The following are military questions asked by members of the Gearbox Software forums and answered by Col. John Antal (US Army, Ret).
Q4: Asked by Lars
Is it as Bull says in Band of Brothers, that when you fix the bayonet on the M1 Garand, you won't be able to shoot very straight?
ANSWER:
The weapon shoots straight, with or without the bayonet. The added weight of the bayonet on the end of the rifle, however, can cause the shooter to experience muscle fatigue. This is fatigue has a tendency to make the shooter less accurate.
Q5: Asked by Erich
A German painting of soldiers on the Eastern front standing next to a destroyed Russian T-34 Tank. By the time the Allies invaded Normandy on June 6, 1944, the Germans had been fighting on multiple fronts for almost five years.
How professional and tough to beat was the German army (SS included)? In most movies or stories or games the Germans are mindless unorganized and an easy kill. How true are these depictions of the Germans?
ANSWER:
The German Army, called the Wehrmacht, was a very professional fighting force but was weakened by years of war and heavy casualties. The German soldier was plenty tough, and most had combat experience, but they did not outclass the Allied forces that landed in Normandy in training, equipment, combat support or supplies. When General Eisenhower launched the D-Day invasion the Germans only had a few divisions in the Normandy area. The Allies fooled the German high command into believing that the main Allied invasion force would fall at the Pas de Calais, not in Normandy. Some units, like the Ost Battalions that manned the defenses around Utah Beach, were good only for the defense of static positions. On D-Day, some of the static defensive units of the German Army were a mixture of veterans, young boys and old men. Other units, like the German paratroops and SS units, were capable of complex offensive operations. These units, and especially the panzer divisions, were initially held back when the Allies attacked in Normandy. Large numbers of German forces were kept in reserve for weeks after the initial landings as the Germans expected the real attack to occur at the Pas de Calais. The Allies, therefore, gained a tremendous advantage over the German defenders of the Atlantic Wall by hitting them in a weak spot. Even though it was a weak spot, the German defenses in Normandy were still a hard nut to crack and the Wehrmacht put up a tenacious defense.
Q6: Asked by Ryan
U.S. Paratrooper with M1A1 Carbine. Why did American Paratroopers use the M1 Garand but they didn't use a carbine with a full stock? It would still be lighter than the Garand and smaller.
ANSWER:
Good question Ryan. During the fighting in Normandy, paratroopers use both M1 and M1A1 (folding stock) Carbines. The M1 Carbine was a very compact weapon. It was lightweight, had a high rate of fire, and shorter than the M1 Garand Rifle. The paratrooper modification, the M1A1, with a pistol grip and a side-folding metallic stock was even more compact. The lighter weight made this weapon ideal for paratroopers who were assigned crew served weapons like machineguns, mortars or howitzers. This version also was produced in limited numbers and on D-Day some paratroopers and glider troops carried the standard M1 with stock and others had the folding stock.
Most paratroopers, however, preferred the M1 Garand Rifle. The M1 Garand is considered by many to be the best rifle of WWII. The M1 Rifle has greater range, superb accuracy and even though it is heavier, in the hands of a well-trained paratrooper it was the deadliest rifle on the WWII battlefield.
Check back tomorrow for part 3.
