The size of a company platoon squad. Hierarchy of military formations

The regiment appears. The size of its composition depends on the type of troops, and its full complement of personnel is one of the factors in ensuring the combat effectiveness 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 by main branches of the military. We will pay special attention to the equipment of the artillery regiment.

What is a regiment?

First of all, let's find out. We'll find out the number of personnel in the various branches of the military in this unit later.

Regiment is combat unit, which is often commanded by an officer with the rank of colonel, although there are exceptions. Russian Federation the regiment is the main tactical unit on the basis of which it is formed

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 regimental command that in most cases makes tactical decisions during a large-scale battle. Although quite often 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 usually contains from 2000 to 3000 soldiers. Moreover, approximately this number is observed in almost all (except perhaps artillery and some other types of troops) and even in law enforcement agencies. A similar number of military personnel, 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.

A typical rifle regiment consists of a headquarters where the main decisions are made, three motorized rifle battalions, a communications company, and a tank battalion. This unit should also include an anti-aircraft division, reconnaissance company, anti-tank battery, communications company, engineer-sapper company, repair company, chemical, biological and radiation protection company. IN Lately increasingly important functions are performed by the company, although in Soviet time this unit was also very significant. The regiment's composition is supplemented by auxiliary units: a commandant platoon, a medical company and an orchestra. But they are additional only conditionally, since, for example, a medical company performs functions that are much more important, so to speak, than other units. After all, the lives of other soldiers depend on the soldiers of this structural unit.

A typical regiment has approximately this structure. You can see photos of the fighters of this formation above.

Battalion composition

Typically, two to four battalions form a regiment. We will now consider the number of servicemen in the battalion.

The battalion is considered the main tactical unit ground troops. The range of personnel in this unit generally ranges from 400 to 800 people. It includes several platoons, as well as separate 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. They can be found especially often during combat operations, when an acute shortage of personnel officers may arise in the armed forces of a country or a separate unit.

Let's look at 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, a grenade launcher platoon, an anti-tank platoon, and a control platoon. Additional, but no less important units are platoons of material and technical support, as well as a medical center.

Company size

A company is a smaller structural unit that is part of a battalion. As a rule, it is commanded by a captain, and in some cases a major.

The size of a battalion company varies greatly depending on the specific type of troops. Most of the soldiers are in the 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 airborne troops. The number of army personnel here does not exceed 80 people. But the fewest soldiers are in tank companies. There are only 31 to 41 military personnel there. In general, depending on the type of troops and the specific state, the number of military personnel in a company can vary from 18 to 280 people.

In addition, in some branches of the military 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 units

A platoon consists of several sections, 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 squad. 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 commander.

Number of artillery regiments

The time has come to take a closer look at what an artillery regiment is, the number of personnel in this unit and some other parameters.

An artillery regiment is a structural unit of such troops as artillery. Typically it comes in as component to an artillery division, consisting of three or four units.

The size 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. With three divisions, its strength ranges from 1000 to 1200 people. If there are four divisions, then the number of military personnel 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: control, logistics and combat support units, as well as the main striking force itself - line units.

It is these elements that make up an artillery regiment. A photo of the regiment structure is located above.

Regimental control composition

In turn, the regiment's management 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 position in Soviet times corresponded to the post of political officer.

The headquarters unit includes the chief of staff, his deputy, as well as the chiefs of intelligence, topographic service, communications, secret unit, computer department and a combat assistant.

In the rear part of the regiment's control there are the deputy commander for logistics, the heads of the food, clothing, fuel and lubricants and clothing services.

IN technical part The regiment's management includes the deputy for armament, the chiefs of the armored, automobile and missile and artillery services.

In addition, the heads of financial, chemical and medical services report directly to the regiment commander.

Composition of the logistics and combat support unit

The logistics and combat support unit is divided into the following structural elements: medical center, club, repair company, company material support, battery and control battery.

This unit is commanded by the deputy commander of the regiment for rear affairs, who himself is part of the administrative part of the regiment, as mentioned above.

Composition of linear units

It is the linear units that are entrusted with the main function of the existence of an artillery regiment, since they fire directly at the enemy from guns.

The regiment consists of four linear divisions: self-propelled, mixed, howitzer and jet. Sometimes there may be no mixed division. In this case, three units remain the backbone of the regiment.

