How the US Goes to War? - Anatomy and Tactics of an Army Rifle Company (June 1944) 3D DOCUMENTARY

[@InvictaHistory]

Video corrections: [00:00] pronunciation of B.A.R. should be "B-A-R" rather than "Bar" [15:35] Each LMG Section had 12 soldiers (10 men in the LMG squad and 2 men in the HQ). [24:10] Infantry scouts should be represented with the infantry's X-shaped icon, not the cavalry icon with a single diagonal. [25:00] In this engagement, one 60mm mortar has been attached to each rifle platoon for the attack itself. While this could be done in doctrine and in practice, it was more common to leave the attacking rifle platoons unreinforced or attach an LMG squad instead. ]26:55] The battalion 81mm mortars would typically have been further to the rear, rather than being collocated with the company 60mm mortars.

[@dementious]

Speaking frankly, the casual or modern viewers won't really care or know about the pronunciation, and the old heads won't really care either. I told a joke to a few old vietnam war vets once. It goes- Three Nazis walk into a bar. It's a Browning Automatic Rifle, they all died. They loved it.

[@beepboop204]

a rifleman goes to war is a great book

[@bobbertbobberson6725]

It's actually correct to use the single diagonal for scouts. Official documents use it for the infantry scouts in the Infantry Battalion (battalion scout platoon) and Cavalry Squadron (dismounted scout troop) manual. The single diagonal means scout, it just so happens that cavalry scouts are... scouts.

[@Curmudgeon2]

Probable and AI generated voice, I see such mispronunciations often from those. It did not do it all the way across so I am guessing at some points it was spelled B.A.R. and others BAR...thus: BAR and Bar...though most guys would probably have much preferred being a Barman .....😁

[@呢你-n8b]

Who can be afraid of what? What is not what is not who says no is not to say I say yes so what?

[@tombombadilofficial]

Special shout out to History KZbinrs who persevere to produce quality videos and refuse to partake in the use of AI generated art/narration in their videos. You guys are the real deal!

[@handsomesquidward151]

You sound mad. AI take your job? 😂

[@LockheedRep]

@@handsomesquidward151 Surely you’ve seen those “history” shorts channels that are completely ai generated. The way information is presented is bland and the facts are often incorrect, but it takes no effort to make the content.

[@picollojr9009]

​@@handsomesquidward151AI driven history narratives are very often distorted by their creators, and the art styles are hideous

[@nilsmartschin593]

Kein Interesse an gesperrten Kanälen mit Kriegsmüll 😡😡😡😡😡😡👎👎👎👎👎👎🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@richter9485]

@@handsomesquidward151 it gives character. While Hearing AI David Atten or Morgan Freeman is fun every once in awhile you lose a certain distinction ad human aspect. Also most of the AI generated "content" are just ripped word for word stolen from wikipedia articles or other content creators. Its low effort and is hard to take seriously when there will always be a lot of bad actors. I would rather trust a channel who takes the time to have an actual human narrator given a script and researched historical facts.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

I always find videos like this super interesting, both from a strategic perspective and a social perspective because a lot of these unit sizes are based on natural social sizes (such as roughly 30 people being the number of people you can know well, and roughly 100 being the number of people who's name and face you can have memorized).

[@rstray4801]

I think there is no known ceiling for how many faces we can recognize, but think your right about the number of names you can roughly know. Wtf do I know tho emirite?

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

@rstray4801 Oh yeah. I should have said, faces, names, and like one fact about them. I was gonna change it, but that was already a pretty long sentence. 😅

[@sststr]

That's true, but when you read the accounts, it doesn't matter. Once casualties start mounting and replacements are being fed into front-line units, it wasn't uncommon that the new replacement would then be the next casualty. Company commanders sometimes never even got to learn the name of a new replacement before that replacement was wounded or killed a few days after arriving into the unit. It was horrific. And I heard that from American officers, one can only imagine the situation among the German and Russian armies was far, far worse this late in the war.

[@bryanknight1056]

@@rstray4801 Dunbars number

[@majorproblem8796]

@@sststr The russian account is basically just “ты в переди”

[@sneville44]

Excellent video! My Dad was in Europe with the 361st Engineer Special Service Regiment. The regiment was composed of all sergeants and officers. All in the regiment came out of the construction trades back home. The idea was that each sergeant would act as a construction Foreman and oversee unskilled lower ranks from other units or POWs to build or repair things. The 361st landed in Normandy D-plus 30 days and the first thing they built was a POW camp. Dad was one time in charge of 500 German POWs working on a rail yard. He said felt sorry for a lot of the POWs who would look up at the bombers headed to Germany and shake their heads not knowing if the bombers were headed to their home cities. He did say too that if a German POW told you he was a carpenter or a mason, by golly they were a good one due to the excellent trade school training Germany had. He also said the hard core Nazis POWs would refuse to work.

[@dylanclark1775]

This was very interesting, thank you.

[@BruceSheppard-f5n]

One thing I didn't hear much was weapons calibers. All of the Springfields. M1 Garands, B.A.R.s and tripod mounted machine-gun used the. 30-06 round. Thompson submachineguns, M-3 "greaseguns", and m1911 pistols used the .45 ACP round. If the officers carried an M-1 carbine, it had the .30 cal M-1 carbine round. This simplicity allowed for some ease of resupply since more than 90% of the ammunition was of two common rounds

[@robertlombardo8437]

Actually I'm pretty sure the M3 Grease Gun was chambered for 9mm. Was it Colt .45?

[@JustAGamerA]

@@robertlombardo8437 It was .45

[@Lem0nsquid]

My grandfather volunteered to serve in the infantry following Pearl Harbor and left the service in 1946 as a staff sergeant. He was with the 102nd Infantry Division

[@atheist6598]

Your grandfther was a criminal murderer.

[@mamneo2]

Incroyable.

