WWII Military History Guides

WWII Military History Guides
Dogfaces:
The Infantry in Normandy
Dogfaces:
The Infantry in Normandy
© The National WWII Museum and National History Day
May be duplicated for educational purposes
Dr. Cathy Gorn, Executive Director, National History Day
Senior Editor: Nathan Huegen, The National WWII Museum
Editor: Richard Allen
With support from National History Day staff
The National WWII Museum
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Dogfaces: The Infantry in Normandy
This guide covers U.S. infantry forces and Ranger infantry battalions in Normandy, and should be a helpful reference for
students. All of these different units were attached to the infantry division and worked together. Although a separate unit,
the Rangers are discussed in this guide since they worked in close cooperation with regular infantry units in Normandy
and their experiences were similar to an infantryman’s. This guide discusses the organization, tactics, and combat
experiences of the men in these units:
•
•
•
Infantry Battalion
Field Artillery Battalion
Ranger Infantry Battalion
Infantry Techniques, 1914-1939: Overcoming the Trenches
Technological advancements during World War I necessitated changes in infantry tactics. Dense lines of soldiers were not
effective against machine guns and rapid firing artillery, but defensive systems of trenches could not be broken from a
distance. To overcome these obstacles, the British developed the tank and the portable light machinegun. To take
advantage of these new inventions, new tactics were developed which became known as “fire and maneuver.”
Fire and maneuver tactics combined artillery with an infantry advance. Half of the advancing squad provided artillery fire
while the other half moved in close to attack.1 The attack would open with an artillery barrage to ensure that enemy
soldiers stayed in their protective underground unable to fire at the advancing troops. After World War I, each squad was
equipped with a light machinegun, allowing infantry squads to perform their own fire and maneuver attacks without a
large artillery barrage. These tactics proved successful and were soon adopted by all armies and are still the standard
today.
In 1918, the U.S. Army issued instructions which stated that when attacking trenches:
“The assault on such positions must be prepared and supported by artillery directed by its own observers and agents of
laiason, and by the infantry’s own weapons. The close cooperation of infantry and artillery is of prime importance. On
favorable ground, the artillery preparation may be completed, or even replaced, by the assault of a line of tanks.”2
Infantry fire at the enemy. Courtesy of the National Archives and
Records Association.
1
Tactics and weaponry adopted as standard, Stephen Bull. World War II Infantry Tactics: Squad and Platoon. Oxford, UK: Osprey
Publishing, 2004, 23-29.
2
Fire and maneuver, Griffith, 65-83; and “the assault on such,” War Department. Instructions for the Offensive Combat of Small
Units, War Department Document No. 802, May, 1918. Washington: War Department, 1918, 11.
The Infantry Division
Infantry Divisions consisted of many units but the main fighting unit was the infantry regiment. The soldiers of the
regiment were supported by a field artillery battalion and, usually, by a company of tanks and a company of tank
destroyers from the attached Tank Battalion and Tank Destroyer Battalion. The division could also expect support
from anti-aircraft, anti-tank, and reconnaissance units, making the infantry division a ‘combined arms’ organization
capable of attacking and defending ground successfully.3 An individual soldier served in one of the units below. They
will be explained in detail later.
• Division Headquarters
o Signals Company
o Military Police Platoon
o Quartermaster Battalion
o Ordinance Light Maintenance Company
o Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop
o Engineer Combat Battalion
o Medical Battalion
o Field Artillery Battalion (Medium)
o 3x Field Artillery Battalions (Light)
o 3x Infantry Regiments
The Infantry on the move. Courtesy of
the Library of Congress.
• Likely Attachments to the division:
o Tank Battalion
o Tank Destroyer Battalion
o Anti-Aircraft Battalion (Automatic Weapons)
• Total strength: 14,253 men and 1,440 vehicles.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
3
The main fighting strength of the division was the infantry regiments.
The field artillery battalions provided artillery support.
The anti-aircraft battalion protected the artillery from German bombers
The engineer battalion built bridges, removed land mines from roads, and destroyed German bunkers when
necessary.
The reconnaissance platoon scouted for the division’s regiments
The medical company treated and evacuated wounded soldiers.4
The signal company operated radios and telephone equipment to communicate with other divisions and
corps headquarters.
The Military Police directed traffic within the division’s section of the rear.
The quartermasters ensured that units received the supplies and equipment they needed to keep fighting.
The cavalry reconnaissance troop performed scouting missions in fast vehicles.
The Ordinance Light Maintenance Company repaired vehicles of the non combat regiments and battalions.
