Department (military)
A department in military parlance is a general term for a manageable number of soldiers who are not identified by other organizational names ( platoon , battalion, etc.).
Even in the Roman Empire , military groups were called this, for example the Decurie , a group of 10 military personnel.
In Germany, was until 1945 department at the Cavalry , the armored troops , the anti-tank , the artillery and signal corps , the term for the battalion of infantry or Pioniertruppe corresponding unit.
armed forces
In the Bundeswehr , the relevant unit is called a battalion. There are exceptions, however: The regiments of the Army Aviation Force do not consist of battalions, but of flying and aircraft engineering departments. These departments correspond to the battalion, their commanders have the disciplinary authority of a battalion commander.
NVA
In the East German NVA there were military departments in the field of arms, special troops and services. Here, too, the department was an association comparable to the battalion .
The anti-aircraft missile brigades or anti-aircraft missile regiments of the air defense of the GDR were basically divided into departments, as the smallest independent tactical fire units.
In the staffs from division upwards, the department was a military administrative unit, which was usually led by a professional soldier of the rank group of staff officers in the rank of lieutenant colonel or colonel or frigate captain or sea captain .
In addition, there were also main administrations in the ministerial area, such as the main political administration in the MfNV .
Switzerland
The division corresponds to a battalion (same level). A battalion is called a department for artillery and anti-aircraft guns. It is led by a department commander with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
An artillery division consists of:
- 1 fire control battery
- 1 logistics battery
- 4 artillery batteries (old gun batteries with 6 guns each)