Squads (getting long)

--- "Bell, Brian K (Contractor)" \

> What COMMON* online source would have had the
> correct definition of "squad"?
> *Recongizable from the top level domain
> (www.____.com).

I thought this would be an easy question to answer. .
. 

But I find problems.  I guess I've known this one for
so long that I havn't had to look it up. . . FWIW,
there is no 'official' US definition of squad or
platoon.  The official definition of company is:

company (A) 

Basic administrative and tactical unit in most arms
and services of the Army. A company is on a command
level below a battalion and above a platoon and is
equivalent to a battery of artillery, etc. 

(Ref: AR 310-25)

FM 7-8 (The Infantry Platoon) has no definitions.  It
has a number of organizations of US platoons (34,39,
or 40, plus aidmen and forward observers).

FM 7-7J has the Bradley platoon org (23
dismounts-counting aidman and 2 FOs, 12 Bradley
crewmen) but no definitions.

In fact, the only useful thing I've found on the web
so far has been a bibliography on the history of US
Infantry squads from CALL
***
As a defined US Army tactical element, the squad first
appeared in the 1891 Infantry Drill Regs and became
fully established in the 1904 edition.	See:

Havron, M. Dean, and others.  "An Interview Study of
Human Relationships in Effective Infantry	Rifle
Squads:  PRS Report No. 983."  Technical report
contacted for by Personnel Research	Section, Adj
Gen's Office, Dept of Army, 31 Dec 1952.  168 p. 
UB337AQ4712.  no. 983.
		See also PRS Report No. 1087, Dec. 1954, 25 p.

Ney, Virgil.  Organization and Equipment of the
Infantry Rifle Squad:  From Valley Forge to ROAD.  
Study, Combat Operations Research Group, US Army
Combat Development Command, Ft. 	Belvoir, VA, January
1965.  115 p.  ARMY-CDC-CORG-M-194.
		See also his study of armored infantry rifle squad,
CORG-M- 198, 19 Mar 1965.

Rigg, Robert B.  "Whither the Squad?"  Army 10 (Feb
1960):	pp. 35-41.  Per.
		Hist survey of the squad as a tactical unit.

See also:	
- JMSIUS 18 (Jan 1896):  pp. 97-102.  Per.
- JMSIUS 30 (May 1902):  pp. 409-17.  Per.
- JMSIUS 30 (Jul 1902):  pp. 606-07.  Per.

NOTE:	SQUAD FRONTAGE
rjw 86

	The squad did not exist as a tactical unit until
after the American Civil War, although certain Civil
War-era drill manuals discuss four-man sections as a
tactical formation for skirmishers.  Organization of
small elements dates back to the Roman 10-man squad,
the "maniple," ten of which constituted the "century"
commanded by a "centurian."  In the American Army, the
squad as an ident-
ifiable element for administrative purposes dates back
to the drill regulations of Von Steuben, but the
"squads" of 1776 were not assigned distinctive battle
missions apart from their parent company or regiment.
SQUAD									
	       p.2

	During the First World War, squads still did not
operate as tactical entities.  They remained submerged
into four sections of a platoon.  Sections were
designed around specialties, i.e., grenadiers,
trench mortarmen, riflemen, and machinegunners.  As
before, the squad was merely an administrative
formation.

	Infantry Regiment:  Field Manual 7-40, discusses
defensive frontages and those for smaller units are
discussed in Rifle Company, Rifle Regiment:  Field
Manual 7-10, (Jun 1942).  Squad frontages were
determined by the limits of the platoon area and
mission, with the entire platoon frontage ranging from
less than 250 to more than 500 yards.  The platoon
physically occupied no more than 300 yards of front,
with the remainder covered by weapons fire.

	The Korean War-era edition of Field Manual 7-10 (Oct
1949), states that frontage assigned to a platoon may
range from under 300 to more than 600 meters, being
determined by the intervals which can be left between
foxholes and between adjacent units without
jeopardizing the effectiveness of the defense.	A
review of the later eds indicates specific footage for
individual squads first appeared in Infantry, Airborne
Infantry and Mechanized Infantry Rifle Platoons and
Squads:  Field Manual 7-15, (Jan 1962).  Accordingly,
the defensive frontage for a 10-man squad would vary
from approx 30 meters in unfavorable terrain to 100
meters in favorable terrain.  These figures reappear
in the 1965 ed of FM 7-15 and the manual that
superseded the 7-15 series, The Rifle Company,
Platoons and Squads:  Field Manual 7-10, (Apr 1970). 
The 1980 manual for infantry squads appears to
complete the doctrinal circle.	The Infantry Platoon
and Squad (Infantry, Airborne, Air Assault and
Ranger):  Field Manual 7-8 (Dec 1980) does not specify
frontage for a squad.  Allocation of battle footage
for the squad is a decision left to the individual
platoon leader.  See:

Ney, Virgil.  Organization and Equipment of the
Infantry Rifle Squad:	From Valley Forge to	ROAD.  
Cited above.

U.S. Dept of Army.  Infantry, Airborne Infantry and
Mechanized Infantry Rifle Platoons and Squads.		FM
7-15, Jan 1962.  275 p.  FM.
		See pp. 136-37.

	 .  Infantry, Airborne Infantry and Mechanized
Infantry Rifle Platoons and Squads.  FM 7-15,	Mar
1965.  300 p.  FM.

	 .  The Infantry Platoon and Squad (Infantry,
Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger).  FM 7-8, Dec 	1980.
 ca 300 p.  FM.
		See pp. 4-18 to 4-24.

	 .  Rifle Company, Infantry Regiment.  FM
7-10, Mar 1944.  323 p.  FM.

	 .  Rifle Company, Infantry Regiment.  FM
7-10, Oct 1949.  560 p.  FM.
		See pp. 145-147.
SQUAD									
	       p.3
	 .  The Rifle Company, Platoons and Squads. 
FM 7-10, Apr 1970.  ca 200 p.  FM.
		See pp. 4-7 and 4-9.

	 .  Rifle Company, Rifle Regiment.  FM 7-10,
Jun 1942.  280 p.  AuthRm.
		See pp. 122-23.

***

I will attempt to find some definitions for you.

I once did a LONG rant on unit organization once (on a
Usenet group), defining every major term used to
denote military unit size.  I wish I still had it.

John

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