Squad dispersion along a frontline

[Galatine]

Question for the floor:

Appoximately what is the greatest dispersion a single squad (7-12 men?) could manage along a battle front (main line of resistance) and still remain effective against a determined attack?

Another way to put it:

Given a defensive force is expected to resist enemy assault of superior (1.75 to 1) numbers on a fixed MLR, how dispersed could a squad/platoon be before it starts to lose cohesion and combat effectivenes?

To me a single squad marker appears to indicate a unit spread out over a 10m radius from center. I say this, because when a squad gets within around 10m of an enemy, hand-to-hand fighting appears to be the dominate form of combat. I assume this indicates the majority of combatants are in close quarters.

A 10m radius would project to a squad having a 'sphere of control/influence' of a 20m diameter area. That would make it possible to have an average man seperation gap of 1.5- 3m along a single line. Or a far bigger seperation if they are spread out evenly in a circular area perimeter or evenly over even larger (300 sq.m area.) area.

[CMplayer]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Galatine:

Appoximately what is the greatest dispersion a single squad (7-12 men?) could manage along a battle front (main line of resistance) and still remain effective against a determined attack?

<hr></blockquote>

It doesn't really matter. The important thing is that someone is there to call in the arty.

[Galatine]

An interesting point...

But if forward front line units are only present as look-outs and to act as artillery spotters, why risk (so many) men in a forward position at all?

It seems they must have had a signicant purpose to be put in the line-of-fire of the enemy artillery.

Let me phrase the question a third way:

"Spread out and dig in! Intel says the enemy are heading for this sector and our orders are to hold them here."

-How spread out would the squad be?

[ 11-21-2001: Message edited by: Galatine ]

[ 11-21-2001: Message edited by: Galatine ]</p>

[Kingfish]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Galatine:

Another way to put it:

Given a defensive force is expected to resist enemy assault of superior (1.75 to 1) numbers on a fixed MLR, how dispersed could a squad/platoon be before it starts to lose cohesion and combat effectivenes?<hr></blockquote>

That depends on many things. Here are a few to consider:

1) Experience level

2) State of morale (both unit and global)

3) In command / leader bonuses

4) terrain / weather

5) Effect of enemy fire (occasional harrasing small arms fire or 88mm DF)

6) Proximity of enemy units

[JasonC]

Commonly the men dig 2-man fighting holes about 10 yards apart, which can give a squad a frontage of 50-60 yards. But that thickness is not sufficient to prevent overrun if the enemy comes in headlong and in numbers. It is sufficient to put out fire over open ground, enough to pin most attackers, if there are clear fields of fire ahead of the unit.

In CM terms, that would correspond to a platoon near the limits of command radius, perhaps with a +1 command rating HQ as well. Perhaps as 6 half-squad positions and an HQ, as well.

A thicker line might have 2-3 man fighting positions, 5-10 yards apart, in two staggered rows. Which puts the usual frontage more like 20 yards and the minimum frontage about 10 yards.

In CM, you "select" the density of the frontage, effectively, by how far apart you space your squads, and whether you put them all "on line" or some of them behind others. One squad on each 20m tile is a pretty dense front, usually enough to stop any frontal rush in CM. You can put two on a tile, at the corners typically. More and you start getting clobbered all at once by MG and HE fire.

In dense terrain in CM today, it is fairly common to see a whole platoon crammed onto a single tile of terrain, two squads up, second on the corner nearer the enemy, HQ at the back corner. That is denser than is realistic, certainly.

CM command radius gives a decent indication of realistic deployments, if you stay near the upper limits of what it allows, with one squad wide right and anothe wide left, the last in front of the HQ (or alongside it).

I hope this helps somewhat.

[Galatine]

Perfect.

That's exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks Jason.

[Skipper]

Soviet combat regulations at the time said 150 m per platoon in attack and (iirc) up to 400 m per platoon on defence.

And then there were miracles, such as 3 people defending a 300 m wide bridgehead across a river for two nights and one day and bouncing off 2 or 3 platoon-sized attacks, until reinforcements came in. Or companies defending a single house. Only those were, say, 6 men companies (Stalingrad, November 1942).

By the way, Soviet Army in 1941 found the 2 men foxholes totally inadequate. Wherever there was at least a few hours before the fight, foxholes would be connected by shallow crawling ditches, and in 1-2 days full profile trenches would be dug out.