Division structure, Andrew Mollo. The Armed Forces of World War II: Uniforms, insignia and organization. New York: Crown
Publishers, 1981, 151 and Gary Kennedy. “The United States Infantry Division, mid 1943 to 1945,” Battalion Organization during the
Second World War. Accessed October 11, 2011. http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/UnitedStates/Divisions/Inf%20Divs/united_
states_infantry_division%20mid%201943%20to%201945.htm; and manpower and vehicle stats, Mollo, 151.
4
Fighting units, Kennedy, “Airborne Division.”
The Structure of the Infantry Regiment
The Infantry Regiment was the primary combat unit of the division. The regiment had three battalions of infantry,
supported by several heavy weapons and support companies:
Infantry Regiment
Headquarters
Company
•
•
•
•
•
•
5
Service
Company
Medical
Detachment
Cannon
Company
Anti-tank
Company
3 Infantry
Battalions
The main fighting strength of the regiment was the 860 man Infantry Battalion.
The Headquarters Company provided the staff, bodyguards, and administrative support for the
regiment’s commander. It also included and several soldiers who acted as radio operators, truck
drivers, and messengers.
The Service Company performed maintenance on the regiment’s vehicles, brought supplies to the
regiment’s troops, and evacuated wounded soldiers to the division’s medical battalion.
The Medical Detachment (Surgeon, several medics, and several company aid men per rifle company)
treated the casualty and attempted to stabilize the soldier and stop excessive bleeding. If the soldier
was unable to walk, battalion litter teams carried him to the battalion aid station just behind the front
line, where the battalion surgeon and several aid men worked to save the soldier.5
The Cannon Company gave artillery support for the regiment at a moment’s notice, using methods similar
to a field artillery battalion.
o Company Command (2 officers, 28 men) worked as radio operators, truck drivers, and messengers.
o 3x Platoons (each: 1 officer, 1 NCO, 31 men, two 105mm howitzer cannons each towed by a truck)
The Anti-tank Company (4 officers, 3 NCOs, 123 men) to protect the regiment from German tanks.6
The anti-tank company was often broken up, with each anti-tank gun platoon being attached to one
of the regiment’s infantry battalions.7
o 3x Platoons (each: 1 officer, 1 NCO, 31 men)
 3x Squads: 10 men, one bazooka, one 57mm anti-tank gun towed by a truck
o 1x Anti-tank Mine Platoon (1 officer, 30 men: laid anti-tank mines)
War Department, Infantry Battalion, 44-46, War Department. Supply and Evacuation, the Infantry Regiment; Service Company
and Medical Detachment. FM 7-30, 1 June 1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944 and War Department, Medical
Detachment, Infantry Regiment, T/O&E 7-11. 26 February 1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944.
6
Kennedy, “Infantry Division.”
7
Anti-tank Company, War Department. Antitank Company, Infantry Regiment and Antitank Platoon, Infantry Battalion. FM 7-35,
15 March 1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944, 1-18.
Infantry Battalions
The 860 man Infantry battalions were the fighting part of the regiment. They were further broken down into specialized
tasks:
Infantry Battalion
Headquarters
(9 officers and 112 men)
Heavy Weapons
Company
(8 officers and 152 men)
3 Rifle Companies
(each: 6 officers
and 187 men)
The Headquarters (9 officers, 112 men) functioned in the same way as the regiment’s headquarters company:
• Battalion Headquarters (Lt. Colonel, Major, Captain, 1st Lieutenant)
• Company Headquarters (Captain, 1st Lieutenant, 19 men)
• HQ Section (13 men)
• Communications Platoon (1st Lieutenant, 22 men)
• Ammunition and Pioneer Platoon “A&P Platoon” (2nd Lieutenant, 26 men)
Carried ammunition to the battalion’s companies. 8
• Antitank Platoon (1 officer, 32 men with three 57-mm Antitank guns)
o Platoon Headquarters (2nd Lieutenant, Technical Sergeant, 1 man)
o 3 Antitank Squads (Staff Sergeant, Corporal, 8 men)
The Heavy Weapons Company (8 officers, 152 men) provided the heavy firepower which helped the battalion’s infantry
attack. The company had mortar and machinegun platoons:
• Company Headquarters (Captain, 1st lieutenant, 26 men)
• Mortar Platoon (4 officers, 56 men with six 81mm mortars)
 Platoon Headquarters (1st Lieutenant, 5 men)
 3 Mortar Sections
o Section Leader: 2nd Lieutenant, Staff Sergeant
o 2 Mortar Squads
• Mortar Squad (Staff Sergeant, Corporal, 6 men)
• 2 Machinegun Platoons (each: 1 officer, 35 men, four heavy machineguns)
 Platoon Headquarters (1st Lieutenant, 5 men)
 2 Machinegun Sections
o Section Leader: (Staff Sergeant)
o 2 Machinegun Squads
• Machinegun Squad (Sergeant, Corporal, 5 men)
8
Command and support units, War Department. Infantry Battalion, FM 7-20, 1 October 1944. Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1944.
