"Military Sub-Plane" author: Blood Blade
In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the most eye-catching tactic of the Volunteer Army was the cold gun and cold artillery movement. According to statistics, from May 1952 to July of the following year, the Volunteer Army used this tactic to kill and injure more than 52,000 "United Nations Troops"! Letting the enemy bow his head became the greatest wish of countless volunteer sharpshooters of that year. Their cold gun attacks did change the enemy's movements so much that many U.S. signal soldiers or officers were deeply afraid of the front line.
But on the other hand, the U.S. military is by no means the kind of fool who only knows how to use firepower superiority to act recklessly. As they continued to suffer losses on the front line, sniper tactics gradually became popular among some U.S. troops, and even posed a great threat to the Volunteer Army. In recent years, film and television dramas such as "Three Eighth Line", "Nengwen Nengwu Li Yannian", and "Bloodless River" have restored this historical fact from the side.
It should be pointed out that elite combatants, including many snipers in the US military, have rich combat experience, and the supporting modernization training they have received is also unattainable by the volunteer army. The main thing is that the weapons in their hands have absolute performance advantages, and they dare to engage in night melee duels with the volunteers. Undoubtedly, this fact broke the stereotypical understanding of the US military by many military fans, and fully proved what a dangerous situation the volunteer army faced in those years.
▲ Many domestic films and TV dramas on the theme of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea have restored the Sino-US sniper showdown
American sharpshooters and sniper rifles have a long history
Although the history of the United States itself is not long, the country was founded at the beginning of its establishment and the gun culture was indissoluble. During the American Revolutionary War, many American sharpshooters dressed in deerskin coats and armed with Kentucky rifles gave the British army a headache with their bulletless performance. On the eve of the Battle of Saratoga, the British general Fraser was killed by the American sharpshooter Murphy, resulting in a major defeat in the British army, so the Battle of Saratoga also became a turning point in the American Revolutionary War. Some later military experts believe that Murphy's bullets are the largest gold content ever.
▲ Sarato Gajet is inseparable from the divine play of the American sharpshooter
In the late 19th century, the U.S. military began to equip the Norwegian-designed 7.62 mm Krag rifle, and the Buffalo Optical Instrument Factory in New York also designed a scope specifically for it. Tests showed that the gun still had a high hit rate at a distance of 800 yards, but the gun was ultimately unable to be installed in the U.S. Army. Soon after, the Springfield Arsenal's M1903 series bolt-action rifles officially became the standard rifle of the US army. On the eve of World War I, the U.S. army infantry assessment standard is 400 yards to hit the humanoid target, 200 yards to hit the target head, which shows that the accuracy of the gun is still OK. The main thing is that the M1903's bolt has a large inclination angle, so it does not cause the scope and bolt to clash, so the gun is suitable for modification as a sniper rifle.
As early as the late 19th century, the United States began to consider adding scopes to rifles
During World War I, the M1903 was equipped with a variety of scopes, but the most common was the M1908 and M1913 produced by The Wona Company, which had a diamond mirror design, through which the objective image placed above the eyepiece was refracted onto the eyepiece on the centerline of the barrel. Despite the flaws of both scopes, U.S. snipers performed well in the war, and it is worth noting that the U.S. military had considered camouflage concealed sniper rifles and snipers themselves, which was evident in the foresight. Soon after, the U.S. military replaced the original model with the Winchester M1918 2.5x sight, and the U.S. military found that similar German products had more advantages. However, the great disarmament after World War I directly led to a major decline in the US Army, and the development of sniper weapons and their tactics was once neglected.
The Japanese army became the biggest driving force for the development of the SNIPER rifle of the US army
The attack on Pearl Harbor prompted the United States to intervene in World War II, and although there were some sharpshooters who had been practicing guns since childhood among the American soldiers, most of the U.S. troops at this time lacked an understanding of sniper tactics. In stark contrast to the Japanese army, the Japanese infantry under the influence of the spirit of Bushido not only attached great importance to white-knife warfare, but also attached great importance to accurate shooting. At the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese sharpshooters were required to shoot all 5 rounds of the humanoid target at a distance of 300 meters in a reclining position, and the distance of each three bullets could not exceed one fist! A moving target within 300 meters must be hit within 4 seconds, otherwise it will be severely punished. At the same time, Japanese snipers were also required to use the remains of buildings and vegetation to quickly hide in any environment, and to judge the battlefield situation by observing changes in light and wind direction, and even rely on very little food to survive in the wild for about a week!
