Like many bemused viewers, I am taken aback by how much attention this video has received in the past week. This has meant a dramatic increase in comments. In the past, I have tried to respond to everyone who left a sincere comment or inquiry on my channel, but until things settle down that will no longer be possible. To those who go responseless: If you liked my video - Thank you very much for the support. I genuinely appreciate it. If you disliked my video - Hey, I tried my best and I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking. Either way, UA-cam wants the "engagement," so I thank you all for your time.
My Dad was a staff sergeant in December 1945 and took over his platoon when his lieutenant platoon leader was killed. He received a Battlefield Commission to 2nd Lt and continued to lead the platoon till the end of the war. He was 24 at the time with no college or OCS. He had been drafted in 1942 and he returned to civilian life after the War. He was recalled for Korea and ended up staying in the Army till 1969 after a 13 month tour in Vietnam. He was promoted in Korea to Captain and in Vietnam to Major. Every promotion he received in 22 years active duty occurred during overseas combat tours. The Army bumped him to LT Col right before he retired as a little bonus towards his retirement pay.
Greg Kerr I’ve Heard roomers of officers who rose from the ranks facing friction from their fellow officers. Not sure how true this is, but if indeed true, all credit to your dad for working with colleagues who may have not wanted him there.
@@robin_5099 Yes, he did face some friction from fellow officers and commanders during his career. Some officers who were graduates of one military academy or other likely thought he had no business commanding anyone. Dad had a low bullshit threshold and little tolerance to what he referred to as "chicken shit". His career was probably saved in 1964 by a Colonel who was like minded. The Colonel was his regimental commander and gave Dad command of a battalion. Dad was a Captain at that time and had been one since 1952. Dad had had a commander who who had written him several bad evals that had caused him to be passed over for major. Army evals cannot be untruthful in regards actual physical aspects of job performance, but a commander can ruin a man's career through nuanced words indicating that although the officer performed his duties flawlessly, that he may have reached his maximum level of capability . If you can't rise in rank after x number of years the Army let's you got. The Colonel who gave Dad command of the battalion did so over the heads of several majors and one LTCol and managed to push a promotion through to Major once they hit Vietnam. During the nine months before Vietnam, my Dad was the lowest ranking officer to command a battalion in the entire U.S. Army. The finest accolade I ever heard concerning my Dad, came from the Sergeant Major of the battalion he commanded. The Sgt Major was also a vet of WW2 AND kOREA AND vIETNAM with an impressive amount of fruit salad on his chest. He got me aside in 1966 and told me I should always be proud of my Dad as he was the finest officer the Sgt Major had ever served with. In many ways...I think especially in today's world...the best officers don't necessarily rise to the top, but many of those that do, just play the political game better. Sad but true. As far as I know, the military no longer issues battlefield promotions and all officers must be college graduates at minimum. Imagine a 2nd lt grad of some academy like West Point shipping over to Afghanistan or somewhere like that, and being in command of an SFC or some other senior NCO who has six combat tours under his belt. I think in very rare cases the Army will send an enlisted man through OCS and then station him somewhere where he attends a four year college degree program before being placed back into regular duty. Heck, maybe they don't even do that anymore!
Greg Kerr I mean, some jobs within the military definitely need higher education. Namely the medical and law fields. However when it comes to combat commands, i’m more inclined to believe the old adage of experience being a better teacher than classroom training. That’s not to say that academies don’t produce exceptional officers in their own right, as history can attest to, but the military’s insistence on following a prescribed path to officer status definitely loses them good leaders. However, acting as my own devils advocate here, I can definitely see their point of view in needing every officer to have a common denominator in their education. It allows them a degree of control and responsibility for ensuring there is a basic level of ability for every officer. Which makes your dad‘s story even more remarkable. If you’re interested on a story of a soldier rising to the very top of the military, look up field Marshall Robertson of the British Army. In an era of even more stratification in class, (1877-1920) his meteoric rise from Private to Field Marshal is incredible. Politics was undoubtedly involved, but nevertheless his rise to the very top when being of a certain class (gentleman) was required in order to be an officer is remarkable.
i guess political game in the army is kinda universal thing , in 1964 there are 3 commie side the nationalist ,hcm and le duan. chose the right one you will sent behide chose the wrong one you will be sent to the tet offensive , and we all know how those guys sent to tet offensive end up shorly after that hcm die
Given that the Germans went 'all ze machineguns' in WW1 (I'm serious, by the end of the 1st World War, the Germans had 288 MGs per division or 56 men per MG) and being on the receiving end, it was natural that there would be a replication on the US side. This is especially true when the US encountered the world's first GMGs (MG-34s and MG-42s).
@@MatthewBaileyBeAfraid it's mentioned in the video that a particular platoon had 14 B.A.Rs, he then goes on to mention that another platoon had 0 B.A.Rs (having given them away).
When by National Guard unit deployed to Iraq in March 2003 we had two M1A4 sniper rifles in our arms room. As they were not part of our TOE and were not expected to be needed, they were turned in. It is interesting that these weapons, which were about 60 years old at the time, were still in the inventory so many years later. We also had 10 M1200 Winchester 12 gauge trench guns (yes, trench guns - they had the ventilated rib) along with the 18 inch "pig sticker" bayonets. These were turned in and replaced by Mossberg 500s.
Ironic, since that’s around the time that the US military began implementing its Squad Designated Marksman program due to troop experience in Iraq an Afghanistan…..
According to one Pacific Theater Army vet I knew, the M1 carbine and the Thompson were by far the most effective and sought after weapons. Engagements were close and being able to put down fire was more important than penetration. At less than 50 yards the carbine was more than sufficient.
My great uncle was a scout with G Company, 85th of the 10th Mountain division. He was called on to recon deep into minefields and German positions at night, sketch maps, narrowly avoided capture and got a bronze star for his bravery.
My father was a rifle platoon leader in the 82nd during Market Garden. There was no way in hell he was going to carry the M1 Carbine. All three of his sons (myself included) subsequently became infantry officers where our first job was rifle platoon leader. I never knew how my father's platoon organization differed from mine. Now I do. Thanks for the video.
I would love to see you continue this series! Company, Battalion, Brigade, Division, Corps, Army, Army Group, and Theatre. Your videos are starting to get some UA-cam algorithmic love, I think for anybody who loved band of brothers, learning more about the organizational structure of European and Pacific theatre infantry forces would be much loved! Thanks for the awesome content :)
I'm irritated that I attempt to approach military history from the company level (and looking all the way to squad and team tactics) because they fascinate me almost as much as weapons design, only to be stifled by the intellectual "establishment" around the subject(s): endless chattering about massive divisions and the rear-area-dwelling politicians (flag officers) who are most focused on by historians/scholars.
I love that people think the M1 Carbine was not powerful. It is the predecessor to the M16 type battle rifle. We wanted a shorter round to allow soldiers to carry more rounds. It was a great weapon, especially the M1A1 Carbine that was select fire, with the ability to fire fully automatic. That modification came late in the war. Though not as powerful as the 30-06 round fired by the M1 Rifle, it was accurate and deadly out to 300 meters, which was much, much further than the 50 meters a M1911 could hit if you were good with a handgun. What people fail to realize is the 30 cal round was supersonic at 1990 fps with almost 1000 pounds of muzzle energy. The round didn't have the bullet coefficient that the 30-06 had so it lost it's supersonic speed at about 200 meters, which equates to lower terminal ballistics and pretty significant bullet drop.
VERY well-documented and complete! Both my dad and I were infantry platoon leaders; I in the 70’s (Mech) and he in ‘43-‘45. However, he earned his CIB as the Ammunition and Pioneer platoon leader of his battalion in the 406th Inf Reg, 102nd Inf Div. I would ask that this relatively unheralded unit benefit from your exemplary examination! The A & P platoon delivered ammunition to the line units as well as acting as “engineers” for their battalions: clearing and laying mines, obstacles, etc. They were awarded Combat Infantry Badges just as other infantry. Every soldier in my dad’s platoon was either wounded or killed in 6 months of combat from Aachen to the Elbe. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it. You can bet whenever I finally get around to the infantry battalion's headquarters company, I will cover the A&P platoon. Quite a few videos to get through before then...
