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| World War II U.S. Army Enlisted Rank Insignia (Source) |
Okay, so I've been throwing a lot of rosters and lists at you lately and it can get a bit confusing, so it's time to stop and explain some of this stuff. I'll also give you a handy dandy glossary for all the German stuff. (Poor Beans, he thought at first that the Schützes were a really big Austrian family, nope, it just means "rifleman." Rereading that post, I kept making the same error, and damn it, I wrote it! Not good.)
For starters, that graphic above shows the various combinations of chevrons and rockers worn by the enlisted guys in WWII, well, the American Army at any rate. I retired as a Master Sergeant in the Air Force, in Dubya Dubya Deuce there was no higher paygrade. They created two paygrades above that post-war. Probably so that all the staff pukes and strap hangars could show off. Out of all the enlisted paygrades above my lofty station of Master Sergeant, I could count the good ones on one hand. If I'm feeling generous, on two hands, never had to take my shoes off, if'n you know what I mean!
So the next thing, a short glossary of German military terms (which got thrown at you here):
As for those German ranks, here's another couple of charts for you (oh joy, right?), that show the equivalent rank titles for the U.S. Army, the German Army, and the Waffen SS
You should note that the German Army (das Heer) had different titles for their lowest enlisted soldiers. This was done as a morale booster for the most part. These are the 1944 titles, they were different earlier in the war. Trust me, I drink and I know things.
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| (Source) |
Ahem, yes, but I digress.
Now the weapons the men carried, the Deutsches Grenadierkompanie had a lot of StG 44s (also known as the MP 44), where your standard German Landser (German equivalent to the U.S. "dogface") carried the Kar98k.
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| (StG 44 - Kar98k) |
The StG 44 was fully automatic and fired the 7.92×33mm Kurz round, the Kar98k fired the standard 7.92×57mm Mauser round.
The MG 42 (and it's predecessor the MG34) fired the same round as the Kar98k, good logistics there having a common round. However the StG 44 needed different ammo, so not so good. On the other hand, the weapons carried in the regular infantry platoons by the officers, NCOs, and certain specialists all used the 9x19mm Parabellum round. Again, a smart move logistically.
Those weapons looked like this:
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| (MP 40 - P 08 - P 38) |
Now those machine guns I mentioned above, the German ones, here they are:
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| (Source) |
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| (Source) |
Hey Sarge! You forgot the Americans! No, I didn't, I'm getting there...
The men in a U.S. Army infantry company carried three main weapons:
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| (M1 Rifle - M1 Carbine) |
The M1 Rifle (often called the M1 Garand) fired the .30-06 Springfield round whereas the M1 Carbine fired the .30 Carbine round. The former packed more of a punch.
The main firepower of an American infantry squad was provided by this beast:
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| The famous M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (B.A.R.) (Source) |
Which also fired the .30-06 Springfield round. (Good logistics!)
Many of the specialists in the company carried the M1911 pistol in .45 caliber -
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| M1911A1 .45 Caliber Pistol (Source) |
The light machine gun squads in the company manned the M1919 Browning machine gun, also firing the .30-06 Springfield round:
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| US soldiers fire a M1919A4 in Aachen (Source) |
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While we haven't met C Company's mortar section yet (you will in a minute), they manned the 60mm M2 mortar:
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| WWII era 60mm U.S. M2 Mortar (Source) |
