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Purveyor of #Military Graphics & Videos. Focus on unit structure. #ORBATBoys For Retro Sci-Fantasy Worldbuilding: @WorldIridia
Aug 27, 2023 20 tweets 11 min read
1 | NATO unit symbology is 90% standardized, but some countries use their own unique symbols that don't match up with the U.S. The U.S. has also historically used symbols it no longer uses. This thread will look at some of these differences and some unique ones Image 2 | Starting with a unique one, the🇫🇷 Dismounted Engagement Support Platoon.

Their missions are intelligence gathering behind enemy lines and raids. As part of conventional Infantry Regiments, they're sort of like Korea-era U.S. Army Rangers. I think the arrow means penetration
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Aug 25, 2023 12 tweets 6 min read
1/ The 🇺🇸 U.S. Army Rifle Squad organization and equipment after the fielding of the M110A1 SDMR and M17 pistols to Squad/Team Leaders.

Now available as a poster: battleorder.myshopify.com/products/usa-s…
Image 2/ In terms of structure, the light infantry's Rifle Squad hasn't really changed since 1985, but there have been some recent changes in equipment since the last time I did this graphic ~4 years ago. Image
Jul 31, 2023 18 tweets 8 min read
1 | The 🇺🇸 U.S. Army Attack Company, an AH-64D/E Apache attack helicopter formation part of Attack Battalions, Combat Aviation Brigade.

This 🧵thread overviews the evolution of U.S. Army Attack Helicopter organization, as it's changed dramatically several times since the 1960s. Image 2 | Each Combat Aviation Brigade has an Attack Battalion with 3 Attack Companies, HHC, Aviation Maintenance Company and Forward Support Company. The CAB also has an Air Cavalry Squadron which is similar, but with organic RQ-7BV2 Shadows and an emphasis on recon & security Image
Jul 30, 2023 13 tweets 5 min read
1 | The 🇺🇸 US Army Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) Company, a medium transportation capability. They serve in Composite Truck Companies, which are the C Company of Division Sustainment Support Battalions (formerly numbered companies under CSSBs). Image 2 | The main equipment of the MTV Platoon is the 5-ton MTV truck and associated trailer, a relative of the Steyr 12M18.
Heavy Divisions have 1 MTV Plt (20 trucks + trailers), 1 HET Plt, and 2 PLS Plts. Light Divisions have 2 MTV (40 trucks + trailers) and 2 PLS Plts. Image
Jul 29, 2023 11 tweets 5 min read
1 | Part 2 of the Army's Navy, the LSV Detachment operates the U.S. Army's 🇺🇸 Besson-class Logistics Support Vessel (LSV). It is about 7x larger by displacement than the LCU-2000 I covered yesterday and is capable of transoceanic self-deployment. Image 2 | The LSV is capable of carrying up to 24× M1A2 Abrams tanks or 32× M2A2 Bradleys, 48× double-stacked 20ft containers, or 2,000 short tons of cargo (equivalent to 40× C-17 loads).

Range is 8,200 nautical miles unloaded and 5,500-6,500 nautical miles loaded. Image
Mar 28, 2023 13 tweets 7 min read
1/ On Army 2030 sustainment, did some explainers of the proposed Division Sustainment Brigade. It's a Div Special Troops Bn & Div Sustainment Spt Bn, but can control up to 5 attached Combat Sustainment Spt Btns as well.

Current proposal makes some additions to current org⬇️ 2/ Sustainment seems to be ahead of the curve. 1st Cav Division's CSSB turned into a DSSB aligned to the division in 2021. Unnecessary companies were transferred to III Corps. Supply capacity is already scheduled to increase in DSSB company TOEs by 2025 army.mil/article/246356…
Mar 27, 2023 22 tweets 10 min read
1/ Some updates to the 🇺🇸US Army's division proposals. The bones are the same as in late 2021 when I made my initial graphic, but there have been some changes and more info has come out since then

Let's start Armor Division (Reinforced) (rest in peace Penetration Div) ⬇️ 2/ Still the heaviest division, it has 3 Armored BCTs. The Armored Cavalry Troop was elaborated on in the early 2022 Maneuver Warfighter Conf. The Brigade Engineer Btn has been taken out but the Signal Company remains
Mar 24, 2023 10 tweets 5 min read
1/ The 🇩🇪East German Motorized Rifle Platoon (Mot-.Schützen) as per a 1969 manual I got. This is shortly after the introduction of the BTR-60 in 1967, as a replacement for the BTR-50, as the main infantry carrier for the NVA. BTR by @tanksenc Image 2/ It says Motor Rifle Divisions because I believe Tank Divisions made the direct transition from SPW-50PK to SPz BMP-1 in the late 1970s. According to this, the 7th Panzer Division's Motor Rifle Regiment did it in the 1976: msr-7.de/chronik-msr-7.… Image
Mar 23, 2023 13 tweets 6 min read
1/ An odd one, the 🇮🇱 Israeli Tank Company (active) mounted on the Merkava Mk4. It's notable for having only 2 tanks per platoon (although reserve units with Merkava Mk 3s have 3-tank platoons, but only 3 platoons) #idf 2/ The numbering scheme:
Battalion CO - ג10
Battalion XO - ג11
Company CO - ג (Charlie)
Company XO - ד (Delta)
Platoon Leaders - 1, 2, 3, 4
Platoon Deputies - ב1, ב2, ב3, ב4 (Bravo)
Mar 21, 2023 12 tweets 6 min read
1/ 🇫🇷 French Infantry Platoon when mounted on the VBCI (VCI) infantry fighting vehicle. It consists of an HQ, 3 infantry squads (groupes de combat) and 1 support squad (groupe d'appui) with 2 teams that serve either 2x Eryx ATGMs (to be replaced), 2x 7.62 MGs or a mix of both Image 2/ France has a few types of infantry carriers in service, but the VBCI (left) is the main type among infantry regiments part of its 2 armored brigades. One regiment per medium brigade is also VBCI-equipped, but these are transitioning to the new VBMR Griffon (right) ImageImage
Mar 18, 2023 9 tweets 4 min read
🇸🇪 Swedish Armored Infantry Platoon of the 1970s, mounted on Pbv 302 infantry fighting vehicles. They were organic to Armored Inf Coys (3x Plts) and Tank Companies (1x Plt + 4x Tank Plts). Armored Battalions had 2 of each company (1/8)

