manual for commanders of infantry platoons. - US Army Combined ...

~TNUaPaLm FOR CO~MAN~DERS OF INeFANTRZY PLAlTOONS. 161
cooks; laborers; the or~derlies of the oifficers of the regimental
staf'f; 1 ta~ilor; 1 shoemakier.
N~POTE.-The sergeant ma~jor is az company noncommissionednec
officer almo~st the equivialent of the firs~t sergeant~in the Unitedl
· State~s Artmy.
TH-E INFAN~TRY BATTALION.
A battalion consists. of a staff', a2non1commli~ssion1ed s~taff, three
compalnies, and36one mach~ine-gun1 companyl. The fourthl compallnyl
is ursually detached annd remazins at: t-he (lep~ot of: the division.
Th~e s~tafff includes the ba~ttalion commander, 1~claptalin (adcjntanlt),
afnd I ~urgeon-.
Thle noncomm_~sissione ,staff is raztionedl w~ith the first: comlpanyv
of the b'ittalion, It incluzdes 1 ser~geaznt (assistanrt of the battalion
commander) ; I caval~ry sergeanlt (atitached) ; 1 assistant
urg~eon; 1 'irtificei' se~rgeant (commlanding the combat tr1ain
t-he b~att'lion) 1 chief' bugler (a corporal) ; 1 chief litter- bedr~er of
(a corpoi al) and some litter bearers; 5 slignalmen (one of them
a2 corporql'l); 3 cyclists (one of wh-om i~sthe surgeon's mess~enger
or liaiison agfent) ; thle dtriver~s of the 3 wa~gons; belonging to
the battalion (bag1ooage wragon, medicall-supplyr wagon, and calisson)b
; and the 01 denlies of the 3 o~fficers.
TLhe littel· benreis number 16 or 28, (l~epentlingf uporn whlethier
the regimnet; has~ ot has not; a balnd.
THE INF~ANTRY cOMIPANYS.
The company consists of a captain; 3 lieuteniants
~ieutenantls;
or secondl
1. warran~t officer· (adcjutant) ; 1 fir~st sergealnt (scer'gneant
major·); 1 qluartermaster sergeant; S sergeants; 1 qluar·termastelr
Corporal;3 16 corporals1;
soldier
4 dr~ummers
of the medical
or bug~lers;
corp~s (in
1
the first company hze*is a2corporal)
; 1 cyclist; 1 tailor;
three
1 shocemaker;
wa~sgons of the
tile
comp~any;
dlrivers
4
of 'the
sazppers alndl pio~neers; 4 orderlies;
2 signallers; andc the soldiers of the company (grenadiers
and~lrifl~emen), dividedl into 4 platoons.
MABCHINE-GUN COMIPANY.
Machine-gun cobmpanies are of .two types, either· on wh-eels
(gunn calrriages and caissons) or aElp~inet;ype (all pack mules).