Wow, fantastic explanation of something I’ve beat my brains out trying to understand after a lifetime of my fathers stories from his army days in the European Theater WWII. I am guilty of misquotes while sharing many of those stories. As deciphered here: My dad was was a Platoon Guide 28th Infantry Division, 112th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, I-Company, 3rdPlatoon. I always believed him to be a squad leader & I also referred to him as a platoon leader (using platoon & squad leaders interchangeably) Awesome video! Glad to finally have all that sorted out.
Per dad’s notes: 28th Infantry Division 112th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 3rd Battalion (Three Rifle Companies (I,K,L Companies) & One Heavy Weapons Company M-Company). I-Company (Four Platoons, three rifle platoons & one weapons platoon) Platoon Support Personnel: Mess (Master Sgt. & two Buck-Sgts.) Company Master Sgt. Company Bugler Supply Sgt. Mess Officer (Lieutenant) 1st Platoon (Rifle) (48 men total, Headquarters Platoon (5-men), 3 squads of 12 men each + 7-support) 2nd Platoon (Rifle) 3rd Platoon (Rifle) (Dad was the Platoon Guide but Platoon Leader LT. Pendleton got wounded & T/Sgt. Carl Smith either wounded or killed so dad was in line for a field promotion to T/Sgt. when he got shot on August 11th, 1944 near St. Lo, France. Consisted of the following: Platoon Leader Lt. Pendleton Platoon Sgt. T/Sgt. Carl Smith Platoon Guide S/Sgt. Lewis Brady Seneca Falls, NY Platoon Messengers/Runners: Anthony (Tiny) Imburgia, Company to Platoon Runner ROCHESTER, NY Gerald Wipfli, Platoon to Company Runner Nekoosa, WI 1st Squad (12 men, 1-S.Sgt (Squad Leader), 2-3 Buck-Sgts. (Assistant Squad Leaders), the rest were Privates) 2nd Squad 3rd Squad 4th Platoon (Weapons) S/Sgt. Louis Mizak K - Company (Rifle) L - Company (Rifle) M - Company (Heavy Weapons) Three Squad Leaders in the Platoon were: Sgt. Larry Glanz. Sgt. Ross, Sgt. Alex Horishini. Some of the Assistant Squad Leader were: Casey Wojack, Earl Smith. Lt. Col. Houghton was the Company Commander.
@@Manvillebrady Broadly speaking, why do popular culture (think about Wikipedia articles on the subject) and military historians act as though the operational level (massive regiments and divisions) and generals is/are all that matters? They ignore weapons and equipment designs, combat unit tactics, the supply situation, etc. in favor of terminology like "Rommel took Africa, and was the greatest German general..."? I find it silly.
@@reidparker1848 Wondering why you're asking me this question? I have no idea. I do know this video filled in the blanks to some question that have hung over my head since my dad is no longer around to answer those questions. This video and the graphics depicting the rifle platoon hierarchy have proved priceless to me. It's filled in a lot of blanks for me after failing to find answers elsewhere online, for a long time.
just found this video, I know you might not be producing content any more but appreciate the continued responses to questions/comments. This video was ahead of its time and outpaces even peer videos on the same subject- the addition of real accounts on how the platoon functioned in the field is excellent for a well rounded picture.
Thank you. I really appreciate it. I assure you this channel may be dormant but it is not dead. (I swore last time it would not be two years between videos, but here we are...) I promised a video on the organization of the weapons platoon next, and that is still the plan.
Thanks. Yes, platoon formations and tactics is next. The weapons platoon will either be covered in the video right before, or the video right after, platoon tactics.
I mean the following in the best possible way: This video is so filled with primary sources that it feels like a university course. I love it! Keep making videos!
"The best possible way" is the only way to take that. I know my videos can be wall-of-text heavy at times, but I make them for people who want to see what the primary sources have to say. I know how frustrating it can be when sources ARE cited...but have been out of print for 75 years. I'm aware not every interested viewer has copies of obscure contemporaneous professional journals handy.
fun facts, when i went through Benning in 2009 certain individuals in training would be put in charge by the drills. the person overall in charge who reported to the drills was called the Platoon Guide. while its not in our active platoons it still sort of exists. also the platoon sergeant is still the backbone, the guy we look to for our orders and guidance. The platoon leader is still respected but he more or less lays out the big picture orders and is our link to our sister platoons, but that sergeant is the one who feeds us immediate orders and controls the fight.
I would like to take a moment to praise your rate of speech. I usually have to 1.25x or 1.5x a video. I did not feel the need to do that while listening to you. I appreciate that. Thank you for uploading.
Thank you. And...That figures... The most consistent complaint the channel gets is: "You talk way too fast! Slow down!" So, I tried to slow down a bit in my latest video. You win some, you lose some.
While normally, I'm not one to "Advertise," I've been telling my friends who are interested in this stuff about your videos; they're just TOO good to not do so.
I think you did an excellent job. Many of my high school ROTC instructors were WWII and Korean combat infantry vets. They would have loved your attention to detail.
Damn I love your videos! Literally this is the sort of videos I was thinking of making a while back for the Polish army of 1939. But that idea never went anywhere. So I'm glad here I found your channel! Good work mate - Carry on!
You are correct, in the '70's the unit sniper was normally someone who scored repeatedly high on rifle qualification. However, there was a basic sniper course, one week long, at the Army Marksmanship Training Unit at Ft. Benning, GA. I attended that course in 1974. It was focused more on sniper operations than marksmanship. Things like ingress, optimal firing positions. target acquisition, and egress. Oddly enough, we were also trained on antenna construction and configurations. We thought it was someone in the signal corps playing some kind of a sick joke on us.
Outstanding channel! It's been a while since I discovered something as well researched & professionally put together. UA-cam seems to have been in somewhat of a lull in the past year or two with a dearth of original new content (after the apocalypse) so it's really heartening to see a new crop of talent emerging. Bravo!
Wow. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it. I don't get a ton of views, but I'm glad these videos are at least finding the right eyeballs.
My father never discussed his experiences, he was in the National Guard on Dec 7, 1941, and was activated almost immediately. he was a Sgt. went to OCS , fought in the Pacific. He was a 1st Lt. looking at the picture of his platoon there are 43 men. One SFC, three S/Sgt. and two Cpl. He fought on Guam and the Philippines, was wounded on Luzon, then spent a year in a hospital before getting a medical retirement. After he died I put his medals and ribbons in a shadow box beside his pictures.
Random fact, in the Canadian army we still do this "stalker". However the exercise is a bit different. You crawl, as soon as you are spotted the spotter has to walk someone out to you, he has to place the "walker" within 1ft of you. When you're caught your sent back. This is important because if you just mark it. It allows the spotter to track where you are and you wouldn't really be in that position after being spotted.
Another great video, keep up the good work! Very interesting I appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. The thorough analysis and skillful use of first hand accounts and historic sources makes for a quality as well as unique viewing experience. The least I can do is say thank you.
Thank you very much. I really do appreciate it. I don't upload for praise, but if the work went entirely unnoticed it would be pretty demoralizing. Comments like yours keep this channel going.
Decent video. I am a little disappointed this series does not go on to discuss infantry companies and battalions. A discussion of alternate U.S. platoons, such as paratroops, glider infantry, armored infantry, and marines would also be welcome. My particular interest is armored infantry.
Excellent production and filled some gaps in my knowledge. I have learned quite a lot (and importantly the rationale behind some decisions) Thank you. KEEP DOING these vids. I am now seeking out the others you have done.
Fantastic video. My grandpa was a technician operating a scr-300 radio in New Guinea and the Philippines. Really cool to see how he operated on the platoon level.