Now speaking of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment (The Blue Spaders), I had the chance to bring the company up to T.O.&E.¹ strength on Friday. A bunch of new replacements came in along with a number of old hands back after recovering from their wounds. As you know I cannot resist rosters and lists (it helps me understand the battles when I know how the men were organized and equipped) here's Charlie Company as of mid-December (I put Nate Paddock's platoon in bold italic font) -
Cpt. Tony Palminteri, Commanding Officer1st Lt. Cody Lawson, Executive Officer1st Sgt. Morton Saeger, First SergeantSgt. Ryan Rodgers, Supply SergeantCpl. Jacob Winters, Communication SergeantCpl. Troy Leonard, Company ClerkT/5 Leo Ramsey, ArmorerPfc. Clay Newton, BuglerPvt. Albert Samson, MessengerPvt. Ricardo Butler, MessengerPvt. Karl Roberson, MessengerPvt. Timmy Bell, MessengerPfc. Santos Clarke, OrderlyS/Sgt. Preston Santos, Mess SergeantT/4 Roman Scott, CookT/4 Garry James, CookT/5 Jeff Klein, CookT/5 Gilbert Chapman, CookPfc. Dallas Hicks, Cook's HelperPvt. Irvin Lowe, Cook's HelperPvt. Bennie Pittman, Cook's Helper
Medics attached from BattalionT/4 Harry MilburyPfc. Dylan JacksonPvt. Randall Robinson1st Platoon, C CompanyPlatoon Headquarters1st Lt. Nathaniel Gonzales, CommanderS/Sgt. Earl Tyler, Platoon SergeantSgt. Don Arnold, Platoon GuidePfc. Bill McGuire, MessengerPvt. Stewart Casey, MessengerPfc. Robin Bradley, Basic DutyPfc. Leland Gutierrez, Basic DutyPvt. Theodore Barber, Basic DutyPvt. Jamie Guerrero, Basic DutyPvt. Gerald Gregory, Basic Duty1st Squad, 1st PlatoonSgt. Alberto Rodriguez, Squad LeaderCpl. Dwayne Reyes, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Garrett Weber, BAR ManPvt. Courtney Roy, Assistant BAR ManPvt. George Morgan, Ammo BearerPfc. Tim Jones, GrenadierPfc. Darrin Wolfe, RiflemenPvt. Howard Castillo, RiflemenPvt. Felix Neal, RiflemenPvt. Erik Adams, RiflemenPvt. Leroy Carson, RiflemenPvt. Virgil Steele, Riflemen2nd Squad, 1st PlatoonSgt. Rudolf Taylor, Squad LeaderCpl. Wayne McGee, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Raymond Parsons, BAR ManPvt. Alfred Watkins, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Luther Duncan, Ammo BearerPfc. Lorenzo Copeland, GrenadierPfc. Nicholas Richards, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Eddie Burns, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Tommy Massey, RiflemenPvt. Gerard Wallace, RiflemenPvt. Shannon Townsend, RiflemenPvt. Al Adkins, Riflemen3rd Squad, 1st PlatoonSgt. Francis Baldwin, Squad LeaderCpl. Jeffery Erickson, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Rafael Rivera, BAR ManPvt. Randal Wade, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Frederick Rodriquez, Ammo BearerPfc. Bob Barton, GrenadierPfc. Sidney Berry, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Jerome Santiago, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Lyle Richardson, RiflemenPvt. Charles Blair, RiflemenPvt. Duane Cox, RiflemenPvt. Byron Martin, Riflemen2nd Platoon, C CompanyPlatoon Headquarters1st Lt. Nathan Paddock, CommanderSgt. Stephen Hernandez, Platoon SergeantPfc. John Myerson, RadiomanPfc. Charlie Gammell, SniperPfc. Jackson Hebert, SpotterSgt. Woodrow Sherman, Platoon GuidePfc. Theodore Erickson, MessengerPvt. Robert Jennings, MessengerPvt. Luke Houston, Basic DutyPvt. Will Jones, Basic DutyPvt. Fred Strickland, Basic DutyPvt. Peter Romanov, Basic DutyPvt. Irving Dixon, Basic Duty1st Squad, 2nd PlatoonSgt. Jack Wilson, Squad LeaderCpl. Melvin Katz, Assistant Squad LeaderPvt. Chris McWhorter, BAR ManPvt. Luther Thomas, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Cecil Brown, Ammo BearerPvt. Caleb Christensen, GrenadierPvt. Brad Gonzales, Riflemen (Scout)Pfc. Alexander Boone, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Anthony Lewis, RiflemenPvt. Justin Long, RiflemenPfc. Bogdan Nowak, RiflemenPvt. Bill Zielinski, Riflemen2nd Squad, 2nd PlatoonSgt. Greg Jenkins, Squad LeaderCpl. Hilario Santos, Assistant Squad LeaderPvt. Henry McTeague, BAR ManPvt. Rick McCarthy, Assistant BAR ManPfc. Harry Mitchell, Ammo BearerPvt. Derek Carson, GrenadierPvt. John Kilpatrick, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Dave Hudson, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Frank