[@pnwfarmdog4090]

My uncle was an unwilling volunteer, but was a BAR gunner in the 41st in the pacific. He came out a tech sergeant in December of 1945. He was part of the Philippines liberation and the occupation of Japan. He passed a decade or better ago and it was then we found he had a silver star.

[@mrtiesthatbind]

@@pnwfarmdog4090 is there any citation of it?

[@pnwfarmdog4090]

@@mrtiesthatbind I’m sure there is, but he didn’t keep any of his stuff from the army days. I could find and look through the Adjutant Generals Book but what would be it. His story was that a patrol was late coming back, he was ordered with some volunteers to track them down. He carried a wounded man out as well as using his BAR and fighting a rear guard action. I am one of two people he ever talked to about the war, and because of the memories and my age (I was 16 at the time) ge spoke in generalities and would not talk of battles. I’ve tracked the 41st’s route through the pacific so I know kind of where he was.

[@EnteRaro19]

This is one of the best explanatory military videos I have ever seen. One of the things that I have always wondered and struggle to understand is the dimension of the frontline, in terms of amount of soldiers and how much ground is covered. In most war movies you only see a handful of soldiers, not hundreds of even thousands in a panoramical view. This video really made it easy to imagine a full scale battle involving many companies or even divisions or heavy weapons. Its hard to believe the amount of intensity and chaos that could involve having thousands of human beings trying to kill eachother. What a happening.. Thankyou for making this fabulous depiction. I hope more of this comes in the future.

[@richardnoah2922]

As an Infantryman, today we carry even more stuff around, 15 pounds rifle and ammo, 10 pounds of water... body armor, kit pouches, rucksack of 40 pounds, it gets up there to 70-80 pounds and really starts to kick your ass after around 12 miles of hoofin it. When i volunteered i really wish i could have chosen to be in the Mechanised!

[@mr.cookie7308]

Forget humping 80 pounds to 10 miles, my ass is only carrying 40 pounds max. You know what happens when you carry that much crap? You cant run, you cant hide, and you get shot.

[@HaiteLibbies]

That kicked my ass while relaxing on my porch reading about it 😂

[@t.ditsakulofthisaccount1141]

Do modern volunteer get to choose branch?

[@richardnoah2922]

@@t.ditsakulofthisaccount1141 You take a test known as the ASVAB and it provides you with a skill rating which tells you which jobs you can have, the better the score the more choices- so yes you can choose whichever job you want assuming your smart.

[@edgarvalderrama1143]

I ended up as an infantryman because the Army offered two weeks before reporting while the Navy only offered one, I figured they would be my last two weeks on earth so I took the Army.

[@BlitkriegsAndCoffee]

Just a couple notes I saw while watching: 1) The Assistant Sergeant of a squad also carried a Rifle Grenade launcher, bringing the total according to the TOE up to 3 per squad. 2) The 50cal on the Heavy Weapons platoon's Jeep was often dismounted to add it to the Machine Gun Section's Firepower.

[@tmmccormick86]

This is a well detailed video for the subject; US Infantry company composition during WWII varied greatly from Division to Division- sometimes even between Regiments- throughout the war, as each Division had its own unique history with how it was created and how it was filled. Some were all volunteer, some were mostly conscripted, at least one was volun-told: they took a bunch of kids out of a ROTC program and created the 104th Division with them. The USMC has retained the 12 man squad, and my unit (27th Inf Regt, 25th ID) augmented our 9 man squads with members of the Mortar Sections and support troops to be able to fill the minimum of 3 HMMWVs on each patrol in Iraq; they were also useful for carrying breaching equipment.

[@darylvogel8991]

Just a shout out about the 78th Lighting Division. My Dad was one of the buck sergeants in the 311th company of the 78th. He was in for all three of 78th Division's campaigns in Europe including the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle at the Remagen Bridge. My Dad had some of the most brutal battle stories ever. I guess that is why all of his sons joined the Navy. LOL I served with the Naval submarine forces on the Island of Guam during Vietnam (69to74). A Salute to all of the Army and Marine Corp. Rifle Companies may they get the respect they deserve.

[@raidermaxx2324]

As a veteran, what do you think of the Republican Congressman Toomerville, who is withholding promotions from the Pentagon unless the military bans abortions?

[@joekuipers4565]

My Great Uncle was a combat medic in D. Co. 310th Inf. Reg. of the 78th Div. and also served through the Hurtgen Forest, Bugle, and Rhineland campaigns. He likewise had some horrendous stories! Thanks for sharing and for your service!

[@roddypine6077]

NOT as BAD as DEM Senators writing bills to cut military budget @@raidermaxx2324

[@lentztu]

Wow, this is the most helpful explanation I’ve seen yet. I’ve been trying to understand how companies and platoons really move and this does that in spades. I’ve seen lots of videos try to explain the same thing but pale in comparison.

[@csipawpaw7921]

My dad was an infantryman in WW2. He started out as a B.A. R. Gunner. But later he was allowed to switched to what he felt was best for each mission. But I remember him saying that he often carried up to 300 rounds going into an attack. This was because during his first week of combat near Saint Lo, after his company took an enemy position on a hill top, he was out of ammo and the enemy counter attacked before replacement ammo arrived.. He was captured and being tortured by an SS trooper when a fresh American company unit counter attacked and retook the hill giving him a chance to escape. After that he fought all the way into Germany and took part in several major battles like the Bulge. He also said he preferred white phosphorus ( Willy Peter) grenades to fragmentation grenades as "they were more versatile" and he carried a lot of them as well. 30:39

[@tyo8663]

The semi-auto Garand increased the fire-power of the US company, compared to the bolt actions, but they lacked machine numbers guns of the Germans. The BAR wasn't as good as the Bren or MG-32 as a squad automatic weapon either.

[@tyo8663]

MG-34, sorry.

