this is a questionable statistic, see here:
http://operationbarbarossa.net/Myth-Busters/Mythbusters4.html
WWII guns for the Allies - question
- Thread starter Muskyhunter1
- Start date
this is a questionable statistic, see here:
http://operationbarbarossa.net/Myth-Busters/Mythbusters4.html
- Location
- East of Home, West of the Rest
Those pesky hot air balloons in the 1800s eh? Hehehehe
In early WW2 Canada forgot the lesson of WW1. The Canadian Army in WW1 bought and issued more BSA 303 Lewis Guns than anyone else! General Currie didn't want anymore of his troops "going into battle without firepower. The Lewis Gun Provided it, large numbers were bought and issued on his direct orders!! That's where the Canadian "Storm Troopers" started.
Just finished Tim Cook's book Shock Troops which mentions this over and over again. Lewis guns were critical for the infantry to have enough firepower as they moved out of the range of their artillery support.
The other thing to remember is the tactics of the Brit/Canuck and the Germans at the outset. Their company/platoons operated around the MG.
The MG would set up and put down a base of fire and suppress the enemy. The infantry would flank the suppressed enemy and with rifles and grenade destroy them. As someone else already stated, usually the SMG's were only issued to the NCO and officers b/c, they were not expected to engage in long range combat, but rather direct the actions of the infantry and MG.
Then mid to end war, the style of infantry fighting changed, and combat started becoming a less than 300m game (and in some cases, other side of the dyke or hedge). Thats when you start to see more and more SMG's in the hands of other ranks; and the advent of new weapons ie STG44.
However, when you take about the Russians, all normal tactics can be thrown out the window. I've read that they would field entire regiments armed solely with SMG's.
The MG would set up and put down a base of fire and suppress the enemy. The infantry would flank the suppressed enemy and with rifles and grenade destroy them. As someone else already stated, usually the SMG's were only issued to the NCO and officers b/c, they were not expected to engage in long range combat, but rather direct the actions of the infantry and MG.
Then mid to end war, the style of infantry fighting changed, and combat started becoming a less than 300m game (and in some cases, other side of the dyke or hedge). Thats when you start to see more and more SMG's in the hands of other ranks; and the advent of new weapons ie STG44.
However, when you take about the Russians, all normal tactics can be thrown out the window. I've read that they would field entire regiments armed solely with SMG's.