The Rifle Companies (6 officers, 187 men) each had three rifle platoons and a weapons platoon. Every other organization
in the infantry division existed for the sole purpose of supporting the men in the rifle companies.9
• Company Headquarters (Captain, 1st lieutenant, 1st sergeant, 32 men with five bazooka rocket launchers)
• Weapons Platoon
 Platoon HQ (1st lieutenant, technical sergeant, 4 men)
 Mortar section (17 men with three 60mm mortars)
o Section Leader: (Staff Sergeant, 1 man)
o 3 Mortar Squads
• Mortar Squad (Sergeant, 4 men)
 Machinegun section (12 men with two M1919A4 machineguns)
o Section Leader: (Staff Sergeant, 1 man)
o 2 Machinegun Squads
• Machinegun Squad (Sergeant, 4 men)
• 3 Rifle Platoons
 Platoon Headquarters (1st or 2nd lieutenant, technical sergeant, staff sergeant, 2 men)
 3 Rifle Squads
o Rifle Squad (Sergeant, corporal, 10 men) divided into 3 Teams:
Able (2 man scout team)
Baker (corporal, 3 men: equipped with a BAR)
Charlie (sergeant, 5 men)
The weapons platoon performed the same type of job that the battalion heavy weapons company performed – they just
had fewer, lighter weapons. Because of casualties and lack of replacements, it was not uncommon to find a 2nd lieutenant
commanding a company or a corporal
commanding a squad.10
The Duties of the Soldiers
To recap, the Infantry Division was the highest
level, with regiments then battalions and finally
companies that could have platoons and squads.
The regiment’s battalions were numbered (1st,
2nd, and 3rd), while the regiment’s companies
were lettered. 1st Battalion had A, B, C, and D
Companies. 2nd Battalion had E, F, G, and H
Companies. 3rd Battalion had I, K, L, and M
Companies. There was no ‘J’ company, for some
reason no one has discovered. D, H, and M
Companies were heavy weapons companies.
The other nine were rifle companies. Platoons
and squads were numbered (e. g. 2nd Platoon).11
An Infantry Squad resting outside a French café.
American inventor John Garand developed the
M1 Garand rifle, which was the standard weapon almost all soldiers were armed with. It was a semi-automatic – the
soldier could fire bullets as fast as he could pull the trigger. All other armies still used the bolt action rifle, which the
soldier had to pull back a metal bolt and push it back forward again to load the next bullet into the chamber before he
could fire the next shot. Thus the M1 Garand gave the American rifleman more firepower than his counterpart in other
armies.
9
Battalion heavy weapons company, Kennedy, “Infantry Battalion.”
Rifle company organization and jobs, Kennedy, “Infantry Battalion.”
11
Battalion structure and nomenclature, Gary Kennedy. “The United States Infantry Battalion, mid 1943 to 1945,” Battalion
Organization during the Second World War. Accessed October 11, 2011.
http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/UnitedStates/Infantry/united_states_infantry_battalion%20mid%201943%20to%201945.htm
10
An Infantry squad practices a beach assault in England before Operation Overlord.
The National WWII Museum, Inc.
The U.S. Army considered the M1 a
battle-winning weapon and, General
George S. Patton stated that the M1
was “the greatest battle implement
ever devised.” The Army thought that
infantry would be able to overwhelm
an enemy with rifle fire, so the squad
did not need a true light machinegun.
However, while the M1 was an
excellent weapon, German squads
armed with the excellent MG-42
‘Hitler’s Buzz saw,’ had far more
firepower than American soldiers did
with their M1s and Browning
Automatic Rifles. To make matters
worse, German troops hidden in the
bocage were more likely spot the
Americans and open fire first.
