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[jnuts]

there were done some "marshall" studies at the end of the war
what they found was that out of a typical 40 man platoon engaged in combat
only 2 out of 40 was effectively firing his weapon
half the other were firing wildly up in the air etc.
the other half hugging the dirt praying to mom etc

don't pass this band of brothers hollywood crap off on me

Yeah, I remember reading some of those studies - a few carried the majority of the load

 

[Spartacus]

Marshall was hastily named Secretary of Defense in 1950 in an effort to restore morale after the disastrous tenure of Secretary Louis A. Johnson. He served in that post for less than one year, retiring from politics for good in 1951 after Senator Joseph McCarthy made a speech on the Senate floor stating that "if Marshall was merely stupid, the laws of probability would dictate that part of his decisions would serve America's interests."

 

[Spartacus]

Yeah, I remember reading some of those studies - a few carried the majority of the load

the Germans recognized this and focused their squad tactics on protecting and feeding their excellent machine gun
recognizing too that a crew served weapon operates better under combat cause you got a buddy there with you to pat you on the back
in Vietnam the US Army adopted German small squad tactics
M-60

 

[jnuts]

The distinctive sound of the MG-42. Awesome weapon.

 

[Spartacus]

The distinctive sound of the MG-42. Awesome weapon.

MG-34 and then MG-42
watch Cross of Iron filmed in 1976 by Sam Peckinpah to get an idea of the value of the MG-42
Russians coming in from all over and the few Germans protect their MG emplacement
that was their chance
stars James Coburn

 

[jnuts]

This is old school, but I used to play a lot of the Avalon Hill Squad Leader series of games when I was a wee one. Nice way to learn about the capabilites of the various machinery.

 

[jnuts]

MG-34 and then MG-42
watch Cross of Iron filmed in 1976 by Sam Peckinpah to get an idea of the value of the MG-42
Russians coming in from all over and the few Germans protect their MG emplacement
that was their chance
stars James Coburn

Gruesome flick. I remember the scene where there was an ill advised blow job that went bed.

BTW, thanks for the K bump, I'll end up betting it all away

 

[Spartacus]

It's a tragedy, really, because this fine, often overlooked action-drama deserved much, much better.
Cross Of Iron is a powerful, offbeat antiwar film with a literate script, featuring interesting performances. War is not an adventure in this story. There is no heroicism on the muddy, bloody Golgotha of the Eastern Front. There is only the crucifixion of the ordinary German landser on the altar of Hitler's madness. Based on the 1956 novel by World War II veteran Willi Heinrich, this European co-production was filmed in English by acclaimed American director Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs). Set in southern Russia in 1943, the story follows the embittered German Sergeant Steiner (James Coburn, in one of his strongest dramatic roles) as he and the men of his platoon struggle to survive both the attacking Red Army and the scheming duplicity of their own glory-hungry battalion commander, the haughty, aristocratic Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell). Steiner hates officers, especially incompetent ones, and makes the mistake of openly showing disdain for Stransky. A terrible 'friendly fire' incident ensues when the captain deems it advantageous for his career if Steiner's men don't make it back from behind enemy lines.
Expect the slow-motion ballets of death that Peckinpah is most famous for in combination with his unusual editing style. Pacing flags in the middle but direction is solid throughout. Authenticity is first-rate; the movie was shot on location in Yugoslavia (a good stand-in for the Soviet Union) using historically accurate weapons. A must-see for anyone interested in World War II's Russian Front — a very rare subject of English-language cinema. (Can you you name another English-language Ostfront film besides 2001's Enemy At The Gates?)

 

[H_T_]

missed it.

 

[jnuts]

I can't remember the name of the one - it was on the eastern front. The guys all die at the end due to the cold. Battling against T-34s. I think it's a different flick, but maybe that was Iron Cross.