"US Armored Recon Platoon TO&E Questions 1960" Topic

I've found various TO&Es for these, from the 1950s to the present day, but am curious about the TO&Es for the late 1950s and early 1960s, when the unit had 3 x tanks, and 5 x Mutts (jeeps).

In some of the text about patrols along the border between East and West Germany, it was stated that these usually carried either a MG, or a Light Mortar (presumably 60mm at that time). Not sure if the one carrying the mortar also had a MG too. They apparently usually operated in mixed pairs of Mutts.

So, given that, I'd like to know how the 5 x Mutts were equipped, e.g. 1 x HQ Mutt with machine gun, radio, or both(?), and then 2 x sections of 1 each with a MG, and one carrying the 60mm mortar?

Presumably, when available, they swapped out their .30 and/or .50 cal MGs for the M60 (early 1960s, I think), but don't know which they were equipped with otherwise, and/or if they used a mix of each, e.g. 1 x MMG and 1 x HMG, in the two-Mutt recon sections?

Also, not sure if the Mutts carrying the mortars also had a MG as well.

Finally, to add in additional confusion, some carried radios (not sure if this was just in the HQ Mutt, or if one of each two-Mutt section had a radio too), and I believe even recoilless rifles may have been in the mix there somewhere, as well.

I do know that toward the end of the 1950s the M41 tanks were swapped out for M48s, and that each recon platoon had three of these, or nine per company.

Prior to the early 1950s (1952/1953 transition period), the three tanks in each recon platoon were M24s, before they were upgraded to the M41s.

Thoughts?

I am not familiar with the 1950's organisation, but from the summary you give it sounds like the structure was quite similar to that used in late WWII. In this structure, platoons consisted of 3 armoured cars (M8), 3 jeeps with MG and 3 jeeps with 60 mm mortar (no MG). Such a platoon could split into three sections, each one with a single armoured car and two jeeps (one with MG, one with mortar). Not sure how many of the jeeps had radios at the time.

you could google the "constabulary" which i belive what the post war occupation forces were called…

I'd expect that any Jeep with a .50 would have kept it, while those with .30 MGs would have been swapped for M60s.

After all, a friend of mine had a Korean-War vintage .50cal at one of his training bases, still in use.