Each division is divided, as a rule, into three batteries, which, in turn, consist of three to four platoons.

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 unit in the artillery - the corps. The number of military personnel in artillery corps can reach 12,000 people. Such a unit is often commanded by a lieutenant general.

General principles for forming 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 military personnel 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 basis is the most optimal number of military personnel to perform specific tasks. Each indicator is not only the product of strict scientific calculations, but also the experience of conducting combat operations in practice. That is, each figure is based on the shed blood of the fighters.

Thus, we see that in the army there are both very small units in terms of personnel, in which the number of military personnel can be equal to even three people, and the largest units, where the total number is tens of thousands of military personnel. It is also necessary to take into account that in 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 appearing. For example, in Russia not long ago the Aerospace Forces appeared, which are a product of evolution and development Air Force. With the advent of new types of troops and changes in forms of warfare, it is certainly possible to adjust the number of personnel in units taking into account new conditions.

In 2009, during the reform Russian army The main ideologists of the reforms informed the military personnel, and indeed all citizens of the country, that the military doctrine had undergone major changes, and that the army needed significant internal restructuring. At the same time it was determined main threat for Russia, to counter which it is supposedly not necessary to conduct large-scale military operations, but can be limited to solving local combat missions. They say that we should no longer expect major external aggression against Russia, but we should expect attacks by bearded men with grenade launchers and Kalash guns.

Due to metamorphosis military doctrine it was decided to switch to using brigades, almost completely abandoning the concept of a division. The main argument in favor of switching to a brigade composition of the army was as follows: a brigade has a smaller staff and, therefore, may be better organized than a division. This was supposed to give the entire Russian army greater mobility and flexibility, which would meet new challenges from a security point of view.

However, after the divisions urgently began to be cut down and shrunk, it became clear that the brigade formation option had its own significant drawbacks. One of these disadvantages can be considered that it was not always possible to achieve full interaction between individual components of the same brigade. If we take into account that the brigade was conceived as a kind of middle line between the regiment and the division, which was supposed to absorb all the best from both sides: the power of the division and the mobility of the regiment, then the result of such an idea was clearly blurred. Numerous exercises in which updated military formations took part showed that the brigades did not absorb divisional power and, at the same time, were unable to accumulate regimental coherence and mobility. It turned out that the brigades in organizational plan stuck between the regiment and the division, not realizing all the positive things that they actually wanted from them.

Another undoubted disadvantage of the brigades is that, unlike the same divisions, if they were forced to take part in combat (combat training) operations, then in full strength. A situation emerged in which a brigade, consisting of a couple of regiments, several separate battalions, including a logistics battalion (company), was removed from its location to carry out combat missions, leaving this very place virtually empty and completely unprotected. In the divisional version, for conducting active combat operations there was always a special group of military personnel, which was determined to solve military-practical problems of countering the attacking side. This group could be larger or smaller depending on the conditions and scale of hostilities. In any case, the rear remained covered. In the case of a brigade, to strengthen the rear, you need to use either another brigade (and this is nonsense), or somehow isolate separate units from it, which in itself is a contradiction in using the brigade as a single and mobile whole.

An additional headache was (is) added by the fact that a hypothetically probable military confrontation may not always fit into the framework of local counteraction, where it would be appropriate to use a brigade. After all, on the same Far East The possibility of a clash between the Russian army and the armies of its neighbors cannot be ruled out (with all due respect to China, Japan and other states in the region). If, God forbid, such a military clash occurs, then it is hardly worth harboring the illusion that it will be limited to a certain limited area (very small) territory... There have been a sufficient number of examples in the country of how even the most seemingly insignificant border conflict resulted in a large-scale military confrontation. And it is precisely in the event of large-scale confrontations that the brigades should hardly be considered effective.

Despite this, all segments of the Russian Armed Forces switched to the brigade system with the exception of the Strategic Missile Forces and Airborne troops. At the same time, none of the major military powers decided to make such a large-scale transition to the brigade principle of forming the Armed Forces. In particular, the armies of the USA, Germany, China and other countries use brigades only as additions to existing divisions, which form the basis of the army. Moreover, in the USA, brigades are generally parts of divisions in the vast majority of cases. It turns out that only Russia, among the countries with a significant military power relies exclusively on brigades and takes into account the option of military conflicts only at the level of local skirmishes. Potential adversaries do not discount the scenario of a full-scale war using solid formations.

