Dragoon 45
Posts: 435
Joined: 8/10/2004
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KG,
One thing I would caution is the reliance on MTOE's. Experienced units accumulated automatic weapons over time, along with other excess equipment. On paper the late war USMC Infantry Squads had probably the most firepower of any infantry squad deployed in the war. But I have seen instances where U.S. Army Squads in NW Europe would be carrying around 2 BAR's, 1 LMG, 1 Bazooka, and numerous satchel charges. It all boiled down to how much the squad leader was willing to let his men carry and how much they were willing to carry. In Europe any U.S. Unit that had been in combat for any extensive period of time acquired sometimes as much as 4 times their official quota of crew-served weapons, i.e. BAR's, MG's, Bazooka's, etc. In a lot of cases the unit would report a weapon destroyed and request a replacement for it, even though it was still in use.
Soldier Load has always been an issue with the infantry. How much a soldier can physically carry and still perform his expected duties is a difficult balancing act. Green Troops will carry non-essential equipment into combat and over time will discard that equipment when they realize they don't need it. Experienced Troops on the other hand have a very good idea what they need to carry, and if not monitored will load themselves down with so much ammo they can hardly move.
I have honestly wondered sometimes how some of those Marine Squads operated with the amount of equipment they were carrying. With a 13 Man Squad; 3 BAR's equates to 9 men (one gunner and two A-gunner/ammo bearers), a flamethrower operator requires at least one other Marine for his protection, Then there is the squad leader normally armed with an SMG or carbine, and finally one squad scout. Only the Scout and Sq Ldr are not weighed down carrying either ammo for the automatic weapons or extra fuel for the flamethrower. If you add in a bazooka or satchel charges I think you get the picture on how much weight these men are carrying in addition to their personal weapon, ammo, and personal gear. Then normally someone has to also carry a radio which in those days was an extreme bitch weighting something around 60-70 lbs. The walkie-talkie that most people associate with WW II was not extensively used by the Marines due to lack of range and the inability to water proof it. The Bar Gunner would carry as many magazine as he could, then there would be at least one or two others carrying extra magazines also. Every body in the squad would also be carrying extra demo, possibly field wire for telephones, field telephones, and a whole lot of other stuff.
I can remember stepping on a scale one time when I was assigned to 2d ANGLICO. Without ammunition, carrying personnel gear, weapon, radio's, and other communications gear I weighed well over 350 lbs. At the time I weighed soaking wet around 180-190. And I was expected to keep up with infantry as that was who I supported with close air and Naval Gunfire. And then in Afghanistan last year I would normally go out on a security patrol carrying around 60lbs of gear for just a few hours walk, 210 rds of ammo, possibly some grenades, weapon, helmet, water normally in a camel back, body armor, elbow and knee pads, radio, bayonet or other large knife, etc. That was my fighting load for just a short patrol. If we were going to stay away from the base camp for any extended period the load went up dramatically, probably another 40-50lbs.
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Artillery always has the Right of Way
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The Best-Armed Infantry of WWII - 
), plus the STG44, then the Pzfausts/shrecks. Also the Gewehr 43, with its semi auto fire and 10 round mag. Two MG42's trump 3 BAR's, and the STG 44 and G43 trump the Garand. The Marine flamethrower trumps the German AT weapon against infantry and caves, but against bunkers or armor; we'll call that one a tie. 
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