▲ The Japanese snipers in World War II made the US army suffer a lot
The Japanese sniper rifles were mainly Type 97 and Type 99, which were modified from type 38 and type 99 rifles respectively, of which type 97 was equipped with an imitation Zeiss sight with a 2.5 times 10 degree field of view, while the type 99 was equipped with a 4x magnification and a sight that could automatically adjust the height. These two sniper rifles not only have good accuracy, but also the fireworks of their special ammunition are also very inconspicuous. In this way, Japanese snipers became a ghost feared by American soldiers in the Pacific Island War. U.S. troops fighting in the Solomon area said that enemy snipers often hide themselves in jungles and caves, and often look for U.S. medics, signal soldiers, and officers to attack, and they will even identify targets in the gaps in the leaves and accurately hit each other's heads. However, it is difficult for the US military to determine the location of Japanese snipers in the rain forest with poor visibility, and even often can only blindly strafe.
▲The M1903 series sniper rifle is the standard equipment of the US sniper in World War II
In 1942, the U.S. military began to develop a new sniper rifle, hoping that the gun would be equipped with a shotgun sight already used in the market. In the end, the M1903A3 rifle won, and Remington was responsible for modifying it, and the M1903A4 sniper rifle was introduced the following summer. The gun uses a special high-precision barrel, which is significantly more accurate than the average counterpart, and the scope holder on the receiver can accommodate two 2.5x sights. Both scopes are popular with soldiers due to their low position and reliability. Although both sights were prone to water seepage in the humid and rainy environment of the Pacific islands, the U.S. military soon introduced a targeted and improved M84 sight. According to statistics, from June 1943 to February 1944, Remington produced nearly 29,000 M1903A4 sniper rifles, which were also the most famous sniper rifles in the US Army in World War II.
▲ Winchester M70 series rifles are often equipped with large magnification sights
For years, soldiers in the U.S. Marine Corps and other branches of the military have had the habit of buying their own weapons. In World War II, U.S. Marine Corps sniper expert Colonel Auden said that the M1903 series was not suitable for sniping at ultra-long distances, and the scope magnification of the already installed range was low. Therefore, the Winchester M70 rifle, which was known as the strongest hunting rifle at that time, also became a non-standard weapon purchased privately by many U.S. troops, and this 1935 factory gun had three weight specifications, although there was a high degree of maintenance and parts that were not common to the M1903, but the accuracy of the gun exceeded that of the M1903 series. In addition, the Unato series of large magnification sights are often purchased privately by US snipers, and the series of sights has 8 times, 10 times, 12 times and 14 times specifications, which are not only suitable for accurate aiming, but also conducive to observation and installation, so they are widely welcomed by the US military.
Kill the devils from a kilometer away! The tactics and quality of U.S. snipers have improved rapidly
While the performance of sniper weapons has been continuously improved, the training and tactics of US snipers have also been greatly improved. Like the famous sniper experts in the Soviet Union and Germany, the US military also believes that excellent marksmanship is only the foundation of entry, and to truly become a sniper, it is also necessary to carry out multi-subject comprehensive training. In 1942, the U.S. military set up reconnaissance and sniper training camps in the training bases of the three continental marine corps on the mainland, and those who came here to receive professional sniper training were all sharpshooters selected by various units, and even obtained professional rifle medals and sharpshooter certificates. In the five-week training session, the trainees not only have to learn to debug the use of the scope, but also learn to survive in the wild in various environments, lurking reconnaissance, camouflage, and quick and accurate map recognition, and their shooting training difficulty and distance will be greatly improved.
▲ American snipers have experienced strong duels with the Germans and Japanese forces in World War II
In actual combat, the elite of the U.S. Marine Corps soon surpassed the Army in sniping. In the Pacific War, the U.S. Marine Corps generally formed sniper reconnaissance teams in groups of three, who were company snipers, observers, and free men. The observer is primarily responsible for assisting in observing the battlefield environment and the sniper reconnaissance effect, while the Freedman generally carries a burst of automatic weapons to cover snipers and observers in island jungle warfare, where short encounters are often encountered. In the eyes of Marine Snipers, the U.S. Army often chose to deal with Japanese snipers in a way that was heavily covered by firepower, and this kind of approach was also despised by the Marine Corps. As the U.S. military's sniper tactics and weapons become more and more perfect, its marines often take the initiative to send their own snipers to infiltrate the areas where Japanese snipers may be infested and hunt them; and when encountering Japanese machine gun fire, American snipers can often suppress them accurately and quickly at a long distance.
▲ A large number of Japanese snipers have killed the hands of american "peers"
In the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, The American sniper Daniel successfully sniped and killed japanese heavy machine gunners thousands of meters away. Daniel said that such a distance was something he had never tried in the past, and that the sea breeze fog in Okinawa and the heat wave on the battlefield affected the shooting. To ensure a hit, he fired a tracer bullet to measure the distance. The observer then told Daniel to raise the muzzle of the gun by an inch. After adjusting the scope and aligning the center of the cross-dash at the target, Daniel held his breath until the trigger was pulled. Soon, the observer excitedly told Daniel that the target had been killed and that the fire from the Japanese machine gun position was momentarily interrupted. There is no doubt that the American snipers who occupy the advantage of scope and ammunition performance at this time can definitely kill Japanese snipers or other important targets at a long distance.
