My Second Group, Dec. 1943
As a non-commissioned officer, Gruber was now the leader of a mortar squad. In the infantry, three squads formed a platoon, and three platoons formed a company.
Tactical Organization: Mortar squads were generally not assigned to the battalion as "loose" units but were firmly integrated into the battalion structure. They usually formed a dedicated mortar platoon that was part of the infantry battalion’s heavy company (the 4th, 8th, or 12th Company). This meant that, although these weapons were often deployed to support the frontline infantry companies (the "rifle companies"), they remained under the disciplinary and tactical command of the battalion’s heavy company. Depending on the tactical situation, the battalion commander could "detach" these platoons to the rifle companies to reinforce firepower at a specific critical point, yet he retained central control over the employment of these heavy support weapons.
The visually distinct text was created in July 2026 with the help of the AI Gemini. - Page translated with Google.
