Original, June 12, 2000; Typeface revised on 12/03/01;
Completely redone (hopefully not screwed up)on March 13, 2004.
OUR INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II.
THE GERMAN "88" AND THEIR TANKS
OUR EQUIPMENT IN COMBAT.
MEMORIES OF OUR INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WAR: 1943-1945. I only list those weapons with which I had familiarity either by use or by observation in combat.
There were and are other weapons but I do not include them if I did not experience them personally.
I have not included many photos of soft wear (not software) but most of it was first class junk. My ammunition belt was a disaster, the canteen rubbed against your hip until you threw it away, the first aid "kit" (a bandage about 6"X 6", a small container of some kind of anti-biotic) was a macabre joke, the shoes were a horror (neither waterproof nor cold insulated EVEN THOUGH L.L. BEAN HAD INVENTED AND PRODUCED THE WATERPROOFED HUNTING AND FISHING BOOT YEARS EARLIER!), the poncho absolutely guaranteed that you would get sopping wet in the rain, the clothes were of the wet absorbing woolen kind, the rations disgusting (did they work at making them horrible; we got canned glue [processed 'American' cheese] and lemonade for Christmas in combat). The C-Ration chocolate bar was good.
The field pack cumbersome and rather ridiculous since it almost always bruised your fanny if you wore it for long periods. Officers equipment was both better and lighter.
It was more than obvious way back then that no one but no one had done any research on field equipment for an infantry or ground war. Certainly there were few, if any, improvements in equipment and arms from 1918 until 1944 or thereabouts. There was progress and improvements in hardware from 1918 until 1944, primarily aircraft and the Jeep BUT the infantry got nothing I saw or experienced that said research had improved the product!
DON'T FORGET THAT I WAS ARMED WITH A Browning Automatic Rifle THAT WAS A 1917 MODEL AND WENT INTO COMBAT WITH IT WITHOUT EVER HAVING A CHANCE TO ZERO IT IN!
Our earliest tank (the Grant)
was a total disaster and designed by a fool and/or a committee. Prior to the
Grant all we had were World War I tanks
Compare
that to the German tank of the same time vintage! The German tank of the same
vintage is on the right, our relic is on the left!
Our artillery had barely been improved since WWI, our reconnaissance vehicles were mobile coffins and our earliest anti-tank weapons a joke.
But not that much has changed as you realize when you continue to study the subject: apparently the U.S. Army was ill prepared for the war in the desert referred to as "Desert Storm"! They retrofitted GPS navigation equipment, the air filters were third rate and friendly fire still managed to kill Americans (particularly tanks since there was no air recognition system-tanks were destroyed and crews were killed by our own anti-tank aircraft).
Please note that as time goes by the number of American deaths in that war continues to rise beyond the initial claims of the military! Also note that the reported deaths of Americans who died in Vietnam has been materially reduced!
ALMOST
ALL OF THE PICTURES HERE WERE SENT TO ME BY NEAL BURDETTE (training picture on
the LEFT); GOOD FRIEND, ASTP and FELLOW SOLDIER WITH THE
26TH INFANTRY DIVISION. My friend of the 26th Infantry division, Jim Haahr,
(RIGHT) provided me with material for my section on EQUIPMENT.
The comments are, of course, mine and mine alone. I publish this article because there is not enough recorded history of this kind of thing and being an historian all my life I believe in the medieval saying that "Time Unveils Truth".
I also believe that Democracy and freedom are better served by the truth than by lies.
Some of our weapons were good; too many were lousy, some stunk, TOO MANY WERE JUNK OF THE FIRST ORDER!
In retrospect it seems to me that the infantry was short changed and the Air Force got all the efforts, brains and money on technological improvements. I know that I was told that I could not go to "Officers Infantry Prepatory School" because it was closed down since "we were going to win the war in the air"! HA!
