Here is a rather large project I finished a few months back. But it took me a bit of time to get the pics all squared away...
With so many nice Sherman models becoming available recently from GHQ, and consequently so many US tank companies coming into my collection, I felt the need for some armored infantry.
So here is my US Armored Infantry Company.
This is a pretty complex ToE. There are 3 infantry platoons, an AT gun platoon, and a Company HQ.
Each platoon has 3 squads of infantry. I have used the "pulpit" M3A1 halftracks to identify my platoon leader tracks as separate from the non-pulpit M3 general squad tracks (the platoon leader traveled with one of the squads, so there one of the three squads is in the M3A1).
Each platoon also had its own support, with 1 MG halftrack (with a .50cal and 2 x .30cal MGs) and an 81mm mortar halftrack.
That makes a total of 5 halftracks per platoon. And that makes a lot of firepower at the platoon level.
The models are all GHQ M3 / M3A1 Halftracks, with figures from the GHQ Armored Infantry pack. The only variance is a few standing rifleman figures I have placed shooting over the edge in some of the halftracks, as part of my deliberate effort to mix up the composition of the figures to give an impression of the busy nature of these vehicles in combat areas. These figures are from the extras bin. I think they are from very old and rather fragile GHQ infantry sets, from before the en bloc sets, which were before the current "individual figures" sets. Could be wrong on that.
I have the company dismounted as well, of course. That's part of what makes this such a big project. First it is a complicated TOE. Second, I am in effect modelling two companies -- one of vehicles (mounted figures) and one of infantry (dismounted figures).
The infantry figures are from another vendor. Leftovers purchased many years ago for another project.
When occupying terrain the standard operating procedure was to dismount the support weapons too, so each platoon has a lot of stands. In addition to the MG support, each squad had one (or often two) BARs and a bazooka. So again, this is an infantry unit with A LOT of firepower!
I can't think of another infantry company in WW2 that had so much firepower at the platoon and company levels.
And we should also bear in mind that there was a full platoon of AT guns in each company.
As is my general approach, the gun crews are based and the guns are loose. This allows me to use the same company both for Tunisia/Sicily (37mm AT guns) and ETO (57mm AT guns).
Or I can use the gun crew stands, without guns, as infantry. Some units in ETO preferred to leave their guns behind and just have more riflemen. This was probably a good choice when clearing a mostly infantry-based opponent out of towns and woods.
There was a reasonably complex company HQ as well. The CO had a squad-sized retinue to support him, the XO was also available (and as I understand it was trained to gather the mortars from the platoons to form a single 3-tube battery under his command when the situation warranted), as well as supply and maintenance sections, and a medic who was usually attached (not in the ToE) from battalion.
And they all needed their own wheels as well. Although some portion of those vehicles (and men) would typically form a rear area HQ at the "rally point", or remain with battalion HQ, when combat was expected.
So there's the company. Oy, that's a lot of stuff. Hope they do well on the battleboard!
