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The infantry section is the smallest fighting unit in most armies - they are the basic bricks that make up larger organisational structures from platoons up to divisions.

I found an interesting article by Leon Englebrecht discussing the matter of the SA Army's section organisation by comparing how it is done in other countries.
See http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?o ... &Itemid=30

I've read the article and found it most interesting.
The American setup sounds best to me.
I would like to see it look like this though:
Mech:
3 sections
13 men setup as follows:
Two groups of 5 consisting of:
1 x Korp/l-korp (group-leader)
2 x LMG group (7.62-ss77 and R4)
1 x assault (R4 (upgrade))
1 x Spesialist (RPG or similar more up to date (AT5)) in one group and sharpshooter in other group
Vehicle:
1 x Section leader (Korp or Sargent)
1 x Driver
1 x Gunner/radio specialist

HQ-section will consist of:
1 x platoon leader (officer-1st/2nd-Lt)
1 x Ordenance/Signal
1 x Ops-medic
2 x Mortar group (60-mil)
1 x Platoon Sargent
1 x Driver
1 x Gunner
The Section leader should have radio coms to the to group leaders and they should have small radio coms to each guy in group. Section leader should stay mounted (mostly) to control the vehicle and the two group leaders.

The Motorized infantry should look the same except the one group might have two assault troops and forfeit the one specialist (maybe). The motorized infantry might also not require a gunner and as such will be only 12-men.

This setup will mean that a platoon will have arround 47-48 or so men as the modern battle field require the smaller units to be more autonomous and they should therefore be more generously manned.

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I've been thinking about those specialists and I think that they can actually be just about anything. For instance: Sniper, tracker, snotnose (40-mil) operator, forward air/artillery controller, policeman, Intel-officer or a medic.

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Can the Section version of the Badger carry ten dismount troops? (The Ratel carries only 3 crew and 7 dismounts.)
If yes then the two 5-man fire team organisation make sense.

I agree with your ideas about comms, all the members should have a small radio with the vehicle or section leader's manpack radio (much smaller than traditional manpacks) performing the central hub function in a 'cellular' arrangement.

I don't think the Yanks have ever been any good and nothing beats the setup we had during the Border War, i.e. mechanized infantry ala 61 Mech Bn. Our current system:

Battalion Headquarters [7 officers, 39 soldiers]

Battalion Commander (Lieutenant Colonel)

2nd-in-Command (Major)

Regimental Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class 1)



Unit Staff

US 1 Personnel

US2 Intelligence/Security

US3 Operations/Training

US4 Logistics

US5 Finance



Battalion Headquarters Platoon [2 officers, 62 soldiers]

Sniper Section

Protection Section

Reconnaissance Section

Observation Section

Regimental Police Section



Attached elements

Light Workshop Troop [1 officer, 18 soldiers]

Signals Troop [1 officer, 18 soldiers]

Medical Platoon [x officers, x soldiers]



Rifle Company (x 3) [5 officers, 137 soldiers]

Headquarters [2 officers, 22 soldiers]

Company Commander (Major)

2nd-in-Command (Captain)

Company Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class 2)

Company Sergeant Quartermaster (Staff Sergeant)

Mortar section [0 officers, 10 soldiers]

Headquarters [0 officers, 4 soldiers]

Section commander (Sergeant)

Detachment (x 3) [0 officers, 2 soldiers] {3 x 60mm M4 Patrol Mortar}

Platoon (x 3) [1 officer, 35 soldiers]

Headquarters [1 officer, 5 soldiers]

Platoon Commander (Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant)

Platoon Sergeant (Sergeant)

Section (x 3) [0 officers, 10 soldiers] {1 x GPMG, 9 x R4 AR}

Section Leader (Corporal)

Machine Gun Group

Section 2nd-in-Command (Lance Corporal)

Machine Gun Number 1

Machine Gun Number 2

Rifle Group

Rifleman Number 1

Rifleman Number 2

Rifleman Number 3

Rifleman Number 4

Rifleman Number 5

Rifleman Number 6





Support Company

Headquarters [2 officers, 4 soldiers]

Quartermaster Platoon [1 officer, 11 soldiers]

Transport Platoon [1 officer, 9 soldiers]

Catering Platoon [0 officers, 16 soldiers]

Antitank Platoon [5 officers, 64 soldiers]

Headquarters

Group (x 4) [1 officer, 15 soldiers]

Recoilless Gun Section {1 x M40A1 106mm recoilless gun}

Missile Section {1 x MBDA Milan ADT3 antitank guided missile launcher}

Assault Pioneer Platoon [1 officer, 36 soldiers]

Headquarters

Section (x 3)

Machine Gun Platoon [1 officer, 41 soldiers]

Headquarters

Section (x4) {1 x Browning 12.7mm HMGi, 1 x Denel Y3 AGLii}

Mortar Platoon [5 officers, 103 soldiers]

Headquarters

Section (x 4)

Headquarters

Detachment (x 2) {2 x M3 81mm mortars}



Notes

The organisation of the motorised, mechanised, internal security, air assault and parachute infantry battalions are broadly similar, the mechanised battalion lacking a machine gun platoon in the support company and the internal security battalion lacking the same as well as other support weapons (mortars, antitank weapons and assault pioneers).