[@iatsd]

>>He was captured and being tortured by an SS trooper

[@picollojr9009]

​@@tyo8663i noticed that, they do have a lot of firepower but lack the rate of fire and supression capability of a Machine gun, and BARs Were more like Automatic rifles than Machine guns

[@ChongiFishing]

​@@picollojr9009 I think it's a much more balanced layout than a German squad, the Germans relied entirely on one machinegun for suppression and if it's taken out they essentially become a WW1 rifle squad. M1 Garand volly fire was effective but obviously not comparable to an MG34 or 42. But it allows the squad to lose men and still be able to suppress the enemy. I Don't understand the BAR and it's 20 round magazine though.

[@agenttassadar7272]

The first time I held a BAR I was shocked at how heavy it was. I then held a m1 carbine which felt like I was holding a toy in comparison. I'm used to carrying a K98 in reenactments. Which feels light compared to the BAR. Tough guys who ran around carrying that BAR I have to say.

[@Lassisvulgaris]

While the MG 3 weighs 11.5 kilos. I've tried it from the hip, Rambo style. Hard to hold, but definately fun!

[@chaosXP3RT]

Just goes to show how backwards and outdated American technology was at the time!

[@BlitkriegsAndCoffee]

Just about every story about a BAR gunner I hear involves them going out of their way to tell you how heavy it was.

[@removedot]

@@BlitkriegsAndCoffee when my dad was in Vietnam and lived in the villages you can imagine how hard it was for mostly malnourished smaller Asian men. It was basically a crew operated weapon.

[@edm240b9]

I’ve fired one from the shoulder, they are more controllable that you would originally think, but they do move on you.

[@jonathanrobison9667]

Invicta puts forward some of the best content on this platform. Thanks for the new video!

[@FighteroftheNightman]

Eh usually yeah but his breakdown of a squad is completely wrong. There was originally 3 teams yes. A BAR team and then maneuver teams. The Grenadieres were not on the same team. It was 1 per the 2 non BAR teams. Not much into the war the BAR was assimilated into the fire (security) team and the extra rifleman was in the maneuver team.

[@longtabsigo]

If I were an instructor at any basic level training organization, I would use this video to teach my class for me. You friggen nailed it…. Are there a few things I would tweak? Maybe, but let me go out on a limb here, I’m a retired army LTC, and I watched this from the beginning to the end and I thoroughly enjoyed being educated while I was being entertained. Great freaking job.

[@codyrankin2042]

Please keep these going!! I love them so much! Maybe one day you can use this True Size to depict battle formations and movements during a battle

[@InvictaHistory]

We are definitely working to build up to that

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:44: 📜 The size and complexity of the armies in the second world war can be difficult to comprehend, but abstracted diagrams and tables help provide some understanding, although they lose the relatable and human side of the war. 4:26: 👥 Infantrymen in World War II were small in size and poorly compensated, but they were committed for the duration of the war. 9:15: 🔍 The American squad system had a command and control problem, leading to a reduction in squad size during reforms in 1947. 13:36: 🔫 Information about the M2 60mm mortar and the M1919A4 light machine gun. 18:09: 👨‍✈ The company commander's role and responsibilities in a rifle platoon. 22:41: 📝 Baker Company prepares for a fictional attack scenario by switching formations and crossing the Line of Departure. 27:17: 💥 Baker Company launches a successful assault on the Germans and then prepares for a potential counterattack. Recap by Tammy AI

[@kalebjohns7715]

They were better compensated than US military personnel are today. I did the math and they would of made around 10k a yr, today they start at a mere 22K which is bollucks when you adjust that 10k due to inflation would be over 170k

[@kenle2]

@@kalebjohns7715 Except junior enlisted get free barracks housing, mess hall meals (better than most fast food and more nutritionally balanced), educational matching funds and free health and dental care. Plus a lot of free or discounted recreational facilities and opportunities. That adds a whole lot to the total compensation package.

[@gerryseverson2377]

Check your math.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

The Roman fort in the background really adds to the immersion. Love it.

[@MrCosinuus]

Those "Romans" are reenactors during WWII obviously. Love it.

[@InvictaHistory]

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/3OHoEUE Thank you World of Warships for sponsoring this video. During registration, use the code AZUR555 to receive a huge starter pack including 500 Doubloons, 2,500,000 Credits, 5 days Premium Account time, 1 Premium Container, and both Azur Lane commanders Cheshire and Azuma! The promo code is only for new players who register for the first time on the Wargaming portal.

[@deadlygrapes]

Amazing video Invicta, as per. I'd love to see a sequel explaining how the rifle company in turn fits within a battalion -> regiment -> brigade -> division (if thats even the correct organisational order). Always been fascinated by this, and your videos perfectly contextualise these remarkably complex organisational structures. Love it!

[@majorproblem8796]

For WWII Infantry it’s Rifle Company -> Infantry Battalion -> Infantry Regiment -> Infantry Division Each of these higher order organizations has it’s own support Companies/Battalions depending on its level such as Antitank units, more Heavy Weapons units, Transportation, Supply, etc. A series based around a WWII Infantry Division down to coy. level like this video would be very interesting.

[@JustinLaFleur1990]

I believe they were still called Regiments during WW2. I think after WW2 we went from regiments to Brigades.

