Quick way to sort/renumber subdirectories?

Hello. I have an odd query, and im wondering if you can help.

I've got a directory structure 3 levels deep, with 3-digit numbers


023/001/001/(list of files)
023/001/002/(list of files)
023/002/001/(list of files)
023/002/002/(list of files)
024/001/001/(list of files)


num1 / num2 / num3 etc/..

Volume, issue, article, list of files in that article

The first two are fine, I'll not need to alter them when Ive set them.
BUT, the 3rd level could have half a dozen numbers, a dozen.
three-dozen etc.. (the highest number ive seen is in the 90's)

my question is, would there be an easy way to insert / renumber the
3rd level directory....

For example:

023/001/013/(list of files)
023/001/014/(list of files)
023/001/015/(list of files)
023/001/016/(list of files)


I want to insert a new directory in between 14 and 15 and then
re-number the directories higher, up a number

EG

023/001/013/(list of files)
023/001/014/(list of files)
023/001/014A/(list of files) << Inserted directory
023/001/015/(list of files)
023/001/016/(list of files)

renumbered:

023/001/013/(list of files)
023/001/014/(list of files)
023/001/015/(list of files) << Inserted directory - was 14A
023/001/016/(list of files) - was 15
023/001/017/(list of files) - was 16.

(I could in theory include  000A and that will become  001 and
everything else will go up a number)

OF COURSE, if i REMOVE 013, then the later numbers will REDUCE.

ISSUE: if I do add an "A" to the directory name, and I sort in
ascending order, i assume 001A comes after 001.  How can I force
sorting numerically, or alphabetically?


ISSUE: If i do create a small routine, to check the 2nd level
directory, locate a possible swap, and process ONE swap, and repeat
until therea re no more swaps. How do i avoid the error with too many
redirects - if ive got to check multiple times ?

if the URl changes - ?articlecheck=004  will that NOT get the redirect
loop error if I next check ?articlecheck=005 ??

QUERY: is there a quick way to re-order / re-mumber directories with a
single command (keeping the 3-digit directory names) ?? a possible PHP
process I've not remembered ?

-- 

Gordon.