"2 USA questions, field radios and BAR assistants" Topic

Radios – how many did USA units carry? 1 per platoon? 1 per squad? what is the difference between the one that looks like a phone and the one that looks like a walkie talkie

BAR assistants – are they more likely to carry the M1 rifle or the M1 Carbine?

thanks

Not sure just how many radios were carried by US infantry at the time. But I'd say no more than one per platoon most of the time.
The difference between a Handy Talkie and the larger back pack radios, aside from size and weight, is their range. Larger radios are more powerful and can send a signal farther.
BAR assistants might start their fighting careers with carbines. But after some time in the field I imagine that could and did change. A lot would depend on the unit's leadership. The character of the individual. And opportunities.

I've never seen radios down at squad level for any WWII army. Squads may occasionally end up with one for special assignments like a patrol or outpost though. But I don't believe they were issued to squads.

BAR assistants carried Garands. The BAR was an individual issue weapon, not a team weapon. The assistant was to hump extra ammo and take over when necessary.

thanks guys

The character of the individual.

So, the guys carrying carbines are lazy, craven individuals concerned only with themselves. And the men carrying the M1 Garand are the valiant, freedom-loving paragons?

The SCR-536 "Handie Talkie" (the large handheld radio with extendable antenna) was signal channel only, usually issued 5-6 per Company. Basically used for short range internal Company communications only due to it's low power, short range and being susceptible to interference from terrain, foliage, etc.. Each Platoon could have one, also the Company Commander and probably XO. In order to change channels a trained commo personnel had to replace the crystal set, so basically once set to the internal Company freq the channel never changed. Extending the antenna was the "power switch".

The SCR-300 "Walkie-Talkie" was the back packed radio with corded handset you see in photo's. It was multi-channel capable but didn't have presets, could be challenging to tune in a freq so they usually set it to the Battalion net and let it be. Typically issued only one per Company (and one per FO), it could be considered the work horse for the US Battalion commo network.

So a 1944 US Company Commander would have an SCR-536 for internal communications with his platoons and an SCR-300 for commo with Battalion. The FO's SCR-300 would be on the field artillery net. The Battalion CO would have an SCR-300 to talk to his Company commanders. Battalion HQ also had an SCR-284, a larger table/ground mounted radio set with large antenna and portable hand-cranked power generator, for long range commo with Regiment.

They also still used wire whenever possible.

No Happy Trees … they may have just been issued a Carbine instead on a Garand. The idea was if you are alway carrying something heavy, like a radio, it might be "easier" to carry a light primary weapon. I carried a PRC-77 back in the day many times, but of course we were all issued M-16s. But I also had been issued an M-14 before M-16s we available to us. M-14 is cleaarly heavier than an M-16 … For a dismounted Grunt, lighter is alway generally "better" … especially on a long forced march …

Happy Little Trees,
When referring to the character of the individual I meant things like how aggressive the individual might be.
Consider… The soldier might be issued one weapon, lets say an M1 in this instance. Later he gets an opportunity to pick up a Thompson SMG. Were it I, keeping the Thompson would be very much in line with my character.

Seems to me that the BAR assistant should carry a weapon using the same munitions as the BAR!

Of course carrying a Garand … makes sense … or alot of spare loaded BAR mags … in a WWII US Infantry squad/platoon there would be no shortage of .30 cal Garand/BAR ammo … If you can fire an M1 Garand or Carbine … you can pickup and use a BAR. In most cases WWII Infantrymen[and modern Grunts for that matter] were cross-trained on all weapons in the unit. Hey, when I was a Grunt Company Cdr '87-'89, I had a number of Sniper qualified soldiers. But no Sniper Rifles or even Sniper scopes for M-16. Not to mention had 0 ammo vests for the 18 M-203 GLs I had in my TO&E … Or I was authorized 32 NVGs … but only had 5 … And we were an active duty unit that was part of 18th ABN Corps … Welcome to the Infantry son …

The US Army of WWII was not a video game: you carried what you were issued and in the infantry this was the M1 Garand rifle. Period.

If you want something else you have to 1) persuade the original owner to part with it 2) persuade your squad and platoon leaders that it's a good idea to mess with the unit's long range firepower and 3) explain to the supply sgt. why you need ammo and spares for an unauthorized weapon.

Considering carbines are only issued to a handful of men (about a third of them officers) in the battalion and SMG's number just SIX per company, controlled by the captain, your chances of "picking up" one of these weapons are pretty slim in the first place ;)