[@bobbertbobberson6725]

@@JustinLaFleur1990 The modern army uses the regimental combat team concept, but calls them brigade combat teams. An RCT normally is the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions of a regiment, plus attachments (scouts, artillery, etc). The BCT is similar, but names the different battalions after different regiments (ie. I was in 2ABCT, 1ID which had 5-4CAV, 1-18IN, 1-63AR, 2-70AR, 1-7FAR, 82EN, and 299BSB); although they're from "different" regiments, they all directly report to brigade HQ. Regimental commands don't actually exist outside of a few exceptions like the 75RR, 2CR, 3CR, and 11ACR. This is different from true, classical brigades. In WW1 up until 1941 or so, the Army had a "square" division. Instead of 3 regiments to a division, it was 2 regiments to a brigade (plus a machine gun battalion), and 2 brigades to a division (plus an artillery brigade and supporting units). The brigade was an intermediate command between regiments and their parent division. They were also named across the board like regiments and divisions were. Instead of being the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd brigades of the X division, 1ID had the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades, 2ID had the 3rd and 4th (this one being the 4th Marine Brigade), 3ID had the 5th and 6th, etc. So in WW1, the 55th Infantry Regiment belonged to the 13th Infantry Brigade which belonged to the 7th Infantry Division. Although the brigades were rather straightforwards, the regiments were seemingly randomly assigned to their parent brigades, however.

[@tihomirrasperic]

@@JustinLaFleur1990 The difference between a Regiment and a Brigade is in the composition The regiment has a permanent fixed composition 3-4 battalions make up a regiment the regiment is an integral part of the division, independent regiments are very rare Brigade, has 3-6 battalions or 2 regiments variable composition that can differ from the purpose of the brigade, mechanized, tank, infantry Brigades can often be independent

[@JustinLaFleur1990]

@@tihomirrasperic I know that much, what I said was that we switched from a Regimental system to a Brigade system because a Brigade is a much better system.

[@ROBERTN-ut2il]

A book I used to assign to my cadets was Company Commander by Charles B MacDonald. He was a 21 year old captain who commanded a rifle company in the Ardennes, was wounded and returned to combat commanding another company in the same regiment. It is a classic. The next higher organization was the Infantry Battalion. Commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, it consisted of a Headquarters Company, three rifle companies and a heavy weapons company. The later had two machine gun platoons equipped with four 30-06 caliber water cooled M1917A1's each and a medium mortar platoon armed with four 81mm mortars. The later had been designed by the French Brandt Company, were improvements on the Kaiser War 3 inch (76mm) Stokes mortar and were adopted by the US, France, Italy and Japan (US 81mm platoons were issued firing tables that allowed them to use captured ammunition) and the Russian 82mm was the Brandt design modified for Russian production. Although the Headquarters Company was primarily a command and control organization, it contained the Battalion Antitank Platoon (three 57mm guns) and the Pioneer Platoon - infantrymen given special training to perform light engineering (US (barbed wire, mines, etc) and ammunition supply duties. Total strength was 871 officers and men. The Light Colonel was often a Military Academy graduate, although as the war went on, more reserve officers took command. They were almost all ROTC graduates, many of them with service as a platoon leader or company commander in the National Guard or Organized Reserve Corps pre-war.

[@johnmasters4670]

Dad was heavy weapons FO who transferred to infantry platoon leader and eventually a co commander. Video helped me understand what he did for 333rd IR of 84th division. Thanks!

[@adrielcamilo2564]

This is the motivation I needed to keep on my indie project, thanks! (working in a company size rts in late ww1, so basicaly I can strech a lot of info for ideas or motivation)

[@halo129830]

When you got a name post it here please

[@artemiusz69]

Are you gonna publish it on steam?

[@robertgobel]

I'll third what these other two folks are saying! Sounds interesting, let us know if/when we can check it out!

[@adrielcamilo2564]

​ @halo129830 @artemiusz69 @robertgobel @misternoname was a week away to geting a internal alpha, saved this link to answer when ready, then unity exploded, trying now to start again fresh in godot with the theme being ww2 39/40/41 and changing a bit the scope of the game, when I manage to get out the hole unity placed me, I'll try to update you guys, thanks :D

[@OldProVidios]

thanks for the info. My dad was a 1st Lt. (Australia OCS). One hill they took, the info says two companies were down to a total of 27 men by the time they achieved the goal. I never knew the number. Sad, out of 400 soldiers.

[@Nonyobiz]

I love this video. It addresses pretty much all the questions I have about a military unit (how they march, how they attack, the frontage, etc.). I cannot wait to see the division & corps formation videos!

[@Pedrogog]

This is awesome! I've been a World War 2 studious my whole life and I've never seen a video so explanatory as this one. I'm from Brazil, in my childhood I had so little sources about WW2. It was a really hard work at the libraries. I'm grateful for videos like this.

[@Gaterguppy]

The bar and the grand combo was so amazing especially on a logistic level just because they shot the same ammo and were fairly reliable

[@hobokyle7504]

This is an amazing video, it's almost as if the make up of the different countries squads could have been created on purpose by a game designer for diversity of gameplay... the German gruppe with 8 bolt action rifles, 1 smg and 1 mg-42 (emphasis on defensive with riflemen supporting heavy machine gun), the US squad with 11 semi-auto rifles and 1 BAR (emphasis on fire and maneuver, offense) and the commonwealth squad with 8 bolt action, 1 smg and a Bren light machine gun ( a combination of the two doctrines).

[@harrybuttery2447]

Their doctrines were actually very similar, the US doctrine was even based on German interwar manuals. People get quite fixated on semantics but a name is just a name, the BAR had the same role that the MG 42 and the Bren did, it was just bad at it and so during the war the US was looking at replacing it and they would replace it after the war. They did not use the BAR because they wanted too. It did not have a quick change barrel and it lacked both the belt fed nature of the MG 42 or the top feeding magazine of the Bren which allowed for the MG assistant to quickly reload the MG.

[@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin]

The reality of warfare was more complicated than that, but yeah, you could just design any sort of min/max gameplay out of any army of any era. You can never go wrong with the realistic approach when doing historical genre.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@harrybuttery2447 Allied doctrine was Order Based Command, German doctrine was mission oriented command.

[@harrybuttery2447]

@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- That's at a higher level than squad(or section) level and it's a matter of command and not doctrine in the sense that was discussed in this video or this post.

