#battleorder

🇺🇸 The U.S. Army Ranger Rifle Squad circa 2019, with input from a former Ranger. The exact accessories on the weapons have changed a little bit since then.

⚔ Organizationally, the Rangers are similar to normal light infantry up to the company-level with only minor modifications. For this reason, they could be considered the Army's most elite true infantry. What they differ in is their missionset, selection standards, deployment tempos, and budgets for gear and training. The Ranger specialize in missions like airfield seizures, direct action raids, and providing security and mass for other special operations units.

---Structure--- ⚔ The organization of the squad is identical to the standard rifle squad, with a Squad Leader and two Fire Teams (Alpha and Bravo). In theory, each team has a Team Leader, Automatic Rifleman, Grenadier and Rifleman. However, due to low manpower, squads usually run smaller.

⚔ One unique aspect of the Rangers is the status of the Ranger tab. Completely separate from the 75th Ranger Regiment is Ranger School, which is a leadership school focused on infantry skills. This is unrelated to Ranger selection. Anyone can go and all infantry officers are expected to attend. All those in the Ranger Regiment must earn their Ranger tab before they can fill any sort of leadership position. The graphic shows the Squad Leader, both Team Leaders and Automatic Riflemen (doctrinally an assistant team leader) with tabs. All non-tabs are considered Privates, even if they rank Specialist.

---Equipment--- ⚔ The standard rifles for the Rangers are the Mk18 and M4A1 Block II. The Mk17 (SCAR-H) can also be used by tabbed squad members, although most prefer the Mk18. The standard squad automatic is the M249 LMG, same as the normal squad, although this can sometimes be substituted with the Mk48 chambered in 7.62mm. All members are allotted a Glock 19 pistol, although they can choose whether they carry it or not.

🇺🇸 Notional task organization of a U.S. Army Armor Company Team. Higher res version at the graphics page of our website.

⚔ This depicts a common configuration of an Armor Company going to war. Such Armor Companies are part of Combined Arms Battalions (CAB) of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT), with either 2 Armor and 1 Infantry Company or the reverse. However, TRADOC appears to have a plan to switch back to 2 Armor and 2 Infantry Companies per CAB like it was prior to 2016. Most Armor Companies are equipped with M1A2 SEPv2 or M1A1 SA "Abrams" main battle tanks, and consist of a Company Headquarters and 3 Tank Platoons as organic elements. However, for a combined arms fight, things are shuffled around and support is attached.

⚔ This configuration shows the company with an attached Mechanized Infantry platoon, having traded its 3rd platoon with an infantry company. A Fire Support Team (FIST) is also attached, immediately from the Battalion HQ but ultimately from the Field Artillery Battalion, to coordinate fires. An intelligence analyst is shown at half opacity in the FIST's box but whether one would be attached to a company would depend on the type of operation. A Stinger team has been attached for limited short-range air defense (in the future these will be organic to the companies rather than attached) and an Engineer Squad from the Brigade Engineer Battalion has been attached for mobility and counter mobility support.

🇬🇧 The current British Army Infantry Section, factoring in organizational changes from 2018 and new modifications to the L85A3.

---Structure--- ⚔ The British Infantry Section consists of 8 men split into two fire teams (Charlie under the Section Commander and Delta under the Second-in-Command). Who goes in what fire team depends on the situation and preference, but generally the Section 2iC leads any sort of support-by-fire element (which normally includes the L7A2 general-purpose MG; sometimes the Sharpshooter as well). Other than leadership, key personnel include a Sharpshooter, 2 Grenadiers, 1 GPMG Gunner, and 2 Riflemen. Infantry Platoons are compoed of three such sections, in addition to a small Platoon HQ.

---Equipment--- ⚔ The standard service rifle is the L85A3, which is gradually replacing the L85A2. This graphic includes the new M-LOK handguards, replacing the KeyMod handguards it was adopted with. It also shows the new mounting system for the L123A3 grenade launcher. Previously, the old L85A2 mounting system was still being used on the L85A3.

⚔ The Sharpshooter is equipped with the L129A1, an LMT-produced rifle that replaced the L86 LSW in a designated marksman role in 2009. In 2018, the L7A2 GPMG was reintroduced to the section (having been taken out in the late-1980s), coinciding with the removal of the L110A1 LMG (version of the FN Minimi). The rationale was that the British trials unit stated that the Minimi was ineffective past 250 meters. Whether this is actually true or not, the Army decided it was not worth the weight burden to keep the Minimi in the section for that limited capability. The basic theory is the grenade launcher and rifle can suppress targets at shorter ranges, the sharpshooter can offer accurate point suppression at longer ranges, and the GPMG can offer area suppression at longer ranges. The area suppression role is why British L7A2s lack optics.

⚔ NLAW anti-tank guided missiles are available to each section. Depending on operational need, Glock 17 pistols can be issued to the section (as was seen in Afghanistan). This may be seen for future COIN deployments.

🇩🇪 The German Panzergrenadier Squad consists of the Vehicle Crew and the Rifle Troop (dismount element) with the Squad Leader (Gruppenführer) acting as the Vehicle Commander. If an operation is vehicle-centric, the Troop Leader (Truppführer) will lead the dismounts. But, if the operation is dismount-centric, the Squad Leader may lead the dismounts instead. The squads, mounted in the Puma or Marder IFV, will have 6 dismounts (one less than Jäger squads mounted in the Boxer which is 3 crew + 7 dismounts).

