World War 2 weapons and unit organization, hypothetical question?

That's easy. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the specific organization of the basic Infantry Squad does not matter, therefore there is no reason to get too complex about it. My Infantry Squad would have 9 men (Squad Leader, 2 Assistant Squad Leaders and 6 Riflmen) each with the Sturmgewehr 44 (Stgw 44). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_44 Ideally I would prefer the Stgw 45 but it wasn't quite ready for primetime when the war ended. The Squad would be split into 2 Sections (Fire Teams in modern parlance) of 4 men with 1 man in each issued a grenade launcher attachment for his rifle. The Platoon would have 3 squads plus the platoon HQ and every man in the HQ would also be armed with the Stgw 44 including the PL. Why the Stgw 44 you ask? Because it was the only individual weapon deployed during the war that truly met the requirements of the new era of modern maneuver warfare. And it allows me to deploy just one weapon type where other armies might deploy 3 or 4, like the U.S. Army with the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, M1 or M3 SMG and M1918 BAR, all of which could be found in the infantry platoon.

What's that you say, where are the machine guns? Chill out, I'm getting to that.

Because of the volume of fire available to the rifle squad with the Stgw 44 and because I view the Platoon, not the Squad as the basic manuever element in the Company I have pooled all of the company machine guns. The Infantry Company would consist of the usual 3 Infantry Platoon's and a Machine Gun Platoon. This would have 1 Heavy and 3 Light machine gun squads each with 2 MG 42 machine guns (with heavy bolts reducing the ROF to 800-900 rpm), for a total of 8 MG 42's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_42 The Light Squads would consist of 9 men (Squad Leader, 2 Sections of 4 men with 1 MG42) and would operate the weapon in the "light" role from the bipod. The Heavy Squad would have 1 extra man per Section to carry a tripod for a total of 11 men in the Squad. While the Platoon would train together the normal tactical employment would be to distribute one Light Squad to each Infantry Platoon while the Heavy Squad was held as a Company level support group but if so desired any number of the MG Squads might be held under Company control. Why the MG42? For much the same reason as the Stgw 44 - it more fully met the requirements of modern, mobile warfare. Except for the machine gunners (authorized a pistol in addition to the MG 42), everyone else in the platoon carries the Stgw 44. Overall this is a much greater machine gun strength than would be found in an American rifle company which had just 2 M1919 Browning's and the inadequate BAR in each rifle squad.

Company HQ would include a 19-man Mortar Group organized depending on the terrain and tactical situation with either 3 Squads each each with one 60mm mortar of the standard Brandt pattern like the American M2 http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/60mm.htm or 2 Squads each with one 81mm light mortar such as the German Kurzer 8.0cm Granatwerfer 42 http://en.valka.cz/files/8cmgrw42.jpg which is shorter and lighter than the standard Battalion-level 81mm Brandt pattern mortars. The heavier 81mm ammunition fuses more reliably in soft ground like the North African desert so there are some scenario's where it's greater weight is not such a disadvantage.

Those men in the Company not armed with the Stgw 44 as a personal weapon (ex: mortar and machine gunners) would be authorized the FN Browning Mle 1935 "Hi Power" pistol. Honestly, is there any other choice? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browning_Hi-Power

For anti-armor defense I like the idea of Panzerfaust 100's deployed at the individual soldier level. Heavier weapons would be in the Battalion Support Company.

The 2.5 ton truck in the Company Admin platoon would carry a 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun and a tripod to allow it to be used away from the vehicle. There would be no designated crew for this weapon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Browning_machine_g...

In 1939, the U.S. and Hitler's Germany have been on an identical area! And as usa of america did no longer purchase Soviet oil there does no longer have been rationalization for Bush to go into in the ecu conflict till now Pearl Harbour. in my opinion along with your situation, There may well be now, the "Democratic Socialist people's State of Eurasia" and Britain may well be an American State a sort of chilly and moist Hawaii!

I'd go with the final WWII TO&E for American Infantry. While some other countries had a better item here or there, the US had the optimum organization for combat at the small unit level.

my favorite quote concerning world war::

"not sure what weapons will be used in WW3 but WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones"-albert einstein