U.S. Use of the SMLE

[Tom Jackson]

I just purchased "U.S. MILITARY BOLT ACTION RIFLES" by Bruce Canfield. Bruce devotes 11 pages to the Mosin-Nagant and discusses U.S. use of the Ross and Berthier rifles. His discussion of the SMLE is limited to: "...a few U.S. Army units trained with the British and were equipped with .303 SMLE bolt action rifles for a period of time. ...these weapons were not used in combat by our guys...". Canfield makes a very serious error with respect to U.S. use of the SMLE. In 1917-18 the British trained and equipped TEN U.S. Divisions (280,000 men). Two British trained U.S. Divisions, the 27th and 30th, formed the American II Corps and fought with the British 4th Army from September 1918 until the end of the war. The contribution of the 27th and 30th Divisions in WWI has been completely ignored. These divisions played a key part in the British breach of the Hindenburg Line in September-October 1918 and sustained heavy losses (1,829 KIA and 6505 WIA for the 27th Division and 1641 KIA and 6774 WIA for the 30th Division). More Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to the 27th Division than any other division in the American Expeditionary Force. The 27th and 30th Divisions were completely equipped and supplied by the British and were armed with SMLE rifle, Lewis and Vickers guns. Canfield's statement that the SMLE was not used in combat by the U.S. Army is a significant mistake. However, American historians tend to ignore American service with the British Army and RAF in WWI and WWII. Most of the top scoring U.S. Aces in WWI flew with the RAFC or RAF as did several in WWII (one of the famous Dam Buster aircraft had an American pilot). To ignore the service of the 27th and 30th Divisions in WWI and to state that the SMLE was not used in combat by the U.S. Army is incorrect. In terms of rifles issued and actual combat use the SMLE probably ranks as the most important non-American made rifle used by the U.S. Army since the Civil War.

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