Numerous military experts, who increasingly began to raise the issue of the inexpediency of an almost 100% transfer of the RF Armed Forces to the brigade version, seem to have been heard by the new leaders of the Ministry of Defense. Despite the fact that not so long ago President Putin announced that the reform was almost completed and that it was time to abandon “shying around” from side to side, information has appeared that in the near future several divisions that were lost could be recreated in Russia at once this status was about 3-4 years ago. In particular, information has appeared that in less than a couple of months, namely at the Victory Parade (May 9, 2013), soldiers of the Taman and Kantemirovskaya divisions will march along Red Square. Namely divisions, since this status will be returned by the famous military formation of the Moscow region, along with the red banners with which the divisions were once awarded for the military exploits of soldiers and officers.

In addition to restoring the Taman and Kantemirovskaya divisions, the Ministry of Defense plans to begin creating several divisions in the Far East at once, which indirectly confirms the concerns shared by military experts regarding the need to cover Russia’s distant borders. It is possible that the division may be revived again in Tajikistan - on the basis of the 201st military base RF. Indeed, in this region, after the withdrawal of the NATO contingent from Afghanistan, another large-scale armed conflict, which, no matter the hour, is capable of spreading throughout Central Asia.

But if the Ministry of Defense decided to again turn to the divisional option of recruiting the army, then what will happen to the created brigades? There is no clear answer to this question yet, but most likely, brigades will be left as the main combat units where their use is truly more effective than the use of divisions. Regions where brigades may remain in their current form include, for example, North Caucasus. Using large divisions here to conduct counter-terrorist operations is simply pointless. This district needs mobile groups that could fight gangs with maximum efficiency.

It turns out that the leadership of the Ministry of Defense is revising its military doctrine, pointing out that local wars are certainly dangerous for Russia, but it is also necessary to insure against more significant external aggression. It is naive to hope that we do not have major enemies, just as it is naive to believe that if there are major enemies, they will not provoke Russia into an armed conflict. Reasonable restoration of divisions is a good insurance policy.

December 2nd, 2012

If the Soviet and German rifle squads and platoons were approximately similar in composition and structure, 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.

This was a 100% combat unit.
The company's logistics support 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 support for the company was the company commander himself and the company foreman. It was on them that all the care for the simple company economy hung.

The rifle company did not even have its own field kitchen. Therefore, the provision of hot meals was carried out at the battalion or regiment level.

The situation was completely different in the German infantry company.

German infantry company can be conditionally divided into two parts: combat and logistical support (a convoy, two quartermaster detachments, a mobile workshop).
This rear units companies that were engaged in supplying the company with everything necessary.

They did not directly participate in combat operations on the front line and during the company’s offensive they were subordinated directly to battalion and regimental rear structures.

These units were located 3-5 km from the front line.

What constituted the combat unit of a German infantry company?

German infantry company (Schuetzenkompanie).

The total strength of the German infantry company is 191 people (in a Soviet rifle company 179 people).
This is what it looks like schematically:

Four messengers with the rank of Gefreiter inclusive.
One of them is simultaneously a bugler, the other a light signalman.
Armed with carbines.

Two cyclists with the rank of up to Gefreiter inclusive.
Armed with carbines. They travel on bicycles.

Two coachmen with the rank of Gefreiter inclusive. They drive a heavy horse-drawn carriage drawn by four horses.
Armed with carbines.

Groom for an officer's horse with the rank of Gefreiter inclusive. Armed with a carbine. Equipped with a bicycle for transportation.

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 the infantry platoons was 49x3 = 147 people.
Taking into account the number of combat units of the control department, including the company commander (10 people), we get 157 people.

Infantry platoons at company level received reinforcement 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 squad's group weapons are three Pz.B.39 anti-tank rifles.
Squad leader with the rank of Obergeifreiter to Unterfeldwebel. Armed with a carbine.

Three calculations of anti-tank guns.
Each squad consisted of a PR shooter in the ranks up to and including Gefreiter (personal weapon - a pistol) and his assistant in the ranks up to and including Gefreiter. Armed with a carbine.

The total number of people in the calculation is 4 people.
The number of squad members is 7 people (3x2 +1 squad leader)
The anti-tank squad was armed with:
Anti-tank rifle Pz.B.39 - 3 pcs.
Repeating rifle Mauser 98k - 4 pcs.
8-shot pistol - 3 pcs.

