Attrition of the drum....??

[G.T.]

You know, usually a couple of different viewpoints widens the discussion greatly, so please jump in here with your thoughts on this, as it is purly conjecture on my part.. But, I was talking with George Fortier today.. and we discussed the survivability of the drum mags, and their loading tools a bit.. ... Well, first off, you would have to think that one loader to a case of five drums as being a sufficient number, as they were in the thick of it, and I'm sure armaments and accessiories were top priority... so we can be pretty sure they didn't run out in THEIR trench... and, I can pretty much assume that when a German offensive trench raid took place, the loaders stayed behind... So, I'm also pretty sure that after awhile.. loaders were hanging on about every hook...But the drums were a different matter... some used with LP.08's were issued as a back up for defensive positions, heavy machine guns and artillery and the like... So even though in all likelyhood only a small percentage were issued to these crews, they had a great chance of being right where they were after the days end...
On the other hand, the ones used in offensive trench raids were probably used up like cord wood.... dropped and left when empty, either going forward, or as is so often shown in the films.. going back! And not strolling along either...I'll bet the vast majority of drum magazines saw about two minutes of time in an MP18 and are now buried deep on some forgotten front... ... Best to all,...til...lat'r....GT