From the first military manuals that appeared already in antiquity, each author mentioned that each unit is the mirror of its commander. This axiom, which is absolutely valid, is even more valid in the nucleus, the cell of the military organization, the battle group.
Unlike a general, a colonel, and even a major, the battle group leader should and should know his men completely , as he is the one who has direct contact with them and faces death despite their side more than the lieutenant and the captain.
In the German Army of World War II, special emphasis had been placed on training non-commissioned officers so that they were not simply instruments of enforcing the will of command, but real leaders of men capable of deciding and leading by example, when necessary. /strong>
"The effectiveness of the battle group depends, above all, on the personality of its leader, his behavior in unexpected situations and dangers, his example, his ability to make decisions and his composure," the German Army's campaign manual writes characteristically. .
The team leader and his men
“A good team leader with a strong personality leads a good team, while a bad team leader leads an incompetent team. The development of the personality of the team leader, therefore, is the most necessary goal of education. The team leader must first conquer the hearts of his subordinates, win their trust, to understand their way of thinking and their feelings, to be fair and interested in the well-being of his men", the same manual concludes.
The role of the team leader was and is extremely important. He is the one who with his experience and composure would keep the mental bonds of the men within the group, turning a collection of soldiers into a single unit capable of fighting for a specific goal. Especially when the squad leader was dealing with inexperienced soldiers going through the ordeal of fire for the first time, only his own strong will would prevent any morale from collapsing.
The best way for a squad leader to gain the esteem and confidence of his men was through his personal example. A cowardly or indecisive squad leader was tantamount to a death sentence for all the men in the squad , as interdependence at this low level of combat is vital.
In battle men do not fight for any lofty ideal, not even for the families they have left behind. They are fighting for their own survival and the survival of their colleagues. Consequently the inspirational team leader was a source of courage and confidence for the men who knew that their new family, their team, would see to their survival as much as possible and protect them in the greatest test for a human being, that of battle.
The role of the team leader...
The team leader should in the attack inspire and to lead his men forward, even under the heaviest enemy fire, looking for ways to overcome the opposing defense. Otherwise, when his team was defending the team leader had to keep his cool immediately combating any sign of panic, directing his team's fire.
The objective of the German battle group from the beginning was to obtain and maintain fire superiority over the enemy so as to facilitate the friendly maneuver. From 1943 onwards when the organization of the group changed, its way of acting also changed. Now the battle group did not act in semi-groups but as a single unit with the main objective of obtaining fire superiority. The supply of the team with a second machine gun contributed to this change.
Fire superiority, defense and attack
The team leader personally controlled his fire or that of the machine guns , when the goal was imposed, when for example the team faced a mass attack of the enemy. However, for individual targets, the team leader ordered a specific or specific men, usually his best shooters, to neutralize him.
Usually the riflemen opened fire from a distance of no more than 600 m. The usual engagement distance was 400m. and less. The machine gun could certainly open fire at distances of over 1,000 m with direct fire or even at a greater distance, with indirect fire, especially if it had a tripod for its support.
This was the usual mode of engagement when defending. During the attack the riflemen preceded or followed the machine gun, depending on tactical conditions. Sometimes the team was reinforced to carry out the mission with mortar elements or anti-tank vehicles , although soon the German Army was forced to form specialized "tank hunter" teams.
During the battle, the mission of the machine gun was the neutralization or at least the inactivation of the most dangerous enemy target. The choice of targets was determined by the nature of the team's mission and the judgment of the team leader. When the platoon was fighting under enemy fire and consequently not easily controlled by the platoon leader, riflemen could fire at will. The squad leader, however, continued to direct the machine gun fire unless the machine gun had been taken out of action whenever the machine gun squad leader acted at his discretion.
An important factor in achieving fire superiority was fire discipline. This was achieved under the supervision of the team leader. The riflemen, if they did not receive the order to fire at will, did not even fire, unless the enemy suddenly appeared in front of them. As all men were always aware of the task the group was to perform, the rifleman covering the exposed flank or flanks of the battle group enjoyed greater freedom in the use of fire.
Ammunition adequacy is a matter of vital importance in combat. Thus the squad leader always had to be vigilant and enforce economy of ammunition when there was no reason to use mass fire. The team leader, as well as the men of the team, were trained in estimating distances with the naked eye.
However, the German battle group had from the outset a significant advantage over its opponents in terms of obtaining fire superiority. This advantage was the use of a machine gun and not a submachine gun as the team's primary automatic weapon, unlike other armies.
Before the attack, the platoon leader informed his team leader who would carry out the action and he in turn informed his men and explained exactly what he wanted from each of them. It informed them if they would receive support from other weapons and for how long they would receive support.
The team leader briefed the men on enemy formations on the ground and ascertained or probable enemy weapon positions. Then all the men's weapons were checked to make sure they were working properly and the ammunition was checked. If necessary, the men were equipped with explosive charges, grenades or anti-tank weapons.
The squad leader even after a successful attack his first task was to regroup his squad and regain control of his men in order to counter any enemy counterattack. In this phase, the ammunition was checked and if it was necessary to redistribute it. Immediately after the reorganization phase, which had to be completed in the shortest possible time, the team continued its infiltration into the enemy location.
When the occupation of the location was completed the team would settle defensively on it covering a front of 30-40 m. If the terrain allowed it the ideal was for the team to approach the enemy location without fire, unleashing them, by surprise, literally at the last moment. Of course things were completely different when it came to attacking a strongly organized or fortified location. In these cases the Infantry was always supported by the Engineer's assault pioneer divisions, properly supplied and equipped with mine detectors and explosive charges for the destruction of the enemy's fortifications.
In the defensive match
In the defensive fight the squad leader personally identified the part of the site that his platoon assigned him to cover and accordingly chose the appropriate positions that his men were to occupy. Theoretically, the length of the covered front should not exceed 40 m. However, due to a lack of men, in the later stages of World War II, the battle groups occupied even three times this front. The gaps between the fighting positions of the team members were required to be able to be covered by fire to prevent enemy penetrations.
The team leader would choose the best possible order position for the team's machine gun that would allow him to continuously fire at the enemy, without obstacles and be able to support the neighboring teams with his fire. The team leader also determined, in addition to the main and alternate and spare battle positions of his men. The defensive position had to be at least 50 m deep. The squad leader determined how many of his riflemen he would send to the resistance position and how many he would hold as a reserve to launch a counterattack, deploying them behind the main battle line.
The German infantryman as a unit was no better than his British, American, Soviet opponent, characterized respectively by their coolness, impetuosity and fanaticism, as individuals. Under the guidance of a good squad leader however the team, as a set of individual units it could perform miracles. This result was a product of the harsh and realistic training the men underwent, at least in the early stages of the war.