"80s TO&E" Topic

Anybody got a good link for Company/Platoon level TO&E for the usual suspects in NATO/Warsaw Pact gaming? Im looking for number of vehicles and what type per platoon etc.

There are some at Fire & Fury site,

fireandfury.com

Check under Orbats

Warpac: 3-4 per platoon and a Command at Company (usually 10)

Nato 4-5 per platoon and 1-2 Command at Company (14-17)

A good source of Soviet/Warsaw Pact Orbats from Pl-Div is

link

You need to be careful. These is still tons of mis-information on Sov TO&E. Warpact had 10 MIC companies. Sov forces in Germany were 12 for both BTR and BMP.

Joe Collins

There is also a Yahoo group called TO&E, sorry can't give you the link (work comp). They keep alot of what you are asking for, some of them in cool pictorial representations.

Doc

Now I'm home, here is the direct link.

link

Thats a great link, thanks. Just in time too. I am basing a Battalion of T-72s and was about to put a couple command type vehicles on their Command stand. Looks like at that level its just a single command tank.

Soviet tank platoons were normally three tanks apiece unless the battalion belonged to a Motor Rifle Regiment or Independent Tank Battalion, in which case the platoons were four tanks apiece. Three such platoons per company. This was pretty much the same across Warpac, though most Warpac countries had the three-tank platoon as the standard unit.

US armored platoons were five tanks piece, reduced during the 1980s to four tanks. Three such platoons per company.

West German panzer platoons had three tanks apiece. Four platoons per company.

British armoured troops had three tanks apiece. Five such troops per squadron, reduced to four troops in the 1982 reorganisation. The exception was the Berlin Squadron, which had four tanks per troop.

Belgian armoured troops had three tanks apiece. Three such troops per squadron.

Netherlands armoured platoons had four tanks apiece. Three such platoons per squadron.

French armoured platoons had three tanks apiece. Five such platoons per squadron, reduced to four platoons in the late 1980s.

Canadian armoured troops had four tanks apiece. Four such troops per squadron.

Danish armoured troops had three tanks apiece. Three such troops per squadron.

Norwegian armoured troops had three tanks apiece. Five such troops per squadron, though there was at least one independent squadron with a stronger establishment (four tanks per troop, iirc?).

In almost all cases, company/squadron HQ was a single tank, though some (such as the US) had two tanks for CHQ. Battalion HQ varied from nationality to nationality, but was usually one or two tanks, plus TOC and auxiliary vehicles.

Hi Mister Grumpy,
Era 1908's
Australian Tank Troop had three Leopard AS1 MBT. Three troops per squadron.
APC Troop had twelve M113A1. Three troops per squadron.
All manned from Armoured Corps RAAC, personnel.
Regards
Allan

Soviet Motor Rifle Company (BMP):

Three Motor Rifle Platoons, each with 3x BMP. The three sections in the platoon each had seven dismounts, with a single RPK-74 magazine-fed LMG and an RPG-7V MAW and the rest having AK-74. They could also be allocated RPG-16 LAWs (or RPG-22 in the late 1980s). A single sniper rifle was allocated to one of the platoon's riflemen in lieu of his AK-74. The platoon commanders and platoon 2ICs rode in the section BMPs – there was no platoon HQ vehicle.

The company also had an MG Platoon, with 2x BMP. The two sections each had 3x PKM belt-fed LMGs.

The Company HQ had a single BMP, which also carried 3x MANPADS (either SA-7, SA-14, SA-16 or SA-18). These were often allocated out each platoon. In the late 1980s they were grouped as Regimental Air Defence Platoons, alongside the regimental air defence vehicles.

BMPs were all initially BMP-1, with the improved BMP-1P (AT-3 replaced by AT-4) appearing during the 1980s. BMP-2 also appeared in limited numbers in the mid-late 1980s, being frequently allocated in penny-packets to improve a unit's firepower. Full battalions of BMP-2 remained very rare until the end of the 1980s and BMP-1/1P remained the majority IFV type used by the Soviets.

Each battalion had three such companies, with battalion support weapons consisting of:

3x AGS-17 30mm AGLs (increasing to 6x AGS-17 during the mid-1980s), usually carried by an MT-LB carrier.

6x 120mm Mortars, increasing to 8x 120mm mortars in the late 1980s. Some or all mortars in the platoon were often replaced with 2B9 'Vasilek' automatic 82mm gun-mortars. These were towed by GAZ-66 trucks or in some units with MT-LB carriers.

BMP Battalions did not have an Anti-Tank Platoon, as the ATGMs and guns carried by the BMPs provided more than adequate anti-tank capability.

Warsaw Pact Motor Rifles were very similar, but lacked the MG Platoon in each company. There might also be minor differences in weaponry and vehicles, where they used home-grown weapons rather than Soviet types (e.g. OT-64/TOPAS instead of BMP) or Czech 82mm RR instead of RPG). Warpac BMP-2s also had AT-4 'Spigot' ATGMs instead of the more potent AT-5 'Spandrel' fitted to Soviet BMP-2s.

Soviet Motor Rifle Company (BTR):

Three Motor Rifle Platoons, each with 3x BTR-60 PB (typically). The three sections in the platoon each had seven dismounts, with a single RPK-74 magazine-fed LMG and an RPG-7V MAW and the rest having AK-74. They could also be allocated RPG-16 LAWs (or RPG-22 in the late 1980s). A single sniper rifle was allocated to one of the platoon's riflemen in lieu of his AK-74. The platoon commanders and platoon 2ICs rode in the section BMPs – there was no platoon HQ vehicle.