One of the sources: tanks.mod16.org/pdf/AH1%20PB%2… Image They were intended to closely cooperate with tanks (an Armored Infantry platoon shown here mixed with an Strv 103 platoon). The Pbv 302 was armed with a m/47D 20mm autocannon in a one-man turret (2/8) Image
Mar 17, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
🇱🇹 Lithuanian Motorized Inf Platoon on M113 APCs procured from Germany in the early 2000s. It looks like a bit of a clown car, but 13 is the max seating of the M113 (Driver, Cmdr, 10 on bench seats and 1 on jump seat) #nato #military (1/) Each squad has:
1x Ksp58B GPMG (Charlie Team under SL)
1x Carl Gustav RR (Delta Team under ASL/Senior Rifleman)
1x AG36 (on ASL)
1x SCAR-HPR (Charlie Team)

Everyone else armed with G36KA4M1 rifles. Only Platoon Leader gets a pistol. One squad member is a combat lifesaver (2/)
Mar 16, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
🗒️Pinned Thread List because I keep losing my threads

1. Squad Graphics (Gun Centric)
2. Platoon, Company & Battalion Graphics (Vehicle Centric)
Mar 16, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
🇳🇱 Dutch Armored Infantry Platoon, mounted on CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles. This is based purely on manuals because the only Dutch I've managed to talk to were in Boxer units, so there may be discrepancies (1/)

Sources:
static.wixstatic.com/ugd/a137e0_480…
dutchdefencepress.com/wp-content/upl… Image The most novel thing about it is dedicated mounted and dismounted Platoon Commanders and Deputies. The mounted ones are senior and maintain control of the vehicles when the infantry dismounts. (2/) Image
Mar 15, 2023 5 tweets 3 min read
The current 🇸🇪 Swedish Armored Infantry Platoon mounted on the Strf 9040 infantry fighting vehicle, based on conversations I've had with Swedish soldiers

This is more thoroughly explained in my old video on it: (1/) The CCL is the Närstridsledare or close combat leader. They are a dedicated dismount commander (sometimes just a squad leader) who can control the dismounted sections if the maneuver is simple enough that the Platoon Commander doesn’t need to dismount. (2/)
Mar 14, 2023 13 tweets 6 min read
Final version of the 🇧🇪 Belgian Infantry Section (Piranha) draft I posted the other day. Other than fixing some typos, the only real change is that the Deputy Commander is also meant to get an ACOG (1/) #nato #otan Image This pertains to the 3 infantry battalions mounted on Piranha IIIC 8x8 APCs, which is the family the Stryker is based on. The battalions are the 1/3 Lanciers (French-speaking), Bevrijding – 5 Linie (Dutch), Chasseurs Ardennais (French) (2/) Image
Aug 7, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read
One piece of the 🇺🇸U.S. Army reforming divisions as tactical units is reforming the Sustainment (i.e. logistics) system. This graphic shows how active duty DSSBs supporting divisions and CSSBs supporting corps are increasing their fuel distribution capacity (1/7) DSSB = Division Sustainment Support Battalion, which are organic to Division Sustainment Brigades and support divisions
CSSBs = Combat Sustainment Support Btns, which are usually attached to Sustainment Brigades, generally in support support of corps/theater but it depends (2/7)
Jul 4, 2022 11 tweets 4 min read
Thread of Soviet Lend-Lease Shermans during WW2. First, an M4A2(76)W and IS-2 in Berlin. 1945.
/1 M4A2(76)W from the 6th Guards Tank Army in Brno, Czechoslovakia. April 1945.
/2
May 14, 2022 24 tweets 6 min read
⚔️Directory of Squad Graphics 🧵 1. 🇩🇪East German Mot-Schuetzen Squad (c. 1986-90)
May 4, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
🇮🇹 The Italian Army Reconnaissance Squadron, the primary reconnaissance element for Italy's maneuver brigades. A Brigade Reconnaissance Squadrons Group currently has 3 Recon Squadrons (this) and a Heavy Armour Squadron, which has platoons with 4 Centauros. 1/ The Centauro in Recon Squadrons provide direct fire support and security to lighter recon teams with its 105mm gun. They also fight for information. The Heavy Armour Squadron's Centauros act more as light tanks for tasks such as counterattacking or conducting penetrations. 2/
May 3, 2022 17 tweets 4 min read
Directory of Company & Battalion Graphics 🧵 1. 🇨🇳PLAGF High Mobility Infantry Coy (~2020)