Excellent work. A good balance of technical manual and battlefield memoirs encapsulating how the US Army created citizen soldiers during WW II. Looking forward to your next video!
I was there in 66 and the one in charge was the Platoon Commander with the other two as D.I.There were also company and series commanders but we never saw them.
If you think the Commando Kelly story of Pfc to T/Sgt is crazy I’ve got another one like it. Private Douglas Schaffer of Huntington, WVa went from Pvt to T/Sgt in four weeks with 2/116 29th ID in November 1944 in the Rhineland. That stuff happened and it always blows my mind to some degree
Thanx for the comments on the crosshair scopes. No less an authority than Col. Jeff Cooper hisself championed the post reticle as a superior type vs. crosshair reticles. Quicker to acquire, sturdier, and better under COMBAT ( low light, misty, rainy) conditions. A fixed, low power( 2.5 to 4X) with external adjustments allows precision fire by trained marksmen out to 300 yards. Past that, call for fires.
The only reason those post reticles even made it into the hands of the troops during WWII was a shortage of M73B1s. All milspec scopes were cross-haired, but early in the A4 program Ordnance cleaned out Weaver of anything close in a effort to keep Remington in production. (There were civilian 330s with a tapered-post.) I actually included that quote because there are those who proclaim strong skepticism that any A4s with post reticles ever made it into combat. Well, one comment from 1944 is not exactly iron-clad proof, but I certainly find it compelling.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook well, the quote from Col.Cooper was from the article he wrote in Soldier of Fortune, his review of the SSG sniper rifle. This would've been the 1st model. Scope was a 10× Kahles, issued new with the rifle. 1978. or 79 I believe. Of course, now the red dot or chevron optics do about the same thing. Pick your poison. You do know who Cooper was I hope?
@@gulfrelay2249 Sorry, your reply was flagged as spam. That usually happens when someone posts a link, so I'm not sure what you did wrong to upset the UA-cam gods. Anyway, yeah, I didn't think you meant Cooper was discussing WWII rifles. I was just pointing out that, if the U.S. military had its way, not a single '03 with a post reticle would have been produced. They were initially seen as something to settle for in desperation. The Army obviously changed its tune my 1944 because the Lyman M82 became the primary scope for the newly adopted M1C.
Thank you so much. I appreciate that. What's funny is the comment just before yours said my videos were, "kind of on the anal side," and an aspect of this video was long winded. Then, right after, you say you appreciate the detail and concise presentation. If I've learned one thing making these videos its that it's impossible to please everyone...
Handy talkie is still used in fire and EMS services for hand held radios. We referred to our hand held as HT’s (handy talkie) and used HT as a prefix to our unit number when using held held so dispatch would know we were out of the truck.
Thank you! This channel is very much alive. (I, too, wish there were more videos!) The bad news is I lost most of my latest video about a month ago. The good news is I'm hard at work remaking it, and making good progress. (The audio has all been re-recorded. It's just the tedious illustrations that need to be completed, but I'm knee deep in those now.)
Even going back all the way to the first time I watched Saving Private Ryan, I thought how entirely useless the M1903A4 would be in a small unit action. I was pretty vindicated by a quote in Richard Stannard's "Infantry," which is an amazing read if you haven't already checked it out. I'm paraphrasing, but essentially the interviewee abandons his 03 in favor of an M1 at first opportunity, calling it "a useless weapon in a firefight." As you often say about "Uncle Frank," I know practices weren't universal. Just an interesting nugget given that you dealt quite a bit on the implementation of the 03. Great videos!
"small" unit. You mean a combat unit. The company is the largest formation relevant to combat, in my personal opinion. The battalion serves as something of a "depot" echelon to directly allocate armor, air, etc assets from the "regiment"/"division" to the combat companies on downwards. Oh boy, General Pershing had the bright idea to make infantrymen wear divisional insignia on their sleeve, that must make it the most important. The statement "X echelon is the basic unit of a military" is fundamentally wrong. You can "start" anywhere you want.
FYI, not sure where you hear that medic's were not allowed weapons, they are allowed a weapon, at least Corpsman wise. That weapon was a pistol. The use of said pistol was meant for the defense of themselves and their patient or patients they were tending to. One famous statue depicts a corpsman holding a bottle of plasma IV to a fallen marine while at the same time using his pistol to defend against Japanese soldiers.
Funny that the title of platoon guide lives on, at least it did when I was in basic training in 1995. Platoon guide was what we called our recruit private who was basically the acting platoon sergeant. Though the role of platoon guide is basically handled by the weapons squad leader today.
Enjoyed this video very much, especially the well-thought-out organization and brilliant graphics! The reference information presentation is especially noteworthy. Are you a professional documentary producer? If not, you should be!
The radio you referred to - the SCR-536 - was a five pound, five tube AM transceiver that operated on batteries usually lasting one day of normal use. It had one crystal controlled frequency of 50 channels in the 3-6 Mc HF band.
Very interesting stuff. I like how you compare the different philosophies that the German and US armies had. The German one MG per squad really made the Allied troops bleed for every yard they gained. I would also like to hear more about the medics role in different theaters.
I was a Marine infantryman in the mid 2000’s. We had a platoon guide who was a senior sergeant in the zone for staff sergeant but not yet promoted. He was also too fat and old to be a squad leader, but could help the platoon sergeant with administrative tasks like EDL’s (Equipment Density Lists-a roster of all serialized issued weapons and gear).
Thanks. A rifle platoon tactics video will be next. After that I plan to cover the organization of the rifle company's weapons platoon in its own video, but it should shed more light on the company as a whole.
Platoon headquarters is more of an administrative unit; in combat its members scattered throughout the platoon. My guess is snipers would stay with their squads and act as designated marksmen until called upon for a specific sniper mission…But I haven't seen anything concrete. Exactly how he was utilized could depend on unit SOP, the sniper's competence and his officer's whim. FM 7-10 (1944), the infantry company field manual, is almost comically lacking when it comes to the use of snipers. They are mentioned only three times: Page 3: "One M1903A4 rifle, equipped with a telescopic sight mounted directly over the receiver, is furnished to each rifle platoon for use in sniping. This rifle is employed by an individual designated by the platoon leader to act as a sniper." Pages 79-80: "Snipers may be used to infiltrate through enemy lines and operate in hostile rear areas for extended periods without resupply of food or ammunition. Personnel at command posts, straggler lines and supply points are remunerative targets. The action of snipers who infiltrate to the vicinity of hostile bivouacs and assembly areas is particularly harassing to inexperienced troops." Page 141: "A sniper is an expert rifleman, well qualified in scouting, whose duty is to pick off key enemy personnel who expose themselves. By eliminating enemy leaders and harassing the troops, sniping softens the enemy's resistance and weakens his morale. Snipers may be employed by the company commander and platoon leaders in either offensive or defensive situations." Other material laid out sniper selection, training, weapons...But nothing on the sniper's exact place within the platoon (or tactical doctrine for that matter). It’s like the army threw an M1903A4 at each platoon in 1943 and said, "figure it out."
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook have you taken a look at FM 21-75? "Scouting, Patrolling, and Sniping". I believe it's meant mainly for the designated scouts, but could also cover some of the roles/positions of the marksman. Will probably pick up an original print soon, so I'll be sure to check for any mention of it there.
@@jacqueline6475 I use a few excerpts (and images) from FM 21-75 in this video. The parts I included about "mobile snipers" and "stationary observer-snipers” were actually the most salient regarding tactical doctrine. As I mentioned, "The relevant section is only 13 pages but it details the conduct of some exercises in camouflage, movement, spotting targets, etc." The sniping chapter runs from pages 169-181. It starts by reiterating the text from FM 7-10 and finishes with nine pages devoted to training exercises. It's heavy on how to make snipers, but light on how to use them. Both tasks described in the manual ("to infiltrate enemy lines and seek out and destroy appropriate targets along enemy routes of supply and communication" and "operating sniping posts assigned definite sectors of fire") suggest a stabilized front. Well, what do they do during a rapid advance? We can obviously look to later doctrine to try and fill in the gaps, but I'm always conscious of presentism. (Is what we think now actually what they thought then?) For WWII, we're talking about platoon-level assets. I need to see the information in black-and-white in a primary source before I'm comfortable putting it into a video.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook ah okay, haven't rewatched this video in a while so probably forgot about that. Using all these sources is one of the things that makes your videos so impressive! Any idea when the next one will be ready?