The company also had an MG Platoon, with 2x BTR. The two sections each had 3x PKM belt-fed LMGs. However, one MG Section was re-equipped during the 1980s with 1x AT-7 'Saxhorn' short-range ATGM, increasing to 3x AT-7 by the late 1980s.

The Company HQ had a single BTR, which also carried 3x MANPADS (either SA-7, SA-14, SA-16 or SA-18). These were often allocated out each platoon. In the late 1980s they were grouped as Regimental Air Defence Platoons, alongside the regimental air defence vehicles.

BTRs were mainly BTR-60 PB in Europe, with some more obsolete types used further afield. Improved types such as BTR-70 and BTR-80 appeared during the 1980s in limited numbers.

Each battalion had three such companies, with battalion support weapons consisting of:

3x AGS-17 30mm AGLs (increasing to 6x AGS-17 during the mid-1980s), usually carried by 1-3 BTRs.

6x 120mm Mortars, increasing to 8x 120mm mortars in the late 1980s. Some or all mortars in the platoon were often replaced with 2B9 'Vasilek' automatic 82mm gun-mortars. These were towed by GAZ-66 trucks.

The Anti-Tank Platoon consisted of 2-3 SPG-9 73mm RRs and 4-6 AT-4 'Spigot' ATGMs. These were carried by BTRs, with one SPG-9 or two AT-4 teams per vehicle.

Warsaw Pact Motor Rifles were very similar, but lacked the MG Platoon in each company. There might also be minor differences in weaponry and vehicles, where they used home-grown weapons rather than Soviet types (e.g. OT-62/SKOT or PSzH-IV or TAB-72/77 instead of BTR) or Czech 82mm RR instead of RPG).

West German Panzer-Grenadier Company:

Each company had three platoons, each with 3x Marder 1/1A1. Each section had seven dismounts, reducing to six dismounts in the late 1980s. The section included an MG3 belt-fed LMG and a Panzerfaust-44 MAW.

The Platoon commander and 2IC rode in the section Marders. There was no platoon HQ vehicle. A MILAN ATGM was also allocated to one of the three sections in each platoon.

In the late 1980s some units received an expanded MILAN allocation, which meant that platoons could now have up to 2 or 3 MILAN. As Marder had the capability to mount MILAN, they had the option to leave the MILAN mounted on the vehicles, to be operated by the vehicle commander.

The Company HQ had two Marders – one for the company commander and one for the company 'Reserve Section', which was an additional rifle section with a secondary recce role.

'Pure' Panzer-Grenadier Battalions had two Panzer-Grenadier Companies, a Jaeger Company (see below) and a Panzer-Mortar Company (see below).

Mixed Panzer-Grenadier Battalions had two Panzer-Grenadier Companies and a Panzer Company.

Mixed Panzer Battalions had two Panzer Companies, a Panzer-Grenadier Company and an 81mm Mortar Platoon, mounted in M125 carriers.

'Pure' Panzer Battalions had three Panzer Companies with no Panzer-Grenadiers or mortars.

The Jaeger Company was organised essentially as above, but was mounted in M113 (West German M113 had MG3 instead of M2 .50 Cal).

The Panzer-Mortar Company had six 'Panzermoerser 120' (M113 120mm mortar carriers), with HQ in M113 and a pair of 'Beobachtungspanzer' (observation vehicles converted from redundant Kanonenjagdpanzer 4-5).

Panzer-Grenadier and Mixed Panzer-Grenadier Battalion HQs were mounted in Marder and M577 command vehicles and included an air defence section with Redeye MANPADS.

Marders went through a steady upgrade programme – many were fitted with thermal imaging during the 1980s and Marder 1A2 appeared from 1985, which was fitted with thermal as standard (the rear-mounted MG disappeared at this time). The Marder 1A3 appeared in 1989, which had improved armour but deleted the side firing-ports.

Correct to West German organisation:

The Jaeger Company lacked the reserve section in the Company HQ. The Company HQ therefore had only one M113.

There were also Heavy Jaeger Battalions – each Panzer or Panzer-Grenadier Division had one. It's main role being that of providing a mechanised infantry reserve for the division. There were three Jaeger Companies, plus a Panzer-Mortar Company per battalion.

Heavy Jaeger Company organisation in the Jaeger Battalions was essentially the same as that found in the Panzer-Grenadier Battalions, though each platoon HQ also received a Carl-Gustav 84mm MAW (MILAN was meant to have replaced the CG, but most units kept their CGs in addition to MILAN). Jaeger Battalions/Companies never received the extra MILANs.

Heavy Jaeger Battalions were also found in 50-series Territorial Brigades (one per 50-series Brigade). These battalions additionally had a Kanonenjagdpanzer Platoon, equipped with 6x Kanonenjagdpanzer 4-5.

There were also 'Light' Jaeger Battalions found in Territorial Brigades and at divisional level in Panzer & Panzer-Grenadier Divisions. These were organised much the same as Heavy Jaeger Battalions, but used Unimog trucks in lieu of M113 variants. Again, those assigned to Territorial Brigades had an organic Kanonenjagdpanzer Platoon.

At the bottom of the heap were Territorial 'Heimatschuetz' Jaeger Battalions. These were organised much as Light Jaeger Battalions, but lacked the Mortar Company and Kanonenjagdpanzer Platoon. They also probably lacked MILAN. They did however usually have an AAA Platoon with 6x FK-20-2 twin 20mm cannon.