US Army Organization 1912
Oct 17, 2018 12:36:50 GMT
Quendil, David N.Tanner 07011959, and 2 more like this
Post by scottwashburn on Oct 17, 2018 12:36:50 GMT
US Army Organization, 1912
Writing my Great Martian War novels, the size of the action ranges from a few platoons up to divisions and corps. While it is unlikely that many gamers will ever be able to field divisions or corps, I like to think about how the US Army is organized. This will allow me to come up with realistic sub-units to use in my games.
At the start of the war I assumed that the Army would be organized along historical lines similar to what it used in World War I. An infantry division then had a ‘square’ organization in that it had four infantry regiments, organized into two brigades. Obviously they had no tanks or other special equipment. Each division had some attached artillery and support units, but they were primarily an infantry force designed to fight other (human) infantry forces.
When faced with a Martian army where every enemy was encased in an armored fighting machine, the infantry divisions were at an enormous disadvantage. Ad hoc measures were taken, and these helped, but by 1911 it was obvious that the organization needed to be revised. The brigade structure was seen as unwieldy and was abolished. The ‘square’ organization was changed to a ‘triangular’ one with only three infantry regiments per division. This was in line with most European armies. The spare infantry regiment from the existing divisions were used as a cadre around which new divisions were built.
Of primary concern in the new organization, was increasing the number of weapons which could hurt the Martian tripods. The new ‘stovepipe’ rocket launchers were issued to the infantry and a machine gun squad was added to each rifle company. Each infantry battalion had its fourth company converted from a rifle company to a heavy weapons company equipped with machine guns and mortars, giving each battalion its own artillery.
The infantry regiments had three anti-tripod guns attached, and an additional field gun battery added to the regimental cannon company.
The organization of the division’s artillery regiment was largely unchanged with three field battalions and one heavy battalion.
It became obvious early in the war that one of the most effective weapons available to the army was the new steam tanks. Battalions of these vehicles were created and attached to divisions and corps as they became available. Division commanders complained that they never had the tanks that they needed when they needed them. The new organization attempted to rectify that situation by attaching a tank regiment to each infantry division. This represented an enormous commitment of resources and some officers argued that the tanks would be better employed concentrated into self-contained tank divisions. While several such divisions were created and performed well, the bulk of the tanks were given to the infantry, although it was several years before enough were available to give each division its own regiment.
All Quiet
When I first started playing All Quiet I assumed that the figure ratio was one figure is one man and one vehicle one vehicle. This seemed to make sense and Ernie Baker confirmed that was his intent. But as I played the game and wrote my novels, this assumption seemed less and less desirable. The one-to-one ratio for vehicles and artillery (and Martians) was fine, but not for infantry. Making a single infantry unit with fifteen figures be a squad meant that you needed an ungodly number of figures to even field a mere company. So I decided that a game infantry unit was really a platoon, which would mean a figure ratio of about one figure equals 3 men. I think this works very well. So, with that as my starting point, here is the organization I am using for my US Army circa 1912,
US Rifle Company (160 points)
Company HQ (One Command Unit, 30 points)
Three Rifle Platoons (3 infantry units, 30 points per unit)
Weapons platoon (One Machine Gun Unit, 40 points)
Note: Each Platoon can have up to two Stovepipe Teams attached for 10 points each.
US Infantry Battalion (700 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit, 30 points)
Three Rifle Companies, (160 points per company)
Weapons Company (Command Unit, Two Machine Gun Units , Two Mortar Units, 190 points)
US Infantry Regiment (2560 points)
Regimental HQ (One Command Unit, One Rifle Platoon, 60 points)
Three Infantry Battalions, 700 points per battalion)
Regimental Cannon Company (Two Field Batteries, 80 Points each, 160 points))
Regimental Anti-Tripod Company (Three Anti-Tripod Guns, 240 points)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them trucks, add 15 points per unit)
US Infantry Division (20,720 points)
Division HQ (Two Command units, Three Rifle Platoons, 150 points)
Three Infantry Regiments, (2560 points per regiment)
One Artillery Regiment (1350 points, see organization below)
One Cavalry Squadron (875 points, see organization below)
One Attached Tank Regiment (10,665 points, see organization below)
US Tank Company (615 points)
One Company Command Tank (60 points)
Two MK II Tank Platoons (165 points each)
One MK III Tank Platoon (225 Points)
US Tank Battalion (1905 points)
Battalion Command Tank (60 Points)
Three Tank Companies (615 points each)
US Tank Regiment (10,665 points)
Regimental MK IV Command Tank (220 pts)
Three Tank Battalions (2475 points each)
One Heavy Tank Battalion (1710 points)
Three Heavy Tank Companies, each with Three MK IV Tanks (570 points)
One Armored Car Company (410 points)
Armored Command Car (50 points)
Three Armored Car Platoons (120 points)
One Armored Artillery Battalion (720 points)
One Command Tank (60 points)
Three MK II Mobile Artillery Batteries (220 points each)
Three Field Engineer Vehicles (60 points each)
US Field Artillery Battalion (270 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Field Artillery Batteries (80 points each)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them trucks, add 15 points per unit)
US Heavy Artillery Battalion (510 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Heavy Artillery Batteries (160 points each)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them tractors, add 30 points per unit)
US Artillery Regiment (1350 points)
Regimental HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Field Artillery Battalions (270 points each)
One Heavy Artillery Battalion (510 points)
US Cavalry Squadron (875 points)
Squadron HQ (one mounted command unit – 35 points
Four Mounted Cavalry Squads + Command Squad (35 points each)
Four Rough Rider Motorcycle Squads + Command Squad (45 points each)
Three Armored Car Platoons + Command Car (100 points each + 40 points)
One Weapons Platoon (One Machine Gun Squad, One Mortar Squad (100 points)
Okay, this probably seems like a lot! Few of us will ever have the time or money to field anything close to a full division. But this organization can still be useful. For example, let’s suppose we started with a single infantry battalion. If we look at the total resources available to the division, what might that single battalion be able to expect in the way of support?