Artillery Spotters. There were oodles of these aircraft made by everybody and his brother so to speak. My memory says that the ones I saw were Piper manufactured. I have, therefore, posted this L-4 version (there were three;L-2,L-4,L-6, all by Piper) of our famous "Guardian Angel" artillery spotter. I believe, but am not sure, that these were originally Piper Cubs. They used to circle, slowly, over the battle field so as to spot enemy artillery firing. They were an absolutely devastating weapon and all the German artillery used to clam up when this plane was overhead. When they were overhead we knew that we had a respite in enemy artillery fire and it was always a pleasure to see them and to know they were overhead.
The
famous "Bazooka": (After the bazooka, a crude wind instrument made of pipes,
invented and named by Bob Burns (1896-1956), American comedian, probably from
bazoo, kazoo.) I trained on a wooden replica and never saw the real thing until
we got into combat. Fired it once at a German tank and then got the hell out of
there after it hit the tank! Apparently, we and not the Germans, invented this
one but they copied it (badly) from us.
The Browning Automatic Rifle. It
weighed about 18 pounds and the ammunition
magazine
weighed about 8/10 ounces each, held 20 rounds of 30 caliber ammunition. A
magazine with 20 rounds of ammunition weighed about 1 pound 6 ounces so that my
ammunition belt carried 12 magazines and with the BAR that meant a burden of
close to 30/35 pounds (including the weight of the magazines loaded with
ammo)! I lugged one around for about 9/10 months of Army duty. I had a
love-hate relationship with this weapon of mine (I was a forward scout with a
BAR) which was manufactured in 1917! Those that never carried it in combat rave
about it! All I know is that mine failed me often, was a disaster to run with
and jammed up much too much. It was designed for World War I and not World War
II. It was far too noisy and readily attracted enemy fire! It was OK and that is
as much praise as I willing to give it!
The
M-2 Carbine. This was the rifle carried by the officers and by some of the
non-coms. This picture was taken from a site dedicated to the weapons of Viet
Nam so that I cannot guarantee you that this is the WW2 M-2 Carbine but it looks
as if it is. There is one difference with my memory of the carbine and this
picture. My memory says that the magazine was much, much smaller but that is the
only difference I can see. I always thought of it as a toy and I was always
amazed that someone would carry it. I would not since it did not have much
killing power or much range. It was light; I will say that for it! I do not know
what the theory was for arming some one with it but it may have been that they
would be busy commanding (Oh Yeah!).
The Thompson 45 caliber automatic rifle. The Germans called them "machine pistols" (Schmissers) and I still use that phrase. They were carried by the U.S. tank crews but I never saw one fired in combat although I did see many a tank crew sport one! They carried them on their sling when they were outside their armor.
The Garand semi-automatic (it fired 8 rounds by pulling the trigger; you loaded it once every 8 rounds) rifle which came later in the war (1942?). I got my first Garand after about 6 months of training with an Enfield ( the American version of a single shot bolt action rifle developed by the British for World War I) at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The Enfield held 6 rounds in the magazine and one in the barrel for a total of 7. The Garand held 8 rounds in a clip and was semi-automatic (the bolt was cocked automatically; you pulled the trigger each time to get off a round); superior to the Enfield but not as accurate.
The 105 mm towed howitzer. I saw and heard them fire too many times to recount. It was a fabulous weapon and extremely effective. It supported us many times, particularly when we were in deep s---!This was the piece that my ammunition carrier and I were stationed in front of by about 30 feet as infantry defense and when they fired the ground shook and we were deaf for days (65 percent deaf today). They fired about every 3/5 minutes or so it seemed! One day they fired almost non-stop, most of the day !
The fragmentation hand grenade. It was a fabulous weapon and in my book far superior to the German "potato masher" (which the German grenade looked like, I had one land about three feet away from me on my left side; I turned my back and when it went off it did nothing). I threw more than my fair share of our grenades and not one was ever a dud! I loved them. They were deadly! The incendiary grenade was even better!
