Post by 2nd Bat on Mar 30, 2015 14:38:45 GMT -5
The most glaring difference between German and US Infantry was in their approach to tactics and this was primarily based on the difference in weapons. The German machine gun was the center pin around which tactics were based. The German Mg was highly mobile and had a phenomenal rate of fire. Each squad had one and everything both defensively and offensively revolved around it. a German Infantry company (by design) though smaller than a US Infantry company had 13 machine guns where a US Infantry company had 2! The bulk of German Infantry within the squad were armed with traditional bolt action Mausers with five round capacity while squad leaders typically would be armed with MP40 sub machine guns. The German Infantry Kompanie was reduced in size by the campaigns following 1943 due to man power shortages but the attempt was made to match this reduction in size by increasing the number of sub machine guns in the squad. Very late in the war the Kar 98 was to be replaced with either the G43 semi automatic or the MP44 Assault Rifle. these excellent weapons were too few and too late to dramatically alter German tactics.
Pazerfaust anti tank weapons were issued as ammunition much like grenades and became quite widespread with German forces especially effective in Western Europe. mortars were allocated much like they were with US Infantry units but were not as widespread and consistently available. They did not have a small caliber mortar deployed down to the squad and platoon level as did US units. They also didn't utilized rifle grenades to the extent they were used by the Allies who on paper had one designated rifle grenadier per squad. More attachments than one were available per squad however!
The US Infantry was primarily armed with the excellent semi automatic rifle M1 Garand and its rate of fire penetrating power and reliability was the primary killing machine at the squad level. Each squad was authorized a BAR which was the full auto suppression weapon within the squad though it fell well short in that capacity as it did not have the rate of fire or sustained fire capability of the German MG. they were magazine fed and did not have interchangeable barrels hence matched the rate of fire of three to our riflemen where the German MG exceeded the firepower of the entire German squad. The Us Squad was authorized a marksman armed with a bolt action Springfield which doubled as the primary rifle grenade and signalman. like the German squad the US Squad leader might be armed with a Thompson sub machine gun.
in a Ranger unit the squad was smaller but there were two BARs authorized per squad and sub machine guns were more prevalent as well.
In stateside training the BAR was the suppression weapon, the sub machine gun was the close in "trench sweeper" or room clearer and the Garand was the killer by manuever and judicious use of "Aimed" shots. At Basic and Advanced Infantry Training the US Rifleman was taught the value of marksmanship and target acquisition, fire and manuever and how to flank and close on the enemy. Once in theater the seasoned survivors within the squads quickly told these green troops to ditch what they had learned and to shoot shoot shoot and collectively suppress and overwhelm the enemy using the Garands firepower and sheer numbers. firing gave the soldier a sense of invulnerability and created a more aggressive attitude. this approach was far more effective than the notion of deliberate aimed shots and helped to mitigate the firepower advantage of the German MGs.
Recon by fire was the order of the day. expose enemy positions by making them think they had been spotted and reduce their accuracy and manuever capability through intimidation. When faced with strong opposition both by attacking and dfending troops US units were far mre likely to utilize artillery, mortars and even close air support to neutralize the enemy. The USs advanced communications capability and supply situation allowed them to do so.
Pazerfaust anti tank weapons were issued as ammunition much like grenades and became quite widespread with German forces especially effective in Western Europe. mortars were allocated much like they were with US Infantry units but were not as widespread and consistently available. They did not have a small caliber mortar deployed down to the squad and platoon level as did US units. They also didn't utilized rifle grenades to the extent they were used by the Allies who on paper had one designated rifle grenadier per squad. More attachments than one were available per squad however!
The US Infantry was primarily armed with the excellent semi automatic rifle M1 Garand and its rate of fire penetrating power and reliability was the primary killing machine at the squad level. Each squad was authorized a BAR which was the full auto suppression weapon within the squad though it fell well short in that capacity as it did not have the rate of fire or sustained fire capability of the German MG. they were magazine fed and did not have interchangeable barrels hence matched the rate of fire of three to our riflemen where the German MG exceeded the firepower of the entire German squad. The Us Squad was authorized a marksman armed with a bolt action Springfield which doubled as the primary rifle grenade and signalman. like the German squad the US Squad leader might be armed with a Thompson sub machine gun.
in a Ranger unit the squad was smaller but there were two BARs authorized per squad and sub machine guns were more prevalent as well.
In stateside training the BAR was the suppression weapon, the sub machine gun was the close in "trench sweeper" or room clearer and the Garand was the killer by manuever and judicious use of "Aimed" shots. At Basic and Advanced Infantry Training the US Rifleman was taught the value of marksmanship and target acquisition, fire and manuever and how to flank and close on the enemy. Once in theater the seasoned survivors within the squads quickly told these green troops to ditch what they had learned and to shoot shoot shoot and collectively suppress and overwhelm the enemy using the Garands firepower and sheer numbers. firing gave the soldier a sense of invulnerability and created a more aggressive attitude. this approach was far more effective than the notion of deliberate aimed shots and helped to mitigate the firepower advantage of the German MGs.
Recon by fire was the order of the day. expose enemy positions by making them think they had been spotted and reduce their accuracy and manuever capability through intimidation. When faced with strong opposition both by attacking and dfending troops US units were far mre likely to utilize artillery, mortars and even close air support to neutralize the enemy. The USs advanced communications capability and supply situation allowed them to do so.