Well, that's just been my personal experience talking to veterans of that era. All the "Old Uncle Franks" living someplace else may have pronounced it differently. All I can tell you is that the ones I heard say it pronounced it "car-bean," yet all the training film narrators pronounced it "car-byne."
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook -- Thanks, again, for the clarification. As an infantry veteran (USA, 1980-1992) I very much admire your work, because you've done the full reading (pace Dr. Venkman), so your work always is faithful, true, and accurate to the facts of the matter. I look forward to your new videos, after I watch the videos you've already published. Keep up the good work.
If you are still checking the comments on this video, do you have any more information on the naming conventions for platoons and squads worked during WWII? I know that Companies are named alphabetically (Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, ...etc), and from some of the primary sources in your video, I gather that Platoons within those companies were named numerically, (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Were squads named numerically like platoons, or alphabetically like companies (or some other, formal/informal method)? Very good video, I have only seen your rifle squad and platoon videos so far, but am looking forward to watching the others when I have the time.
I plan to cover this in my company organization video. Squad were numbered like platoons. So it'd be "1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, B Company" or "2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, C Company." You could then name the regiment because, at least for standard "leg" infantry, Able through Dog Companies were always 1st Battalion, Easy through How Companies were always 2nd Battalion, and Item through Mike Companies were always 3rd Battalion. (Noting that in the US Army there is traditionally never a "J" Company.)
The M1 carbine wasn't envisioned as an assault rifle, but it did sorta become one in Vietnam. In close quarter engagements the length, weight and limited ammo capacity of the M1 Garand was a serious handicap while it's range and penetration largely redundant. Especially if you're a 5'4'' 125lbs south vietnamese.
War,never again.But i must say this was the era where infantry troops were the special forces.Defence,offense,assault tacticts in every weather condition or battle terrain.Digging fox holes,mining in first line,defending an area with a compilation of weapons.Assault tactics from sea,air or assault on high ground or mechanized operations.Tense,fear and morale were high.Respect.
In the Army they are called Platoon Leaders because they lack command authority.The command authority is reserved at the Company/Troop/Battery level. Those commanders can reduce rank, confine to barracks, and more or less dole out any non-judicial punishment. Platoon leaders, at least in the Army, can only recommend such punishments; they lack the authority to enforce or authorize them.
My grandfather always hated phones one Christmas almost out of nowhere conversations started and he ended up saying that from Sept 43-jan 45.. his three purple hearts came after shorty being "appointed" a radio operator for a combat platoon .. he ended the war a tech sgt and fortunately missed Korea as he had just had three kids and apparently did a little dance out of the office when he was told to go home and discharged lol... Rest in peace William "Ben" Whitaker
Damn, i had no idea ny great grandfather had the same job as Audie Murphy. He was a foward artillery observer but for 155mm howitzers. No wonder he also had severe PTSD until the day he died
Well, Audie Murphy was a rifle platoon leader who did some forward observing on the side. In fact, a significant part of his MOH action pertains to his directing artillery fire.
Big difference today, a normal squad has two teams, alpha and bravo, and one squad leader. Consists of 9 men: squad leader, two team leaders, two SAW gunners, two grenadiers, two riflemen. The squad has seven M4’s, two M203’s, and two M249 SAW’s. There are 3 squads set up like this with a weapon squad that has 7 to 9 men also, normally it’s a senior squad leader, with two team leaders, two gunners , two ammo barriers, and two assisted gunners.
Like many bemused viewers, I am taken aback by how much attention this video has received in the past week. This has meant a dramatic increase in comments. In the past, I have tried to respond to everyone who left a sincere comment or inquiry on my channel, but until things settle down that will no longer be possible. To those who go responseless: If you liked my video - Thank you very much for the support. I genuinely appreciate it. If you disliked my video - Hey, I tried my best and I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking. Either way, UA-cam wants the "engagement," so I thank you all for your time.
UA-cam just recommended it to me out of the blue.
Thanks for your work, very informative.
Make MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
MOAR VIDS PLZ!
Seriously, you're doing a great job.
I imagine that these take a good while to produce, but please keep at it!
You did a great job, on the video. It was recommended by UA-cam. Looks like it may be going viral, you deserve it.
Just please kindly slow down a bit with words in videos. I have no wish of making drastic adjustment to speed of playing the video.
My Dad was a staff sergeant in December 1945 and took over his platoon when his lieutenant platoon leader was killed. He received a Battlefield Commission to 2nd Lt and continued to lead the platoon till the end of the war. He was 24 at the time with no college or OCS. He had been drafted in 1942 and he returned to civilian life after the War. He was recalled for Korea and ended up staying in the Army till 1969 after a 13 month tour in Vietnam. He was promoted in Korea to Captain and in Vietnam to Major. Every promotion he received in 22 years active duty occurred during overseas combat tours. The Army bumped him to LT Col right before he retired as a little bonus towards his retirement pay.
Greg Kerr
I’ve Heard roomers of officers who rose from the ranks facing friction from their fellow officers. Not sure how true this is, but if indeed true, all credit to your dad for working with colleagues who may have not wanted him there.
@@robin_5099 Yes, he did face some friction from fellow officers and commanders during his career. Some officers who were graduates of one military academy or other likely thought he had no business commanding anyone. Dad had a low bullshit threshold and little tolerance to what he referred to as "chicken shit". His career was probably saved in 1964 by a Colonel who was like minded. The Colonel was his regimental commander and gave Dad command of a battalion. Dad was a Captain at that time and had been one since 1952. Dad had had a commander who who had written him several bad evals that had caused him to be passed over for major. Army evals cannot be untruthful in regards actual physical aspects of job performance, but a commander can ruin a man's career through nuanced words indicating that although the officer performed his duties flawlessly, that he may have reached his maximum level of capability . If you can't rise in rank after x number of years the Army let's you got. The Colonel who gave Dad command of the battalion did so over the heads of several majors and one LTCol and managed to push a promotion through to Major once they hit Vietnam. During the nine months before Vietnam, my Dad was the lowest ranking officer to command a battalion in the entire U.S. Army. The finest accolade I ever heard concerning my Dad, came from the Sergeant Major of the battalion he commanded. The Sgt Major was also a vet of WW2 AND kOREA AND vIETNAM with an impressive amount of fruit salad on his chest. He got me aside in 1966 and told me I should always be proud of my Dad as he was the finest officer the Sgt Major had ever served with. In many ways...I think especially in today's world...the best officers don't necessarily rise to the top, but many of those that do, just play the political game better. Sad but true. As far as I know, the military no longer issues battlefield promotions and all officers must be college graduates at minimum. Imagine a 2nd lt grad of some academy like West Point shipping over to Afghanistan or somewhere like that, and being in command of an SFC or some other senior NCO who has six combat tours under his belt. I think in very rare cases the Army will send an enlisted man through OCS and then station him somewhere where he attends a four year college degree program before being placed back into regular duty. Heck, maybe they don't even do that anymore!
