"US army. Who carries the M203?" Topic

I've seen some sources state that the team leader carries it (to help mark fire) and some sources state that one of the grunts carries it (as a dedicated "grenadier").

Has both been used? Does it vary? If it depends on time frame, when does who do what?

Thanks in advance :-)

I have seen the team leaders carry them; I have seen dedicated grenadiers. I remember one platoon where the platoon leader and squad leaders carried them.
The doctrine may say one thing at any given time but leaders at every level from division to platoon set policies. Also, circumstances such as manning, mission requirements, equipment and ammo availability will impact what a squad does.
Mike

I have never seen an NCO carry one. I carried one as a SP4. When I made Sgt, I still carried it in theory for a couple of weeks, until I PCSed. If there had been a range in that time, where I could qualify with a regular M16 I would have changed over.

The M203 is to important a weapon to just use it to mark fire. And most team leaders are to busy being a team leader to use it right all the time.

Owen, waiting for somebody from another unit with a totally different experience.

Of Course!

In my Scout Plt in the mid 80's they were given to the newbie privates to carry. There were a few exceptions like a couple of E4's that liked to carry them. I'm sure the straight infantry units had a system to assign them. Most likely 1 per fire team.

An Ideal squad has two fire teams of 4 or five men. A senior private in each fire team should carry the GL. It is/was considered a critical weapon in the fire team, so was used by an experienced soldier.

I've never seen a leader carry a M203, but there was always a lot of chatter (especially in the professional magazines) about how the team/squad/platoon leader should have one. There was even an ideal that the old M79 should be brought back for this purpose.

Outside of the Infantry I can say, but there usual some scattered through the battalion, so there might be one in the Bn HQ company signal section, Maintaince Section, etc.

When i deployed in 2013 we had a handful of them given to us and it was mostly just E4s with it although in one case a team leader had it. all leadership had PEQS on their rifles so they could just point with the laser to designate where or what they wanted us to do.

Appreciate the info and keep it coming :-)

Prior to the M203, the grenade launchers ncher was a single purpose weapon called a M79. At these times, the dedicated grenadiers were located in the squad with one per fire team. The Squad leader carried a M14 or M16.
With all of my training in the early and late 1970s, I also never saw a squad leader carry a M203. After all nitrate training I was assigned to a cavalry platoon. We had two assigned to the infantry squad, and two often found their way into the scout sections as an extra weapon for the driver or gunner. I do not remember one in the mortar section but it may have had one.

According to the FMs, the Team Leader packs a standard M4/M16, with a dedicated Grenadier instead.

I'd always argue that the Team Leader has more important things to do than get the best effect out of his grenade launcher.

Not U.S. Army, but…When I first came into the U.S. Air Force under the Security Police career field back in the early 80s, the M79 was slowly being phased out by the M148 which attached to the M16 rifle. Later the M203 came out and replace them all. The Air Force smallest element is four-man Fire Team with a dedicated grenadier. I carried all three in my career. Fast forward to modern times, the Air Force Fire Team composition has not changed…dedicated grenadier.

I will note I did carry the weapon system as a team leader only because we had run short of qualified personnel.

P.

Okay, so consensus so far (and the field manual I found online) says dedicated grenadier but plenty of circumstantial evidence that another person could end up with it.

Weasel, I was in 2/75 from 95-01 and we gave a m-79 to each weapons squad (240). It was normally carried by the sqd leader or one of the gun team leaders (3 gun teams of 3 guys).

It was used for marking but also because the M-240 shoots straight line leaving depressed areas, folds in the ground etc…that it cant shoot into. The M-79 gave the Weapons Squad a means to cover that hole.

I was in the line and we had the junior private with an M-4, next junior guy with a M-4/203, senior private on the SAW and fire team leader with an M-4 and sometimes a breaching shotgun.

As a squad leader I carried an M-4 and a breaching shotgun.

Back in my day '79-'90 as a Rifle PL in the 101 and later a Mech Co Cdr in the 197th Mech[now reflagged ?]. Each 5 man Fire Tm had 1 organic M203 gunner. So that would be 2 per squad … And all members of the Squad were cross-trained to use all the weapons organic to the Plt and Co. Save for Mortars(before they were removed from the TO&Es) and TOWs, which required a different MOS.

I was mech inf – 1st squad, 1st platoon, B Co, 5th Bn 16th Inf Rgt (Devil Rangers), 1st ID (Big Red One)Ft Riley – 84-86 -we were a J series M113 equipped mech infantry Bn – I was the dismounted team leader & carried the only M203 in the squad – I had to give up my M203 when became the platoon leaders track commander & later company clerk – we had 3 M203s in the platoon but 4 M60s

Just for variety's sake: in a sapper unit, the team leaders (usually Sergeant/E-5) carried the M203, because the joes were too busy breaching, laying out demolitions, etc., to be able to use it effectively. Each team also had a SAW assigned to a SPC or PFC, with the remaining two crunchies armed with rifles and whatever set/kit/outfit was required for that particular mission.

You cannot rely solely on field manuals. My platoon Sargent was a Viernam in country vet while I never was. Deployed in country.
He said that a favorite weapon for his tank crews to carry was the outdated carbine. The short barrel made it very easy to store and pull out.
When phased out some tankers were able to get M79 grenade launchers for their tracks. While M551 had organic smoke grenade launchers, M60s did not so they could come in handy and like the carbine was easy to store.

Interesting, so some tankers may have toted a grenade launcher to pop smoke from the turret?

That's extremely neat.