Best WWII infantry battle rifle

[1776 Rebel]

As BHO has taught us...WE WON ! So basically anything that the US GI had was right and good. What the Bad Guys had didn't work. End of story. Otherwise we would be speaking German or Japanese now. The Garand ROCKS !

[tombogan03884]

As BHO has taught us...WE WON ! So basically anything that the US GI had was right and good. What the Bad Guys had didn't work. End of story. Otherwise we would be speaking German or Japanese now. The Garand ROCKS !

Not exactly true, the Sherman was an under gunned, under armored death trap. it took 4-5 Sherman's to kill each Tiger or Panther tank, 3 or 4 to be knocked out drawing fire and 1 to sneak around back and put a round into the rear. The Sherman was so under armored that German anti tank ammo,designed to kill Russian T 34's sometimes passed through them without effect leaving only 2 holes through the sides. But for every 1 the Germans destroyed we built 2 more. While it is true that our troops kicked butt on the battlefields (due in large part to the M-1 Garand ) it was America's factories that "won the war".

[Pathfinder]

Not exactly true, the Sherman was an under gunned, under armored death trap. it took 4-5 Sherman's to kill each Tiger or Panther tank, 3 or 4 to be knocked out drawing fire and 1 to sneak around back and put a round into the rear. The Sherman was so under armored that German anti tank ammo,designed to kill Russian T 34's sometimes passed through them without effect leaving only 2 holes through the sides. But for every 1 the Germans destroyed we built 2 more. While it is true that our troops kicked butt on the battlefields (due in large part to the M-1 Garand ) it was America's factories that "won the war".

I still remember the first time I heard the stats on the Sherman vs. Tiger. I am in awe of anyone who rode a Sherman into battle.

One stat I heard says it all. The krauts built a total of 1600 King Tigers (or Panthers - can't remember which) and the US built nearly 50,000 Shermans. No wonder Yamamoto was distressed when his navy didn't wipe out the US fleet completely - he knew and told the Emperor that they had essentially awakened a sleeping tiger.

[fullautovalmet76]

Not exactly true, the Sherman was an under gunned, under armored death trap. it took 4-5 Sherman's to kill each Tiger or Panther tank, 3 or 4 to be knocked out drawing fire and 1 to sneak around back and put a round into the rear. The Sherman was so under armored that German anti tank ammo,designed to kill Russian T 34's sometimes passed through them without effect leaving only 2 holes through the sides. But for every 1 the Germans destroyed we built 2 more. While it is true that our troops kicked butt on the battlefields (due in large part to the M-1 Garand ) it was America's factories that "won the war".

Ditto what Tom said. And I would add the Sturmgewehr would have been number one had it been produced in sufficient numbers. That rifle is known as a paradigm shifter, or a more commonly used phrase, a game changer.

[tombogan03884]

Kaiser could build a Liberty ship in 24 hours and a "Jeep Carrier" in a week. No country on earth could compete with that kind of production capability.

[Sponsor]

[TAB]

Kaiser could build a Liberty ship in 24 hours and a "Jeep Carrier" in a week. No country on earth could compete with that kind of production capability.

That is why we won WW2.  Once our manufactoring got into high gear, it was just a matter of time.

[twyacht]

Totally agreed Tom.

As the years go by, history shows how close Germany was to having a victory. Tremendous blunders in strategy, Stalingrad and the Easter Front come to mind,.. Terrible supply lines, far too long to be sustainable, have defeated more than just the Third Reich. Hitler was no military genius by any means, but at the beginning of the war the "Blitzkrieg" was a big shock to the world, and it was so successful, it covered most of modern Europe in just a few years.

The technology that came from the Germans was amazing, the M262 jet fighter smoked every American plane, but it came too late and the industry that supported it was being destroyed by the week. Rommel is still studied at military academies because what he did, with what he had worked for a long time,....Than he met Patton..

The Bismarck was such a grave threat, (Americans and Brits knew this big time) that they focused all they had at sea to get it. The anti aircraft guns on the Bismarck were so advanced, they couldn't hit WWI slow torpedo biplanes as they approached... They got one right in the "sweet spot" (rudders), and she was a sitting duck after that. But the HMS Hood, flagship of the British Navy, went with one shell from her, and 99.9% of her crew died.

The American Industrial machine was the driving force to achieve victory. No other country had it, and the fact that a mere ocean separated our shores from combat vs. all the others, made a huge difference.

The Mauser was/is a great rifle, the Garand too was/is a great rifle.  The resources and soldiers that carried the Garand, Made in America, won those battles and ultimately the war.

Think about it are there any 1942-44 American cars? NO. As a COUNTRY, we were united to defeat the enemy at all costs.

Times have changed now, and some Americans view the war on terrorism as someone else's problem better left to the UN.

From TAB,
That is why we won WW2.  Once our manufactoring got into high gear, it was just a matter of time.

Totally agree TAB.

[philw]

Lee-Enfield .303 ALL the way baby


it is the reason I am speaking english hehe

that and the fact I have one hehe



If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a digger.

[ericire12]

I was torn between the Mauser and the Garand.... then I asked myself which one would I choose if I had to take it into battle.....

I chose the Garand

[TAB]

The tech in the US also jumped by leaps and bounds.   Just look at what dupont came up with during the war.  One could argue that WW2 pushed the US chemical industry to its highest hights.   The english acutally had a couple great ideas as well.   One that comes to mind is the jet engine.   Like many other discoverys during WW2, they were looking for something completly diffrent.( in this case as way to turbo charge a piston engine using  fuel.)