The famous jeep, which was every bit as good as the propaganda said it was. On more than one occasion I used it to take wounded back to the aid station driving through the thickest mud I have ever known. I even drove one direct from the battlefield after it had been peppered with shrapnel, and it leaked gasoline since the gas tank had been punctured!
The
30 caliber light machine gun. It was air cooled and if fired too much would jam
up (barrel overheating). Most of the "weapons platoon" fired them in short
bursts since continuous fire would attract enemy fire. Our weapons platoon fired
them sporadically when they fired them but it seemed that they were chintzy in
firing, or so I remember.
This
is the famous "Colt 45". I never saw one used in combat although the big shots
all carried it. Who were the big shots? The rear echelon and the ones who never
got near a battlefield but who always carried taped hand grenades (grenades
whose firing pin was taped down so as not to go off unexpectedly) and a Colt 45
in a holster, frequently riding loose. They always looked tough; they had to
since they were rear echelon! A Colt 45 was useless in the kind of war we fought
we fought in Europe; good for close in but we tried to make sure there was no
close in!
The "heavy" 30 caliber machine gun; water cooled. I never saw one in combat but I saw a few in training but not many. It was designed for World War I and not, in my judgment, for World War II.
The
best damn weapon in the infantry.; the 60 mm mortar! It was light, could be
moved easily, accurate as all get out and most important of all was noiseless.
You could not hear "incoming" shells since they did not give off a whistle. When
it was fired by well experienced GI's it was devastating in accuracy and effect.
There was an 80 mm mortar but it was heavy and cumbersome; in any event I never
saw one fired. Whenever I could I would ask for 60mm mortar fire in support even
though in some of the situations the friendly fire might hit us!
The 105 mm towed howitzer. I saw and heard them fire too many times to recount. It was a fabulous weapon and extremely effective. It supported us many times, particularly when we were in deep s---!This was the piece that my ammunition carrier and I were stationed in front of by about 30 feet as infantry defense and when they fired the ground shook and we were deaf for days (65 percent deaf today). They fired about every 3/5 minutes or so it seemed! One day they fired almost non-stop, most of the day !
The fragmentation hand grenade. It was a fabulous weapon and in my book far superior to the German "potato masher" (which the German grenade looked like, I had one land about three feet away from me on my left side; I turned my back and when it went off it did nothing). I threw more than my fair share of our grenades and not one was ever a dud! I loved them. They were deadly! The incendiary grenade was even better!
I used to call this the "tin can" or the "moving coffin". It was designed to be a reconnaissance vehicle and I saw them around but know of nothing that was ever done for my outfit in any form of reconnaissance. They were thin skinned, under armed and designed (so they said) to scout and run. I never saw one with the canvas cover in this picture. I saw quite a few waiting to move out, saw more than a few knocked out but never saw any moving in reconnaissance.
The scabbard knife is what I always called it. I did see and experienced the use of scabbard knives in hand to hand combat. I also saw throats slit by both sides. It was fabulous for opening C rations cans well as K rations particularly if you lost your miniscule can opener (which was easy to lose and probably the most innovative invention of World War 2)!
The
famous "Bazooka": (After the bazooka, a crude
wind instrument made of pipes, invented and named by Bob Burns (1896-1956),
American comedian, probably from bazoo, kazoo.) I trained on a wooden
replica and never saw the real thing until we got into combat. Fired it
once at a German tank and then got the hell out of there after it hit the
tank! Apparently, we and not the Germans, invented this one but they copied
it (badly) from us.
The self propelled 105 mm howitzer. I saw them all over the place both supporting us and going into position for firing. Their crews were half crazy and lit bonfires in the night since they were cold! They didn't care about it attracting enemy fire! When I first saw that as we were moving into position for a dawn attack I was appalled but they laughed at us! I asked one trooper why they lit bonfires since it attracted enemy fire? His answer was "Who gives a shit?" And no enemy fire came in, at least while I were there!