Consequently, American soldiers
tended to become pinned down by
German fire and unable to move
forward without help from supporting
weapons.12
The rifle squad was divided into three teams, labeled Able, Baker, and Charlie. Able team was a two man scout team
which scouted as far ahead of the squad as possible while still staying in sight. Baker team was four men strong, led by the
squad’s corporal. The team included the squad’s main firepower, a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). The other six men
in the squad, including the squad leader, were in Charlie team. Charlie team was the squad’s assault team.13
When the squad was moving towards the enemy, Able team led the way. Once the Germans were located, the squad
leader directed Baker team to a position from which it could provide covering fire. Baker and Charlie teams were
supposed to fire at the Germans until the Germans became pinned down by the American fire and stopped shooting. Then
Baker team would continue firing while Charlie team, led by the squad leader, moved in close to the German position and
dispatched them with hand grenades and rifle fire.14 The rifle company field manual stated that:
“At the first position each attacking platoon seeks to gain fire superiority over the enemy to its front by subjecting
him to fire of such accuracy and intensity that the hostile fire becomes inaccurate or diminished in
volume…Further advances are made by successive rushes, or movement of individuals or small groups of the
leading squads and platoons, or by maneuver of rear echelons. The movement of advancing elements is covered
by fire of those remaining in position and by the fire of company and battalion supporting weapons and
artillery…This combination of fire and maneuver enables attacking rifle elements to reach positions from which
they can overcome the enemy.”15
12
American and German weapons, Balkoski, 82-90; “the greatest battle implement,” George S. Patton quoted in Balkoski, 82; and
Germans likely to see Americans first, Balkoski, 148-163.
13
Squad organization, Bull, 23-45.
14
Team roles, Bull, 32, 41-42.
15
“At the first position,” War Department. Rifle Company, Infantry Regiment. FM 7-10, 18 March 1944. Washington, Government
Printing Office, 1944, 47-48.
What was my soldier’s job?
This is a list of the different ranks of soldiers in the regiment, along with their most likely job. Doing further research
should help determine exactly what job your soldier had in his unit.16
Colonel:
Lt. Colonel:
Major:
Captain:
1st Lieutenant:
2nd Lieutenant:
Master Sergeant:
1st Sergeant:
Tech Sergeant:
Staff Sergeant:
Technician 3rd Class:
Sergeant:
Technician 4th Class:
Corporal:
Technician 5th Class:
PFC/Private:
16
War Department, Infantry Battalion.
Commanded the regiment
Commanded a battalion or was executive officer of the regiment
Was a staff officer or executive officer of a battalion
Commanded a company or was a staff officer
Executive officer of a company
Commanded a platoon
Senior NCO in the regiment and a role model for the men
Senior NCO in a company and served as a role model for the men
More senior executive officer of a platoon, aka the ‘platoon sergeant’
Executive officer of a platoon, aka the ‘platoon sergeant’
Medic or radio operator
Squad leader
Medic, radio operator, or driver
Assistant squad leader or weapon gunner, driver
Medic, radio operator, or driver
Rifleman or messenger
Field Artillery Battalion
The Field Artillery Battalion provided the vital artillery support for the division’s infantry, and this often meant the
difference between victory and defeat on the World War II battlefield. Fortunately, the U.S. Army’s artillery tactics were
very sophisticated and were unsurpassed by any army in the world.17 Each infantry division had 4 Artillery Battalions:
Infantry Division
1 'Medium' Field Artillery
Battalion
(155mm guns: fired a 95-pound shell
up to 9 miles)
3 'Light' Field Artillery Battalions
(105mm guns: fired a 33-pound shell up
to 7 miles)
The job of the Field Artillery Battalion was to support the activities of the infantry regiments in several ways:
• The battalion provided artillery barrages in support of infantry attacks.
• During a battle, the battalion responded to requests for barrages from infantry commanders.
• The battalion performed ‘counter battery’ fire to knock out German artillery batteries firing at
American troops.
• The battalion also attacked German reinforcements and command posts to make it more difficult for
German officers to coordinate their activities and get troops to the right place on the battlefield.18
Regardless of equipment, the battalions were organized and functioned in the same manner. The light battalions were
generally attached to an infantry regiment to provide support. The medium battalion was kept in general support of the
division and assigned to fire barrages as needed.19 The Field Artillery Battalion was further broken down into specialized
tasks:
Field Artillery Battalion
(30 officers, 479 men, 12 guns, and 124 vehicles)
Headquarters
and
Headquarters
Battery
(Lt. Colonel, 13
officers, and 132 men)
17
Service Battery
(4 officers and
62 men)
Medical
Detachment
(1 officer and 11 men)
3 Gun Batteries
(each: Captain, 3
officers, and 100 men)
American artillery tactics, Michael D. Doubler. Closing with the Enemy: How GIs Fought the War in Europe, 1944-1945.
Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1994, 10-30.
