[Military Organization and Terminology]

Hello:

Need to educate myself so as to better understand briefings and books. I have found a hierarchy on Wikipedia:

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army group, front

army

corps

division

brigade

regiment or group

infantry battalion, U.S. Cavalry squadron, Commonwealth armoured regiment

infantry company, artillery battery, U.S. Cavalry troop, or Commonwealth armour or combat engineering squadron

platoon or Commonwealth troop

section or patrol

squad or crew

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1) Is this correct or can someone recommend a site that covers this better.

2) Also, when you see something like this, 2/505 PIR, does that mean the 2nd Battalion of the 505 PIR Regiment? And is that the only place the "/" notation is used?

Thanks,

Gerry

I suspect this has been answered by now, but as time goes on it is always a good idea to add to your reference library rather than relying on the internet which is hit or miss.

Original army manuals are here:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/

Good secondary sources include the Osprey series; they are primers and older titles are bad - but are getting better and some of the really bad older titles have been completely revised and replaced.

The Flames of War rule books, for miniatures, are not a bad reference for understanding military terminology and wargame related stuff like unit organization, plus ideas for scenarios and things at the level that CMBN depicts. The various fan websites are also quite good.

Can also do a web search for Tactical Wargames Journal which was published last year or the year before - it's available in electronic form and the last copy published had an article on military organization and nomenclature. Also had a history of the US Army in the Battle of Normandy.

Also try this link for Moves magazine - an old wargame magazine from the 70s:

http://www.archive.org/details/moves-magazine

The entire collection is free for online reading.

[Round stone buildings in the game?]

Aren't late medieval two-storey dovecotes also round? Smaller scale than an actual building, I know, but as flavour objects. Or are these only found in the UK?

More common would be silos - round buildings used for storing feed and grain.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1119412736049760384HCgRiq

The silos have actually informed American architectural design:

"In Normandy, silos were often attached to the main living quarters instead of a separate barn. After World War I, Americans romanticized the traditional French farmhouse, creating a charming French Country style known as French Normandy. Sided with stone, stucco, or brick, these homes may suggest the Tudor style with decorative half timbering (vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strips of wood set in masonry). The French Normandy style is distinguished by a round stone tower (the silo), topped by a cone-shaped roof."

[E-License]

If this means we do not need the disc in the computer to play the game like we did for CMBO etc., I am all for it.