A battalion musters about 34 officers, 776 men, or 810 all ranks.

A company has nine rifle sections.

A battalion has nine rifle platoons and 27 rifle sections.

A battalion has at its disposal eight M3 81mm mortars, 27 M4 60mm patrol mortars, six infantry antitank guns (M40A1 or Ratel 90), six antitank guided missile launchers (MBDA Milan ADT3 or Ratel ZT3), four Browning 12.7mm HMG and four Denel Y3 AGL (not in the mechanised infantry), 27 7.62mm GPMG and nine RPG7 rocket propelled grenade launchers (one per rifle platoon).

The number of vehicles is dependent on the type of unit and role. A parachute or air assault battalion deployed by air will largely be dependent on the 104 LMT Gecko airborne amphibious 8x8 light rapid deployment logistic vehicles assigned to 44 Parachute Regiment. The number deployed will depend on the airlift available. By some accounts the F-Echeloniii should include 88 A-Vehiclesiv, but the numbers can be higher. In September 2008 the motorised 5 SAI Bn deployed 113 Casspir armoured personnel and weapon carriers to a force preparation exercise (Seboka) and the mechanised 8 SAI Bn deployed 107 Ratels. The Av- and Bvi-Echelons, fully mobilised, can muster up at least another 90 B-Vehiclesvii of various types. For Seboka 5 SAI deployed an under-strength combined echelon of 41 logistics trucks, pantries, diesel and water bunkers, mobile showers and recovery vehicles. 8 SAI’s echelon’s mustered 38 vehicles.

Ref: http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?o ... Itemid=159

http://justdone.co.za/saffer/index.php?title=61_Mech

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I agree nothing wrong with the current setup we have. It is suited to how needs and abilities.

So having nothing heavier than a single LMG in the ordinary section is ok?
Are you guys sure you are not stuck in 'last war' thinking. If it was good enough against swapo in open veld are you sure it's still ok?
Every time a squad meets opposition sheltered behind armour or even a brick wall they will have to call for help from the platoon hq to send an rpg team or a mortar fire task. That is simply asking for a disaster in say an urban environment or when facing opponents armed with bigger stuff than an AK47.

Sorry guys, but 'I don't like the yanks' is not a valid reason to reject the fire team concept without even considering it properly.

Well the USMC is dropping the SAW for the M27 witch is basically a Assault rifle with a heavy barrel one LMG is good enough(of course a second one would be even better). Remember we all so got the MGL and rifle grenades in the squad. That will take care of your guy behind a wall.

Balerit's description of a 61 Mech infantry section above said nothing about a mgl, only 1 gpmg and 9 rifles.

I do not know if it is standard but what I got from my friends in the MRS there is all so a MGL in each section. All so if they need to they could up gun a section by giving one of the rifle men a RPG.

Does our army still have one of the riflemen in the section load their R4 with the 50 round magazine to act as the LMG/SAW?

Has far has I know from talking to MRS friends yes. Do not know the mag size but I have seen personal photos/videos of it in use. And the is a rifle man who keeps automatic fire when the LMG reload's.

Roger you are stuck in WW1 & 2, the next war will be very different, more like whats happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. An infanteer spends more time foot patrolling than anything else and for us it will be looking after our borders.

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Hi Balerit
I'm not sure what you mean.

Hi Balerit
I do not agree with you about our set-up in the border war times. It was only good for foot patrol in open fields of savanna and bushveld. When we practiced urban warfare tactics our setup's shortcomings became blatantly clear! Even in dense bush (battles at Lomba river) the one section can easily get themselves isolated and when more fire-power is required, you have a serious problem. I also had a very big problem with our way of communicating. The screaming, shouting and running to an individual and hitting him against the head, sounds more like cavemen wars than 21 century to me. The Section leader, stepping out of the vehicle, is to my thinking, also not a good idea, but is required because of the way our sections were set up.
I'm therefore inclined to a more flexible and more fire-power orientated section. That's why I think the Yanks is on the right track. I think it should be taken a bit further though, therefore my section set-up above......????

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