18
Missions, War Department. Field Artillery Tactical Employment. FM 6-20, 5 February 1944. Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1944, 8-10.
19
Division artillery, Mollo, 151; and gun characteristics, Joseph Balkoski. Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in
Normandy. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA: 1999, 105.
•
•
•
•
Each of the 3 Gun Batteries had four guns, called “A, B, and C.” Each battery was commanded by a captain,
with a 1st lieutenant as an assistant commander.
o 4x Gun Sections (each: 10 men, with 1 gun towed by a truck)
The Headquarters Company The headquarters battery provided the staff elements needed to plan fire
missions, keep track of supplies, and oversee the operations of the gun batteries.
The Service Company The service battery was responsible for the maintenance of the guns and the
battalion’s vehicles.
The Medical Detachment provided treatment for sick and injured soldiers.
Duties within the Field Artillery Battalion
The headquarters battery provided the staff elements needed to plan fire missions, keep track of supplies, and oversee the
operations of the gun batteries. The headquarters battery also had two Piper L-4 Grasshopper airplanes, a tiny airplane
with no weapons, but was the airplane most feared by German soldiers because it could call on the wrath of an entire Field
Artillery Battalion’s bombardment.20
Some of the battery’s officers and NCOs were attached to the infantry regiment that the battalion supported, to help adjust
the fire of their battery.21
Since artillery fire could be quickly switched from target to
target the division’s artillery batteries were kept firing as much
as possible and not kept in reserve.22
During combat operations, a battery could be either in ‘direct’
or ‘general’ support of a military unit. The medium field
artillery battalion was usually ally kept in general support, while
the light battalions were usually used in direct support of an
infantry regiment or battalion.
Batteries in general support were not attached to a particular
unit; instead they provided support on an as needed basis for any
unit that needed artillery fire. While batteries in direct support of
a unit in effect were attached to that unit, and the battery was
assigned to support that particular unit with whatever artillery
support they needed.
Batteries providing direct support for an infantry unit
provided a team of forward observers (FOs) that went up to the
An American Howitzer crew provides support fire. Courtesy
front line with the infantry. The forward observer team consisted
of the National Archives and Records Association
of several men, lead by an officer or NCO from the battery in
direct support. The forward observers had a radio with which they could contact their battery to request fire missions. All
men in the FO team were trained to adjust and coordinate artillery missions. In addition to ground-based FO teams, the
battalion had two airplanes which they used for Forward Observation missions. Infantrymen were also trained in forward
artillery observation, in case an FO team was not available or had been incapacitated. Infantrymen down to the rank of
staff sergeant knew how to call for artillery missions.23
Because guns had a range of several miles, it was very rare for the gunners to be able to see their target. Almost without
exception, artillery missions were ‘indirect;’ that is, the gunners received instructions by radio from an FO who could see
the target. The FO radioed a description of the target (“enemy infantry,” or “enemy tanks,” etc.) and map coordinates of
the target’s location to the battery’s Fire Direction Center (FDC). Each battery had a fire direction center, and the battalion
and division also had FDCs. The FDC decided what priority the request should receive, in relation to the other requests
20
Headquarters and Service Batteries, Balkoski, 104 and 287.
Organization, War Department. Field Artillery Battalion, Motorized, 105mm Howitzer, Truck Drawn, T/O&E 6-25. 27 September
1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944 and War Department. Medical Detachment, Field Artillery Battalion,
Motorized, 105mm Howitzer, Truck Drawn, T/O&E 6-25. 27 September 1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944.
22
Support options, War Department, Field Artillery, 8-10.
23
Forward observers, Balkoski 110-111 and Doubler 19-20; and air observers, Balkoski, 111-112.
21
being sent by other units. The FDC then performed mathematical calculations based on the target’s range, elevation, and
other factors. The FDC staff then took the number received from that calculation and looked up the relevant aiming
instructions for that data in a binder full of artillery aiming data. The FDC could then send the aiming instructions to the
guns who would perform the fire mission. If a battery FDC felt that a mission was particularly important, they could
coordinate with the battalion FDC or the division FDC to get the entire battalion or even multiple battalions to fire at the
target. The U.S. Army was the only army in the world to use this system, which allowed artillerymen to provide
maximum support on a moment’s notice to any unit in need of assistance.24
The Fire Direction Center concept also allowed Americans to use an advanced technique called a ‘time-on-target’ barrage.