⚔ The MP7 personnel defense weapon appears to be a standard weapon for vehicle crews in the Bundeswehr, include tankers, IFV and APC crews. It replaced the Uzi in this role. However, there does seem to be some intention for the Bundeswehr to move to G36K Carbines for Panzergrenadier vehicle crews based on promotional displays. As for the dismounts, the Germans run a sort of weapons locker concept where different weapons can be taken out. The Machine Gunner for example can man either an MG5 GPMG chambered in 7.62 NATO (or MG3 if the unit hasn't gotten MG5s yet) or an M4 LMG chambered in 5.56 NATO. The vehicle will also carry multiple Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank weapons which one or more Riflemen can take out depending on mission requirements. Typically one of the 6 dismounts will act as an assistant to the MG, and one or two soldiers may carry an AG36 underbarrel grenade launcher. The HK69A1 standalone grenade launcher or "Granatpistole 40 mm" is also in use.

🇨🇭The current Swiss Territorial Infantry Group. Switzerland's four Territorial Divisions are one part of their ground combat capacity, the other being the Swiss Army with its armoured maneuver formations. Territorial Divisions are broadly responsible for local defense and disaster response, tied to geographically defined territories.

⚔️ The group consists of 8 soldiers and are typically carried in an APC 93 (Mowag Piranha II 8x8) or Mowag Duro, which are manned by an additional 3 vehicle crew (commander, gunner, driver). Exact distribution of weapons varies based on unit preference, but the group is typically split into two Troops (one under the Group Leader and one under the Troop Leader).

⚔️ Key weapon systems include two FN Minimi LMGs, one or two 40mm underbarrel grenade launchers, one or two Panzerfaust 3s (to be supplemented by the MATADOR, which makes sense due to the Swiss' urban combat strategy), and one or two optics to create DMRs. Groups will also have one member trained in demolitions and breaching. An interesting aspect of the Swiss group is due to the limited time frames available for training their conscripts, there is a high degree of segmentation in specialisms. For example, a soldier trained on an LMG may not receive a qualification to operate the Panzerfaust 3.

🇺🇸 Notional late 70s/early 80s U.S. Army Mechanized Infantry Squad task organized to conduct an anti-armor ambush, with an Armor-Killer Team (with M47 Dragon ATGM) and Support/Security Team with M72A2 LAWs to supplement.

⚔ This is based on the 1977 field manual for the Mechanized Platoon and Squad, mounted in the M113 armored personnel carrier. The manual gives several variations to the squad based on different conditions, such as being understrength or to tailor it to a specific mission. Because there were distrinct Carrier Teams (minimum of 2 but possibly more) and Maneuver Teams (which themselves could be split as necessary) there was a lot of variation within the manual depending on unit SOPs.

⚔ Generally speaking, squads were 11 men at the time with a dedicated 2-man crew for the track (but more could stay behind if necessary). The Platoon HQ had 3 M47 Dragon ATGMs to distribute to the squads (but squads didn't need to take them out if unnecessary). Each squad organically had its own M60 machine gun, but the platoon had an additional 2 M60s to reinforce 2 of the squads. M72A2 LAWs and other munitions were distributed as necessary but about 3-5 LAWs is commonly mentioned in the manual.

⚔ A plausible alternate history scenario where the British Army continued to use the Janson E.M.2 rifle, officially adopted as the Rifle No. 9 Mk. 1 in 1951. This bullpup ultimately never entered mass production, as the incoming Churchill government was more interested in NATO standardization than the minutae of the British Army's service weapon (so this is perhaps a "What if Churchill's Conservatives lost the 1951 election scenario?). The weapon was chambered .280 British, which the U.S. government did not favor. So, although the E.M.2. was adopted, this left the British Army using the Lee-Enfield No. 4 and WWII-vintage arms for several more years before the adoption of the L1A1 SLR (FAL-derived) in the late 1950s.

⚔ This graphic shows what a British Infantry Section might've looked like if the E.M.2 had remained in service. This takes into account the direction the British were heading with their sections, that being 8-man for light role and 10-man for mechanised. For the section automatic, we assume that the X11 Turpin GPMG still in its experimentation phase would still have not been in service by the early 1950s. We believe that before adopting a proper GPMG, the British would have either continued using the Bren chambered in .303 or converted Brens to .280 (as pictured). This is essentially what they did when they adopted 7.62 NATO. We label the converted Bren as the Bren Mk. V. The 7.62 NATO Brens were adopted as the L4A1 years after the L number system was introduced (1954). If a .280 Bren was adopted in the early 50s we believe it likely would've been designated the L2A1, coming after the L1A1 .50 HMG (M2 Browning).

🇫🇷 Check out our new video linked in the bio on the French Army Infantry Squad! The video takes a look at the current organization and what new equipment the Army is procuring for it.

⚔ This graphic depicts what the squad will look like pending planned procurement. The squad consists of a Squad Leader, Marksman, Alpha Team (formerly 300m Team), and Bravo Team (formerly 600m Team), and a Vehicle Crew. This applies to squads mounted in the VAB, VHM, VBCI, and VBMR armored infantry carriers. The Alpha Team is the junior fire team and the primary assault element, with riflemen and short-range anti-armor weapons. The Bravo Team is the senior fire team and the primary support by fire element, with a light machine gun and mortar-style grenade launcher.