Infantry platoons and companies

Discussion in 'Infantry' started by Chris C, Dec 5, 2022.

  1. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Hi all,

    My first question, I've sort of answered for myself. It was whether platoon numbers were regular, but I guess the answer would be "it varies" the same as I've seen with letters of anti-tank companies. I've been looking at the war diary of 1st Glasgow Highlanders and there are references to the companies (A-D, of course), and I've determined that 16, 17, and 18 Platoons were in D. And I think A included 7 and 8.

    How many platoons were there in a company - I expect it was four? Or was it only three?
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2022
  2. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    As far as I know it was always three platoons to a rifle company in the British and CW armies. HQ Company could have up 6 or 7 platoons: antitank, mortar, AA (or MG), carrier, pioneer, signals, and admin. In the last year or so of the war these various platoons were divided between HQ and Support companies. I don't know how the platoon numbers ran, but check the bayonetstrength site and the Trux pages here.
     
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  3. klambie

    klambie Senior Member

    A 7-9
    B 10-12
    C 13-15
    D 16-18
    was standard for Cdn Inf Bns
     
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  4. Temujin

    Temujin Member

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    Last edited: Dec 5, 2022
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  5. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Bizarre! Thank you very much!
     
  6. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    The Brigade of Guards had to be different from more chippy line regiments and had numbered companies.
     
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  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Not really as 1 to 6 Platoons were in HQ Company.
     
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  8. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    "chippy"?
     
  9. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    In some cases, as with the London Irish Rifles when there were two battalions, the rifle companies in 1st Bn were A-D, and 2nd Bn were E to H.
    In Italy, during the winter of 1944/45 for a time, there was a reduction to 3 rifle companies.
     
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  10. Sheazy

    Sheazy New Member

    The naming of Plts & Coys were and still are largely left up to the Regt and Btn, so whilst there are trends towards some uniformity, you will get a lot of those outliers
     
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  11. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Does that include Scots Guards LF & RF & various “lettered” companies?:whistle:
     
  12. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    "Chippy" is Guards speak for "Fish and chip mob" - well below the standards of the Brigade of Guards.
     
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  13. Gary Kennedy

    Gary Kennedy Member

    Yes, I had to look up the Scots Guards Company designations a while ago, most neatly laid out here of course;

    Orbats: Scots Guards

    I think the Irish and Welsh Guards used the numbering system.

    Looks like my explanation from Bayonetstrength excerpted above, giving the standard format. I know I've seen some references to units numbering just their Rifle Platoons but I can't recall if that was in standard Infantry Battalions (it was done by at least one Air Landing Battalion, which type units were constantly changing their set-up).

    Gary
     
  14. andy007

    andy007 Senior Member

    Without looking it up, I think this is the same for 2NZEF Infantry battalions too....which makes sense given the NZ and Canadian structures are based on the British.
     
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  15. anon

    anon New Member

    Platoons were numbered consecutively within the Infantry Battalion

    1944-45

    Infantry Battalion HQ:
    Command, Intelligence, Office, Medical, Sniper Section

    HQ Company:
    Company HQ,
    No1 Signals Platoon,
    No2 Administrative Platoon

    Support Company:
    Company HQ,
    No3 3" Mortar Platoon,
    No4 Carrier Platoon,
    No5 Anti-tank Platoon (6-pdr),
    No6 Pioneer Platoon

    A Rifle Coy:
    Coy HQ,
    Nos 7,8,9 Rifle Platoons

    B Rifle Coy:
    Coy HQ,
    Nos 10,11,12 Rifle Platoons

    C Rifle Coy:
    Coy HQ,
    Nos 13,14,15 Rifle Platoons

    D Rifle Coy:
    Coy HQ,
    Nos 16,17,18 Rifle Platoons
     

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