Total in a German infantry company combat personnel 157+7= 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 rifle Pz.B.39

For service German army in World War II there were two main types of anti-tank rifles - the PzB-38 and its later modification, the PzB-39.

The abbreviation PzB stands for Panzerbüchse (anti-tank rifle).
Both the PzB-38 and 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 casing, with a poisonous reagent, tracer.

Patrone 318 SmKH-Rs-L"spur.- a cartridge with a pointed bullet in a shell (hard) with a poisonous reagent, tracer.
This, in fact, is an armor-piercing cartridge.

Number 318 was the reciprocal number of the old designation (813 - 8 mm bullet in a 13 mm sleeve).
SmK meant Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (sharpened bullet in a jacket)
SmKH- Spitzgeschoss mit Kern (Hart) (sharpened bullet in a jacket (Hard)
Rs- Reizstoff (Poisonous agent), because the bullet had a small amount of tear gas to affect the crew of the armored vehicle, chloro-acetophenone was placed in the recess at the bottom of the core - a toxic agent with tear action, but due to the small amount of tear gas in the capsule, the crew most often just it did not notice. By the way, until German samples of anti-tank rifles were captured, no one suspected that their bullets contained gas.
L"spur- Leuchtspur (Tracer), the bullet had a small tracer in the rear.

Its bullet weighing 14.5 g accelerated in the barrel to 1180 m/s. The fairly high armor-piercing effect of the bullet, piercing 20-mm armor installed at an angle of 20° to the normal at a distance of 400 m, was ensured by a tungsten core.

According to other data, the PTR penetrated 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 at the tracks and fuel tanks of the tank in order to stop it.
However, at the same time, the PTR very quickly discovered its position and became an excellent target for shooters.
Therefore, if anti-tank rifles were a reinforcement of the German infantry company in the confrontation with tanks, it was not too significant.

The main part of the tanks was destroyed by anti-tank guns, which the German infantry company did not have at its disposal.

Now let’s compare a German infantry company with a Soviet infantry company, not from the point of view of the total number of personnel, but from the point of view of the combat strength of those who were directly on the front line.

Soviet rifle company
The rifle company was the next largest tactical unit after the platoon and was part of the rifle battalion.

The rifle company was commanded by a company commander (company commander) with the rank of captain.
The company commander was entitled to a riding horse.
Because on a company march, 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 company political instructor was the assistant to the company commander.
He led the educational work in the company units and kept in touch with the political 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 the rather poor, frankly speaking, company economy, dealt with the issues of providing the company units with everything they needed, receiving everything they needed in the battalion, which included the rifle company.
For these purposes, the company had one horse and cart, which was driven by a driver with the rank of private, armed with a rifle like the foreman.

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 his private rank, he was, perhaps, the left hand of the company commander. He was entrusted with important tasks, he was always close to the battalion commander, knew all the platoon commanders and squad leaders well, etc. And he was known not only in the company units, but also in the battalion.
He was also armed with a rifle.

The basis of a rifle company consisted of rifle platoons.
There were 3 such platoons in the rifle company.
At the company level, rifle platoons were reinforced primarily in the form of a machine gun platoon.

Machine gun platoon.
The machine gun platoon was headed by a machine gun platoon commander with the rank of lieutenant.
Weapon - TT pistol.

The machine gun platoon consisted of two crews of the Maxim heavy machine gun.
Each crew was commanded by a sergeant.
Weapon - TT pistol.

The crew consisted of a crew commander and four privates (gunner, assistant gunner, cartridge carrier and driver), armed with rifles.
According to the state, each crew relied on a horse and a cart for transporting a machine gun (cart). The crew was armed with rifles.

The number of machine gun crews was 6 soldiers.
The size of the machine gun platoon was (6x2 + platoon commander) = 13 soldiers.
Armed 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 high firing accuracy of the machine gun made it possible to carry out this task from a distance of 100 to 1000 m to friendly troops.
All machine gun crew members had the same skills in firing a machine gun and, if necessary, could change the crew commander, gunner, etc.
Each heavy machine gun carried a combat set of cartridges, 12 boxes with machine gun belts (a belt - 250 rounds), two spare barrels, one box with spare parts, one box with accessories, three cans for water and lubricant, and an optical machine gun sight.
The machine gun had an armor shield that protected it from shrapnel, light bullets, etc.
Shield thickness - 6 mm.

