War is Hell!
 

I recently acquired approximately 300 pages of the operational reports for my father's unit (9th Infantry Division) during WW2. It has been some really fascinating history.

For those of us who have never experienced intense combat conditions, I offer this very small extract from one of these reports: This is the reported ammunition expenditure for the 9th Infantry Division for the period of 26th of March to the 8th of April 1943 during the campaign for the capture of Tunisia.

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/ammoexp.jpg

This was very intense combat with very little movement of troops. Mostly skirmishes with German forces.

Here are the casualty figures for the same period:

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/9thlosses.jpg

Somehow the expression War is Hell, doesn't seem to be adequate enough to cover what my Dad and his friends endured...:eek:

Very interesting, if you ever make a copy, make one for me, I'll reimburse you, fascinating info!

Ed

John, Very interesting data sheet. I just finished a book on the German MP-40, seems the average ammunition expenditure for this weapon climbed to 760 rounds per day. That's 15 boxes of 50 rounds! That's a lot a shootin! Jerry Burney

Surprised me how many rounds were still being used on 5 rd stripper clips for 03s. But then they could have been used for M1s or any 30.06 gun.

rk

RK,

Just a note to let you know that my Dad NEVER trusted those darn new fangled semi-auto M-1 Garands (my favorite WW2 rifle)... He carried an 03-A3 Springfield from North Africa to Sicily to Normandy and almost all the way to Berlin...

I can never get over how much ammo is expended. 1489 tons is a bunch! Wonder how much the enemy used!?

Wonder how long it'd take me to shoot that much? :rolleyes:

It's no wonder casualty rates were so high. Reading stuff like this reinforces the realization how much we owe those great men and what it cost to keep evil at bay.

My Dad didn't like the M-1 either. But it was for a different reason, the weight! BTW he was also in on the North Africa campaign as well as Sicily and Italy.

Pipeman, What unit did your Dad serve with during those campaigns?

During basic training my father mouthed-off to his sergeant while they were on a hike. The sergeant took the M-1 off another soldier's back and handed it to my father. "You can carry this man's rifle" he said. I guess the sergeant thought an M-1 weighed enough to teach someone a lesson.

I don't remember what unit he was with. I would have to search through the records. I do know he was in the Army Air Corp.

war is also very noisey
 

I served with 187th Airborne RCT, Korea, 1951. And those chinks were very good with their mortars also..............