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Military Order of Battle Explained
h1. Miscellaneous
+Platoon+ HQ (in order of priority, min 4 max 7)
Pl HQ would be right up with the sections - they operate very closely together. Platoon and Company HQ's are really just a couple of vehicles fitted with radios for the OC and 2IC, they have no fixed HQ. Sub unit (Pl & Coy level) HQ's move a 'tactical bound' behind the lead element, so they can maintain situational awareness and provide command and control.
If you have a static base - e.g. a FOB and you're carrying out platoon level patrols like in a COIN environment, those are actually controlled from the Bn Ops room, not Coy HQ
+Company+
+Battalion+ In an advancing conventional war, first real 'static' HQ is at Battalion level HQ = static buildings/offices or if none exist, tented camp with vehicles and radio masts 4 Companies each with 3 platoons of 30 not including the support dudes
I think its best we have CfgGroups realistically reflective or near to the real factions - it will ensure variety between factions.
- Scout, Assault & Support fire teams (4 units each)?
- Mortar team (3 x M60s/10 units)?
- Anti-tank team (3 x SMAWS/6 units)?
- Machine Gunners (3 x M240/10 units)?
- Supply & Logistics (Land and Air Transport)
Caveat: all the below is based on a British Army ORBAT. Others ORBATs vary slightly in size, shape and name though the effect and intended capability is always the same. For gameplay purposes at least initially we don't need to get too excited by it, as long as the module is built in such a way as to allow flexibility to change stuff for different factions (though in coding terms that may just add more complications/bloat?)
Without getting too into the details you can model almost everything with 4 man Fire Teams, with the only exceptions being Offensive Support (mortars, arty etc), Manoeuvre Support (ATk, Light Mortars, MG etc) and Logistics. However, since the AI can't use these units with the proper tactics we can simplify it massively:
+Sabre Squadrons (Cav) & Rifle Companies (Inf)+
Our basic group is a Fire Team
- Fire Team = Comd with radio, Rifleman with UGL, Rifleman with AT, Machine Gunner
2 Fire Teams in a Section. 3 Secs in Platoon. 3 Pl in a Company. 3 Rifle Coys in a Battalion (for argument sake, it varies). Mech, Armoured, Marine units are just Inf Sections in an APC / IFV / MBT / Boat. (IFV = Infantry Fighting Vehicle e.g. Warrior or Bradley)
!http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/army58.gif!
In conventional situation, the lowest level unit to operate independently is a Company.
!http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/army52.gif! This is an Armoured Inf Bn, but the principle is the same for Light Inf.
M/S Coy includes Recce, Mortars, Atk, MG and Assault Pioneers but they'd be very hard to get the AI to use properly in support of the rifle coys so we could just skip them. The capability it provided inherently within the Fire Team anyway, so in game terms there's no real reason to model it separately.
Armoured units always operate in Combined Arms Company Groups:
!http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/army312.gif!
+Logistics+
A1 Echelon = delivers Combat Supplies to the front line (CSUPs = water, rations, fuel, ammo, medical, CBRN). A1 also includes the Fitters - repair & recovery vehicles - and the Company Aid Post (medical). For game simplicity we can lump them all together. A2 Ech = Basically where A1 goes to get the stuff just back from the front line and coord by a Brigade Support Group (BSG) B Ech = APOD or SPOD bring supplies into theatre.
- Logistics Group = fuel truck, ammo truck, repair truck, utility truck, Combat Ambulance, TUM
+Offensive Support+
For simplicity we can call this Artillery, Mortars and Low Level Air Defence
- OS Group = 4 Guns or 4 Tubes or 4 SAMs
+Summary+
You only need 3 groups in the template:
FT Log OS
Everything else is just a combination of Fire Teams with different vehicles.