German machine gunners have no protection other than a helmet.

True, it was not always the shield that saved the machine gunner.

Bullet hits are visible.

And here it’s actually a sieve. Apparently they were shooting from armor-piercing cartridges.
And the trunk got it.

Thus, the main weapon reinforcement for platoons at the company level was the 7.62 mm heavy machine gun of the Maxim system, model 1910/30.

In addition, as a company reinforcement of platoons during the battle, the company had 2 snipers.
A fairly powerful reinforcement of company units for the purpose of destroying enemy firing points from long distances 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 in a minute of shooting can easily kill an infantry squad. And in a pair - 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 squad was commanded by the squad commander, a sergeant-medic.
He had 4 orderlies under his command.
The squad is armed with 1 pistol.
Well, that’s practically one orderly per platoon.
Rifle platoons, unlike German infantry platoons, did not have a medical orderly.
But as we see, the platoon was still not left without a medic.
Total: 5 people. Armed with one pistol.

Total company strength:
Company commander - 1 person.
Company political instructor - 1 person.
Company sergeant major - 1 person.
Bellboy - 1 person.
Clerk - 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:
Machine gun "Maxima" - 2 pcs.
PD Degtyarev machine gun - 12 pcs. (4 pieces each in each rifle platoon)
Light 50 mm mortar - 3 pcs. (1 piece each in each rifle platoon)
PPD submachine gun - 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 a machine gun platoon + 1 in the medical department + 2 in the company and political officer)

Vehicles:
Riding horse - 1 pc.
Horse and 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. Heavy machine gun - 0/2
3. Submachine gun - 16/27
4. Repeating 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 was significantly superior in firepower and armament to the German infantry company.

Conclusions on numbers.
The total strength of the German infantry company is 191 people. (Soviet rifle company - 179 people)
However combat unit The infantry company consisted of only 164 people. The rest belonged to the company's rear services.

Thus, the Soviet rifle company outnumbered the German infantry company by 15 people (179-164).
At the battalion level, this excess was 15x3=45 people.
At the regimental level 45x3=135 people
At the divisional level there are 135x3=405 people.
405 people is almost 2.5 companies, that is, almost an infantry battalion.

Advantage in vehicles, carts and draft power at the company level in a German infantry company was associated with the work of the rear services of the German company.
The combat unit of the company moved on foot in the same way as a 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 a combat unit of a German infantry company:
1. Riding horse - 1 pc.
2. Bicycle - 3 pcs.
3. 4-horse heavy cart - 1 pc.
Only 4 horses per infantry company.

On the march, the German infantry company moved exclusively on foot, as did the soldiers of the Soviet rifle company.

Therefore, the German infantry company had no advantage in vehicles over the Soviet rifle company.

Drawing a general conclusion, we can conclude that in terms of the number of combat personnel, weapons and firepower, the Soviet rifle company was superior to the German infantry company, inferior to it only in the supply organization system.

The number of soldiers in various military units may be of interest to both people interested in military theme and the common man with a wide range of interests. It will not be superfluous to have such information for the purpose of self-education, because it is knowledge in various fields that shapes the modern erudite person. How many people are in the company and other army units will be discussed below.

A company, platoon, battalion, regiment, division are all military units that are characterized by a certain number of people. The number of soldiers in each detachment is determined by military needs and is strictly fixed. For armies different countries such data may be different, as well as when forming special-purpose units.

Number of people in military units

On average, the size of a company can be from 45 to 360 people, motorized rifle companies usually have a composition of about 130-150 people, tank companies 30-35 people

Let's consider how many people there are in military units:

• How many people are in the department? Usually it includes 5-10 people. The squad leader acts as the commander. Most often, this position is a sergeant's, because the chest of drawers (short for the phrase “squad commander”) is most often a junior sergeant or sergeant.
• How many people are in the platoon? Usually there are 3-6 branches. The average number of people is from 15 to 60. The head of the platoon is the platoon commander, and this position is an officer's. Thus, the maximum commander can be a captain, and the minimum can be a lieutenant.
• How many people are in the company? Typically, a company has 45-360 people, that is, from 3 to 6 platoons. The company is headed by a commander. This position is a major position. In fact, a captain or senior lieutenant is most often appointed to command a company.

