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

102 M[ANUAL FOIR COMMI~ANaD1ERS OF INFANTRY PATO'OBNS.
A company consists of the captain; 2 l~ieutenantsx; a sergeant
in charge of liason; a noncomml~i~issione officer accountant; a
supply corporal; a raznge finder;~ an armorer corporel; a mledical
co~rps private; a cook~; 3 or 4 firinig platoonms with their ammuni1~1tion
; and the company Coiubat tr'iin.
P·i1n·ig patooniz--Ea~ch plaltoon.has a lieutenan~lt or a sergeantt
in comlmand; a noncommissionedI assistantl to thze platoon coinin
ind'ei 2 corporals, each commllanding ahn u w t~
uci s, loaders; 2 assistant loaders; an armorer; and a liaison
werfn-t.
Ammunnz~zl.ition supp2~ly-Two supply corporals; 411ammunition
cairriers for each platoon, the carriages or mules for the ma1cchine
guns and amrmunition. Fior a company of 4 platoons there
wrill be 16J light carriages, 8 for the guns and 8 fobr thle' ainullnition,
or 36 packi mules.
Compalnay comzbat -train-Two ,corporals, andl, theoretically, 1
caisson or 6 mules fbr e'ich ~platoon. But since the adloptionof
8 automatic rifles per companytthe, combat train of the mnachinegrun
company has been reduced to 2 caissons for 3 sections aiid
3' caissons for 4, sect~ions. As soon as every infantry company~~~o
ma~chine 7
has beeni supplied with 16Cautomatic rifles, the ,runl
com~panies will lose another caisson apiece. The caisson holds
about 25,000 cartridges on rigid strips and a few spare amlmunition
cases.
The 37-mmn.guan platoon.-Tkhis platoon is rationed with~ma~chine-gun
company No.l1. t includes 1 lieutenant and, 1
liaison agent (both mounteda on bicycles), and hazs as many
guns aZsthere are bafttalion3s inl the regiment. Each g.un has a
detachment consisting of 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, 1. gunner, 1.
loader, 2 ammunition carriers, 3 cannoneers (2 wvith amlmunition
cart and 1_teamster, not mounted). The combat train of
one gun or of one platoon of two gun1s is one' caisson with 2
mounted drivers; for a platoon of three or four suns, 2 caissons
andi 4 mounted drivers.
The comblat train.-T-lhe comba~t train is commanded~ by the
regimental supply off~icer and includes:
For the regiment, 2~light tool wagons; 3 wagons of materials
(telephones, wire, sandbags, and' bomlbs) ; 6 water wa~gons; 1
ambulance; 1 mnedicazl supply wagon (carrying wheel litters