Most casualties from artillery fire occurred in the first few seconds of an attack, when troops might be caught outside of
trenches or buildings by the unexpected barrage. American artillery batteries learned how to calculate the firing of their
guns so that multiple batteries could hit an area at the same time, providing maximum damage to the target.25
Before a planned infantry or tank
attack, the FO team worked with
their battery’s FDC to ‘register’
targets for the planned
bombardment. Registering targets
required preparing information on
the range and elevation of the
targets to be bombarded so that the
FDC could calculate aiming
instructions for the bombardment.
At the pre-planned time, the battery
or battalion bombarded the target
with shells, helping the infantry
attack by ‘suppressing’ the German
defenders (i.e. making them keep
their heads down and not shoot).
Once the infantry moved within
100-200 yards of the barrage, the
FO team ordered the battery to stop
firing so that Americans were not
hit by accident. Then the infantry
used their firepower to keep the
Germans pinned down and move in
for the kill.26
An American 240mm Howitzer just before firing at enemy forces. Courtesy
of the National Archives and Records Association.
The FO team could frequently
request impromptu artillery missions against Germans that attacked an American unit or when an American attack stalled
and needed extra help. Artillery fire needed to be ‘adjusted’ to perform an impromptu fire mission, because there was not
enough time to gather the precise ranging and elevation measurements needed for the FDC to calculate aiming. The
Forward Observer sent map coordinates to the battery as usual. Then one gun from the battery fired a ‘ranging’ shot. The
Forward Observer noted where each ranging shot landed and gave the battery instructions on how to move the fire so that
it hit the target (“up 200, left 50 yards,” etc.). The battery would continue to fire ranging shots until one landed where the
FO wanted them to, then the FO called ‘fire for effect’ and the entire battery or battalion bombarded the target until the
FO ordered them to cease firing.27
24
Fire Direction Centers, Balkoski, 112-115.
Time-on-target, Doubler, 19, 67.
26
Bombardments, Doubler, 19.
27
Impromptu fire missions, Balkoski, 114-115.
25
What was my soldier’s job?
This is a list of the different ranks of soldiers in the battalion, along with their most likely job. Doing further research
should help determine exactly what job your soldier had in his unit.28
Lt. Colonel:
Major:
Captain:
1st Lieutenant:
2nd Lieutenant:
Master Sergeant:
1st Sergeant:
Tech Sergeant:
Staff Sergeant:
Technician 3rd Class:
Sergeant:
Technician 4th Class:
Corporal:
Technician 5th Class:
PFC/Private:
28
Jobs, Balkoski, 104-105, 109-115.
Commanded the battalion
Was a staff officer or executive officer of the battalion
Commanded a battery or was a staff officer
Executive officer of a battery
Assistant executive officer of a battery
Senior NCO in the battalion and a role model for the men
Senior NCO in a battery and served as a role model for the men
Gun section leader
Gun section leader
Medic or mechanic
Gun section leader or maintenance team commander
Gun crewman, radio operator, medic, mechanic, or truck driver
Gunner, vehicle driver, or assistant maintenance team leader
Gun crewman, radio operator, medic, mechanic, or truck driver
Carried and loaded ammunition for a gun
The Ranger Infantry Battalion
The Ranger battalions were specialized commando organizations used for assault or reconnaissance missions needing
specialized skills. The Rangers were the best and most dependable unit in the Army, so they tended to be called upon to
perform tasks which the infantry could have performed, but not necessarily as well. The Ranger battalions suffered heavy
casualties in Normandy and in other campaigns later in the war.29
The 504 man Ranger Battalion (26 officers, 478 men) was organized in the same way that a British Army commando
battalion was organized:
Ranger Battalion
Headquarters
Company
(8 officers and 88 men)
6 Rifle Companies
(each: 3 officers and 65 men)
Each of the 6 Rifle Companies was further broken up:
• Company HQ (1 Captain, 1st sergeant, 2 men)
• 2 Rifle Platoons:
 Platoon Headquarters (1st or 2nd lieutenant, staff sergeant, 2 men)
o Mortar Section (6 men with one 60mm mortar)
o 2 Assault Sections (each: Sergeant, 10 men)
• 2 five man teams (assault team or equipped with a BAR)30
There were fewer officers and NCOs in the Ranger Battalion
than in other similar sized units. The Rangers expected
everyone to show initiative and leadership on the battlefield.
The battalion did not have much in the way of support
weapons and had six 81mm mortars which they could issue
to rifle companies as desired, along with ten bazooka rocket
launchers. This meant each platoon had access to a bazooka,
which the lieutenant could assign to a soldier of choice.
These were men who moved quickly and traveled light – the
Rangers hit fast, captured an objective, held it for a short
period of time and were pulled out when reinforcements
arrived, they could fight Germans day after day.31
Army Rangers reenact an attack on a German shore emplacement.