Starting out with the regiment, there are two field batteries and the anti-tripod guns. So the battalion could possibly expect a field battery and one Anti-tripod gun.
Division support could vary, but if one field artillery battalion were assigned to each regiment, then one battery might be added to each battalion. The heavy artillery battalion only gives each regiment a single heavy battery, so the chance of any individual battalion getting one is small but not totally impossible. The tank regiment could supply each infantry regiment with a whole tank battalion, so each infantry battalion could expect a tank company. The heavy tanks would probably be concentrated as a reserve, but in theory the nine MK IVs could be split up among the nine infantry battalions, giving one to each.
So what does that give us for a ‘typical’ force?
1 Infantry battalion – 700 points
2 field artillery batteries –160 points
1 Anti-tripod Gun – 80 points
1 tank company – 615 points
Total 1555 points
Possible additions:
1 heavy field battery – 160 points
1 Mk IV Tank – 190 points.
Grand total 1905 points.
Add 9 stovepipe teams to the infantry squads and you come out at 1995 points.
Obviously this is only one possibility, we haven’t mentioned the cavalry squadron, or possible corps level assets which might end up supporting your battalion, but it makes a good starting point.
Writing my Great Martian War novels, the size of the action ranges from a few platoons up to divisions and corps. While it is unlikely that many gamers will ever be able to field divisions or corps, I like to think about how the US Army is organized. This will allow me to come up with realistic sub-units to use in my games.
At the start of the war I assumed that the Army would be organized along historical lines similar to what it used in World War I. An infantry division then had a ‘square’ organization in that it had four infantry regiments, organized into two brigades. Obviously they had no tanks or other special equipment. Each division had some attached artillery and support units, but they were primarily an infantry force designed to fight other (human) infantry forces.
When faced with a Martian army where every enemy was encased in an armored fighting machine, the infantry divisions were at an enormous disadvantage. Ad hoc measures were taken, and these helped, but by 1911 it was obvious that the organization needed to be revised. The brigade structure was seen as unwieldy and was abolished. The ‘square’ organization was changed to a ‘triangular’ one with only three infantry regiments per division. This was in line with most European armies. The spare infantry regiment from the existing divisions were used as a cadre around which new divisions were built.
Of primary concern in the new organization, was increasing the number of weapons which could hurt the Martian tripods. The new ‘stovepipe’ rocket launchers were issued to the infantry and a machine gun squad was added to each rifle company. Each infantry battalion had its fourth company converted from a rifle company to a heavy weapons company equipped with machine guns and mortars, giving each battalion its own artillery.
The infantry regiments had three anti-tripod guns attached, and an additional field gun battery added to the regimental cannon company.
The organization of the division’s artillery regiment was largely unchanged with three field battalions and one heavy battalion.
It became obvious early in the war that one of the most effective weapons available to the army was the new steam tanks. Battalions of these vehicles were created and attached to divisions and corps as they became available. Division commanders complained that they never had the tanks that they needed when they needed them. The new organization attempted to rectify that situation by attaching a tank regiment to each infantry division. This represented an enormous commitment of resources and some officers argued that the tanks would be better employed concentrated into self-contained tank divisions. While several such divisions were created and performed well, the bulk of the tanks were given to the infantry, although it was several years before enough were available to give each division its own regiment.
