The rifle section of a World War II infantry battalion was generally formed of ten men; a Corporal as the section commander, a Lance Corporal as the section 2IC, and eight privates. The Corporal variously carried a Lee-Enfield rifle, a Thompson 'machine carbine', or a Sten 'machine carbine' depending on the year of the war, one private would be the section gunner with a Bren gun, and all other section members were armed with Lee–Enfield rifles (though it was possible for the Corporal's machine carbine to be given to another member of the section). The section was divided into a rifle group consisting of the section commander and six riflemen, and a gun group consisting of the section 2IC and gun controller, the section gunner or Bren No. 1, and the Bren No. 2 carrying a spare barrel and additional ammunition for the Bren gun. Three sections together formed a platoon, with two being forward sections and the third being a reserve.