Quote:
Originally Posted by The Virginian
If you are looking at who were the better long range marksmen on the battlefield in WWI, that honor goes to the US Marines attached to the AEF in Belleau Wood in 1917. The French in their usual fashion wanted to fall back as they sighted the Germans at 1500 yards advancing. The US Marine Col., when asked if they would follow the retreat said "Retreat, hell we just got here!" Shortly thereafter US Marines armed exclusivley with 1903 Springfield rifles were taking out Huns at 700 and even 850 yards which effectively stopped the German advance in short order. The French and British observers were stunned to say the least as it was thought that this distance was far beyond the effective range of any rifle. The British were said to have the best "Battle Rifle", the Germans had the best "Hunting Rifle" and the Americans had the best "Target Rifle." Hitting the target is the name of the game in war.
|
Hi:
Belleau must not have been much of a "woods" if you could get a straight shot at 700 to 850 yards at a moving target.
My father qualified as an "Expert Rifleman", at 1,000 yards, in 1943 with an "as issued" M-1. He was in the Infantry, later Airborne.
Sieger