All Quiet
When I first started playing All Quiet I assumed that the figure ratio was one figure is one man and one vehicle one vehicle. This seemed to make sense and Ernie Baker confirmed that was his intent. But as I played the game and wrote my novels, this assumption seemed less and less desirable. The one-to-one ratio for vehicles and artillery (and Martians) was fine, but not for infantry. Making a single infantry unit with fifteen figures be a squad meant that you needed an ungodly number of figures to even field a mere company. So I decided that a game infantry unit was really a platoon, which would mean a figure ratio of about one figure equals 3 men. I think this works very well. So, with that as my starting point, here is the organization I am using for my US Army circa 1912,
US Rifle Company (160 points)
Company HQ (One Command Unit, 30 points)
Three Rifle Platoons (3 infantry units, 30 points per unit)
Weapons platoon (One Machine Gun Unit, 40 points)
Note: Each Platoon can have up to two Stovepipe Teams attached for 10 points each.
US Infantry Battalion (700 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit, 30 points)
Three Rifle Companies, (160 points per company)
Weapons Company (Command Unit, Two Machine Gun Units , Two Mortar Units, 190 points)
US Infantry Regiment (2560 points)
Regimental HQ (One Command Unit, One Rifle Platoon, 60 points)
Three Infantry Battalions, 700 points per battalion)
Regimental Cannon Company (Two Field Batteries, 80 Points each, 160 points))
Regimental Anti-Tripod Company (Three Anti-Tripod Guns, 240 points)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them trucks, add 15 points per unit)
US Infantry Division (20,720 points)
Division HQ (Two Command units, Three Rifle Platoons, 150 points)
Three Infantry Regiments, (2560 points per regiment)
One Artillery Regiment (1350 points, see organization below)
One Cavalry Squadron (875 points, see organization below)
One Attached Tank Regiment (10,665 points, see organization below)
US Tank Company (615 points)
One Company Command Tank (60 points)
Two MK II Tank Platoons (165 points each)
One MK III Tank Platoon (225 Points)
US Tank Battalion (1905 points)
Battalion Command Tank (60 Points)
Three Tank Companies (615 points each)
US Tank Regiment (10,665 points)
Regimental MK IV Command Tank (220 pts)
Three Tank Battalions (2475 points each)
One Heavy Tank Battalion (1710 points)
Three Heavy Tank Companies, each with Three MK IV Tanks (570 points)
One Armored Car Company (410 points)
Armored Command Car (50 points)
Three Armored Car Platoons (120 points)
One Armored Artillery Battalion (720 points)
One Command Tank (60 points)
Three MK II Mobile Artillery Batteries (220 points each)
Three Field Engineer Vehicles (60 points each)
US Field Artillery Battalion (270 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Field Artillery Batteries (80 points each)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them trucks, add 15 points per unit)
US Heavy Artillery Battalion (510 points)
Battalion HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Heavy Artillery Batteries (160 points each)
(Note on artillery: Units can be considered horse-drawn at no extra cost. To give them tractors, add 30 points per unit)
US Artillery Regiment (1350 points)
Regimental HQ (One Command Unit – 30 points)
Three Field Artillery Battalions (270 points each)
One Heavy Artillery Battalion (510 points)
US Cavalry Squadron (875 points)
Squadron HQ (one mounted command unit – 35 points
Four Mounted Cavalry Squads + Command Squad (35 points each)
Four Rough Rider Motorcycle Squads + Command Squad (45 points each)
Three Armored Car Platoons + Command Car (100 points each + 40 points)
One Weapons Platoon (One Machine Gun Squad, One Mortar Squad (100 points)
Okay, this probably seems like a lot! Few of us will ever have the time or money to field anything close to a full division. But this organization can still be useful. For example, let’s suppose we started with a single infantry battalion. If we look at the total resources available to the division, what might that single battalion be able to expect in the way of support?
Starting out with the regiment, there are two field batteries and the anti-tripod guns. So the battalion could possibly expect a field battery and one Anti-tripod gun.
Division support could vary, but if one field artillery battalion were assigned to each regiment, then one battery might be added to each battalion. The heavy artillery battalion only gives each regiment a single heavy battery, so the chance of any individual battalion getting one is small but not totally impossible. The tank regiment could supply each infantry regiment with a whole tank battalion, so each infantry battalion could expect a tank company. The heavy tanks would probably be concentrated as a reserve, but in theory the nine MK IVs could be split up among the nine infantry battalions, giving one to each.
So what does that give us for a ‘typical’ force?
1 Infantry battalion – 700 points
2 field artillery batteries –160 points
1 Anti-tripod Gun – 80 points
1 tank company – 615 points
Total 1555 points
Possible additions:
1 heavy field battery – 160 points
1 Mk IV Tank – 190 points.
Grand total 1905 points.
Add 9 stovepipe teams to the infantry squads and you come out at 1995 points.
Obviously this is only one possibility, we haven’t mentioned the cavalry squadron, or possible corps level assets which might end up supporting your battalion, but it makes a good starting point.
