"FNG M60 Allocation Question" Topic

So I was setting up a game of FNG and for the US Army it lists the M60s as being in each squad when I thought there were 2 in a separate weapons squad, along with the apparently hardly ever used recoiless rifles. I know most of the time the weapon squad was broken up and given to rifle squads to keep them at strength. I was just thinking about setting up the squad as normal and then rolling for the M60s as attachments like the FOs and RTOs. I'm just curious how others do it, do any of you use them as attachments or even roll for a whole weapons squad.

I go with actual practice – in the squad. I don't care what the TO&E says if no one does it that way.

Even if the M60s were part of a weapons platoon/squad, they were attached to the squads for operations.

From what I've read, and seen posted here by others, some in response to my queries, two per platoon does seem to be the correct number.

However, given the usual GI ingenuity, I suspect more might have been scrounged from various sources, if WWIII really came to blows. Not sure that would be possible, but I'll bet a lot of people would have done what they could to strip them from jeeps, and/or to acquire them via other various means.

I think that is especially true, given the RRs were usually left back at base, during maneuvers, and/or various combat missions.

I'd be interested to see what others that served during the Cold War think of my hypothesis, and its feasibility.

I guess, if spare M60s weren't available, they might have broken out the BARs, M-14s, and/or other similar weapons, instead.

Depending upon the time period, some M16s were designated as "full-auto" rifles in the TO&Es too. Only one designated shooter for that per squad initially, IIRC, but that was later changed to one per fire team, so two to three per squad for the US Army and Marines, respectively, before they got the M240s and M249s.

There are loads of Vietnam accounts (including from Baddawg, formerly of this Parish) of units disbanding the weapons squad, losing the recoilless rifle in a bush, begging, borrowing or stealing a third M60, and operating three straight sections with an M60 in each. Some units did stick to TO&E, but I suspect they were the exception rather than the rule.

The RR was a pain to tote around as well as the rounds, but it could bust a wood and earth bunker. The Airborne used them into the 1980's. Doctrine said the 60's were to be used by the Platoon Leader to create a base of fire for the platoon to maneuver around. But, as others have mentioned they usually were attached to the squads. Often, while on the move, the 60 was the third soldier in the file to put heavy fire power up front if an ambush occurred and the point man had sniffed it out or triggered it. Each squad had an automatic rifleman. He carried an M-16 that also had a bi-pod and all of his magazines were suppose carry 30 rounds while the normal rifleman carried 20 round magazines. Other fun toys that were favored were sawed off M-79 grenade launchers loaded with an anti-personnel round carried by a point man. If he got off a shot he would then drop the 79 and start using his 16. Another fun one was a claymore mine fused with a very shot burn fuse. This was attached to your pack. If things got hot and you needed to beat feet, you could set the fuse and drop your pack and keep running. If the enemy was close behind, they would like to stop and see what you had dropped.

My father once said the RR was pretty useless and that his company just left them on base. Scrounging an extra M60 was the order of the day…

When I commanded a Mech Co. '87-'89, each Squad of 11, had one M60… TMP link

Thanks for the info, MM, EC, and Legion 4.

That is very valuable.

I suspect in the European theater, if the Soviets had attacked with all that armor, those RRs would be a bit more valuable, but recall reading even there when on exercises, the guys would usually leave them back at base.

In '88, our Bde CEs were still using the 90mm RR, IIRC …

The weapons squad contained 3 M67 90mm RR and 2 M60.
By the early 80s this changed to 3 M47 Dragon and 2 M60
The rifle squads had 1 M60 each. Thus of the 6 fire teams availible to a US LEG rifle Platoon 3 could have both a dragon and a M60 2 could have a M60 and 1 would have nothing but its personel weapons.
Me HHC 1/23 Infantry 81-82.

The Army actually broke the M67s back out of storage for Afghanistan, for troops to pack instead of Javelins. CLU plus one Javelin is 28.7kg, but the M67 gunner can pack two HEAT and one beehive round for the same overall weight.

I've been told by a Vietnam vet that on paper the M60s were in the weapons squad.

But he said that in practice they were either assigned directly to a rifle squad (e.g. during a patrol/movement when used as Major Mike described), placed by the LT when defending to cover key fields of fire, or led by the platoon sergeant to function as base of fire while the LT led the assault element (e.g. when approaching a village).

For game purposes then in something like FNG I'd let the player assign them as he sees fit.