The American Sherman
tank had a higher profile than the German Panther tank and carried much
less fire power. The Panther could and did outgun the Sherman and, as indicated
below, the kill ratio
was enormously in favor
of the Germans. BUT, the Germans could only dream, or have nightmares, about
our profligate tank production.
We beat the Krauts because we out produced them!
http://www.militaryfocus.com/osprey/new-vanguard/3.htm
I believe this is what was known as a "Tank Destroyer" which always made me feel good when they were around! I saw and witnessed a mess of them taking on the German tanks and they were excellent. I also saw them deep into the horrible mud that predominated Alsace during November, 1944. I never saw a destroyed one.
The
German Panther tank. It was and is regularly rated as the best tank in World
War II (it could be debated that the Russian T-34 was just as good but the
Panther was the answer to the T-34). I saw Panther's in combat and destroyed.
We were supporting infantry for the 4th Armored division and one day we
were on a hill looking down a valley. There were 3 Panther tanks blocking
our advance. We called for support and a bit later 8 Sherman tanks came
to our rescue. They got the Panthers but we lost 3 tanks in the process.
THE INFAMOUS "88"
This is the German 88 flak gun. The troops pictured are Germans. I never saw one fire but was on the receiving end too often, much too often. This was an awesome weapon and on one occasion I saw a dumb forward scout walking over the crest of a hill and then he disappeared. He was hit directly by an 88 shell! There were scraps of him all over the place. He had been warned not to walk over the crest of a hill but he ignored it until the bitter end. I did see many 88's destroyed and these pictures jibe exactly with my memory of them. It was awesome and probably the best artillery of the war. We were told they were rifles and not guns but I do not know and have not been able to get it straight. They wrecked havoc and made most of our artillery look like pea shooters.
"I'll let ya know if I find th' one wot invented th' 88." -Bill Mauldin in cartoon of MP's questioning an American officer interrogating German prisoners.
Our weapons with which to fight the war were mediocre, at best.
Our individual and personal equipment was a sorry lot! Not a thing was adequate for a war in the mud, snow or rain. It was World War 1 all over again because it was more than obvious that our equipment was designed for that war and not ours! Around early 1945 the Army Quartermaster Corp. smartened up and began to provide us with adequate personal equipment but my war was over by then since I was removed from combat in late December, 1944 as a result of trench feet.
I do not remember a single thing which I thought to be first rate and all of it was mediocre and a disaster in terms of combat needs. Most of the pictures here are from my friend, Staff Sergeant Haahr of the 101st infantry regiment of the 26th infantry division who did combat in Europe around the same time as I did.
Not one thing I used or wore had any special application to the war in Europe and was totally and completely defective in terms of the use for which it was supposedly designed!
What was particularly sad and infuriating was that perfect options were available but they were never brought into play until the bitter end. In other words no preparation or knowledge of any kind!
Our
cartridge belt. It was made of canvas. You were supposed to put your ammunition
clips into each of the pockets of the belt. That miniscule packet (hanging
between the first and third ammunition pockets on the right hand side of
the belt) was your aid bandage. The canteen hung down the side of the belt
on the left and it too was covered in canvas and was made of aluminum .
The problems with this belt were manifold: (1) the canteen rubbed against your hip all the time and restricted running, (2) when it rained the belt got sopping wet and it was almost impossible to get the ammunition clips out of their pockets, (3) the aid bandage was almost a band aid and relatively worthless for serious wounds, (4) in order to open the ammunition pockets when in combat lying down on the ground required your ability to contort your body into unbelievable positions, (5) the clips holding the pockets closed were turn buckle clips and there were times when you couldn't open the damn things.
The belt for us BARmen was twice as big and three times lousier. That was a disaster to me!
I threw them all away and carried everything in my pants pockets. I never worried about water since it was either raining or snowing. I never lacked for water!