[@miketrusky476]

Dad got a Bronze Star at Remagen when the war ended he was kept on to interview Polish CONCENTRATION camp victims because he spoke fluent Polish. Before the war he was a professional Baseball player, Mom said the war and the Lighting Division made him a very angry man. Ran across this by accident , glad for my luck. Well done. 79 years and still learning, THANKS.

[@matthewhuszarik4173]

My stepfather served in the Pacific made many landings he suffered PTSD his entire life and self medicated with excessive drinking.

[@miketrusky476]

@@matthewhuszarik4173 know the feeling.

[@matthewhuszarik4173]

@@miketrusky476 Yes I never knew my stepfather before WW2 as I was born after, but when he was sober he was a solid guy who took care of my mother well. My stepbrother went to Vietnam and I saw first hand what happens to many men when sent to war. It basically completely changed his personality.

[@quietus13]

This is fantastic. Extremely high quality production, and fascinating content. Well done!

[@alancranford3398]

When the M1 Garand Rifle was adopted in 1936, it was supposed to replace the M1903 Springfield AND the Browning Automatic Rifle (and the few Thompson submachine guns that leaked into service)--the only automatic weapons in the rifle company were a pair of M1919A4 light machine guns in the company weapons platoon (and a pair of reserve M1919A4 guns that would be deployed in the defense). Two automatic weapons in the assault was obviously inadequate when real world battles were studied--but there was no good American squad-level light machine guns and the BAR had to do.

[@capthawkeye8010]

Well it didn't matter much since US Army infantry were not really expected to get into pitched battles without substantial fire support overwatch from mortars and attached tanks. In practice more than one BAR was available per squad and the US Army had one of the better light mortars available to squads.

[@comcastjohn]

Educational, informative and great job as always! Thank you and the staff for all of the hard work. 😁😎👊

[@dwaynereynolds6391]

Also if you’re not aware with the SCR-536 radio you could walkie and talkie at the same time

[@Treyn444]

Oh the good ole days… If only we could access that kind of technology now. 😮

[@steveolive9991]

But could they walk and talk and chew gum at the same time????

[@truthhertz10]

Love this, would like to see more on how armoured, artillery and air support play into strategies.

[@MrCosinuus]

Great video, I have to say. You found the sweet spot between too detailed and oversimplified. I like, that you combined so many different aspects: Weapons, organisation, social aspects like the drafting, attack, .... Maybe you want to do a video about modern US-infantery for comparison? Or a vid about a tank company from WWII? Or one about a German WWII infantry company?

[@artemkompaneets4945]

This video is so wholesome! This is exactly what I was always curious about, but never stumbled upon the exact match

[@johnx6664]

This is a very well done video about a subject that can be more complex than it appears. If you want to read another well-done and fascinating account of an infantry force, I recommend David Halberstam's book "The Fifties," particularly Section One, Chapter Seven, where he gives a very good description of the Chinese Fourth Field Army, which counter-attacked as General Douglas MacArthur arrogantly pushed U.N. forces north towards the Yalu River. The Chinese Fourth Field Army was made up of peasants but they were disciplined and combat veterans; they travelled (actually trotted) light and had little to no technological devices beyond rifles and bugles. Yet they understood their high-tech enemy and did not underestimate them. Rather, they used what advantages they had against the enemy weaknesses they knew. I'm an American veteran but reading this you have to admire them. They were tough as nails and most didn't come back alive yet they were brave soldiers.

[@darrellmerino]

Truly brilliant, and I have multiple books on the subject! Not one book ever presented so clearly and succinctly the structure, tactics, and purpose you have captured. And a special thank you for covering off the company's weapons pool. Over focused TOE's insist on nearly every GI having an M1 Garand. Plenty other ordnance was present and the ability of a soldier to fight with nearly whatever he wanted was very real. If you were going to add one update in the vocal track, I think it would be beneficial to mention the structure of Able, Baker, Charlie, being Infantry companies and Dog being weapons. Easy, Fox, George=infantry, How=weapons; Item, Jig, King=infantry, Love=weapons. This is only the first video of yours I have discovered, so maybe you have one defining regiments where this is covered.

[@christopheralben7618]

The more I learn about how those guys fought in world war two, the more respect I have for them.

[@Insanegorey]

At around 15:17, I think there is an error. Gunners and Assistant Gunners (A-Gunner) carry equipment differently. The more experienced person would A-Gun, since employment considerations, barrel changes, target point acquisition, linking and feeding rounds, as well as communicating to the squad leader about round counts, shifting fires, ceasing fires, and controlling rates of fires, was an important task. The A-Gunner would carry the tripod, throw it down, and assist the Gunner with mounting the gun into the tripod. In terms of positioning, this allows the gunner to put the gun in the cradle of the tripod, and then position themselves behind the gun very quickly. The A-Gunner would either load the gun if it was brought up empty, or link rounds onto a "contact belt".

[@dannynye1731]

My friend George Heib carried a 1919 Browning MG. Every squadie carried a belt of ammo, two 60mm mortar bombs, their personal weapons and ammo, two grenades, maybe a Gammon bomb and a Smoke grenade. After 6/6/44 the carried captured panzerfausts in his compant. Squad, platoon leaders and many others carried M1 carbines, M1 Thompsons and after they entered Remagen M3 Grease guns. George ditched his MG before the Waal crossing and carried an M1 carbine. At the end of the moth he turned 18-12,31,44

[@SaitosJungleRats]

Can we please see something like this but for the Japanese? I’d love to see more fleshed out videos giving information on the organization of a Japanese rifle company or other units

[@reilly2056]

Germans as well

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

​@@reilly2056Go watch Military History Visualized for that. He has access to first-hand sources since he's Austrian...

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

And the Brits

[@SneakyVito]

no

[@SneakyVito]

@@reilly2056 hell no

[@Andre_vyent]

U love these topics by Invicta, the only thing that realy makes this channel for me.unique and the narrator also just nostalgie

[@ardreambystander6988]

THIS is why I subscribe to Invicta. Informative and entertaining with beautiful visuals.

