Active present Type infantry Commander Second lieutenant | Country Estonia Size 50 Branch Estonia Defence Forces | |
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Equipment small firearms
grenade launchers
tactical transport vehicles | ||
A rühm (English: platoon) is a small military unit in the armed forces of Estonia, led by a non-commissioned officer (NCO) that is subordinate to an infantry company. A rühm is bigger than a jagu (squad) but smaller than a kompanii (company). It is also one of the smallest military formations among the Estonian Ground Force infantry units.
Contents
Leadership
It usually consists thirty to fifty soldiers, and is further subdivided into squads. Rühm is composed of five squads of ten soldiers each, as well as a platoon leader (rühmapealik) who is usually a junior lieutenant (nooremleitnant). His second in command is known as a platoon sergeant (rühmapealiku abi).
Organization
One single rühm is meant to operate on a battlefield along with other rühms on a landscale not greater than 300 × 400 metres. There is no logistical support element in the structure of a rühm. The formation transport is usually made up by three to five tactical transport vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG 435.
Other military uses
In some armies, platoon is used throughout the branches of the army. In others, such as the British Army, most platoons are infantry platoons, while some carry other designations such as tank, mortar, or heavy weapons platoons. In a few armies, such as the French Army, a platoon is specifically a cavalry unit, and the infantry use section as the equivalent unit.