One of threads in here got me interested in this particular subject.
I believe the main difference between German and American squad tactics in WW II was their philosophy in the employment of the machine gun.
For the Germans the machine gun was the main weapon of the squad, the riflemen supported it. They laid down suppressive fire and worked to give it time to be employed so that it could rake fire on the enemy.
The main advantage of this IMO would be that you would have your most powerful weapon forward and would be the main axis of you advance. The disadvantage would that it would be less fluid since you had a larger weapon to move around and also set up.
The Americans on the other hand used the machine gun to support the riflemen. It was used to suppress the enemy and lay down covering fire to allow the rifleman to do their job.
The main advantage of this IMO is that it was more fluid and could move faster. The disadvatage was that there was less firepower on the main thrust of the attack.
I kind of like the idea of the MG as the main weapon. But I don't know if its the better tactic, its really hard to say which is better.
What do you guys think?
I believe the main difference between German and American squad tactics in WW II was their philosophy in the employment of the machine gun.
For the Germans the machine gun was the main weapon of the squad, the riflemen supported it. They laid down suppressive fire and worked to give it time to be employed so that it could rake fire on the enemy.
The main advantage of this IMO would be that you would have your most powerful weapon forward and would be the main axis of you advance. The disadvantage would that it would be less fluid since you had a larger weapon to move around and also set up.
The Americans on the other hand used the machine gun to support the riflemen. It was used to suppress the enemy and lay down covering fire to allow the rifleman to do their job.
The main advantage of this IMO is that it was more fluid and could move faster. The disadvatage was that there was less firepower on the main thrust of the attack.
I kind of like the idea of the MG as the main weapon. But I don't know if its the better tactic, its really hard to say which is better.
What do you guys think?