The Marines

[Andrew Boulton]

I don't think the film is any worse than most adaptations. Okay, the lack of power armour is a shame, but there were understandable financial* and artistic** reasons.


*Too expensive

**You can't tell who's who.

 

[BetterThanLife]

Going back through the standard ship types in the OTU I am beginning to think that a Squad of Marines is 8, (Patrol Cruiser) A platoon 35 (Kinnunir), and a Company just over 100. That would give you 2 x4 man fire teams per squad. 4 Squads per Platoon, plus Platoon Leader, Platoon Sergeant and Runner/Clerk/Commo Specialist. If you run an HQ element for a Company as 10 (Commander, 1SG, 8 various specialists) then you have 115 for a Company.

That puts them at about what the starships seem to be designed around. Using those numbers the Use of the Kinunir class is the fore runner to a class similar to the Rodger Young from the book Star Ship Troopers. (Deploying a Platoon as drop trops with a pinace for recovery.) Accordingly in MTU there are follow on 1250 ton DE that are primarily designed for Platoon sized drops. (Since no Navy ever has enough light combatants they are of course also equipped to be used as DEs.) then a Destroyer Sized ship, older first introduced at TL14, for deploying a Company of Marines. (Again multitasked to also serve as a Destroyer.) the Cruisers tend to carry a Company Plus of Marines and using these as the heavy end of Piracy suppression it makes sense. Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts are the Navy's Primary Anti Piracy ships so they should carry Marines for Boarding actions, destruction of Pirate bases etc. A TL15 Platoon in Battledress inserted from orbit (and in MTU battledress has Grav modules as well as leg power) can act on a typical planet well out of proportion to its size vs. TL12 or less troops, especially in the Mid tech range. Their firepower tends to be less than a Battle Tank but in T20 the idea of them being defended like an MBT makes sense in that role. to kill Armor they can use FGMPs but against higher tech armor they would be forced to rely on fire support from their orbiting ship and/or Assault shuttle/recovery boat. A larger unit, Starship Troopers has a Platoon Size of 48, makes sense in many cases but that would greatly increase Transport sizes and/or require special ships instead of ships that can multi-task. A Larger number of Companies can make up a Batalion and give greater flexibility for actual deployments. It would make sense, given the size of the Imperium and the Elite nature of the Imperial Marines to have smaller more flexible units that today's USMC.

Just a thought.

 

[BMonnery]

The book 4 Imperial Platoon is as follows:

Platoon (1 officer + 40 men)

Platoon Commander (2nd Lieutenant/ Lieutenant)
Platoon Sergeant (Gunnery Sergeant)
Platoon Signaller?

2x Sections of 19 men:

Section Commander (Sergeant) + 2x Squads, each of 9 men:

1x Squad Commander (Corporal)
2x 4 man fireteams (PFC/ Lance Corporal commanding)

Fits very well with modern maneuverist doctrine.

ISTR a company is 127 officers and men (3 platoons and a 4 man command group, assumidly the Coy Commander and XO, the Coy First Sergeant and the Company QM Sergeant).

Battalions were 3 companies plus about 50 of so odds and sods.

Bryn

 

[BMonnery]

To iterate maneuverism, I propose the following as an example of a Marine platoon advancing to contact, and conduct a quick attack through enemy positions:

X X X X X X X X X (Lead squad)

XX (PC and signaller)

X (Section Commander with 2nd squad)
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X X (2nd section under PSgt)
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X
X X

The lead squad comes under effective fire and moves into a position to suppress the enemy. From now on I won't show the formations. (EN = Enemy, 1-4 = squads etc.)


EN

PC 1 (suppressing)
(Platoon Commander observes and plans attack)
2 (unengaged, waiting to attack)

3 4 (engaged, reserves)

The platoon commander launches 2 squad in a quick attack. They go left flanking and hit the EN, destroying them

EN 2

1 PC

3 4

2

1 PC

3 4

The assaulting squad come under fire from the next position, and begin suppressing it. 2nd Section (squads 3+4) move through 2 squad and start an attack on that position.

EN 4

3 PC

1 2

As that position is cleared, the next position opens up, 1st section attacks that (1 squad probably attacking) etc.

The other contingencies 4 squads allow for include exploitation. It's a good system, but I think the section commanders are unnecessary, and make it too wooden.

Bryn

 

[BMonnery]

Ummm, none of my spacings came through....

Bryn

 

[Hal]

Originally posted by BMonnery:
Ummm, none of my spacings came through....

Bryn

So use dots....

 

[Hal]

Originally posted by BMonnery:
Ummm, none of my spacings came through....

Bryn

So use dots....

 

[Spiderfish]

I've always worked on the principle that the largest semi permanent Marine unit was a Brigade and i've always organised Marines in the style of Royal Marine Commandos.

I use British style ranking too IMTU and proper blue Marine uniforms not maroon. (smacks of cherry berry para too me...)

I have always considered a four man fire team led by a lance corporal or corporal to be the basic part of my Imperial Marine's doctrine.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by BMonnery:

ISTR a company is 127 officers and men (3 platoons and a 4 man command group, assumidly the Coy Commander and XO, the Coy First Sergeant and the Company QM Sergeant).

Battalions were 3 companies plus about 50 of so odds and sods.

IMTU the Marine Company HQ unit is quite large (38 men, though 14 of these are G-Carrier Drivers and Gunners; Marines are mechanized infantry); this is mostly due to the fact that a Medusa-Class Cruiser (3,000 dtons; it's a small ship universe), carrying one such Company, usually operates alone in frontier areas, and the Company has to function independently of external support for weeks or months.