[@roberthunter6927]

The US idea of having a 12 man squad/section was excellent, because squads and platoons were almost never at full strength. Sentries came from each squad. So unless there was an alert, which would mean 50%, and often 100% manning of the defences, it meant that with 2 sentries doing two hours each, the rest could get a reasonable amount of sleep. [In theory at least. Depending on your position on the roster]. if you were on the first or last watches, that sleep would not be broken by sentry duty. A small squad or section, of say 8 men total, might only have 4 or 5 men in the squad, due to casualties, leave, sickness, and detachments. So it isn't realistic to have small sections. A "fire team" is four men, so a US squad with 12 people in total could have three fire teams of four men. Given that the US companies were nearly 200 men strong, a major would have been better to command, with the younger Captain being XO, and assault leader, acting on the advice of the Major. Adding another rifle company to the battalion establishment would keep the unit more effective, because the bulk of casualties always happened to the infantrymen in the 'sabre" companies. British, Australian companies were smaller, [120 to 145] but were led by majors, with captains acting as 2-IC's /XO's. Again, if it was not a pristine unit, going into battle for the first time, the company would have suffered casualties and sick, etc, so UK style companies could get pretty small pretty quickly, because as with the US army, replacements seldom replaced losses totally, at least part of the time. And replacements were often inexperienced and not as well trained as the soldiers who had been in the unit for a while. Interestingly for D-Day, all airborne divisions, and most if not all of the assault divisions were filled to overstrength of establishment tables. Companies in the 101st US airborne division, had two lieutenants in each rifle platoon, the prediction being that officer attrition would be severe. It was.

[@eds1057]

Truly provides great insight into the everyday logistics and organization of a WW2 American rifle company. So often I’ve read or watched personal accounts of soldiers at this level and it’s always been a bit difficult to imagine the glue that held together their movements. This made it a lot clearer. Great series!

[@steveturner3999]

Did you notice when discussing the machine gun sections the second picture showed German paratroopers manning the American gun?

[@lewcrowley3710]

And they have the tripod reversed?

[@mmurray821]

They carried a light load compared to today's infantry. Especially the "light" infantry (Airborne, Air Assault). Contradiction in terms right there.

[@SampoPaalanen]

"light" in army speak just means it's lighter then the "heavy", it doesn't mean it's objectively light.

[@matsknudsen8309]

light infantry come frome lack of organic heavy eqiptment (AFV; artillery, amourd cars etc) for fast stratigic deployment. most moden infantry carry more elctronic eqiptment and bulletprofe vest with inlays and the miltary formation you mention are spesilist formation who in the war carry heavyer pack (speslist eqiptment ) the the standare infantry brothers, will be cut form resupplies for some til frindey unit can catch upp.

[@MrCosinuus]

light and heavy usually indicate how well protected a unit is. Historically "light" was unarmored and "heavy" was plate armor or mail. Today it mostly refers to the type of vehicle: No vehicle or unarmored trucks/jeeps (light), Infantry fighting vehicles (heavy) or armored pesonal carriers (medium). Today, the terms "heavy/medium infantry" are no longer used. Instead they are called motorized or mechanized.

[@Chevelle602]

Eh the plate carries add weight but .30-06 weighs twice as much as 5.56 rounds.

[@PatrickKniesler]

@@mmurray821 ideally, but contemporary research in a book The Soldier's Load found that officers told troops to carry more gear than they needed.

[@jamesrasp2713]

Most infantry squads “acquired” as many automatic weapons and MG’s as possible to increase the firepower and suppressive fire the unit could put out. This is also true of every unit in combat.

[@yesfinallygot1]

This video kept my interest the whole time because it was so easy to visualize being there with the platoons compared to your 2D animations. I love the 3D style!

[@christiancummings6283]

Loved every minute of this!. Please keep producing these, and I'll keep supporting them.

[@Turd_Ferguson538]

"The greatest generation" 70% had to be drafted and all but 5% tried to avoid fighting like the plague.

[@martinakesson2043]

It may partially be an effect of loads more contemporary sources regarding this topic being accesible... allowing the crew at Invicta to paint a more full and in-depth picture. But I found this episode to be the most concise and to the point of all the "True Size"-episodes so far!

[@ak9989]

In fact a lot of underage kids joined! It wasn't like today. Unscrupulous recruiters didn't follow the rules. My dad was 16 and used his dead brothers name to get in and got away with it in 44! Serving for 10 years as a marine.

[@danielating1316]

Why did he join even though he wasn't old enough? Pure patriotism or for some other reason?

[@badcornflakes6374]

@@danielating1316 If all the older guys around me and were going, and I was 16 jeez... I'd want to go too, death or not!

[@danielating1316]

@@badcornflakes6374 🤣🤣🤣🤣I can imagine someone wanting to go and die in war simply because people around him are doing same.

[@fluffysquirrel8385]

@@danielating1316 a lot of our perspectives today are shaped by social media. if you had no phones, and the only things coming back from the front was propaganda, when you see everyone around you sign up, you want to go too.

[@mikepalmer1971]

Recruiters are still unscrupulous.

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Such was the sheer size of armies in WW2 it wasn't unheard of ti have sergeants in their early 20s and Lt Cols in their mid 20s

[@kilroy2517]

The "Platoon Leader", usually a Lieutenant, is the only officer that truly leads soldiers. All others give orders, but are rarely in the front, literally leading. In WWII, it's said that Chesty Puller judged how aggressive his Marine regiments were being by how many Lieutenants were killed that week.

[@sarysa]

Very often these videos, scouts are brought up, but the actual nuts and bolts of how a scout operates is left pretty vague. I hope someday this series could do a deep dive into the military scout, especially those of ancient times.

[@BoxStudioExecutive]

He already did this for ancient military. Try to keep up

[@VainerCactus0]

@@BoxStudioExecutive Might be a new subscriber dude.

