13 Mar 2023 Garand Picture of the Day

[browningautorifle]

I don't see smoke at the breech (only background) or the brass in the air.

You can even see the smoke at the muzzle. You see the empty at his near elbow...just above and left. Smoke at the breech too...

Information

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[Mark in Rochester]

You can even see the smoke at the muzzle. You see the empty at his near elbow...just above and left. Smoke at the breech too...

Found the caption - A Ranger charges through a British Commando obstacle course in northern Scotland. Photo courtesy of the Darby Foundation

Would they use live ammo on the Obstacle course? could end up with a starship trooper event.

To My eye the smoke at the breach matches the background and the "brass" at the elbow seems very similar to the 'brass" above the buttstock and below the elbow

[browningautorifle]

Would they use live ammo on the Obstacle course

Well, it HAS been done...hard to say now though.

[Mark in Rochester]

Well, it HAS been done...hard to say now though.

Found this

British Commando training

The prospective Commando arrived at the Spean Bridge railway station and marched 7 miles to Achnacarry where they began their training, officers, and their men training side by side. Training for a prospective Commando consisted of an intensive regime of physical fitness and instruction in survival, orienteering and vehicle operation. This was alongside instruction on different weapons systems, demolition skills, close-quarter combat as well as amphibious and cliff assault. Any prospective Commando who failed to meet the standard was returned to their parent unit. The training was conducted with live rounds in order to simulate battle as effectively as possible. This realistic training led to the deaths of a number of trainees.

In 1943 the focus of the Commando training shifted to more conventional methods of warfare

[browningautorifle]

The training was conducted with live rounds in order to simulate battle as effectively as possible.

Because we had a transition range for recruit training...that was done blank first and then live to train the soldier in battle inoculation. The range was an obstacle course that had six lanes so a section commander and five of his troops could go through together. Depends on the weather, the men came out looking exactly like this. This training has to be renewed before you can send the men into combat. We too have suffered deaths during this live fire training, but not very many.

I remember in 1976 when the US troops came on exchange and we ran some of these live fire ranges for them too. It was a different experience and education watching their maneuvers with live fire.