@@gregkerr725 wow that is awesome , my grandfather always talk about how the american effectively artillery demoralized his troop (PLA side)
Greg Kerr
I mean, some jobs within the military definitely need higher education. Namely the medical and law fields. However when it comes to combat commands, i’m more inclined to believe the old adage of experience being a better teacher than classroom training. That’s not to say that academies don’t produce exceptional officers in their own right, as history can attest to, but the military’s insistence on following a prescribed path to officer status definitely loses them good leaders. However, acting as my own devils advocate here, I can definitely see their point of view in needing every officer to have a common denominator in their education. It allows them a degree of control and responsibility for ensuring there is a basic level of ability for every officer. Which makes your dad‘s story even more remarkable. If you’re interested on a story of a soldier rising to the very top of the military, look up field Marshall Robertson of the British Army. In an era of even more stratification in class, (1877-1920) his meteoric rise from Private to Field Marshal is incredible. Politics was undoubtedly involved, but nevertheless his rise to the very top when being of a certain class (gentleman) was required in order to be an officer is remarkable.
i guess political game in the army is kinda universal thing , in 1964 there are 3 commie side the nationalist ,hcm and le duan. chose the right one you will sent behide chose the wrong one you will be sent to the tet offensive , and we all know how those guys sent to tet offensive end up shorly after that hcm die
5:35 It's only called a _Carb-ene_ if it comes from the Carbine region in France. Otherwise it's just a sparkling short rifle.
Had me rolling dude lol
LOL! I sure hope people get the joke…
LOL!
14 BARs in a platoon! That crew was barking fire.
Given that the Germans went 'all ze machineguns' in WW1 (I'm serious, by the end of the 1st World War, the Germans had 288 MGs per division or 56 men per MG) and being on the receiving end, it was natural that there would be a replication on the US side. This is especially true when the US encountered the world's first GMGs (MG-34s and MG-42s).
I think he said 14 BARs per that specific Company.
1944 USMC TO&E had nine BARs per platoon by default.
@@MatthewBaileyBeAfraid it's mentioned in the video that a particular platoon had 14 B.A.Rs, he then goes on to mention that another platoon had 0 B.A.Rs (having given them away).
>GMGs
an mg-42 is not a GMG
Damn, this video is impressive. Graphics, accurate info, and no irritating YT bs. Well done.
When by National Guard unit deployed to Iraq in March 2003 we had two M1A4 sniper rifles in our arms room. As they were not part of our TOE and were not expected to be needed, they were turned in. It is interesting that these weapons, which were about 60 years old at the time, were still in the inventory so many years later. We also had 10 M1200 Winchester 12 gauge trench guns (yes, trench guns - they had the ventilated rib) along with the 18 inch "pig sticker" bayonets. These were turned in and replaced by Mossberg 500s.
Ironic, since that’s around the time that the US military began implementing its Squad Designated Marksman program due to troop experience in Iraq an Afghanistan…..
We had several 1918 BAR's in our inventory at Husky in VN. They were much used and appreciated as they cut bush down better than the M4
According to one Pacific Theater Army vet I knew, the M1 carbine and the Thompson were by far the most effective and sought after weapons. Engagements were close and being able to put down fire was more important than penetration. At less than 50 yards the carbine was more than sufficient.
Your inclusion of direct quotes from a variety of source materials is top notch. Thanks for making this!
My great uncle was a scout with G Company, 85th of the 10th Mountain division. He was called on to recon deep into minefields and German positions at night, sketch maps, narrowly avoided capture and got a bronze star for his bravery.
My father was a rifle platoon leader in the 82nd during Market Garden. There was no way in hell he was going to carry the M1 Carbine. All three of his sons (myself included) subsequently became infantry officers where our first job was rifle platoon leader. I never knew how my father's platoon organization differed from mine. Now I do. Thanks for the video.
Which company? That's much more important.
**sigh**
Suppose I'll have to re-watch Band of Brothers now...
Same lol
Oh, the humanity! ;)
BOB is my annual Memorial Day binge watch.
Kinda off topic but also make sure to check out "the Pacific" it's made by the same people and I found myself enjoying it more then BOB
@@ericsilver9401 I enjoy some aspects more.. Definitly.
Leckie is my favourite, no doubt.
I would love to see you continue this series! Company, Battalion, Brigade, Division, Corps, Army, Army Group, and Theatre. Your videos are starting to get some UA-cam algorithmic love, I think for anybody who loved band of brothers, learning more about the organizational structure of European and Pacific theatre infantry forces would be much loved! Thanks for the awesome content :)
I'm irritated that I attempt to approach military history from the company level (and looking all the way to squad and team tactics) because they fascinate me almost as much as weapons design, only to be stifled by the intellectual "establishment" around the subject(s): endless chattering about massive divisions and the rear-area-dwelling politicians (flag officers) who are most focused on by historians/scholars.
I love that people think the M1 Carbine was not powerful. It is the predecessor to the M16 type battle rifle. We wanted a shorter round to allow soldiers to carry more rounds. It was a great weapon, especially the M1A1 Carbine that was select fire, with the ability to fire fully automatic. That modification came late in the war.
Though not as powerful as the 30-06 round fired by the M1 Rifle, it was accurate and deadly out to 300 meters, which was much, much further than the 50 meters a M1911 could hit if you were good with a handgun. What people fail to realize is the 30 cal round was supersonic at 1990 fps with almost 1000 pounds of muzzle energy. The round didn't have the bullet coefficient that the 30-06 had so it lost it's supersonic speed at about 200 meters, which equates to lower terminal ballistics and pretty significant bullet drop.
I absolutely love this series of videos! Keep it up, looking forward to more.
Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
Holy cow, even if you’ve been in Army for a long time, this is a great refresher.
Thank you very much. Though, if your platoon ever looked exactly like this you've been in the army a VERY long time!
VERY well-documented and complete! Both my dad and I were infantry platoon leaders; I in the 70’s (Mech) and he in ‘43-‘45. However, he earned his CIB as the Ammunition and Pioneer platoon leader of his battalion in the 406th Inf Reg, 102nd Inf Div. I would ask that this relatively unheralded unit benefit from your exemplary examination! The A & P platoon delivered ammunition to the line units as well as acting as “engineers” for their battalions: clearing and laying mines, obstacles, etc. They were awarded Combat Infantry Badges just as other infantry. Every soldier in my dad’s platoon was either wounded or killed in 6 months of combat from Aachen to the Elbe. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much! I really appreciate it. You can bet whenever I finally get around to the infantry battalion's headquarters company, I will cover the A&P platoon. Quite a few videos to get through before then...
Great video, always looking forward to new content from your channel. Keep up the awesome work.
With feedback that positive, how can I quit? Thank you very much.
Wow, fantastic explanation of something I’ve beat my brains out trying to understand after a lifetime of my fathers stories from his army days in the European Theater WWII. I am guilty of misquotes while sharing many of those stories. As deciphered here: My dad was was a Platoon Guide 28th Infantry Division, 112th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, I-Company, 3rdPlatoon. I always believed him to be a squad leader & I also referred to him as a platoon leader (using platoon & squad leaders interchangeably) Awesome video! Glad to finally have all that sorted out.
Per dad’s notes:
28th Infantry Division
112th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion (Three Rifle Companies (I,K,L Companies) & One Heavy Weapons Company M-Company).
I-Company (Four Platoons, three rifle platoons & one weapons platoon)
Platoon Support Personnel:
Mess (Master Sgt. & two Buck-Sgts.)
Company Master Sgt.
Company Bugler
Supply Sgt.
Mess Officer (Lieutenant)
1st Platoon (Rifle) (48 men total, Headquarters Platoon (5-men), 3 squads of 12 men each + 7-support)
2nd Platoon (Rifle)
3rd Platoon (Rifle) (Dad was the Platoon Guide but Platoon Leader LT. Pendleton got wounded & T/Sgt. Carl Smith either wounded or killed so dad was in line for a field promotion to T/Sgt. when he got shot on August 11th, 1944 near St. Lo, France.