[@VainerCactus0]

Two videos from this channel covering scouts in the Roman Legions. Meet Rome's Scouts - Special Forces of the Legions DOCUMENTARY Units of History - The Exploratores: Scouts of the Roman Army DOCUMENTARY

[@sarysa]

@@BoxStudioExecutive Oh my god I missed it. I've been watching for a few years but I've been inconsistent in the last 9 months. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@acecatman]

in ww2 the scout is an experienced soldier so that he can keep his cool after being shot at, spot the attackers location and tell the SL where to set up a base of fire to suppress. if there is a pair of scouts, one comes out of the woods alone for a few yards while the other covers him

[@TheEnergizer94]

Imagine you're 18 years old, you get conscripted to an infantry division. You are part of a platoon that is sent on the attack, your squad gets selected to be one of the two up front, and your squad leader chooses you as a scout for the attack. Rinse and repeat. At the end of the month you get 800$ in today's money plus accomodation (which includes a mediocre meal when supply is good and a nice cozy humid foxhole with no top cover when it rains either water or shells)

[@levijackson767]

I'm glad you pointed out the the conscription rate. I always found it ironic that WW2 was the great patriotic volunteer war, but the Vietnam war is characterized as the poor press ganged draftee war, when the conscription and volunteered rates are invested. "Peaceniks" (ironically a misnomer) really had the propaganda game down.

[@redaug4212]

Same thing with the "druggie nam vet epidemic" bs. Most vets dropped any and all narcotics after they returned home. Only 10% reported using narcotics to the VA, and only 1% actively tested positive in urine analysis after the war.

[@Kuac85]

Great stuff as always. Remarkably documented, structured and illustrated, and wonderfully narrated. Thank you!

[@longtabsigo]

16:00; interestingly, you demonstrated that the M1919 was so effective, Fallschirmjägers apparently loved them too

[@mattheweldridge5442]

I would like to see you do a modern weapons company for the United States army or the Delta companies and a light infantry battalion. As a heavy weapons company and structure I found this video very informative and interesting because we used to cover portions of what you just did for the last company attack on how we would support it in modern times with the mounted heavy weapons company.

[@Chiller11]

Very informative and well illustrated synopsis. Fortunately because the US Army was so thoroughly mechanized they virtually raced across France until they ran out of fuel. The grinding began as they crossed the Siegfried line.

[@Chiller11]

@@uhtredofbebbanburg5394 oh just stop that parochial nonsense .

[@redaug4212]

@@uhtredofbebbanburg5394 Where did OP say that the British and Canadians didn't face strong opposition. Insecure much?

[@davidlium9338]

The German Army was * never * mechanized totally!

[@markstott6689]

I would like to see a video about how German Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions were made up and how they differed please.

[@PaladinAzriel]

Great content Invicta team. Thanks for telling the details that made USARMY the force it was during WW2. Very interesting.

[@conpa18dany]

The final map really brings the point home, by enacting everything that it was explained but over and over until a nation is captured.

[@chadmdalton]

Great video. Very well done and researched. Bravo! Thank you for all the work on this awesome video!

[@Meodoc]

Incredible information and production quality! Just wow!

[@Doshhusky]

I’ve been absolutely loving the work you have been putting out in the last year! I would love to see you and Montemayor collaborate on a True Size of the Us Navy video!

[@NAACat81]

Most comprehensive presentation on this topic that I’ve seen. Thank you.

[@michael-ms4ho]

Love the detail in this…. Awesome!… been studying World War II stuff for over 40 years I didn’t start until I was 20 …this is well done thanks

[@zacharyfisher8152]

What made the Americans so good in the field was that the Germans especially knew they didn’t follow doctrine as a rule. It made them unpredictable and adaptable. Still cool to see how it was supposed to be done in theory and of course always cool to see a company structure, thanks for the video!

[@grejsancoprative]

"B-A-R", never "bar"~~ If you asked someone to hand you a bar, you might just recieve a candy bar.

[@brutusvonmanhammer]

Calling the B.A.R. a "bar" is like calling a Marine a soldier, though not nearly as bad for your health 😂

[@ThatOneGuyWhoLostHisHandle]

@@brutusvonmanhammer You guys are goofy as hell literally everyone I have ever met calls it a "bar" same with the "aug"

[@brutusvonmanhammer]

@@ThatOneGuyWhoLostHisHandle That's because literally everyone you've met is a dolt

[@ComfortsSpecter]

“Maybe back in he White and Black Era, but I ain’t Calling It S.O.C.O.M or M.R.A.P.S so I ain’t Calling It B.A.R.” “Objective Practicality.”

[@ComfortsSpecter]

@@brutusvonmanhammer”Funni Me-me” “But Marines call Eachother Soldiers All The Time, It’s even in Their Propaganda”

[@vircervoteksisto5038]

Fast forward 60 years later to the early 2010s and there were still "whatever" detachments available to assign to "whatever" duty needed extra bodies. I spent more time in those detachments than I ever wanted to.

[@myatminthant5417]

I'm going to rewatch Band of Brothers with this knowledge 🙏

[@Seigerootz]

My grandfather was the platoon sgt. for his platoon in Italy and the Lt. went down in the first day so he took command of the platoon. Never really know the gravity of the force he was thrown in charge of.

[@habisal2993]

Best vid on topic

[@ATrainGames]

That's a quality presentation! As a student of WWII history, I really appreciate this breakdown. Thanks for sharing!

[@gbarberis7402]

I was watching the Band of Brothers the other day and this show its just perfect for someone who wants to understand how was the war from the pov of a company

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

That's very clear. Thanks. I was always curious about that. I suppose this is just what it looks like on paper. During actual combat I'm sure it all gets fuzzy very quickly. Thank goodness I've never been in combat.

