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KG Erwin -> Evaluating Squad Automatic Weapons (1/6/2007 6:35:41 AM)
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I'm quoting from Mark Flowers' WWII Gyrene weblog for Dec 29 about the merits of the Browning Automatic Rifle vis a vis the MG34/42 as a squad automatic weapon.
" In my opinion, the German machine guns used by the rifle squad were over engineered for the purpose of giving the squad leader a light support weapon. The MG34 was, as you probably know, replaced for this very reason with the MG42. Having fired the NATO version of this weapon, I can tell you it has too high a rate of fire for the rifle squad to sustain. Both the MG34 and MG42 would have been much better as platoon or company level medium machine guns. Firing 1200 rpm, ammo consumption on the 42 was always a big issue for the German infantry to overcome. Having loaded the German Army fixed link belts myself, I can tell you it's no fun and takes a long time, especially when you consider how quickly the gun burns through ammo.
The BAR was never intended to be a light machine gun. It was designed as an automatic rifle, and employed as such in the US armed forces. Virtually every rifle squad in the US Army and Marine Corps was equipped with at least one BAR. No other Army in World War II came close to this ratio of issue for a squad automatic weapon. During its production, over 200,000 BARs were manufactured. The other major combatants on the war used bolt action service rifles, giving them a much lower volume of fire in comparison with our Soldiers and Marines. The infantry of the US Army and Marine Corps could produce a much higher rate of long range fire than any other infantry. When you consider the M1 rifle, the BAR, the M1919 machine gun and the M1917 at battalion level, the infantry battalion had an incredible amount of firepower. You have to factor this in when discussing infantry support weapons.
The BAR man was issued with a speed loader with his tool kit and it was a simple matter to reload magazines from the 5 round clips that were packed and issued for this purpose throughout the war. I don't know specifically about how the Army did it, but the BAR man in the Marine rifle squad had an ammo bearer who was a rifleman. This Marine carried a BAR belt with 12 extra magazines and ammo for his M1 in bandoleers. In the absence of 5 round clips, it was a relatively simple matter to reload magazines by stripping rounds from eight round M1 clips.
In terms of combat reliability, the BAR offered unparalleled performance. The Marine Corps's official history made a special note of this fact, as have many Marines who I've talked to over the years. As a retiree who spent 22 years in the service from 1979-2001, I know from personal experience that Soldiers and Marines often complain about the weight of their equipment. When we transitioned to the M240 machine gun (a very fine weapon with many years of service) Soldiers griped about its weight even though it was an effective weapon. That's what Soldiers and Marines do. When I trained with the German Army in the 80's, I heard many complaints from machine gunners about what they perceived as the excessive weight of the MG3.
I am not dogmatic about this subject and I have developed my opinion through research and study. In general, I feel the US Soldier of World War II has not been given his due in comparison with the other major combatant armies. Although its not my primary focus, I feel strongly about this. (My dad served in the Army infantry during World War II.)"
Now, Mr. Flowers is a combat veteran, so I value his opinions. I love the BAR as it is portrayed in SPWaW. However, in SPWaW terms, the Bren LMG is better all around (it beats the BAR in range, accuracy and HE kill).
I frankly don't know how automatic weapons were rated for the game . These have been accepted for years. The question of ammo is accounted for when using reduced ammo ON.
Has anyone here actually fired both of these weapons (the BAR and the Bren) and can offer a comparison between them?
The weight issue also makes me wonder -- does the weight of a German MG34/42 necessitate making the German squads a tad slower than squads using weapons such as the BAR, the Bren or the Johnson LMG?
In other words, should all German rifle squads equipped with the MG34/42 be lowered to a speed of 8 (matching the speed of an MG34/42 team) ?
PS In every old board game I played, the speed of the stack is that of its slowest unit. Following this logic, then I think the Germans should match the slowest humped weapon in the squad.
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