Canada (Imagi-Nation)

[MechCommander]

That looks perfect Redleg.

[redleg]

Ok cool, so your light infantry battalion has 754 personnel total between the battalion HQ, 3 infantry companies, combat support company, and combat service support company. You have 54 LMGs, 9 recoilless rifles, and 4 mortars in addition to personal weapons.

This is called a battalion in Canada right? (Regiments are for tanks and artillery?)

Is there such thing as an infantry regiment that is made up of more than one battalion?

[MechCommander]

Indeed there are infantry regiments in the Canadian Army with more then one Battalion.

The Royal Canadian Regiment (4 Battalions)

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 Battalions)

Royal 22nd Regiment (5 Battalions).

[redleg]

Do the infantry regiments operate as regiments, or are they part of the brigade group formation?

[redleg]

OK so now that you know exactly what is in your light infantry battalion, you should be able to employ them operationally. Light infantry is very deployable because it’s just people and relatively few wheeled vehicles. All 754 soldiers can fit in 2-3 airliners that can be chartered to deploy troops overseas. The downside to deploying light infantry is that they do not have their own transportation. There are not enough truck to move the infantry companies, so the grunts either have to walk or additional transportation units have to be used. For what it’s worth, here are some thoughts on light infantry:

Light Infantry Capabilities
• Conduct operations in all environments and all weather conditions
• Can participate in amphibious or air assault operations (helicopters)
• Can work with mechanized and armored units (but can’t support them)

Light Infantry Limitations
• Lack of organic transport
• Limited support assets
• Vulnerable to enemy armor, artillery, and air

Tips for Light Infantry Employment
• Use the terrain to your advantage. Put the grunts into areas that are difficult for armor and vehicles to operate in.
• Use your scout platoon. For open terrain they have vehicles, but you can dismount them and have them scout on foot. Use them to report enemy movement, and also to spot for mortars and artillery.
• Don’t use all 3 rifle companies as a single unit. Use one company to fix or suppress the enemy, and then maneuver the other 2 companies around a flank. Or when defending use one to hold the line while another counter-attacks.
• Shoot, move, and communicate.
• Look at some light infantry references for more detailed info and tactics

[MechCommander]

Ok so what other New Canadian army unit should we tackle next Redleg?

1. Paratroopers
2. Grenadiers
3. Mechanized Infantry.

[redleg]

New Canada should decide which type of unit to review next. We're just trying to help you refine your force structure, and hopefully help your commanders better understand how to employ the units.

Having said that, infantry battalions will be easy to do now that we have basic infantry concepts documented, like the 10-man rifle section.

Pretty soon though we should get into other types of units like artillery, engineers, and armor so that we can put a brigade group together (or whatever name is given to the echelon above battalion).

[MechCommander]

Ok, so moving on to Grenadier Regiments to which New Canada Has two.

The Winnipeg Grenadiers (1 Battalion)

The Canadian Grenadier Guards (1 Battalion).

(Yea the Canadian Army definition of a Infantry regiment is quite different).

[redleg]

OK, but don't forget to post some pics of your light infantry. This is, after all, a micro armor forum!

Are the grenadiers the guys that use LAVs? I am not familiar with grenadiers.

[MechCommander]

I will post pics when I get the appropriate models of them.

The Grenadiers I believe do use LAV's for Transport, the units themselves are trained to clear out fortified positions with explosives, lthey use weapons like the M203 under slung Grenade Launcher.

[redleg]

Remember that clearing a fortified position is a task that can be given to almost any infantry unit. Troops are trained to perform that task, but it's not a separate military specialty. I like that the grenadier units you listed have a history with the Canadian army, so I think it would be cool to continue to use the name Grenadier for them, but they should be organized like a light infantry unit (or mech infantry if you want to go that route).

[redleg]

Also, don't forget that this is a micro armor forum. I think most of us agree that you don't need to have every single infantry squad or fighting vehicle represented in pewter. And many units don't even have support vehicles that a real unit would have. But try to control yourself is you build your army's order of battle. Claiming to have 12 battalions of light infantry when you don't have any real troops to show for it can be pushing it a bit.

[MechCommander]

Ok, lets move on from Infantry to Armored units.

In the New Canadian Army there are 3 Main Armored Regiments.

Royal Canadian Dragoons (1 Heavy Armored Squadron, 2 Light Armored Squadrons).

Lord Strathcona's Horse ( 2 Heavy Armored Squadrons, 1 Light Armored Squadron).

12e Regiment blindé du Canada (1 Heavy Armored Squadron, 2 Light Armored Squadrons).

[redleg]

Ok cool. Do the light squadrons and heavy squadrons have the same organization and mission, just different tanks? Or do they have different missions?

What type of tanks do you use? Leo 2s for the heavy squadrons?

[MechCommander]

By New Canadian Army standards for the Main Armored Forces.

Heavy Squadrons use the Leapord 2A4s, A6s, and Leapord C2s.

Light Squadrons use the LAV III, Coyote, TAPV, Ferret Armored Car, Couger AVGP, ADATS, G-Wagons.