US Army Mechanized Infantry AT Companies

[schnickelfritz]

I'm trying to flesh out the Mechanized Infantry Battalions of the US 5th ID(M), using 3-187 Infantry in Kings Ransom and the US Army Vehicle Guide as a starting point.

My current quandry is fleshing out the likely strength of the Battalion AT companies before/during the Battle of Kalisz.

I'm thinking at this point a couple of M901's and a several HMMWV's with TOW launchers seems likely.

Any thoughts?

Dave

[HorseSoldier]

Probably most efficient to pull one and twos of surviving M901s out of the infantry battalions and pool them in a provisional AT company or battalion. 901s were rough dogs at the best of time and could never keep up with M1s, Brads or 113A3s. All pooled in a single holding unit would allow the division commander to plus up points of max vulnerability without slowing down the show otherwise.

(Assuming the division has enough TOWs to go round -- ripping the hammerhead and missile racks out to just run them as APCs might really appeal on a lot of levels.)

Some truck mounted launchers are possible but not anywhere in the MTOE. Could be a last ditch add on -- of course given the scarcity of ammo circa 2000 (and likelihood a lot of it is bad) line battalions might put all their surviving Javelins into the hands of Echo Companies with humvees for the same reasons why 901s might be pulled out of the battalions.

[dragoon500ly]

My own vote would be for the Echo Companies to have been disbanded with the troops going to the line companies as replacements.

I can also see the brigade commander grouping the surviving M-920/M-901s into a single antitank company. But numbers wise, I doubt that more than a dozen total.

[pmulcahy11b]

When we went through Bradley Transition at 2/7, Echo Company was equipped with what were essentially Scout Bradleys -- Bradleys with extra stowage for TOW II missiles (I think they actually carried a few more TOWs than the standard scout Bradley). Bear in mind, though, this was 1988, and things could have changed vastly since then.

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah with the transition from M2 Battalions I felt the best vehicle for the job would of been M3.

So my question was there ever M920. I thought it was one of many vehicle that never were.

Yeah, Paul, it would make sense in deploying the M2 or M3 with extra missile load into the Anti-Armor Companies. The sad thing is that after the M2 came along, many felt the Anti-Armor Companies weren't needed. Along with the fact that many officer felt that with the anti-missile capacity of the M2 turned them into tank killers.

[Tegyrius]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

So my question was there ever M920. I thought it was one of many vehicle that never were.

There was an M920, but not a tank-killer in normal use:

http://www.fourwheeler.com/featuredv...8x8/index.html



- C.