Are Concentrated Armored Units Historically Accurate?

[Crecer13]

The only country that replaced bolt action rifles completly was the USA.

The soviet had the svt40 but switch back to the bolt action mosin nagant after the huge looses in 41.

Germany startet with the g43 rifle and the sturmgewehr 43-44 from ~43 on but cant produce enough.

I dont know any attempt of the british, italien or japanese of any self loading rifle.

France was in reasearch and testing but didnt put anything in production befor germany knocked at the border.
Interestingly france planed to equipe only combattroops with a self loading rifle. All others support troops who not should be direct combat with enemy troops should get the easy to produce MAS 36 as their weapons cause they dont need expesive self loading rifles. Its an interesting choice.

The USSR continued to produce SVT-40 until the end of the war. A total of 1,7-1,8 million were produced. Certainly not in the amount that they wanted before the war. The plan was 1,8 million in 1941 and 2,0 million in 1942.
Italy and Japan have tried. Italy had many prototypes of self-loading rifles, formally one model was adopted. There was even a prototype based on a copy of the SVT-40.
The Japanese tested Pedersen rifle and Pedersen's copies. Also, at the end of the war, they tried to copy the M1 Garand.

 

[HenricusRex]

Actually on pure tonnage historically an infantry division requires almost twice the supply as the average tank division. It's the fuel and maintenance that are the limiting factors.

Well when a wrote that I hadn't started talking about Germany specifically, with the horses and stuff.

 

[Eisscrat]

How many US divisions were involed in the war as active fighting troops? If the number is low it would explain why there were able to equip them all with self loading rifles. US army has a very high combat : support ratio. Very few soldiers were actual in a combat role.

 

[Anaraxes]

How many US divisions were involed in the war as active fighting troops?

A quick Google says 91, with 38.8% of enlisted having rear-echelon jobs (admin, support, labor).

 

[HenricusRex]

A quick Google says 91, with 38.8% of enlisted having rear-echelon jobs (admin, support, labor).

That is only for the US army though. USMC would add some 6 divisions to that figure. Then we have alot of units that were were below division that were still front line units. The best example is one where I myself got corrected :

Should specify that these tank battalions were not organic to the infantry division structure, but became a de facto permanent attachment to most divisions assigned to the Med and NWE theatres, similar to how the Chemical Mortar Battalions were doled out. America could afford this because, well, America.

^^Here the Separate Tank Battalions are mentioned and also Chemical Mortar Battalions. Then apart from these kinds of separate support units, and "separate frontline units" which includes independent batteries, independent engineers etc, we also have different kind of special and elite forces units.

 

[Gritt]

How many US divisions were involed in the war as active fighting troops? If the number is low it would explain why there were able to equip them all with self loading rifles. US army has a very high combat : support ratio. Very few soldiers were actual in a combat role.

• There were three major theaters of operation during the war: Pacific (22 divisions were deployed to the Pacific), Mediterranean (15 divisions), and Europe (61 divisions). Seven divisions served in both the Mediterranean and European Theaters (1st, 3rd, 9th, 36th, 45th infantry divisions; 82nd Airborne; and 2nd Armored.)

The historical number in Europe is 61 for the US and that is about the number in the game that can be supplied effectively (Edit: There will be tough supply issues off and on as the game stands now.) and can successfully fight Germany.