During the First World War, tanks were typically organized into Sections of 3 tanks each. The Tank Section typically operated in the following manner: leading the infantry, the Tank Section would approach the enemy entrenchments, at which point one of the Section's three tanks would peel off and drive parallel to the trench, shelling or machine-gunning its length while doing so. Upon reaching the second line of enemy entrenchments, the second tank in the Section would likewise peel away and shell or machine-gun the trench along its length, and so on with the third tank in the Section.
In the Second World War, the British Army organized its tanks into Troops of 3tanks each, and trained its crews to fire at a rapid rate while on the move. Wartime experience, however (and given the lack of reliable main armament stablization for fire control systems at the time - for those few tanks that actually had it fitted) compelled the British to increase to a 4 tank Troop. The Soviets similarly organized their tanks into Platoons of 3 tanks each, and the Russian Army (with some exceptions) continues the practice to this day. Both the German Army and the US Army (and USMC) organized their tanks into Platoons of 5 tanks each, and the latter did so (for units still using the M-60) until the 1990's. Since then, however, the German Army now resorts to 3tanks in a Platoon (as Israel is doing, though it used to employ 4 or 5 tanks per Platoon), and the British Army seems to be considering or even resorting to it as well. The US Army changed to 4 tank Platoon with the M-1 in the 1980's.
One reason (amongst others) that 4 or 5 tanks were typically assigned to each Tank Troop/Platoon was to give it an internal capacity for fire-and-movement, that is, to allow one section of 2 or 3 tanks to take cover and to maintain suppressive fire on known or suspected enemy targets while the other section of 2 or 3 tanks moved. The latter section would take up covered firing positions and lay down suppressive fires while the former section moved, and so on. And of course, this system of fire-and-movement could be used by teams of 2 tanks, one covering while the other moved, etc. Despite the ability to fire accurately while moving at a relatively "high" speed cross-country, modern tanks atill find it useful to employ fire-and-movement. Another reason for 4 and especially 5 tanks per Troop/Platoon was to give it a capacity to sustain losses while still remaining effective.
But moves since the Second World War (such as in the German Army, going from 5 to 3 tanks per Platoon) and especially in more recent years that have seen many armies drop the size of their Tank Troops/Platoons from as many as 5 to as few as 3 tanks each have often been justified on tactical grounds. When the M-1 entered service in the US Army in the 1980's, it was considered to provide so much of an improvement upon the M-60 that 4 instead of 5 tanks per Platoon could be gotten away with. The Israeli Army has traditionally featured 4 or 5 tanks in its Platoons, but is now reducing that to three in order to increase the number of tanks on the actual firing line in each Tank Company. I am unclear as to how reducing the number of tanks per platoon will actually accomplish this. By reducing to 3 tanks per Troop/Platoon, such units lose much of their internal capacity for fire-and-movement in the face of the enemy.
Are these reductions in the sizes of the Tank Troop/Platoon tactically justified? Has the ability to fire accurately while on the move skewed some Armies' perceptions as to the tactical usefulness of fire-and-movement for Armour units?
In the Second World War, the British Army organized its tanks into Troops of 3tanks each, and trained its crews to fire at a rapid rate while on the move. Wartime experience, however (and given the lack of reliable main armament stablization for fire control systems at the time - for those few tanks that actually had it fitted) compelled the British to increase to a 4 tank Troop. The Soviets similarly organized their tanks into Platoons of 3 tanks each, and the Russian Army (with some exceptions) continues the practice to this day. Both the German Army and the US Army (and USMC) organized their tanks into Platoons of 5 tanks each, and the latter did so (for units still using the M-60) until the 1990's. Since then, however, the German Army now resorts to 3tanks in a Platoon (as Israel is doing, though it used to employ 4 or 5 tanks per Platoon), and the British Army seems to be considering or even resorting to it as well. The US Army changed to 4 tank Platoon with the M-1 in the 1980's.
One reason (amongst others) that 4 or 5 tanks were typically assigned to each Tank Troop/Platoon was to give it an internal capacity for fire-and-movement, that is, to allow one section of 2 or 3 tanks to take cover and to maintain suppressive fire on known or suspected enemy targets while the other section of 2 or 3 tanks moved. The latter section would take up covered firing positions and lay down suppressive fires while the former section moved, and so on. And of course, this system of fire-and-movement could be used by teams of 2 tanks, one covering while the other moved, etc. Despite the ability to fire accurately while moving at a relatively "high" speed cross-country, modern tanks atill find it useful to employ fire-and-movement. Another reason for 4 and especially 5 tanks per Troop/Platoon was to give it a capacity to sustain losses while still remaining effective.
But moves since the Second World War (such as in the German Army, going from 5 to 3 tanks per Platoon) and especially in more recent years that have seen many armies drop the size of their Tank Troops/Platoons from as many as 5 to as few as 3 tanks each have often been justified on tactical grounds. When the M-1 entered service in the US Army in the 1980's, it was considered to provide so much of an improvement upon the M-60 that 4 instead of 5 tanks per Platoon could be gotten away with. The Israeli Army has traditionally featured 4 or 5 tanks in its Platoons, but is now reducing that to three in order to increase the number of tanks on the actual firing line in each Tank Company. I am unclear as to how reducing the number of tanks per platoon will actually accomplish this. By reducing to 3 tanks per Troop/Platoon, such units lose much of their internal capacity for fire-and-movement in the face of the enemy.
Are these reductions in the sizes of the Tank Troop/Platoon tactically justified? Has the ability to fire accurately while on the move skewed some Armies' perceptions as to the tactical usefulness of fire-and-movement for Armour units?