Platoon

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This article describes the military unit in the Anglophone armed forces. For the film see Platoon (film) .

NATO - card symbol infantry platoon friendly / own armed forces.

In Anglophone armed forces, platoon is the name for a military platoon , a sub-unit made up of around 40 soldiers . Several platoon form a company ( company ). Partial unit leader ( platoon leader ) is usually an officer or senior sergeant major . The title of platoon leader is platoon leader , in the US Marines and in most armies of the Commonwealth countries platoon commander .

The military symbol for a platoon are three individual points (platoon in general) or a lying rectangle with three points above (platoon as a single sub-unit).

Word origin

The word platoon comes from the French noun peloton , which has also been used to denote a small unit in the French army since the 17th century with peloton . This word goes back to the French pelote ("ball", actually a small heap , from the Latin : pila , "ball", originally "hair ball").

Comparison of names in different languages ​​and armies

English	French	armed forces	Russian	Polish	Czech	Turkish
Platoon	Peloton	train Swarm / chain	Взвод (Vswod)	Pluton	Četa	Takım

US platoon

In the US Army, a platoon consists of 16 to 40 soldiers, divided into two to four squads , whereby a squad (dt. Group ) is made up of eight to ten soldiers. A rifle platoon of the United States Marine Corps usually consists of 39 soldiers (three squads, each divided into three fire teams of four marines plus medics , platoon sergeant and platoon leader). A platoon in the Army and Marine Corps is led by a second or first lieutenant , who is supported by a "platoon sergeant", who is usually a first class sergeant . A platoon of US Navy SEALs consists of only sixteen specially trained elite soldiers (including two officers).

British platoon

In the British Army , a platoon is divided into three groups ( called troops ) of eight men each. The British platoon is usually led by a second or first lieutenant or a captain , either assisted by a platoon sergeant , a warrant officer or a color sergeant .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Structure. In: navyseals.com. United States Naval Special Warfare Command , 2019, accessed May 5, 2019 . 

Web links

Commons : Platoon  - album with pictures, videos and audio files