24 March 2022 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Infantry, Fort Benning, Ga
Date taken: February 2, 1950
Photographer: Ralph Morse

Information

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[browningautorifle]

3rd div, Audie Murphy's crew...

[Bob Seijas]

Pay attention, in six months it might save your life.

[fjruple]

Looks like a M18 57mm Recoilless Rifle in the foreground.

[browningautorifle]

M18 57mm Recoilless

I'd say so too...neat little rig.

[Bob Seijas]

I was once Range OIC on a 106mm RR range, the 57's big brother mounted on a Jeep... wow, what a weapon! You could make a guy off the street a gunner in about 15 minutes it was so easy to use. 50 cal. spotting rifle with explosive ammo and a round central trigger... sight on the target, pull the trigger out to fire the spotter, adjust your aim until it hit, mash the trigger in to fire the 106. Boom, a dead tank. Wow!

[browningautorifle]

106mm RR

I drove M113 for 106 platoon before they got the TOW missiles. Yes, they were something, but heavy to manhandle. They were a weapon we should have kept for local destruction of whatever the company commander wanted to destroy. Too quickly they were relegated.

[fjruple]

Our anti-tank capability in the Engineers were the M67 90mm Recoilless Rifle. What a beast! Normally we would use the subcaliber device first to get everyone use to the gun crew drills of loading and unloading. Then use the full bore 90mm rounds. I remember ours had the mount for the AN/PVS-2 starlight scope. I can't imagine shooting that thing at night it would light up the area like a Christmas tree. The other thing I remember the 90mm rounds were highly corrosive and the gun had to be cleaned several times after use and we had to maintain a log on the number of rounds used.

[browningautorifle]

M67 90mm Recoilless Rifle

My only exposure to those was in January of 1975 when we went to Ft Wainwright AK to train with Charlie Airborne. We lugged those around enough to know they were uncomfortable. I think we shot them with a sub cal in 7.62?

[BEAR]

While in Alaska I had fired the 90 with sub-cal devices several times for orientation. Then there came a time when we were allowed to fire surplus live rounds and I had a chance to fire one. I laid next to the gun with my body at a 45-degree angle as I had with the sub-cals. When I touched off the trigger I found myself lying in front of the gun with a totally numb right leg. Lesson learned!

BEAR