The National WWII Museum, Inc.
29
Each squad had 2 teams that worked together to conduct the
same fire and maneuver tactics used by the infantry, but with
a precision forged out of months of intense training and
Ranger battalion usage in World War II, Robert W. Black, Rangers in World War II. New York: Ivy Books, 1992.
Organization, Gary Kennedy. “United States Army Ranger Battalion,” Battalion Organization during the Second World War.
Accessed October 11, 2011. http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/UnitedStates/united_states_army_ranger_battal.htm
31
Organization, Kennedy, “Ranger Battalion.”
30
selection.32 The Rangers played a vital role on D-Day, helping the
Americans secure a foothold on Omaha Beach.
The Rangers were based on the British Commandos – small units of
highly-trained soldiers who could conduct raids on the European mainland.
In 1942 an American officer, Colonel William Darby, convinced the Army
that they should follow the British example. Following the success of
Darby’s Rangers, the Army created five more battalions. The 2nd and 5th
Battalions served in Northwest Europe.33
Rangers were handpicked volunteers – and men competed to get a chance
to be part of such an elite group. Their training was rigorous: long distance
marches with heavy packs were frequent and if a man dropped out on even
a single march, he was out of the Rangers. The training focused on long
distance marches, climbing, infantry assault tactics, and hand-to-hand
combat training. The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions trained in the United
States before going to England in late 1943. Once in England, they
completed their training at the Commando Depot in Achnacarry,
Scotland.34
What was my soldier’s job?
Army Rangers reenact the climbing of Pionte du
Hoc. The National WWII Museum, Inc.
This is a list of the different ranks of soldiers in the battalion, along with their most likely job. Doing further research
should help determine exactly what job your soldier had in his unit.
Lt. Colonel:
Major:
Captain:
1st Lieutenant:
2nd Lieutenant:
Master Sergeant:
1st Sergeant:
Tech Sergeant:
Staff Sergeant:
Technician 3rd Class:
Sergeant:
Technician 4th Class:
Corporal Assistant:
Technician 5th Class:
PFC/Private:
32
Commanded the battalion
Was a staff officer or executive officer of the battalion
Commanded a company or was a staff officer
Commanded a platoon or was a staff officer
Commanded a platoon
Senior NCO in the battalion and a role model for the men
Senior NCO in a company and served as a role model
More senior platoon sergeant
Platoon sergeant
Medic
Assault section or mortar section leader
Medic or radio operator
Assault section leader
Medic or radio operator
Rifleman35
Roles in the battalion, Kennedy, “Ranger Battalion.”
British Commandos, Military Intelligence Service, War Department. British Commandos. Special Series No. 1, August 9, 1942.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1942; Churchill’s plan for raids on Europe, B. H. Liddell Hart, Strategy: The Classic Book
on Military Strategy. New York: Meridian, 1991, 367; Darby and the 1st Battalion, William O. Darby. Darby’s Rangers: We Led the
Way. San Raphael, CA: Presidio Press, 1980; and other battalions, Black.
34
Ranger selection and training, Ronald L. Lane. Rudder’s Rangers. Manassas, VA: Ranger Associates, 1979, 25-37.
35
Jobs, Kennedy, “Ranger Battalion.”
33
Tank Battalion
Each infantry division could expect to receive at least one tank battalion, which tended to stay attached to a division for
long periods of time. However, the battalion was independent of the division and was controlled by the General
Headquarters (GHQ) of the Army Ground Forces, so they were often referred to as ‘GHQ’ tank battalions. They were
usually broken up, with each company or platoon being assigned to a particular infantry regiment or infantry battalion.
The tank battalion’s units would be attached to a unit for a particular attack and then withdrawn back to the control of the
GHQ tank battalion.
About half of the Army’s tanks ended up assigned to one of these GHQ tank battalions. The rest were divided up amongst
the Army’s sixteen armored divisions.36
Tanks were very powerful units which excelled at working with infantry to capture objectives. However they were bad at
defending territory since they were such large targets, so they were placed in reserve in the rear area until they were
needed for another attack.37
Since tanks were armed with a long
range cannon and machineguns that
could hit a target 800 or more yards
away, tanks were best suited to
working in open terrain like rolling
hills and fields. Even under these
conditions, tanks needed to work
closely with infantry to be most
effective. The tanks and infantry
formed a team – the tanks helped
eliminate German machineguns and
infantry squads which slowed the
American infantry advance and the
infantry protected the tanks from
German anti-tank teams and helped the
tanks spot targets (tank crews have
only a small field of view from inside
the tank). In the claustrophobic bocage
country of Normandy, close
cooperation with infantry was
absolutely vital to the survival of the
tank crewmen. The tank battalion field
manual noted that:
th
A tank is accompanied by a squad of soldiers from the 60 Infantry Regiment.
