The HQ Company of the Marine Infantry Battalion (1943)

Battalion: An Organizational Study of United States Infantry

Marines and sailors await transport to New Britain in 1943 (Library of Congress)

The estate of the late John Sayen has graciously given the Tactical Notebook permission to serialize Battalion: An Organizational Study of United States Infantry. Guides to portions of this book already published in this newsletter can be found at The Gateway.

The tables of organization signed on 15 April 1943 provided the Marine infantry battalion with a headquarters company that was substantially larger than the unit it replaced. Indeed, with 137 medics and Marines, the new organization exceeded the size of its 111-man predecessor by a little more than 23 percent.

Number of men rated by the headquarters company under the D-Series (red) and E-Series (green) tables of organization