RE: Cheese factor

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Atkinson [SMTP:johnmatkinson@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 11:36 PM
> To:	gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject:	RE: Cheese factor
> 
[snip]
> > Using your figures I would be able to
> > field...what...A mixed Platoon?
> 
> YES.	That's what you've got.  
> 
> "Platoon" has a specific meaning to wargamers and to
> soldiers.  If I say "platoon" then what I mean is
> "unit between 20 and 50 men, composed of 3-5 squads
> and led by junior officer or senior NCO".  If you
> define platoon as "whatever I feel like putting on the
> board and getting extra activations for" you are going
> to piss people off and look ignorant[1].
> 
> John
> [1]Or stupid.  Hard to tell from one instance.
-----End Original Message-----

I claim ignorance. I did try to find a more definitive term and got from
Webster's:
Platoon: 
a subdivision of a company-size military unit normally consisting of two
or
more squads or sections.
I went to Dictonary,com and got the same answer.

So I thought to my self, "OK, 2 squads to a platoon".
Then I looked up Company and got:
a body of soldiers; especially : a unit (as of infantry) consisting
usually
of a headquarters and two or more platoons.
>From Dictionary.com I got:
A subdivision of a military regiment or battalion that constitutes the
lowest administrative unit. It is usually under the command of a captain
and
is made up of at least two platoons. 
I still do not know how many are in a squad, so I try "squad" and get:
The smallest tactical unit of military personnel. 
and 
a small organized group of military personnel; especially : a tactical
unit
that can be easily directed in the field
I tried to check Jane's (http://www.janes.com/cgi-bin/glossary.cgi) for
a
better definition, but came up empty.
Still no information. So I guess at 4 to a squad. 
So, I thought "OK, at least 2 platoons to a company. I have 4 sets of
reglar
troops. That gives me 3 platoons and a command platoon. And I have 2
reinforcing platoons of PA."
I then posted to the list, my idea.
>From the feedback, I got it wrong.
I have already stated that I planned to change the organization to that
of a
reinforced platoon.

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

---
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net
http://www.ftsr.org/
---