Tag Archives: training

Antimechanized Defense

Antimechanized defense for armored infantry from the U.S. field manual FM 17-40: Armored Infantry Company:   Antimechanized defense is both passive and active. (1) The troops are protected passively against mechanized attacks by the digging of fox holes and emplacements, … Continue reading

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Tank Riders

Due to plentiful motorized transport, U.S. infantry rarely rode on tanks during WWII. However, U.S. infantrymen were trained on how to board and ride tanks when necessary. The field manual FM 17-40: Armored Infantry Company contained instructions for transporting armored … Continue reading

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Know Your Enemy Weapons

Part 1 covering the Kar 98k rifle, MP 40 submachine gun, Luger pistol, and stick grenade: Part 2 covering the MG 34 machine gun, MG 42 machine gun, 8 cm mortar, and 88 mm gun:  

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Camp Shelby, Mississippi

Scenes from the WWII booklet “Camp Shelby, Mississippi” by the Public Relations Office at Camp Shelby. For more on Camp Shelby during WWII, see 65th Infantry Division, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, 1944 (Cover, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, … Continue reading

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Tank Gun Trajectories

The U.S. WWII field manual FM 17-12: Tank Gunnery illustrated representative trajectories of the 37-mm, 75-mm, and 76-mm guns. Low velocity guns with more highly curved trajectories require very accurate range estimation. As shown in the figures below, even small … Continue reading

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Armor Penetration Tables

The following tables show armor penetration characteristics for U.S. 37mm, 75mm, 76mm, and 90mm guns against homogeneous and face-hardened armor. The tables are taken from the July 1944 field manual FM 17-12 Tank Gunnery. From top to bottom, the ammunition … Continue reading

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You Can Crack that Tank!

The following instructions for infantry facing attacking tanks were published by the U.S. War Department as a poster in Newsmap, Vol. II, No. 6, May 1943. Although the bazooka was available in most infantry units for antitank defense, individual soldiers … Continue reading

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