"US 81st Inf Div - PTO 1944 equipment" Topic

Following on from the 'shotguns' thread I found some interesting equipment details for the US 81st Inf Div, specifically for the Anguar/Palau op of Sep-Oct44. It comes from the Div report, available over on fold3.com (they have free access till the end of May14, so depending on when you read this you can have a free look).

The report lists a table of weapons carried additional to the authorised Table of Equipment for its units. Some of the more intriguing amendments made -

Each RCT had 10 SMGs (not certain if these already had the 63 SMGs allowed by the Jun44 changes to the T/O&E), 9x 37-mm atk guns (replacing the 57-mm Bn guns), and 81 extra BARs. The text of the report does specify that 'two BARs per Squad proved sound', so they definitely doubled the allocation.

Also, each RCT had 6 M8 HMC 75-mm armed vehicles, 'in lieu of M7'. That ties in to an old query of mine about which US Divs had M7s in their Regtl Cannon Coys, which I'd thought to be a PTO rather than ETO thing. Regtl guns are listed separately as 9x 37-mm (for the Bns) and 9x 57-mm (for the Atk Coy). Then there are 4x 75-mm pack howitzers per RCT, no idea though if they were alternative weapons for the Cannon Coy, or a separate sub-unit.

Further extras were 23 extra M1919 LMGs per RCT, again uncertain as to whether these were in addition to the extra 6 LMGs allowed from Jun44. Also 23 is a really weird number. Another oddity is 27 T18E6 60-mm per RCT. I haven't looked up the ref, but this might be the lighter 60-mm mortar, sometimes known as a Garrett I think.

The Div Recn Tp was, I presume, dismounted, for the op? They are shown with 9 of the T18E6 (they were already authorised 9x 60-mm mortars anyway) and also 12 BARs. The Engr Bn was given one BAR per Squad as well.

Then come two real strange items. First off, Div HQ was authorised 3x 57-mm atk guns for its Def Pl, but instead they're shown witn 3x 37-mm pack T32, which I understand were mountain guns. The real head scratcher though is for the attached Tank Bn, which has 18 M5 light, 54 M4 medium and 3 M10. Does this actually mean M10 tank destroyer? A non-Div Tank Bn should have had six 105-mm armed M4s as well as 54x 75-mm models. I couldn't find a mention in the report, though I was skim reading, but could they have had them for bunker busting, or is it just a typo from a PTO guy who'd not seen a TD?

I know that US Inf Divs in the PTO modified their equipment from that found in Europe to some extent, but it's very hard to find details on so this is intriguing to me at least.

Gary

Very cool stuff, thanks for sharing.

Looks like there were quite a few automatic weapons floating around, though I imagine weapons wearing out or being destroyed might reduce that number.

A good question would be how much of this stuff was issued out and how much was kept on hand as spares.

Interesting stuff! Not knowing much about the US Army in the PTO, I had thought that Merrill's Marauders were it.

Angaur was a tough fight for the Wildcats of the 81st. Interesting about the M8 vice the M7 and the extra equipment.

They may have preferred the 37mm guns because cannister rounds were available for them. I can't recall hearing of cannister for the 57mm.