Troop (military)

Squad (Trp) - -
Army troop with G36
active	1956 to the present
Country	u. a. Germany
Armed forces	armed forces
Subordinate troops	no
Strength	2 to a maximum of 8
Insinuation	group
commander
Squad leader	senior team rank often NCO

A troop (short: Trp ) is the smallest military structure or sub-unit . According to the Bundeswehr definition, a squad consists of two to eight men, with nine or more men being referred to as a group . In the Anglophone armed forces, the term for a two to eight-man sub-unit is a “team” (e.g. Fireteam).

Word origin

The words troupe and troupe came from the French "troupe" shortly before the Thirty Years' War . The French “troupe” probably goes back to the Gallo-Romanic “troppus” (= herd) and further to the old Franconian “throp” (= gathering, quantity).

structure

Usually several troops form a group or each subdivision of a group is called a troop. (Except for subdivisions of a marching or raised formation occurred hot lengthwise member or the width for - three man consisting - rotting .)

If necessary, a squad can also be formed from the higher-level group sub-unit for a specific task - for example, the tank destruction squad to combat enemy tanks, the sMG squad with MG on a field tripod, the anti-aircraft squad with MG on tripods, the NBC defense squad for reconnaissance of NBC Combat ordnance, the scouting party, however, can have up to group strength depending on the situation and mission. Squad leader is usually a non-commissioned officer. The rifle squad of a dismounted Panzergrenadier group of strength 6 men can be divided into a tank destruction squad and a machine gun squad.

Tasks that only require a few soldiers to be fulfilled are carried out by a squad that is permanently assigned to this task - company field kitchen squad from the battalion supply train, company telecommunications team of the battalion telecommunications train (battalion radio circuit), company medical troop of the battalion medical train , Company supply troop of the company command group.

The military police usually carry out their patrols and the security and security service with troops .

leader

Squad leaders are immediate superiors , but change more frequently than higher-ranking ones and are often employed ad hoc; a soldier does not have to report to a squad leader at all times.

Usually, the function is performed by the highest ranking and / or longest serving soldier in the squad, unless professional needs require otherwise:

• In training units, squads are only formed on an ad hoc basis, which then generally consist entirely of recruits, including leaders. The auxiliary trainers correspond most closely to the usual troop leaders; this is sometimes only a quarter ahead of his subordinates (due to their special area of ​​responsibility ).
• In driving school operations, a NCO as a driving instructor can be a squad leader of several team ranks. Several lieutenants can also be subordinate to him as learner drivers.

Sub-units in different languages ​​and armies

Description & symbol		armed forces			English	French	Russian	Polish
basically	as a sub-unit	designation	structure	leader
● single point	single point over a lying rectangle / (example)	Troop gun operation / tank crew	2-8 men	Sergeant ⇒ shooter	Team (e.g. fire team)	Equipe de combat	команда (komanda = command) звено (sweno [ zʋeˈno ] = chain link)	działon, obsługa
● ● two points	two points over a lying rectangle / (example)	* Group * half move	* 9–12 men * 2  tank crews	Oberfeldwebel ⇒ NCO	Squad	Groupe de combat	отделе́ние (Otdelenie = group) экипаж (ekipasch = crew) расчёт (rastschjot = service team)	Drużyna
		Rotte	2 aircraft		Two-ship flight / pair	NN	пара (para = pair)	NN
● ● ● three points	three points over a lying rectangle / (example)	* Train * lecture hall	about 40 men	Captain ⇒ Sergeant	* Platoon * Lecture hall	Section	* взвод (Vswod = train) * учебная группа (uchebnaja gruppa = training group)	Pluton
		Swarm / chain	3–4 aircraft		NN	NN	Звено (sweno [ zʋeˈno ] = chain link, tactical unit)	NN

annotation

Heer (Army)

Luftwaffe (Air Force)

Examples of squads

• 

  Airspace observation
• 

  Air use
• 

  ABC water treatment
• 

  ABC survey team

Web links

Wiktionary: Trupp  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ^ Walter Transfeldt, Karl-Hermann Freiherr von Brand zu Neidstein : Word and Custom in the German Army. Historical and linguistic considerations about customs, terms and designations of the German army in the past and present. 6th edition edited and expanded by Otto Quenstedt. Schulz, Hamburg 1967, p. 90, § 119: Where do troops and troops come from .
2. ↑ The number of personnel, for example in the case of independent trains, training trains, technical trains or sub-units of the Bundeswehr with a train structure, may vary significantly.
3. ↑ A section with a group structure (for example: US Marine Corps, 8–12 people) can, in contrast to a "section" in the French armed forces, have a significantly lower staffing level.