"UA Army organization pre 1984 (before M249 SAW)" Topic

HI

Accourding to this article link US army recieved SAW only after 1984 and used M60 before 1984.

I have a platoon of 15mm Peter Pig americans painted as modern army guys in grey ACU uniform. But I also have enought figures to build another American platoon of 1980-early2000 in M81 Woodland Camouflage.

So for post 1984-2000 I can use same figures that for post 2000 (I know that there may be some differences in uniform. But it not that noticable in 15mm). But If I want to game some conflict of 1980-1984 where there was no SAW, what shal I do?

Can someone provide a squad or platoon organisation list fro US Army for 1980-1984? Was it same (1 squad leader, 2 fireteam leaders, 2 riflemans, 2 grenadiers, and 2 lmg gunners with I suppose M60, not SAW), or it was different? Like in modern US army there are heavy weapon squad with 2 M240 Machine gunners (I think 3 for rangers) and some support soldiers.

Does 1980-1984 had M60 in heavy weapon squad or in rifle squad like SAW gunner?

I know Peter Pig modern Americans dont have M60, but I can always use non prone M240 gunner, because these 2 machine guns have similar desing and minor differences wont be noticable in 15mm scale.

link
M60

link
M240
Nikita Kondratov.

On paper, prior to the introduction of the M249, the authorized weapon for the automatic rifleman was the M16A1, just as it had been since the 1960s. This was the case for automatic rifleman even with the introduction of the M16A2 rifle. Of course, many units operated on local modifications incorporating Vietnam-era experience and reorganized the placement of platoon's M60 machine guns. Some interim SAW type weapons were also trialed on a limited basis by some units.

In the units I was assigned to, we did not phase out M60 machine guns until after some time after the summer of 1996.

I was active duty in Mechanized Infantry Bn's, Armor Bn's, Div Cavalry Sqdn, Air Cavalry Troop and Armored Cavalry Regiments and we never transitioned to the M249 during my time.

We had one M60 per vehicle crew in a Scout Plt.
And that was on M113, M220, M901 (ITV), M3 Bradlys in the Blues Plt's (Air Mobil Recon) and on Hummwv's.

Yes some units may have been issued earlier then others.

For light Infantry units, like the 82nd, we had (theroretically) a rifle platoon of 3 rifle squads (10 men) and a weapons squad (3 M-60s teams ((gunner, assistant gunner, ammo bearer) and a squad leader.

There was a lot of variation due to manning shortages and additional taskings (armorer, 1SG's driver, etc…).

In one battalion of the the 101st up through DESERT STORM we were arranged like FABET01 described above, 3 rifle squads and 1 weapons squad. The rifle squads were supposed to have 1 squad leader, two team leaders, 2 grenadiers with M203s, 2 SAW gunners, 2 riflemen. No matter the manning, each squad would always man the M203s and the SAWs; usually a squad or team leaders were carrying the M203.
The weapons squad was supposed to include a squad leader, 2 M60 gunners, 2 assistant M60 gunners/tipod bearers, 2 M60 ammo bearers, 2 DRAGON gunners and 2 assistant DRAGON gunners. We did not usually have enough people for that so we usually manned the M60s with two people each and left the DRAGONS in the Arms Room. For evaluated events we would put the DRAGONs spread out among the three squads.

I was with 3/187( Hi Rakkasan !), '80-'83. I was a Rifle Plt Ldr, '80-'81, we had no SAWs only M16s with "close-pin" bipods … We had no weapons squad, in the Plt. A Rifle Squad (11 men) had 1 M60, 2 M203s, 1 Dragon(he also carrier an M16) 2 M16s with "close-pins" and everyone else carrier M16s … So essentially we had no SAWs. And very few ammo vests for the 203s … we made due …