Genovese, RiflemenPvt. Peter Moreno, RiflemenPvt. Donald Adkins, RiflemenPvt. Curtis Lambert, Riflemen3rd Squad, 2nd PlatoonSgt. Flavio Gentile, Squad LeaderCpl. Diego Pena, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Franklin Barnett, BAR ManPvt. Ken Buchanan, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Javier Munoz, Ammo BearerPfc. Homer Ginter, GrenadierPvt. Riley Taggert, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Jeb McCall, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Joe Gray, RiflemenPvt. Ross Flowers, RiflemenPvt. Thomas Spencer, RiflemenPvt. Edgar Freeman, Riflemen3rd Platoon, C CompanyPlatoon Headquarters2nd Lt. Ricky Frazier, Platoon CommanderS/Sgt. Bob Poole, Platoon SergeantSgt. Vernon Owens, Platoon GuidePvt. Anthony Valdez, MessengersPvt. Morris Watson, MessengersPfc. Roberto Rogers, Basic DutyPfc. Dwight Fleming, Basic DutyPvt. Christopher Ellis, Basic DutyPvt. Abel Simpson, Basic DutyPvt. Earnest Gibson, Basic Duty1st Squad, 3rd PlatoonSgt. Cliff Davis, Squad LeaderCpl. Glen Moss, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Tomas Lopez, BAR ManPvt. Jose Warner, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Carlos Farmer, Ammo BearerPfc. Johnnie Ingram, GrenadierPfc. Billy Matuszak , Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. John Malcolm, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Curt Bixby, RiflemenPvt. Lowell Vargas, RiflemenPvt. Dominic Norman, RiflemenPvt. Guy O'Brien, Riflemen2nd Squad, 3rd PlatoonSgt. Samuel Carroll, Squad LeaderCpl. Jack Foster, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Mitchell Chavez, BAR ManPvt. Terrance Dean, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Perry Francis, Ammo BearerPfc. Bruce Boone, GrenadierPfc. Manny Day, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Adrian Elliott, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Wilson Shaw, RiflemenPvt. Melvin Gonzalez, RiflemenPvt. Terrence Johnston, RiflemenPvt. Rufus Curry, Riflemen3rd Squad, 3rd PlatoonSgt. Lucas Cole, Squad LeaderCpl. Ed Brewer, Assistant Squad LeaderPfc. Fred Banks, BAR ManPvt. Willard Lynch, Assistant BAR ManPvt. Donald Phelps, Ammo BearerPfc. Neal Mendoza, GrenadierPfc. Elbert Burke, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Bill Schneider, Riflemen (Scout)Pvt. Dominick Kim, RiflemenPvt. Casey Santiago, RiflemenPvt. Jan Cannon, RiflemenPvt. Timmy Fox, RiflemenWeapons PlatoonPlatoon Headquarters2nd Lt. Herman Jacobsen, Platoon CommanderS/Sgt. Walter Copeland, Platoon SergeantCpl. Ernest Rodgers, Transport CorporalPfc. Roosevelt Munoz, MessengersPvt. Forrest Barrett, MessengersPfc. Bryan Garza, DriversPvt. Glenn Rose, DriversLight Machine Gun SectionSection HQSgt. Percy Holland, Section LeaderPvt. Carroll Jensen, MessengerPvt. Aaron Stevens, Basic Duty1st LMG SquadCpl. Judd Maxwell, Squad LeaderPfc. Jim Weber, GunnerPvt. Eugene King, Assistant GunnerPvt. Brad Chapman , Ammo BearerPvt. Steve Pacheco, Ammo Bearer2nd LMG SquadCpl. John Andrews, Squad LeaderPfc. Louis Gilbert, GunnerPvt. Jerome Jennings, Assistant GunnerPvt. Ray Cooper, Ammo BearerPvt. Frank Todd, Ammo BearerMortar SectionSection HQSgt. Marshall Vega, Section LeaderPvt. Victor King, MessengerPvt. Hector Roberson, Basic DutyPvt. Stuart Craig, Basic Duty1st Mortar SquadCpl. Brett Lane, Squad LeaderPfc. Arnold Walker, GunnerPvt. Sidney Mason, Assistant GunnerPvt. Mo Romero, Ammo BearerPvt. Bill Mendez, Ammo Bearer2nd Mortar SquadCpl. Chris Richardson, Squad LeaderPfc. Christian Burns, GunnerPvt. Otis Ramos, Assistant GunnerPvt. Roman Bowen, Ammo BearerPvt. Jimmy Wong, Ammo Bearer3rd Mortar SquadCpl. Leroy Rhodes, Squad LeaderPfc. Alvin Day, GunnerPvt. Randolph Farmer, Assistant GunnerPvt. Andrew O'Brien, Ammo BearerPvt. Rene Robinson, Ammo Bearer
Yay! More lists! (And thank you Internet for those Random Name Generators!)
I'll be back on Sunday with another episode of To the Rhine, the Americans are getting ready for a Christmas party for the Belgian kids near Aubel, Belgium. Meanwhile the dastardly Huns are getting ready to attack!
Stay tuned.
¹ Table of Organization and Equipment
Some good mid-20th century American names there Sarge, no "cute" spellings either. Those German MGs just look nasty.
