"Help needed with Stormtrooper organisation!?" Topic

Hi all.

I have had a look online, and re watched the movies, but cannot decide how Stormies are organised!

Online seems to indicate a platoon of 4-6 sections of 8-10 men?
I wonder, do they use the heavy blaster in the squad organisation or in separate units?
Do squad leaders have the browny-orange right shoulder pad, or is this for more senior/specialised personnel?

Sorry to ask so much, but I know loads of you are far more versed in Star Wars than I am!

One trooper in each squad typically carries a squad support weapon – the Stormtrooper Two, a light-repeating blaster canon for use against light vehicles or the rapid-firing DLT-19. Both are large and cumbersome weapons requiring a backpack power-source to feed their staggering charge consumption, but provides essential support to a squad in the field.

Legion – 9,556 units; Four Regiments

8,192 troopers
1,364 officers
Commanding Officer: General

Regiment – 2,388 units; Four Battallions

2,048 troopers
340 officers
Commanding Officer: Colonel

Batallion – 596 units; Four companies

512 troopers
84 officers
Commanding Officer: Major

Company – 148 units; Four platoons

128 troopers
20 officers
Commanding Officer: Captain

Platoon – 36 Units; Four squads

32 troopers
4 officers
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant

Squad – 9 Units

8 troopers
1 officer
Commanding Officer: Sergeant

Or just bunch up and walk around.:)

Orange shoulder pads used to signify the Sand Troopers. Not sure if that still applies.

I recall seeing units of 8 or 10 men to a squad.

Haven't looked at the freeze frames from the movies, where the STs are arrayed for Vader's arrival, but that would be worth checking out too, I suspect.

8, 9, or 10 men to a squad seems reasonable to me.

Thanks all, I remember seeing orange shoulder pads in the original film on all the stormtroopers stopping the speeder in Mos Eisley, after that, only on heavy weapon troopers. I don't remember any in Return of the Jedi!
I think I will go for a platoon of 4 x 8 man squads, with 1 heavy weapon trooper in each squad.
I will have a lieutenant and 3 Sergeants as suggested in the post byGeneralstoner49 (Thanks!)- as I am using the lovely Imperial Assault figures (and getting a mortgage!) – I will give the Lieutenant the orange shoulder pad.

Cheers guys! May The Force be with you….

Hmm, a 'square' organization and no organic support units at all? How primitive. :)

I organized mine into 11 man squads. I watched closely the Clone Wars and as best I could see were units of 11 being lead by a jedi in the Battle of Geonosis. Of course you are talking stormtroopers so things my have changed after order 66.

Here are mine:

link

According to the Imperial Sourcebook from West End Games, they are organized into 8 man squads lead by a sergeant. Then into a platoon of four squads, led by a lieutenant and a sergeant major. Then four platoons in a company, led by a captain. Four companies in a battalion, led by a major. Four battalions in a regiment commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Four regiments in a legion commanded by a high colonel. The legion is the highest level of organization in the Stormtroopers.

The stormtroopers being more elite specialized units, their numbers can vary much more than standard imperial Army units. Stormtroopers also are different in that they are pure combat units. There is no support staff or staff officers in their organization. They are either command officers or troopers. They siphon off from the normal chain of logistics.

Here is a good site to find out more info.

d6holocron.com

One image I saw on-line, has 12 stormies together in one shot, on the Deathstar I think, perhaps from when they were pursuing Luke, or others. They're just standing still, so you can fairly easily count them.

Another screen-grab from one of the movies shows the Emperor's and Darth Vader's arrival on the Death Star. STs are arrayed in a unit five rows deep, and it appears there are at least 17 men, or perhaps 18 in the front row, that I can count. Can't tell if there are more men to the left of the unit, and/or if the guy in the first row on the left is part of another unit, or just sloppy about his formation keeping, since he's a bit further away than the others, in terms of spacing.

I suspect being sloppy at a ceremonial assembly with those two present might result in severe punishment, or even death at the hands of one or the other "dignitaries", or their underlings.

^^Many of those troops are matte painting (on glass) which is why some of it isn't symmetrical.
They didn't have anywhere near that many extras on set.

An entire legion has no internal scouting ability? No transport? No EW ability. No FOO. Basically no staff.

No wonder they are easy beats.

The Imperial Army does all the proper soldiering.

I suspect those Imperial Star Destroyers hovering in orbit, can provide a lot of the needed firepower, and equipment.

Latest movies show them even being capable of entering atmospheres, so "Close Air Support" could really be close, when they need it to be, I suspect.

Even current US forces would love to have that capability.

I think the pictures of parades on star destroyers may be CGI composites, as Chromedog suggests, I think the director just wanted a hangar full of stormies!!! I certainly do not trust such sources!

An entire legion has no internal scouting ability? No transport? No EW ability. No FOO. Basically no staff.

No wonder they are easy beats.

I reckon since their main role in the movies is to get trashed, and occasionally look menacing, they are a total success!!!!