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Post by quincannon on Nov 3, 2021 14:36:59 GMT
This too will pass. The question is what sort of society will we be when it does.
Mom's for Liberty will shut their mouths when their kids start to die. Liberty is God's gift. Maintaining liberty, and by that I mean the true meaning of the word, is the eternal struggle of mankind. Like everything else worth having it must be cared for,and never taken for granted.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 4, 2021 14:50:13 GMT
Well the JS 3 is done, and I managed to squeeze just enough Russian Green out of the can to complete it. It was a little thin in spraying, but once dry, I dry bushed it with the same color out of the bottle and it turned out pretty darn good.
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Post by yanmacca on Nov 4, 2021 17:22:54 GMT
Sounds like you are still having a piant supply problem, I have yet to pick mine up, I need around eight bottle of Vallejo paint.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 4, 2021 19:12:44 GMT
Yes I am, and the people at my hobby shop tell me the shortage will last for some long time to come.
I spent the last couple of hours at the 4th Infantry Division Museum at Fort Carson. I went to donate my M1903A3 Rifle to their collection. Very nice museum with a fair collection of armor too, about ten pieces including a Russian T72. There is a technician there who prints resin 3D printed models in 15mm scale, and the museum director gave me a 3D resin printed Stryker, which I will treasure in that no Stryker models are made in that scale. It's in the basement paint shop already and the base coat primer is drying.
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Post by yanmacca on Nov 4, 2021 20:36:54 GMT
You see a lot of 3D stuff on EBay, even artillery, does it come already built?
We have no paint shortage in Widnes, Barry has plenty of Humbrol, Tamiya and Vallejo and maybe some army painter too. I just need to get time to visit his shop, what with my booster jab due, my flu jab (which I have never had before) and my brand new filling falling out, it takes up a lot of spare time, plus he is still only opening on a limited hours. I am waiting to see how this dentist reacts, he charged me £40 for two fillings and one of them only lasted five weeks, so I will fight him before paying him again, only trouble is that he is half my age and twice my size.
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Post by yanmacca on Nov 7, 2021 20:29:29 GMT
I was thinking about the cannon company based at regimental level in a US Infantry Regiment, was is manned by artillery gunners? Or Infantry. Its just that many nations had trouble over having artillery pieces in situ in Infantry formations, they thought that they should be operated by artillery men. A similar thing happened in the German army too, the men who operated StuG IIIs were artillery men and not tank crew, but not grouped in the artillery regiments and not part of the Infantry regiments, they were either independent or incorporated into panzer divisions like the 200th Sturmgeschütz battalion organic to the 21st panzer division.
The British army grouped its field artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft regiments under one command in a brigade, which formed part of the division, so I would guess that all the soldiers in these brigades were classed as royal artillery men and not Infantry.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 7, 2021 23:00:16 GMT
The cannon company was an Infantry organization TO&E 7-14, that was in turn modified from TO&E 6-23. The 7 in this case represents an Infantry TO&E, while the 6 represents a TO&E developed for Field Artillery. That said, the personnel were all field artillery trained. Most times though they were used as a spare rifle company.
The idea behind the organization is to have artillery support within the regiment, to be used when the normal support received from DIVARTY was not available. Trouble with the idea was that we had so much damned artillery in the European Theater that you would be hard pressed to find a time when DIVARTY support was not available, not to mention supporting Corps and Army level guns.
After the war the cannon company was dropped and replaced by a regimental heavy mortar company, and that organization was much more useful and effective.
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Post by yanmacca on Nov 8, 2021 6:29:09 GMT
The German army was trying to do the same, once the 12cm heavy mortar was being supplied in large numbers, they tried to phase out the infantry gun platoons and replace them with heavy mortars.
You can see in there battalion set up, after 1943, the 8cm was added to the rifle companies as a company mortar and the lighter 5cm was phased out. The 12cm was then introduced as the battalion mortar.
The infantry guns never went away, most regiments still retained them. I like infantry guns, those 7.5cm IG found at battalion and regimental level, were more adaptable then a mortar, they could be used like a mortar for high angled fire, but they could also be used in the direct fire mode for hitting strong points and even anti tank fire. Those are two types of fire that mortars couldn't do.
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Post by yanmacca on Nov 8, 2021 15:20:31 GMT
I was posting on Axis about the lack of corporals in a US Infantry company, they seemed to be only one who was classed as a clerk in the company HQ, Richard Anderson came back with this:
Yes, technically the only corporal in the US Army Rifle Company was the Company Clerk. However, the T/5 was also considered a "corporal" and sometimes addressed as the :tech corporal", so there were four others, for a total of five. That contrasts to the 36 sergeants and 2 T/4 "tech sergeants" in the company, so, yes, it was top heavy in sergeants. Part of that was simply evolutionary, corporals were originally the junior NCO with command authority and led the Rifle Squad in the Great War. However, corporal was also the lower pay grade (5, versus the PFC 6, and the Basic Private 7), while there were four sergeants pay grades. Interwar too, the War Department eliminated many sergeant staff positions together in a single "master sergeant" grade (1), followed by the First Sergeant/Technical Sergeant (2), Staff Sergeant (3), and Sergeant (4), before adding the T/4 to grade 4 and T/5 to grade 5 in the late 1930s. The final World War II change was when the 16 June 1942 Pay Readjustment Act elevated the First Sergeant to Grade 1 along with the Master Sergeant.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 8, 2021 18:22:48 GMT
Most Infantrymen, I believe, would disagree with your views Ian. Consider me one. There is nothing better than having indirect firepower organic to your particular unit. In the case of the company commander that would be his company mortars, regardless of if they are 60mm or 81mm. They belong to him alone, and no one can have a superseding priority of fire over what is yours, unless you allow it, and there is a fat chance of that. With a battalion commander having his own battalion mortars is an absolute necessity and for the same reasons. Even when the cannon company was done away with and replaced with a three platoon (four tubes each) heavy mortar company, each of these platoons was habitually attached (one each) to one of regiment's three battalions. Thus those attached heavy mortars belonged to the battalion commander as well, as long as the attachment stayed in place.