ReplyDeleteThey were very nasty.
DeleteHey Old AFSarge;
ReplyDeleteLove the detail and the German MG's yep the GI's called them "Hitlers Zippers" because of the rate they fired, even Willie and Joe had a cartoon played on that. I remember seeing some of the Bulge pictures showing the German troops using American weapons, especially one dude with a .45ACP, but he was in several pics and I wonder if he was a "propaganda" soldier because he was in several pictures and he had that "Aryan" look going, if you know what I mean.
I think I know the footage you're referring to, SS troops advancing with burning US vehicles in the background? Those scenes are from a German film which was staged as if to represent real combat. Those were real soldiers though and the same guys appear in a number of scenes, all taken from the same footage.
DeleteHey, Sarge - you forgot the G43 on the German side - they made several hundred thousand of them, about the same number as StG 44's and fitted quite a few with scopes for designated marksman role. And yeah, the German MG's were damn good - we based the design of our later M60 on the MG42, although it can be argued the MG42 was the better of those two guns.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I'm impressed with the detail of your background information - no wonder the situations in your writing seem so realistic!
I didn't forget it, four of the snipers in the Grenadierkompanie actually carry them, the scoped version. The idea was to show the most common weapons carried in Kampfgruppe von Lüttwitz. I showed the Luger (nobody in Kampfgruppe von Lüttwitz carries one) as it's a popular pistol with Americans and it shows the difference between the P 08 and the P 38.
DeleteI think the pistol in the photo ( if it's the one I'm thinking of) is a Browning P-35 ( the soegennant "High Power"). Family resemblance don'tcha know.
ReplyDeleteGreat detail Sarge and a LOT of work even with the name generator. Speaking of names, I notice that every one of Lt. Paddock's assistant squad leaders had a "hispanic" looking name. Coincidence? I'm liking these guys ( especially Esteban) and their "backstories" (again Sgt Hernandez in particular).
I've served with some amazing people from all backgrounds - with the usual allotment of clinkers. Your note on the E-8/9 has some merit, though SOF is kinda rank-heavy and that's OK in some instances (served with some very good MCPO's and MSG's especially). HOWEVER, the "command" version are all too often "politicians" who long ago lost touch with their enlisted roots and there are few things worse than that.
I will note that in a very demanding assignment I had a CMSgt working for me who was outstanding! His replacement was a MSgt (USAF also) who was as good if a little less experienced
Boat Guy
the photos Sarge posted were labelled correctly - although the Nazis used a lot of P-35 (High Power) pistols when they took control of the FN plants in Belgium and steered production to their own forces.
DeleteBoat Guy - I don't know of any useless senior NCOs in special ops, but I never served with any. I assume you're referring to the photo MrGaribaldi references above? The photo I placed above is definitely an M1911. But yes, the Germans did use Browning Hi Powers to a limited extent. I did find that photo, and yes, the SS trooper in question is carrying a P 35. (And he's in a lot of stills from that footage. I seem to recall an article I read a while back where they actually traced the guy, had his name and most of the details on him, I'll have to track that down.)
DeleteTom - In the photo MrG refers to, the guy is carrying a P 35. Why he has it in his hand is probably the cameraman's idea, rear area pogue that he probably was. (The cameraman, not the guy with the pistol.)
DeleteHey Old AFSarge'
Delete"Google" Battle of the Bulge Hans Tragarsky, he was the SS soldier I remembered seeing in all the pics, the Pistol was a Browning High Power.
That's the guy and the picture I remember.
DeleteAhh, thanks, guys - I was thinking of just the photos in the post, didn't realize y'all were referring to another source. Thanks for the reference, Mr. G - I now see what you mean - one pic holding the P35 in his right hand with trigger on or near the trigger guard, and another pic with the P35 in his left hand being gripped 'backwards' around the frame and slide. (The High Power was the first semi auto pistol I ever owned, so it has a special meaning for me - and I now have three of them, a couple of them having been customized.)
DeleteWe do charge off on tangents from time to time!
DeleteSarge - after I read and commented here, I read this entry in a GUNS magazine blog - I think you'll enjoy it, the first anecdotes about the Battle of the Bulge are relevant to your story. https://gunsmagazine.com/odd-angry-shot/snapshots/
ReplyDeleteThe title to the blog post, The Little Things Can Outshine “The Big Picture”, also speaks to your writing - individual stories are what make the big picture!
Thanks again!
Nice article, thanks Tom!
