

• two artillery regiments;
• one anti-aircraft missile regiment;
• jet division;
• missile division;
• helicopter squadron;
• one company chemical protection and several auxiliary;
• reconnaissance, repair and restoration, medical and sanitary, engineering and sapper battalions;
• one battalion of electronic warfare.

In each division, under the command of a major general, from 12 to 24 thousand people are serving.

What is a corpus?

The army corps is a combined arms formation. There is no predominance of one division or another in a tank, artillery, or any other type of corps. There is no single structure in the formation of corps. Their formation is largely influenced by the military-political situation. The corps is an intermediate link between such military formations as a division and an army. Corps are being formed where it is impractical to create an army.

Army

The term "army" is used in the following meanings:

• the armed forces of the country as a whole;
• large military formation operational purpose.

An army usually consists of one or more corps. It is difficult to indicate the exact number of servicemen in the army, as well as in the corps themselves, since each of these formations differs in its own structure and strength.

Conclusion

Military affairs are developing and improving every year, enriched with new technologies and types of troops, thanks to which, in the near future, as the military believes, the way wars are waged can be radically changed. And this, in turn, will entail an adjustment in the number of personnel of many military formations.