Having something that is always yours, and that is immediately responsive to your needs is far better than having to depend on anything outside your organization. Never sell the mortar short. They are much greater killers on the battlefield than artillery. You can hear artillery coming your way. The only way you can detect incoming mortar fire is when it lands beside you, and you are shaking hands with Saint Peter.
I never thought about corporals much, although they are few and far between in the U S Army. Anderson filled you in as good as its going to get I suspect.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2021 19:49:16 GMT
I really missed having my own mortars when I command a tank company after commanding a cavalry platoon with my own mortar, tanks, and scouts as the smallest combined arms unit in the army.
When I had a shortage of Sergeants to make tank commanders, I laterally promoted my best Specialist 4th Class soldiers to Corporal so they could wear the same rank as their pay grade. Plus, Other than Captain, CPL has to be the best rank in the Army.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2021 21:10:10 GMT
The Army in WWII had mortar battalions that were 4.2inch (107mm) for chemical attacks, but they also fired HE.
Company Mortars were 81mm. Today Light infantry Companies have 60mm. Mech does not have company mortars. Stryker Battalions have 2 120mm at Company and 4 120mm at Battalion. Armor Cavalry Troops have 2 120mm today and the Squadron has a 155mm SP Howitzer battery.
When Infantry Battalion got mortars they were 107mm (4.2). The Regimental Combat Teams Mortar Batteries were 107mm and was in three platoons of 4, as Chuck said, and frequently got sent out to the battalions. Battalions at the time might have 81mm. Chuck would know better than I. (In the 1953 War of the Worlds movie, you can hear someone reporting "Mortar Battery prepared for action."
Enlisted and NCOs all eat in the same mess hall. Officers may, but frequently do not eat in the mess hall. There used to be EM clubs for E1 - E4, NCO Clubs for E5-E9, and Officer Clubs O1-O10. But now I think they are pretty much consolidated because the modern army has more married people, but when I was in, we might all go to different rooms. No need for the ranks seeing officers getting plastered. On the other hand, it is good for them to see officers get starched, particularly generals. Builds their morale and makes them know we are sharing the risk.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 8, 2021 22:27:01 GMT
World War II
Company Mortar 60mm Weapons Company Mortar 81mm - Regimental Companies D, H, M
Chemical Mortar Battalions 4.2 Inch (107mm) - Corps level organization
Korea
Company Mortar 60mm Weapons Company Mortar 81mm - Regimental D, H, M Heavy Mortar Company 4.2 inch - Regimental Heavy Mortar Company
After 1957 Battle Group and ROAD
Company Mortar 81mm Infantry Battalion Heavy Mortar Platoon 4.2 inch (107mm) -. Found first in the Battle Group Mortar Battery, then the Battle Group Combat Support Company. Upon conversion to ROAD in the battalion HHC, and finally in the battalion combat support company.
Post 1984/85
Depending upon the type of rifle companies they will use the 60mm, 81mm, or 120mm mortar. When the 60mm mortar is used in the rifle company the 81 is used at battalion level. When the 81mm is used at the company level the 120 is used at battalion. Battalions equipped with 120mm at the company level have no mortar platoon at battalion level.
Stryker battalions have 81mm mortars at company level for mounted operations and also carry 60mm's for dismounted operations in areas where Strykers cannot go. Actually works quite efficiently I am told.
Ian we do not have an Officers or NCO mess as they do in the British Army does. We still do some of the traditional things, and it is not uncommon for there to be officer and NCO dining ins. In one battalion I was assigned to we had our annual dining in on the anniversary of the units establishment, at some convenient date near 29 September. We do have Hail and Farewells to. Those are also unusually on an annual basis. Biggest one I ever attended was at the National Guard Bureau annual event where about 800 officers were in attendance. Used to be a lot different, but the big pay raises on the 1970's started a down hill slide for Officer and NCO Clubs. None of the military installations here have Officer and NCO Clubs anymore. They have an open to all Community Club, which is pretty much like a second rate restaurant.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2021 12:42:15 GMT
With me, such actions would get either non-judicial punishment, probably being sent to my Battalion Commander instead of me doing it, or a courts martial. Assault, Battery, Engaging in an Affray, Conduct Unbecoming. I could find some others.
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Post by quincannon on Nov 9, 2021 16:08:40 GMT
I am afraid Ian, that if your father had been in the U S Army, and had done as you reported he would still be a guest of the government, at a quaint little resort we maintain in eastern Kansas. That is not to say we tolerate bad actions on the part of any soldier, and bullying and belittling soldiers are bad actions. That NCO you father took to the woodshed should have been dealt with as Mike suggested. In the long run our way is more effective overall than any short term solution.
Justice is applied by lawful authority, or it is not justice.
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