[@christopheraustin3617]

Future future idea. Example, having a present day Infantry Platoon, versus an Infatntry Platoon from WW2 (or any conflict), say with average/norm gear and support (or whatever seems most balanced), maybe even morale/mentality into play. Combat Veteran here, and just always entertained the thought of said match up. And thank you for this video! Been rewatching a lot of WW2 movies and shows, and was curious of how the structure has changed and adapted over time.

[@PlainsmansCabin]

Please continue this series! I would like to see episodes on different units in WWII. Also, the evolution of units through today. So this could be a long series. Thanks for great content!

[@brianwilliams4883]

Just awesome, everything I wanted to know and brilliantly animated!!! Thanks

[@adrianpaz472]

Absolutely brilliant video! Haven’t seen this quality anywhere! Subscribing!

[@jerlewis4291]

It all comes down to a simple set of numbers. a fire team is made up of 3 soldiers. Three teams make a squad. 3-4 squads make a platoon. 4 platoons (minus the HHQ platoon) make a Company. Three companies make a battalion. 3-4 battalions make a brigade. 3-4 Brigades make a division. 3-4 Divisions make an an Army, like the 3rd or 5th Army. A squad has an E4 (I was an MP and we had E5) as a team leader, Squad leader is an SSG, Platoon SGT is usually an SFC or a MSG. A platoon has a 1 or 2LT as leader, a company has a Captain, a battalion has a LTCOL, a Brigade has a Col, or a BG. A Division has a MG, an Army has a LTG.

[@spaceman081447]

During World War II, the table of organization (TO) went from battalion (LCOL) to regiment (COL) to brigade (BG). The US Army dropped the regiment in the 1950s.

[@christopherwood9009]

According to Battle Order, the Squad was as follows: Squad Leader Sgt (later S/Sgt) Asst Squad Leader Cpl (later Sgt and given the kit of a Grenadier) BAR Man PFC (later Cpl) Asst BAR Man Pvt (later Pvt to Tech 5) Ammo Bearer Pvt (later Pvt to Tech 4) Grenadier Pvt-PFC (later 2x; Pvt to Tech 4) 6x Riflemen Pvt-PFC (later 5x, with 2x as Scouts; Scouts removed, Pvt to Tech 4)

[@MisterMeaner3000]

Dang. I could watch these tactical scenarios all day.

[@4ndroidG]

Thank you for an excellent video. I'm hoping for more of the same kind of videos about other factions and units from WW2. Especially the airborne units.

[@flight2k5]

6:46 that’s crazy, a basic combat load now is 210 rounds. Most carry more.

[@01Durhamguy]

Dang the quality of your video is great! Were you using Arma 3 for your visuals? It looked neat!

[@Sophia-ty4tp]

Unreal Engine 5

[@Blimpie1000]

Excellent video. I just want to add, the smallest group, as I recall from Basic Training, is the element: this was two guys. One would say, "Cover me!" and crawl or walk forward, while the other used suppressing fire. Then the other guy would do the same. Used a lot of ammo in suppressive fire. A book I read by author Crosman (I think book was "Our Rifles") said that in WWI it took six thousand rounds to kill one enemy soldier.

[@khartog01]

It's great to see we're we got where we are now as many of these tactics are still applied but with obvious updates through the years of war experience.

[@Tekisasubakani]

16:01 I think those are Fallschirmjagers, the helmets are a perfect match. Given that the Wehrmacht made heavy use of captured equipment, I'm not surprised.

[@steveturner3999]

I just commented the same thing having not seen your comment.

[@Drokslit]

Can we expect videos on other us infantry types like airborne, rangers or armored rifles? Would especially love similar videos on other nations, especially non-german axis like Italy, Romanian or Finnish since i find these videos are much rarer.

[@jamesstaggs4160]

I joined the Army in August 2000 and began my basic in January 2001 at Fort Knox Kentucky (Misery, Agony and Heartache). Helluva time to join considering what took place later that year. Something that surprised me was how much all that crap we had to wear got in the way of just moving. All those pieces of equipment would bounce around and get caught on everything along with getting underneath you sometimes when you had to go prone. Few pounds here and there doesn't sound like much but two pounds can feel like twenty after a while

[@jacobroberts8621]

I love these videos! they make research so much easier and on top of that visualized!, thank you so much! could you do one for an Armor Division by chance?

[@josephluscavage8162]

78th Division (the Electric Tomato) My last unit. It became a training division during the Cold War. MP Team 3, 2nd BDE, 78th Div (Exercise) Traveled all over the country doing LANES evaluations for Reserve MP Companys. We were the masters of the AAR (After Action Review) and PowerPoint Rangers...

[@CallsignYukiMizuki]

This vid presents some contradictory points from other sources I've looked up, but I guess this would have been different on a unit by unit basis? -Aid man wouldnt be armed with a rifle and should have 1911s / Carbines at best and would only be used in self defense (wearing the red cross emblem while actively fighting is lowkey a war crime) -The US would have been heavily motorized and should have enough trucks, but the reasoning for the march wouldnt have been due to lack of trucks but would likely been doctrinal and organizational. A light infantry wouldnt normally be rolling with trucks or half tracks, as the guys that do are under the motorized / mechanized infantry. -The Grenadiers in the squad would have been part of 6 man rifleman team and would not be separate. Though the BAR team + Scouts / SL + 6 Rifleman would have been accurate

[@SuiLagadema]

I think it's important to add that, when the US army started to get proper combat experience, the order of battle started to change on the field. Yes, in maps they were neatly shown as this. In the BOOK Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose describes how "Weapons Platoons" actually became "Weapon Teams" due to the misdrops. Those weapons team were part of a platoon squad consisting on 2 guys, 1 carrying the LMG and the other carrying extra ammo for said LMG. Basically ad hoc units that were flexible enough to adapt to the battlefield conditions and kept them because they found them more useful than the traditional way.