After Action Report

[cplstevennorton]

to fill slots because scouting and intelligence gathering was more important than sniping. Col Walsh himself said that many scout snipers that he trained were not used as trained, but were handed M1s and put in intelligence sections. These interviews and reports have been available for decades.

And it makes sense when you fully understand their training and how they were attached to Marine Company's. The Snipers were not attached to the Rifle Squads on the front lines. The Snipers were part of the Headquarters Platoons. So the major focus in Sniper School was intelligence gathering and map reading. With the fact that most terrains weren't effective for a sniper rifle, and they were already attached to Headquarters, it really makes sense they would have been used for their intelligence training. They were more effective that way.

[Jim Tarleton]

I posted part of a regimental After Action Report for the reading enjoyment of other forum members. I was fascinated by the protocols used by the regiment to improve combat efficiency, and thought others might be also. Norton responds by posting huge posts of nonsense completely unrelated to my post, followed by an even more nonsense about how common snipers were in the Pacific. They were as common as the T?O required them to be, but that had nothing to do with my post. He, as usual, refuses to answer a single question of his own posts. It is a cycle he always uses to avoid having to admit his frequent errors, and his motivation defies any reasonable explanation.

There was a day when this forum was replete with knowledgeable experts, like Don, Big Larry, RCS, Johnny, JB, etc.; who willingly assisted other members with their expansive knowledge. Some are still around. Norton, like a small child, is desperate to be considered an expert, and uses tactics typical of a small child to assert his will in that endeavor. Norton is a collector of documents, nothing more.

Badger, I ask that you please close this thread, as I do not wish to further contribute to a cycle without end, substance, or direction.

[ssgross]

Badger, I ask that you please close this thread

Not before I get the last word please! HaHa.
I've enjoyed it...all sides, although I can do without the insults flying. I skip over those, and it makes me stop reading your point. I thrive on objective inquiry, and the insults are, well, just plain boring and diminishes your point.

I half feel bad that I may have started all this, posting a quick pandemic-read-review of the 40 Thieves on Saipan book. Others followed, and here we are. Apologies to all. Unit diaries and after actions are always exciting to read. Keep posting them!