Lieutenants

[Bearstronaut]

I've got a question about US officers. In CMFI all US rifle platoon commanders are 2LTs but in CMBN (except for glider infantry) they are all 1LTs. Did Battlefront make a mistake or did the US Army organization change going into Normandy?

[IronCat60]

Good Question! As far as I know 2LT's have always been the standard rank for rifle platoon leaders. If the rank was wrong I believed it was due to combat losses. However most 1LT's are XO's or in a staff position. If anything due to combat losses I could see a 1LT as Company Commander and a 2LT as the XO. Or the Company Commander is a Captain with a XO who is a 2LT due to replacement shortages.

Now as far as Battlefront making a mistake I am clueless on that subject. And it seems there is no way possible that the game would randomly selects between 1LT and 2LT for the platoon leader.

So I hope that someone with more insight into the game mechanics can solve the wrong rank question.

[MOS:96B2P]

On 9/30/2018 at 11:32 AM, Bearstronaut said:

I've got a question about US officers. In CMFI all US rifle platoon commanders are 2LTs but in CMBN (except for glider infantry) they are all 1LTs. Did Battlefront make a mistake or did the US Army organization change going into Normandy?

 

7 hours ago, IronCat60 said:

Good Question! As far as I know 2LT's have always been the standard rank for rifle platoon leaders.

A lieutenant, either 1st or 2nd, is normal for a US platoon leader.  When I was in the US Army in the 1980's our platoon leader was a lieutenant.  If you got a brand new lieutenant  (from the Citadel, West Point, ROTC) he was a second lieutenant (butter bar).  IIRC the 2nd lieutenant would make 1st lieutenant after one year.  It was kind of like a one year probationary period.  As long as the butter bar did not screw up he got 1st lieutenant (I think) automatically.  So it was common to see both 1st and 2nd lieutenants as platoon leaders in our battalion.  This of course was in peace time.  In WWII with casualties, especially in rifle platoons, they probably had more 2nd lieutenants than 1st.  I've read many accounts where they had only a platoon sergeant and no Lt at all.  

I think BFC makes a normal full strength TOE with all ranks in their typical positions.  Then a scenario designer can modify things somewhat to account for casualties if the scenario designer wants too. 

Just as a side note I remember reading in Band of Brothers that the 101st had two lieutenants per platoon prior to the Normandy jump in anticipation of casualties.          

[Bearstronaut]

17 minutes ago, MOS:96B2P said:

 

A lieutenant, either 1st or 2nd, is normal for a US platoon leader.  When I was in the US Army in the 1980's our platoon leader was a lieutenant.  If you got a brand new lieutenant  (from the Citadel, West Point, ROTC) he was a second lieutenant (butter bar).  IIRC the 2nd lieutenant would make 1st lieutenant after one year.  It was kind of like a one year probationary period.  As long as the butter bar did not screw up he got 1st lieutenant (I think) automatically.  So it was common to see both 1st and 2nd lieutenants as platoon leaders in our battalion.  This of course was in peace time.  In WWII with casualties, especially in rifle platoons, they probably had more 2nd lieutenants than 1st.  I've read many accounts where they had only a platoon sergeant and no Lt at all.  

I think BFC makes a normal full strength TOE with all ranks in their typical positions.  Then a scenario designer can modify things somewhat to account for casualties if the scenario designer wants too. 

Just as a side note I remember reading in Band of Brothers that the 101st had two lieutenants per platoon prior to the Normandy jump in anticipation of casualties.          

You had LT platoon commanders as a 96B? I was in more recently (2010-2015) and I never once had an officer platoon leader. From DLI to my unit in Korea all my platoons were commanded by either a SSG or SFC. Although maybe that was because I wasn't in a tactical unit. My buddy who was in the BCT MI company up at Casey had an LT platoon commander.