Consisted of the following:
Platoon Leader Lt. Pendleton
Platoon Sgt. T/Sgt. Carl Smith
Platoon Guide S/Sgt. Lewis Brady Seneca Falls, NY
Platoon Messengers/Runners:
Anthony (Tiny) Imburgia, Company to Platoon Runner ROCHESTER, NY
Gerald Wipfli, Platoon to Company Runner Nekoosa, WI
1st Squad (12 men, 1-S.Sgt (Squad Leader), 2-3 Buck-Sgts. (Assistant Squad Leaders), the rest were Privates)
2nd Squad
3rd Squad
4th Platoon (Weapons) S/Sgt. Louis Mizak
K - Company (Rifle)
L - Company (Rifle)
M - Company (Heavy Weapons)
Three Squad Leaders in the Platoon were:
Sgt. Larry Glanz.
Sgt. Ross,
Sgt. Alex Horishini.
Some of the Assistant Squad Leader were:
Casey Wojack,
Earl Smith.
Lt. Col. Houghton was the Company Commander.
@@Manvillebrady
Broadly speaking, why do popular culture (think about Wikipedia articles on the subject) and military historians act as though the operational level (massive regiments and divisions) and generals is/are all that matters? They ignore weapons and equipment designs, combat unit tactics, the supply situation, etc. in favor of terminology like "Rommel took Africa, and was the greatest German general..."? I find it silly.
@@reidparker1848 Wondering why you're asking me this question? I have no idea. I do know this video filled in the blanks to some question that have hung over my head since my dad is no longer around to answer those questions. This video and the graphics depicting the rifle platoon hierarchy have proved priceless to me. It's filled in a lot of blanks for me after failing to find answers elsewhere online, for a long time.
ua-cam.com/video/uQlg-w5Zv0A/v-deo.html Zoomed in video capture of the 28th Infantry Division, 112th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion I-Company Photo WWII (circa 1942 ???)
This is the best explanation of Rifle Platoon organisation and procedure I have seen. thank you
just found this video, I know you might not be producing content any more but appreciate the continued responses to questions/comments. This video was ahead of its time and outpaces even peer videos on the same subject- the addition of real accounts on how the platoon functioned in the field is excellent for a well rounded picture.
Thank you. I really appreciate it. I assure you this channel may be dormant but it is not dead. (I swore last time it would not be two years between videos, but here we are...) I promised a video on the organization of the weapons platoon next, and that is still the plan.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook glad to hear it and looking forward
Amazing well researched video. Very well illustrated. Historically accurate. This is good enough to put on the History Channel.
thx for the effort. so next is platoon formations/tactics. and then support units.
good thing the medic got a spot light too.
Thanks.
Yes, platoon formations and tactics is next. The weapons platoon will either be covered in the video right before, or the video right after, platoon tactics.
I mean the following in the best possible way: This video is so filled with primary sources that it feels like a university course. I love it! Keep making videos!
"The best possible way" is the only way to take that. I know my videos can be wall-of-text heavy at times, but I make them for people who want to see what the primary sources have to say. I know how frustrating it can be when sources ARE cited...but have been out of print for 75 years. I'm aware not every interested viewer has copies of obscure contemporaneous professional journals handy.
fun facts, when i went through Benning in 2009 certain individuals in training would be put in charge by the drills. the person overall in charge who reported to the drills was called the Platoon Guide. while its not in our active platoons it still sort of exists. also the platoon sergeant is still the backbone, the guy we look to for our orders and guidance. The platoon leader is still respected but he more or less lays out the big picture orders and is our link to our sister platoons, but that sergeant is the one who feeds us immediate orders and controls the fight.
I’m an amateur radio operator and we definitely still use the term handie-talkie, or HT, when referring to our handheld radios.
I would like to take a moment to praise your rate of speech. I usually have to 1.25x or 1.5x a video. I did not feel the need to do that while listening to you. I appreciate that. Thank you for uploading.
Thank you.
And...That figures... The most consistent complaint the channel gets is: "You talk way too fast! Slow down!" So, I tried to slow down a bit in my latest video. You win some, you lose some.
While normally, I'm not one to "Advertise," I've been telling my friends who are interested in this stuff about your videos; they're just TOO good to not do so.
Thank you very much. I'll gladly accept all the viewers you can send my way! Much appreciated.
I think you did an excellent job. Many of my high school ROTC instructors were WWII and Korean combat infantry vets. They would have loved your attention to detail.
Damn I love your videos! Literally this is the sort of videos I was thinking of making a while back for the Polish army of 1939. But that idea never went anywhere. So I'm glad here I found your channel! Good work mate - Carry on!
Digging all that information out, is alot of work. You should consider to write that into a book. Folks are interested in such things.
You are correct, in the '70's the unit sniper was normally someone who scored repeatedly high on rifle qualification. However, there was a basic sniper course, one week long, at the Army Marksmanship Training Unit at Ft. Benning, GA. I attended that course in 1974. It was focused more on sniper operations than marksmanship. Things like ingress, optimal firing positions. target acquisition, and egress. Oddly enough, we were also trained on antenna construction and configurations. We thought it was someone in the signal corps playing some kind of a sick joke on us.
Outstanding channel! It's been a while since I discovered something as well researched & professionally put together. UA-cam seems to have been in somewhat of a lull in the past year or two with a dearth of original new content (after the apocalypse) so it's really heartening to see a new crop of talent emerging. Bravo!
ham radio operators use the term handie-talkie to this day and I wondered where that came from, since I'd always heard walkie-talkie. TIL
Fantastic video with meticulous attention to detail! If only Gilluly had gotten that tank!
He needs his own episode of something.
Brilliantly researched, delivered really well and perfect production. These videos are a joy to watch, thank you.
Wow. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it. I don't get a ton of views, but I'm glad these videos are at least finding the right eyeballs.
Helps me in making a milsim unit for ArmA 3. Opened me up to reading FMs and TMs. This is awesome. You make my job easier haha.
Thank you so much. This was so clear and well done. I really enjoy your work.
Great to see a new video!
Excellent! By the time I'm finished with a new video I'm so sick of it I never want to watch it again.
My father never discussed his experiences, he was in the National Guard on Dec 7, 1941, and was activated almost immediately. he was a Sgt. went to OCS , fought in the Pacific. He was a 1st Lt. looking at the picture of his platoon there are 43 men. One SFC, three S/Sgt. and two Cpl. He fought on Guam and the Philippines, was wounded on Luzon, then spent a year in a hospital before getting a medical retirement. After he died I put his medals and ribbons in a shadow box beside his pictures.
Random fact, in the Canadian army we still do this "stalker". However the exercise is a bit different. You crawl, as soon as you are spotted the spotter has to walk someone out to you, he has to place the "walker" within 1ft of you. When you're caught your sent back. This is important because if you just mark it. It allows the spotter to track where you are and you wouldn't really be in that position after being spotted.
Another great video, keep up the good work! Very interesting I appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos. The thorough analysis and skillful use of first hand accounts and historic sources makes for a quality as well as unique viewing experience. The least I can do is say thank you.
Thank you very much. I really do appreciate it. I don't upload for praise, but if the work went entirely unnoticed it would be pretty demoralizing. Comments like yours keep this channel going.
14 men with BAR's in one platoon. Christ, imagine the firepower they could output.
Imagine being a German soldier and you just hear 14 bars firing off near by...
Imagine all the ammo bearers needed . The SAW was a great improvement to slinging lead down range !
Hearing that the M1 Carbine was basically a replacement for sidearms carried by platoon leaders makes a hell of a lot of sense. Explains a lot.
It was the rifle of choice for the French in Vietnam. Of course they lost.
Decent video. I am a little disappointed this series does not go on to discuss infantry companies and battalions. A discussion of alternate U.S. platoons, such as paratroops, glider infantry, armored infantry, and marines would also be welcome. My particular interest is armored infantry.
Excellent production and filled some gaps in my knowledge. I have learned quite a lot (and importantly the rationale behind some decisions) Thank you. KEEP DOING these vids. I am now seeking out the others you have done.
Fantastic video. My grandpa was a technician operating a scr-300 radio in New Guinea and the Philippines. Really cool to see how he operated on the platoon level.
Thank you. The SCR-300 will be covered whenever I get around to making a rifle company organization video.
G.I. History Handbook can’t wait to watch it!
