Talk:7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion

WW2 Organisation
According to http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com, the "official" 1942/43 establishment of a para btn was just over 600 officers & men. The btn comprised a HQ coy (which included a mortar ptn (4 tubes)) and 3 rifle coys (each of 3 rifle platoons, an a/tk section and two 8-man mortar detachments). here is no mention of an mmg ptn.

The 1944 btn was about the same strength; the rifle coys no longer had the a/tk or mortar detachments and so were about 20 men smaller, but this was compensated by a 60-man increase in the HQ coy (mainly the a/tk ptn and the 2nd mortar ptn). However, it is also noted that sometimes the btn replaced the 4 mortars in the 2nd ptn with 4 vickers mmgs.

Of course, there could be a world of difference between an official establishment and war-time expediency! A btn could have unofficially amended its organisation.Glevum (talk) 00:11, 14 February 2013 (UTC)