Weapons

[Askari19]

Preceding comments on .50 cal ratings vs. 7.62 HMG are right on the money: sustainable rate of fire, weight of ammo, time for barrel change (.50 cal requires careful headspace and timing adjustment, awkward in a firefight), controllability all favor the 7.62 except in anti-vehicle or anti-material applications. On a tripod with T&E and a trained gunner, the 7.62 HMG can even be effective out to 1500-1800 yards, on the rare occasions that such ranges occur on the battlefield, so range is no great advantage for the .50 cal either. I'm a big fan of the .50 cal but it's no rival for a good HMG or GPMG in an infantry fight.

Regarding the German infantry ratings, it is their machineguns that make the difference. The BAR could not compare for sustainable firepower, and the Garand probably did not compensate in most situations. The verdict of S.L.A Marshall, recognized in recent years for its veracity, is that many riflemen do not actually fire much, or very effectively, in battle, regardless of the technical capabilities of their weapon. The effective firepower of a platoon is measured in its heavy weapons. Personally I suspect that the advent of the assault rifle may have changed that math some, but through Korea, when rifles were semi-auto like the Garand, or bolt-action like most everyone else's, it appears to have been true.

Bill (BT)