Excellent work. A good balance of technical manual and battlefield memoirs encapsulating how the US Army created citizen soldiers during WW II.
Looking forward to your next video!
Thank you. It's very much appreciated.
@G.I. History Handbook: In the Marine Corps, main drill instructors were titled "platoon commander" at MCRD San Diego when I was there in 1972.
I was there in 66 and the one in charge was the Platoon Commander with the other two as D.I.There were also company and series commanders but we never saw them.
Excellent work. Thank you for not forgetting the medics.
Could your next video talk about how Weapons platoon worked?
A weapons platoon video will be coming. It won't be my next video, but it won't be too far down the line.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook Any update on that video lol
This is one of my favorite channels, really hope it gets revived soon.
@@jacqueline6475 I'm hoping to complete my long-gestating rifle platoon tactics video this month. That's an hour of new content coming soon.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook Oh, fantastic! Really looking forward to it. Thanks for the great work :p
@@jacqueline6475 New video is up. That means Weapons platoon Organization is my next video.
If you think the Commando Kelly story of Pfc to T/Sgt is crazy I’ve got another one like it. Private Douglas Schaffer of Huntington, WVa went from Pvt to T/Sgt in four weeks with 2/116 29th ID in November 1944 in the Rhineland. That stuff happened and it always blows my mind to some degree
another note on radios, the crystals were problematic, and also backed up the supply chain.
Thanx for the comments on the crosshair scopes. No less an authority than Col. Jeff Cooper hisself championed the post reticle as a superior type vs. crosshair reticles. Quicker to acquire, sturdier, and better under COMBAT ( low light, misty, rainy) conditions. A fixed, low power( 2.5 to 4X) with external adjustments allows precision fire by trained marksmen out to 300 yards. Past that, call for fires.
The only reason those post reticles even made it into the hands of the troops during WWII was a shortage of M73B1s. All milspec scopes were cross-haired, but early in the A4 program Ordnance cleaned out Weaver of anything close in a effort to keep Remington in production. (There were civilian 330s with a tapered-post.)
I actually included that quote because there are those who proclaim strong skepticism that any A4s with post reticles ever made it into combat. Well, one comment from 1944 is not exactly iron-clad proof, but I certainly find it compelling.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook well, the quote from Col.Cooper was from the article he wrote in Soldier of Fortune, his review of the SSG sniper rifle. This would've been the 1st model. Scope was a 10× Kahles, issued new with the rifle. 1978. or 79 I believe. Of course, now the red dot or chevron optics do about the same thing. Pick your poison. You do know who Cooper was I hope?
@@gulfrelay2249 Sorry, your reply was flagged as spam. That usually happens when someone posts a link, so I'm not sure what you did wrong to upset the UA-cam gods. Anyway, yeah, I didn't think you meant Cooper was discussing WWII rifles. I was just pointing out that, if the U.S. military had its way, not a single '03 with a post reticle would have been produced. They were initially seen as something to settle for in desperation. The Army obviously changed its tune my 1944 because the Lyman M82 became the primary scope for the newly adopted M1C.
This is really awesome. 2k views dont do justice for this academic level stuff.
Thank you very much. More views would be nice, but it's heartening that the people who do watch it tend to appreciate the effort.
Wow... amazing detail. And the writing and presentation are superb... Articulate, concise. I'll be coming back for sure.
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
What's funny is the comment just before yours said my videos were, "kind of on the anal side," and an aspect of this video was long winded. Then, right after, you say you appreciate the detail and concise presentation. If I've learned one thing making these videos its that it's impossible to please everyone...
Excellent content I appreciate the effort put into these videos and hope you continue to make them.
Great info, well laid out. Nice to see how Army elements differed from Marine Corps.
Handy talkie is still used in fire and EMS services for hand held radios. We referred to our hand held as HT’s (handy talkie) and used HT as a prefix to our unit number when using held held so dispatch would know we were out of the truck.
Did you know that your channel kicks ass? Just watched your rifle squad attack video and it was great.
Thank you so much.
I’ve watched this video at least ten times, still waiting for new videos! ❤️
I hope this channel is still alive I love these! I wish there were more!
Thank you! This channel is very much alive. (I, too, wish there were more videos!) The bad news is I lost most of my latest video about a month ago. The good news is I'm hard at work remaking it, and making good progress. (The audio has all been re-recorded. It's just the tedious illustrations that need to be completed, but I'm knee deep in those now.)
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook good to hear
Even going back all the way to the first time I watched Saving Private Ryan, I thought how entirely useless the M1903A4 would be in a small unit action. I was pretty vindicated by a quote in Richard Stannard's "Infantry," which is an amazing read if you haven't already checked it out. I'm paraphrasing, but essentially the interviewee abandons his 03 in favor of an M1 at first opportunity, calling it "a useless weapon in a firefight." As you often say about "Uncle Frank," I know practices weren't universal. Just an interesting nugget given that you dealt quite a bit on the implementation of the 03. Great videos!
"small" unit. You mean a combat unit. The company is the largest formation relevant to combat, in my personal opinion. The battalion serves as something of a "depot" echelon to directly allocate armor, air, etc assets from the "regiment"/"division" to the combat companies on downwards. Oh boy, General Pershing had the bright idea to make infantrymen wear divisional insignia on their sleeve, that must make it the most important. The statement "X echelon is the basic unit of a military" is fundamentally wrong. You can "start" anywhere you want.
FYI, not sure where you hear that medic's were not allowed weapons, they are allowed a weapon, at least Corpsman wise. That weapon was a pistol. The use of said pistol was meant for the defense of themselves and their patient or patients they were tending to. One famous statue depicts a corpsman holding a bottle of plasma IV to a fallen marine while at the same time using his pistol to defend against Japanese soldiers.
Great video! This is helping me with my research!!!
Glad to be of service!
Funny that the title of platoon guide lives on, at least it did when I was in basic training in 1995. Platoon guide was what we called our recruit private who was basically the acting platoon sergeant. Though the role of platoon guide is basically handled by the weapons squad leader today.
Thanks for keeping these videos alive!🤙🏽 Job well done!👍🏽
Im loving these long videos, keep it up!
Thank you. I'll do what I can as long as I can!
Enjoyed this video very much, especially the well-thought-out organization and brilliant graphics! The reference information presentation is especially noteworthy. Are you a professional documentary producer? If not, you should be!
The radio you referred to - the SCR-536 - was a five pound, five tube AM transceiver that operated on batteries usually lasting one day of normal use. It had one crystal controlled frequency of 50 channels in the 3-6 Mc HF band.
A fun side note. Old ham radio guys often call hand radios “handy talkies”. So it is still in use out there.
I take it medics were not assigned to platoons as they are today. What levels were medics assigned? Company?
Very interesting stuff. I like how you compare the different philosophies that the German and US armies had. The German one MG per squad really made the Allied troops bleed for every yard they gained. I would also like to hear more about the medics role in different theaters.
I was a Marine infantryman in the mid 2000’s. We had a platoon guide who was a senior sergeant in the zone for staff sergeant but not yet promoted. He was also too fat and old to be a squad leader, but could help the platoon sergeant with administrative tasks like EDL’s (Equipment Density Lists-a roster of all serialized issued weapons and gear).
looks like a mess, how did he manage to stay ?
Histori K it was wartime when we needed sergeants, and he was put out to pasture to recruiting duty after my first deployment.
You should do a video on the Weapons platoon and the Company as a whole. Great stuff.
Thanks. While my next video will cover rifle platoon tactics, the video after that one will examine the organization of the weapons platoon.
This video is so well done. Impressed
I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
For what it is worth for many years, Motorola marketed a series of radios they were in a series called HT. HT was an abbreviation of 'Handy Talkie.'
Earned my CMB in 2007; Thanks for the history lesson.
Thanks for sitting through it. Much appreciated.
Great videos. Please keep making them. Rifle Company next???