The
"Greatcoat" was an overcoat in civilian terms. It was made
of wool, was double breasted, hung down well below your knees (see the photo),
weighed a ton particularly when wet (always, or so it seemed), completely
cumbersome and almost totally and completely prevented the bearer from running!
It was almost impossible to shoulder your weapon when you wore the greatcoat!
It was parade ground stuff and not combat stuff!
It was zero protection against rain, snow or moisture. It weighed so much
when wet that it made it almost impossible to run and it was like carrying
a body burden. I hated it with a passion and ultimately threw it away even
though I froze my ass off! Better to freeze your ass off than to be rendered
almost immobile in combat! Most GI's with whom I have conversed do not remember
it but I sure do since I HATED it! We wore them until mid December, 1944
when they were replaced with a winter combat jacket. It was a lot better
than the greatcoat!
Leggings and regular shoes were what most of us wore
in combat in the mud, snow and rain! This is a picture of a GI carrying
a water cooled machine gun barrel. The long drapery hanging over his backside
is a poncho (almost worthless). On his right as you look at the picture
is the handle from his trench shovel. What I want you to notice is that
even though this picture was taken in December, 1944 he is wearing leggings!
Leggings were made of canvas, worn around the calf of the leg, held in place
by laces and hooks. The shoes were regular dress shoes and provided no protection
whatsoever from the cold, water or mud! If you look closely at the man in
front of the machine gun carrier you will notice that GI is also wearing
leggings.
This
was our back pack. The back pack you see here was "combat mode".
Generally you carried a blanket in it which took the full length and width
of the back pack and you put your c-rations in the upper envelope part of
the pack. This was the back pack that I had ripped off my back in the attack
on Moncourt Woods when machine gun fire tore through the pack and tore it
to shreds (my "C" rations dripped all over me). I never got another
backpack; I always carried everything in my pockets which I found to be
easier and safer than lugging this thing around; I kept the poncho (not
so hot either) which you can see hanging down from the belt of the GI pictured
here. Please note that this picture is in September, 1944 and winter dress
was not yet the order of the day. In the above photo of the greatcoat it
is a winter shot.
**These are the weapons I knew and used in World War 2. Many other GI's used the same weapons I guess, but, I cannot vouch for them. Either I used the weapons or observed them in combat both on the American and German side.
One of the American military historians, "(Slam) S.L.A. Marshall", wrote that no more than 30 percent of all combatants fire their weapons. That is exactly what I remember, I was always calling for someone to "fire that goddamn weapon".
I have received some criticisms for my comments that German weapons were superior to ours and so here are a few quotes I have picked up on the Internet
"Even with air superiority and tank killers like the Firefly, the German tanks were far superior to anything the Allies had and enjoyed a kill ratio of 10:1"
"756th Tank Battalion Tank passing French Staff Car American M-10 Tanks lined up in France. As anyone who watched the Discovery Channel's program "Weapons of War" knows, the Germans had the better tanks. The Panzer Tanks had thicker armor and larger guns. The American Sherman Tank was faster and more maneuverable, thereby making the advantage less of a problem than it would first appear. "
"The Sherman was one of the most widely
used tanks of the Second World War. It helped turn the tide against the
Axis in the West at El Alamein and formed the backbone of American and British
armoured forces through to the almost the end of the war as well as being
supplied in considerable numbers to the Soviet Union. When introduced it
was a match for what it would be expected to face in on the battlefield,
although developed and improved it soon fell behind compared to its opponents
as the war progressed. It was however available in the sort of numbers which
the Germans could only dream about. Later they served in Korea and again
in Israel often in much modified form, every today some are still in service
in some smaller armies."
The L.L. Bean Boot was invented about 50 years before World War 2. It was total and complete protection from snow, rain and water. The Army woke up around January, 1945 and started to supply them to the GI's around then but not sooner. This was, of course, after thousands and thousands of us were taken out of combat because we could not walk and had advanced cases of trench foot disease! Too late smart, too soon dead!
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