- Reaction score
- 146
- Points
- 710
David Frum posts two messages he has received:
Mark
Ottawa
Reader Mail!
http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YzY1NWM5NzE0ZjQyMTZkZGQxNTI3ZjBkZDU4M2YxNTU=
NRO readers know their small arms. A reader writes to dispute my citation of Max Hastings' opinion on the superiority of most German equipment in World War II:
'I have read all three books you mentioned & your review is very perceptive. But your generalizations, while quite true in the broad sense, nonetheless conceal some error.
You mention "rifles." I can assure you the M-1 is a vastly superior infantry rifle to the Mauser carried by the Germans. That is not to say the Mauser was a bad weapon. The rifle the M-1 Garand replaced is the M1903 Springfield, very much the equivalent of the Mauser. The Springfield was still in service in limited ways when I was in the Marine Corps in the late 60's, which shows just how good it is. That said, the M-1 was just as accurate at combat ranges as the Mauser and had a much higher rate of fire. I have use the M-1 in combat and it's very similar successor the M-14. I have also used the Springfield. Trust me, any soldier worth his salt would take the Garand over the Mauser in a heartbeat.
With regard to pistols, not exactly a decisive issue I admit, I would argue the Browning M1911 is superior as a combat weapon to the Walthers & Mausers preferred by the Germans. The stopping power of the Browning (.45 cal/11.4mm vs. 9mm/.35 cal) is vastly superior and the mechanism more robust & reliable. Again, I have used the Browning in combat. (A very old one it was. In 1968 the Marines had not purchased a pistol since 1945.) I have also used 9mm pistols.
As between the old Mauser from WWI & the Browning, the Browing is better on every point: faster cycle, less prone to jam, easier to maintain, and must more stopping power.
That said, this is very much a subject of diverse opinion. There are those that prefer 9mm pistols (Walther, Beretta, etc.) as easier to use & easier to shoot accurately. But by no means superior.'
A Small Arms Rebuttal
http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MmNhMGQxMTBjN2MwYzdlNDliMDQ2ZWQ0OGFkOWNkOGM=
This is a subject our NRO readers really know. A rebuttal to the letter below from reader Thomas J. Leak, a major in the US Army Reserve military police:
'You've opened a can of worms. I agree with Hastings. To summarize:
German machine gun: MG-42 twice the rate of fire of and way more reliable than the Browning .30 cal.
German Sturmgewehr 43: No American equivalent. Became the prototype for the AK-47, M16 and every other modern military assault rifle. Fires a smaller, less powerful bullet than traditional rifles, but at a much higher rate of fire from 30 round magazines compared to 8 round clips for the M1 Garand.
German MP40 submachine gun: Vastly superior to American Tommy Gun (popularized by 1920s gangsters) and the M3 Grease Gun.
German Panzerfaust: Jim Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne, describes translating German manuals into English and then rehearsing, but not actually firing, captured German panzerfausts because the American bazooka was utterly worthless.
I doubt you want much more detail, but for tanks, antitank guns and assault guns (Americans didn't even have any), the German equipment was superior.
A huge part of the reason the German soldier did so well compared to the American, and British and Commonwealth, was the blatant superiority of his weapons.'
Mark
Ottawa