Yes please!! Rifle Company!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks. A rifle platoon tactics video will be next. After that I plan to cover the organization of the rifle company's weapons platoon in its own video, but it should shed more light on the company as a whole.
Very nice, complete, well structured, really instructive. I love these kinds of video. I'm looking forward for more and I'm totally subscribbing.
Did the Sniper Stick With Platoon Headquarters or was he assigned to a Squad?
Platoon headquarters is more of an administrative unit; in combat its members scattered throughout the platoon. My guess is snipers would stay with their squads and act as designated marksmen until called upon for a specific sniper mission…But I haven't seen anything concrete. Exactly how he was utilized could depend on unit SOP, the sniper's competence and his officer's whim. FM 7-10 (1944), the infantry company field manual, is almost comically lacking when it comes to the use of snipers. They are mentioned only three times:
Page 3: "One M1903A4 rifle, equipped with a telescopic sight mounted directly over the receiver, is furnished to each rifle platoon for use in sniping. This rifle is employed by an individual designated by the platoon leader to act as a sniper."
Pages 79-80: "Snipers may be used to infiltrate through enemy lines and operate in hostile rear areas for extended periods without resupply of food or ammunition. Personnel at command posts, straggler lines and supply points are remunerative targets. The action of snipers who infiltrate to the vicinity of hostile bivouacs and assembly areas is particularly harassing to inexperienced troops."
Page 141: "A sniper is an expert rifleman, well qualified in scouting, whose duty is to pick off key enemy personnel who expose themselves. By eliminating enemy leaders and harassing the troops, sniping softens the enemy's resistance and weakens his morale. Snipers may be employed by the company commander and platoon leaders in either offensive or defensive situations."
Other material laid out sniper selection, training, weapons...But nothing on the sniper's exact place within the platoon (or tactical doctrine for that matter). It’s like the army threw an M1903A4 at each platoon in 1943 and said, "figure it out."
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook have you taken a look at FM 21-75? "Scouting, Patrolling, and Sniping". I believe it's meant mainly for the designated scouts, but could also cover some of the roles/positions of the marksman. Will probably pick up an original print soon, so I'll be sure to check for any mention of it there.
@@jacqueline6475 I use a few excerpts (and images) from FM 21-75 in this video. The parts I included about "mobile snipers" and "stationary observer-snipers” were actually the most salient regarding tactical doctrine. As I mentioned, "The relevant section is only 13 pages but it details the conduct of some exercises in camouflage, movement, spotting targets, etc." The sniping chapter runs from pages 169-181. It starts by reiterating the text from FM 7-10 and finishes with nine pages devoted to training exercises. It's heavy on how to make snipers, but light on how to use them.
Both tasks described in the manual ("to infiltrate enemy lines and seek out and destroy appropriate targets along enemy routes of supply and communication" and "operating sniping posts assigned definite sectors of fire") suggest a stabilized front. Well, what do they do during a rapid advance? We can obviously look to later doctrine to try and fill in the gaps, but I'm always conscious of presentism. (Is what we think now actually what they thought then?) For WWII, we're talking about platoon-level assets. I need to see the information in black-and-white in a primary source before I'm comfortable putting it into a video.
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook ah okay, haven't rewatched this video in a while so probably forgot about that.
Using all these sources is one of the things that makes your videos so impressive! Any idea when the next one will be ready?
The 2nd platoon guide is now called a fire team leader. for modernization.
Alot of Plt leaders preffered to carry a Garand instead of the carbine because they didn't want to stand out .
Handy talkie is a common term in use with the HAM radio community
Josh Downs I was just about to comment the same thing.
Thank you, for the etymological clarification of the pronunciations of "carbine" that of the dog-face rifleman and that of the REMF.
Well, that's just been my personal experience talking to veterans of that era. All the "Old Uncle Franks" living someplace else may have pronounced it differently. All I can tell you is that the ones I heard say it pronounced it "car-bean," yet all the training film narrators pronounced it "car-byne."
@@G.I.HistoryHandbook -- Thanks, again, for the clarification. As an infantry veteran (USA, 1980-1992) I very much admire your work, because you've done the full reading (pace Dr. Venkman), so your work always is faithful, true, and accurate to the facts of the matter.
I look forward to your new videos, after I watch the videos you've already published. Keep up the good work.
Really a Great job! I discovered you with this video and I can say I watched them all, keep up the good work it's amazing ;)
Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
If you are still checking the comments on this video, do you have any more information on the naming conventions for platoons and squads worked during WWII? I know that Companies are named alphabetically (Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, ...etc), and from some of the primary sources in your video, I gather that Platoons within those companies were named numerically, (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Were squads named numerically like platoons, or alphabetically like companies (or some other, formal/informal method)?
Very good video, I have only seen your rifle squad and platoon videos so far, but am looking forward to watching the others when I have the time.
I plan to cover this in my company organization video. Squad were numbered like platoons. So it'd be "1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, B Company" or "2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, C Company." You could then name the regiment because, at least for standard "leg" infantry, Able through Dog Companies were always 1st Battalion, Easy through How Companies were always 2nd Battalion, and Item through Mike Companies were always 3rd Battalion. (Noting that in the US Army there is traditionally never a "J" Company.)
Another great video. Awesome set of videos of a clearly well researched topic.
I always appreciate being appreciated. Thank you.
The M1 carbine wasn't envisioned as an assault rifle, but it did sorta become one in Vietnam. In close quarter engagements the length, weight and limited ammo capacity of the M1 Garand was a serious handicap while it's range and penetration largely redundant. Especially if you're a 5'4'' 125lbs south vietnamese.
Great videos. Could you do one on how medic were organized and how they worked within units?
War,never again.But i must say this was the era where infantry troops were the special forces.Defence,offense,assault tacticts in every weather condition or battle terrain.Digging fox holes,mining in first line,defending an area with a compilation of weapons.Assault tactics from sea,air or assault on high ground or mechanized operations.Tense,fear and morale were high.Respect.
In the Army they are called Platoon Leaders because they lack command authority.The command authority is reserved at the Company/Troop/Battery level. Those commanders can reduce rank, confine to barracks, and more or less dole out any non-judicial punishment. Platoon leaders, at least in the Army, can only recommend such punishments; they lack the authority to enforce or authorize them.
My dad served in the Pacific as an infantryman. He said it was always the shortest guy who was the BAR man.
Why? I would have assumed that it was the biggest/strongest...
Sill's OCS was located at Robinson Barracks; reputed to be the best of it's kind. Nice job, thanks for the post.
Thanks for the feedback.
Excellent video, this’s what the discovery channel should be about
My grandfather always hated phones one Christmas almost out of nowhere conversations started and he ended up saying that from Sept 43-jan 45.. his three purple hearts came after shorty being "appointed" a radio operator for a combat platoon .. he ended the war a tech sgt and fortunately missed Korea as he had just had three kids and apparently did a little dance out of the office when he was told to go home and discharged lol... Rest in peace William "Ben" Whitaker
Excellent, excellent, excellent work; substantive and stylish. Thank you.
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
Damn, i had no idea ny great grandfather had the same job as Audie Murphy. He was a foward artillery observer but for 155mm howitzers. No wonder he also had severe PTSD until the day he died
Well, Audie Murphy was a rifle platoon leader who did some forward observing on the side. In fact, a significant part of his MOH action pertains to his directing artillery fire.
This is very useful information. The coming months and years in the U.S. are going to be quite challenging.
Good information. do you have one on the Marine Riffle company.
sesankata
Is this a question? Or a statement?
Big difference today, a normal squad has two teams, alpha and bravo, and one squad leader. Consists of 9 men: squad leader, two team leaders, two SAW gunners, two grenadiers, two riflemen. The squad has seven M4’s, two M203’s, and two M249 SAW’s. There are 3 squads set up like this with a weapon squad that has 7 to 9 men also, normally it’s a senior squad leader, with two team leaders, two gunners , two ammo barriers, and two assisted gunners.