Note. In army circles, a company commander is called a company commander.

• How many people are in the battalion? In addition to 3 or 4 companies, this unit may include a headquarters and individual specialists, such as snipers, a signalman, a gunsmith, etc. In some cases, the battalion may have its own mortar platoon, tank destroyers and air defense. As a rule, this unit includes up to 500 people. The minimum number of soldiers in a battalion is 145. This unit is commanded by the battalion commander, or battalion commander for short.

Lieutenant colonels initially became battalion commanders. However, today, subject to a shortage of personnel, the commander may be a captain or major, who in the near future will have the position of lieutenant colonel.

On average, the division has 5,000 - 22,000 personnel

• How many people are in the regiment? The regiment unites from 3 to 6 battalions and can include up to 2,500 people, and sometimes more. In addition to ordinary soldiers, a regiment may have air defense, anti-tank tanks, regimental artillery and a headquarters. A colonel is appointed as the regiment commander. This position can also be held by a lieutenant colonel.
• How many people are in the brigade? This unit combines several battalions, sometimes up to three regiments. The number of people in a brigade should not exceed 4000. The commander is a colonel, who is most often called a brigade commander.
• How many people are in the division? Several regiments, including tank and artillery. Sometimes logistics and aviation services are added to their number. The division commander is a major general or colonel. These units can have different numbers of soldiers, ranging from 5,000 to 22,000 people.
• How many people are in the building? The corps unites several divisions with a total number of soldiers up to 100,000 people. The major general acts as the corps commander.
• How many people are in the army? This unit can contain up to 10 divisions of various types of troops, repair shops and rear units. The size of the army can vary significantly, reaching 1 million people. The commander of this unit is a lieutenant general or major general.
• Front. IN Peaceful time is a military district. In this case, it turns out to be quite difficult to name the approximate number of soldiers. The numbers vary depending on military doctrine, region, political environment, etc.

The front is a self-sufficient structure, which includes warehouses, reserves, training units, etc. The front may have its own military school. This unit is commanded by an army general or lieutenant general, who holds the position of front commander.

The composition of the front can vary significantly depending on what tasks were set and what the situation is in a particular region. Most often, the front includes the following units:

• control;
• 5 or 6 armies;
• 1-2 missile armies;
• tank army (possibly two);
• air defense army;
• air force;
• separate formations, including special troops and troops of various types;
• units, formations and operational logistics institutions.

To strengthen the front, units and formations of other types of armed forces can be used. It is possible to join this unit of the reserve of the Supreme High Command. In this case, the number of soldiers increases significantly.

Other Useful Tactical Terms

Squad, platoon, company, battalion - they are all united by one word “unit”

When we start talking about the number of people in military units, we should consider several terms that are also called military formations.

Rules regarding the creation of units in the armies of the Russian Federation may depend on the characteristics of a particular region. For example, if there is a particularly dangerous situation, the number of people in the squad may be increased. Also, if necessary, it is possible to add troops to the unit special purpose, which are necessary to quickly resolve a particular situation.

In addition to the terms described above, there are others that are also used in modern army and are relevant to this topic. Such knowledge will also be useful to a person interested in military terminology. Let's look at them in more detail:

• Subdivision. This term refers to all military formations that are part of the unit. A company, platoon, battalion or squad are all units characterized by different composition. Thus, military unit is divided into divisions.
• Part. We are talking about the main unit of the Armed Forces. This term most often implies a brigade and a regiment. External signs of the unit are the presence of its own military economy, office work, bank account, telegraph and postal address, official seal, open and closed combined arms numbers, as well as the commander’s right to give orders in writing. Thus, the part is characterized by the presence of a certain autonomy.

Military and military units are not at all the same thing. For example, if we are talking about a military unit, then we are talking about a general designation. But when the conversation turns to a specific brigade or regiment, it would be correct to use the term “ Military Unit" As a rule, after this her number is mentioned. For example, military unit 45678. You can also use the abbreviation - military unit 45678.

• An association. This term refers to a unit that includes an army, corps, front, or army group. The headquarters of the association is the part to which the various formations and units are subordinate.
• Compound. Only division is suitable for this term, since the word itself implies a connection of parts. The divisional headquarters has the status of a unit to which the regiments are subordinate. All this together is a division. But in some cases, the status of a unit can be assigned to a brigade, for example, if it includes separate companies and battalions, each of which is assigned the status of a unit.