DeleteSarge, what the heck is a Senior Colonel in the US Army (or Armed Forces)? Spent a lot of time with the Army and read a lot of books about WWII, but have never heard that term mentioned other than in the context of "not gonna make General, waiting for 30". So senior by date of rank to most other O-6's. Those folks were usually EXCELLENT bosses, Vegas was one, my boss at CINCPAC another. Both outstanding, mission oriented and excellent BS deflectors.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Senior Colonel isn't a rank, that's in there to show that an SS-Oberführer lies somewhere between O-6 and O-7. I should have indicated that. I have heard the term "Senior Captain" in the Navy to refer to an officer who isn't going to get his flag but is still awfully good at his/her job so they stay in until they retire. My daughters' Professor of Naval Science at Holy Cross was one such man. All he had to do to make admiral was do a Pentagon tour, he turned it down. You can probably understand that reasoning.
DeleteWhen he was on active duty he had the most "at sea" time of any officer O-6 and above, he once told the kids that a "sailor belongs at sea, not at a desk." He lived that philosophy, the kids loved the guy, a damned fine man and officer.
Vegas sounds like him.
Not one Miller or Smith? C'mon, every command I was with always had a Miller or a Smith, usually both. Not criticizing, just pointing out a fact. On the CV we used to prank the airdales by calling up their berthing compartments ask if Miller or Smith was around and tell them the MAA (Master at arms, think ships police force) wanted to see them. Don't judge, we were young , bored and at sea (and resented the aircrew making the chowlines so long). Ah misspent youth.
ReplyDeleteHuh, you're right, no Millers, no Smiths. I think the Germans have a few Müllers and Schmidts though.
DeleteI was in a number of units that had neither, it happens with smaller outfits.
In boot we didn't have any Millers, but two Smiths and two O'Briens [with the same initials].
DeleteNote that there are two O'Briens in Charlie Company.
DeleteI am glad there are no Olsons, you are hard on them! I wish we could have found out why he was called Ollie.
DeleteHis army buddies always called him Ollie. They weren't from Wisconsin...
DeleteAnd that's if the German unit isn't equipped with captured weapons. Sure, all the pistols may be 9mm, but... so at least those all use the same ammo. Not the same mags or pieces parts...
ReplyDeleteBut rifles? Oy vey!
Kampfgruppe von Lüttwitz is uniformly equipped according to German regulations. No deviations will be tolerated!
Delete😉
Tiny nit. The BAR in the photo is the WW2 issue M1918A2 with bipod and "ears" along side the magazine. Caption indicates M1918, which lacked those features. The M1911A1 pistol and caption are correctly matched.
ReplyDeleteGreat work at getting the organization and details right, so thought you might want to correct this tiny deviation from perfection.
JB
I didn't specify the model of BAR in the photo, the source correctly identifies it as the M1918A2. Not an error, just an omission.
DeleteBAR v the Bren gun? Bren gun wins every time.
ReplyDeleteRetired
I won't argue that, the Bren is a fine weapon.
DeleteSarge, fwiw, Dad brought back two P-38s he "liberated" from some Waffen SS types when his 42nd Rainbow Div liberated a major sub-camp of Dachau. (to inclu their armbands and epaulettes, collar tabs, etc.) Plus an old Navy NCOIC Chief who served on a DD in the Med on EIUs faculty and good friend of Dads (who was head tennis & roundball coach) gave me a full-sized Naval NAZI Battle-flag he had "acquired" during his tour. Of course today if I were found with such things I'd be declared a "skinhead Nazi right-wing extremist" and a danger to the Republic. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a few WWII artifacts around the house. No doubt I would be in the same boat as you! If we still had a republic...
DeleteAMEN to the "if"!
Delete😥
DeleteI am going to miss the United States of America.
DeleteMe too.
DeletePS to the above: As a Regimental Intel Officer, Dad acquired/took MANY thoroughly gruesome pics taken on site, many copies of which he brought home and kept hidden--only stumbled across them years later-a sight to see indeed..
ReplyDeleteI can imagine!
DeleteYou have the makings of a whole novel here, Sarge!
ReplyDeleteThat's the goal drjim.
DeleteSarge, did certain units or ranks carry Thompson Submachine guns? I thought I remember them in either photos or movies.
ReplyDeleteI'm still digging into that but initial research indicates that the weapon wasn't issued to American line infantry units. It was issued to British and Canadian commando units, U.S. Paratroopers, and Marine Raiders.
DeleteThe movies like to show sergeants carrying the Thompson, but it wasn't an issue item.
Hollywood...
DeletePretty much, yeah.
Delete