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Association
“Each commander must understand that his unit is only part of a team and that he must work in close cooperation with
all other units. Teamwork is obtained by combined training. Tanks can take terrain but they cannot hold it. Tanks must
not be expected to neutralize an objective for a long period of time.”38
In combat, the tank battalion used much the same tactics as the infantry. Each tank was assigned to a rifle platoon or rifle
squad. Tanks suppressed German positions with their cannon and machineguns so that their infantry could move up or
another tank/infantry team could advance.
See the Armored Guide for more details on the Armored Battalion.
36
Mollo, 232-233.
Roles, War Department. Tank Battalion. FM 17-33, December 1944. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1944., 4-18.
38
Armament, War Department, Tank Battalion, 11, 13; favorable terrain, War Department, Tank Battalion, 3; tank-infantry
cooperation, War Department. “Tank-Infantry Teamwork,” Combat Lessons No. 9, 1945. Accessed October 11, 2011.
http://www.lonesentry.com/combatlessons/index.html; and “the cooperation of all,” 2; “the cooperation,” Tank Battalion, 2.
37
Summary: Infantry Combat in Normandy
The infantry did most of the hard fighting and the dying during the war. Infantrymen accounted for just 14% of the Army
Ground Forces manpower during World War II, yet suffered 70% of its battle casualties. Infantry were not very
glamorous, but they were very important, accounting for about 2/3 of the Army’s divisions during WWII. Within the
infantry division, infantrymen suffered 92% of casualties. Artillerymen accounted for another 4%, with the last 4% spread
among the other types of units. Once
a division was sent into combat, they
tended to stay in combat — the 90th
Infantry Division accumulated 308
days of combat experience from
Normandy to Germany, more than
any other American combat division
in the Army.39 The Army saw the
rifleman as the key to victory in
infantry combat.
American tanks did not have an easier
time than the infantrymen. The
American Sherman tank was quite
vulnerable to German anti-tank
weapons. Its armor simply was not
thick enough to protect it from
German shells and anti-tank rockets
and it had a high-profile, making it
easy to spot and to hit. When the
Sherman did get hit it often burned,
because of poorly designed
ammunition storage compartments.
American soldiers called the Sherman
Infantry in a French forest.
‘the Ronson,’ after a brand of
The National WWII Museum, Inc.
cigarette lighter. Ronson’s
advertisements boasted that “Ronson always lights the first time.” German units bristled with anti-tank weapons, each one
capable of destroying a Sherman. The Germans even developed a portable, disposable one shot anti-tank rocket launcher
called the panzerfaust. German squads tended to have two or three of these weapons.
When German tanks were encountered, the situation got even worse. Lt. General Lesley McNair, commander of the Army
Ground Forces, decreed that American tanks should be designed and armed with weapons best suited to fighting infantry.
American tank cannons and anti-tank guns were not as powerful as their German counterparts. German guns could easily
penetrate the armor of American tanks, while American tank crews generally had to maneuver for shots against the
weaker side armor of the German vehicles. Even the tank destroyer battalions did not have the firepower to tackle German
tank units head on – instead they tried to use cunning and surprise to ambush German tanks from the side or the rear.40
Faced with these difficulties, soldiers learned to use teamwork to defeat their enemies. The American tank crews helped
the infantry suppress and assault German infantry and the infantrymen returned the favor by protecting the tanks from
German anti-tank units. The soldiers could also call on assistance from Army Air Forces fighter planes armed with bombs
or rockets to destroy German tanks and from artillery batteries to bombard German infantry.41
39
Infantry strength and casualties, Doubler, 240;number of infantry divisions, Lone Sentry: Photographs, Documents, and Research
on World War II. “Campaigns of U.S. Army Divisions in Europe, North Africa, and Middle East.” Accessed October 12, 2011.
http://www.lonesentry.com/usdivisions/campaigns.html; casualties within the infantry division, John C. McManus. The Deadly
Brotherhood: The American Combat Soldier in World War II. New York: Ballantine Books, 1998, 3; 90th Division in most combat,
Doubler, 236.
40
American tanks versus German tanks, Cooper, 335-342.
41
Teamwork, “Tank-Infantry Teamwork;” and air support, Doubler, 63-86.