All the grouping and specific concepts used in the modern military hierarchy of the ground forces were described above. The navy and aviation have their own military formations, different from those described above. However, the basic terms remain the same. Thus, there is nothing complicated here, and understanding the features army hierarchy Anyone can.

This will be my first blog post. It’s not a full-fledged article in terms of the number of words and information, but it’s a very important note, which can be read in one breath and has almost more benefits than many of my articles. So, what is a squad, platoon, company and other concepts known to us from books and films? And how many people do they contain?

What is a platoon, company, battalion, etc.

• Branch
• Platoon
• Battalion
• Brigade
• Division
• Frame
• Army
• Front (district)

These are all tactical units in the branches and types of troops. I have arranged them in order from least number of people to most to make it easier for you to remember them. During my service, I most often met with everyone up to the regiment.

From the brigade and above (in number of people) during the 11 months of service, we didn’t 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?

Department. Numbers from 5 to 10 people. The squad is commanded by the squad leader. A squad leader is a sergeant's position, so commode (short for squad leader) is often a junior sergeant or sergeant.

Platoon. A platoon includes from 3 to 6 sections, that is, it can reach from 15 to 60 people. The platoon commander is in charge of the platoon. This is already an officer position. It is occupied by a minimum of a lieutenant and a maximum of a captain.

Company. A company includes from 3 to 6 platoons, that is, it can consist of from 45 to 360 people. The company is commanded by the company commander. This is a major position. In fact, the commander is a senior lieutenant or captain (in the army, a company commander is affectionately 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. The commander of the battalion (abbreviated as battalion commander) commands.

This is the position of lieutenant colonel. But in our country, both captains and majors command, who in the future can become lieutenant colonels, provided they retain this position.

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

Brigade. A brigade is several battalions, sometimes 2 or even 3 regiments. The brigade usually has from 1,000 to 4,000 people. It is commanded by a colonel. The abbreviated title for the position of brigade commander is brigade commander.

Division. These are several regiments, including artillery and, possibly, tank + rear service + sometimes aviation. Commanded by a colonel or major general. The number of divisions varies. From 4,500 to 22,000 people.

Frame. These are several divisions. That is, in the region of 100,000 people. The corps is commanded by a major general.

Army. 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 difficult 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 commands the front. This is a lieutenant general or army general.

The composition of the front depends on the assigned tasks and the situation. Typically the front includes:

• control;
• missile army (one - two);
• army (five - six);
• tank army (one - two);
• air army (one - two);
• air defense army;
• separate formations and units of various types of troops and special troops front-line subordination;
• formations, units and establishments of operational logistics.

The front can be reinforced by formations and units of other types Armed Forces and the reserve of the Supreme High Command.

What other similar tactical terms exist?

Subdivision. This word refers to all military formations that are part of the unit. Squad, platoon, company, battalion - they are all united by one word “unit”. The word comes from the concept of division, to divide. That is, the part is divided into divisions.

Part. This is the main unit of the Armed Forces. The term “unit” most often means regiment and brigade. External signs parts are: the presence of its own office work, a military economy, a bank account, a postal and telegraph address, its own official seal, the commander’s right to give written orders, an 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, etc., then the term “military unit” is used. Usually its number is also mentioned: “military unit 74292” (but you cannot use “military unit 74292”) or, for short, military unit 74292.

Compound. As a standard, only a division fits this term. The word “connection” itself means to connect parts. The division headquarters has the status of a unit. Other units (regiments) are subordinate to this unit (headquarters). All together there is a division. However, in some cases, a brigade may also have the status of a connection. This happens if the brigade includes separate battalions and companies, each of which has the status of a unit in itself.

An association. This term combines corps, army, army group and front (district). The headquarters of the association is also the part to which various formations and units are subordinated.

Bottom line

There are no other specific and grouping concepts in the military hierarchy. In any case, in Ground forces. In this article we did not touch on the hierarchy military formations aviation and navy. However, the attentive reader can now imagine the naval and aviation hierarchy quite simply and with minor errors.

Now it will be easier for us to dialogue, friends! After all, every day we are getting closer to speaking the same language. You are learning more and more military terms and meanings, and I am getting closer and closer to civilian life!))

I wish everyone to find in this article what they were looking for,