The advantages and disadvantages are prominent, which is the volunteer sharpshooter in the eyes of the US military
After the end of World War II, U.S. ground forces were dismantled at rocket speed, thus repeating a scene after World War I. The main thing is that the United States at that time prevailed in the united states of atomic bombs, guided weapons and strategic bombers, so the fleet and armored groups were in a precarious state, and the snipers and even the marine corps were in a worse position. When the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea first broke out, many of the Ace units of the US military were almost reduced to empty shelves: a large number of backbone veterans who had participated in World War II were retired, so they were filled with a large number of new recruits who could not bear hardships but were also of worrying quality. According to the records of some U.S. military officers, these timid recruits who are temporarily recruited do not even use standard weapons and are very reluctant to march on foot or patrol on complex terrain.
Although Japanese sniper rifles were captured during the War of Resistance, they were not used by the Volunteers when they entered Korea
On the other hand, the volunteer army did not lack many sharpshooters who experienced the War of Resistance and the War of Liberation, so the volunteer army soon suffered a lot. For example, in 1951, when the E Company of the 27th Infantry Division of the United States Army attacked the 180 heights where the volunteers were stationed, several of the first sharpshooters to rush up were all killed by the volunteer sharpshooters within a few minutes; in the summer of 1952, when the new battalion commander of the third battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps inspected the ROK positions, his telescope was instantly penetrated by the volunteer sharpshooters, and the Marine officer was almost headshot on the spot. According to a U.S. survey in the fall of 1951, 95 percent of officers and men said their troops had suffered losses from volunteer sharpshooters, while 74 percent said the volunteers were accurate and of good marksmanship.
▲In fact, the Type 38 rifle is the favorite rifle used by volunteer soldiers
Soon after, the U.S. military also realized that the biggest deficiency of the volunteer sharpshooters was weapons. In the early days of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the weapons of the volunteer army can be described as made in all countries, and the main rifles include the domestically produced Hanyang-made and Zhongguan, as well as the Japanese Type 38 and the American M1903. As the war progressed, the Soviet-aided Mosin Nagant series was gradually installed in large numbers (M1938 and M1944). However, domestic weapons are subject to materials and processes, and the performance obviously cannot be compared with its European and American rifles, and they are the same as the M1903 and Mosin Nagant series, the recoil is obviously large, in addition to the Mosin Nagant series and the bolt pulling difficulties and other obvious man-machine fit problems, so it is the 38th type rifle is the most popular. But either rifle has experienced a long war, so the problem of aging is very obvious.
At that time, China had little understanding of modern sniper weapons
At that time, the education level of volunteer soldiers was relatively low, and there was no modern sniper tactical training, which led to some really good sharpshooters often having no successor. In short, although these sharpshooters can do it themselves, it is difficult to teach them to recruits in a systematic and fast and effective way, so the new sharpshooters are certainly not as efficient as the US military with multiple sniper training bases. In addition, the Soviet Union did not provide special optical sights, so the volunteer sharpshooters often had to rely on mechanical sights, which greatly limited their efficiency at long distances. According to tests, mechanical sights at that time were often difficult to meet the precise shooting from 300 meters away, and only a few shooting geniuses with excellent vision, such as Zhang Taofang, could meet the requirements of accurate shooting at 400 meters or even longer.
Faced with the absolute superiority of weapons of the U.S. snipers, the volunteers can only fight to the death
As in the Pacific War, the U.S. Marine Corps in North Korea was once again the sniper leader for all branches of the U.S. military. Beginning in the summer of 1952, many Marine Sniper Veterans who fought in the Pacific War re-entered the service, quickly becoming sniper instructors, and even simply taking up arms. At this time, the US military is still equipped with the M1903A4 sniper rifle, and many M70 sniper rifles are also in service on the Korean front. Not only that, the U.S. military also equipped many M2 large-caliber machine guns with large magnification scopes, which are specially used to suppress volunteer infantry bunkers thousands of meters or more. In terms of standard weapons, the US military has gradually promoted the M1C/D semi-automatic sniper rifle. The M1C was introduced as early as the late second of World War II, and the gun was equipped with a front-mounted telescope-mounted scope, and by the end of World War II, about 8,000 had been delivered.
▲The M1C/D sniper rifle has great advantages in terms of fire density and attack range
Tests have shown that the shooting accuracy of the M1C sniper rifle is almost comparable to that of bolt-action rifles such as the 98K, they are generally equipped with 2.5 times the scope, although the magnification is not high, but they already have a clear advantage in effective attack range when facing volunteers who rely on mechanical sights. Soon after, the M1D sniper rifle, which used a heavier barrel and more simplified parts, was introduced and put into the Korean battlefield. In the eyes of the US military, the semi-automatic sniper rifle has much better fire sustainability and a relatively high shooter fault tolerance rate, which is crucial in sniper warfare. Faced with an opponent equipped with such a sharp weapon, the volunteer sharpshooters could only try to get as close to the enemy as possible. However, judging from the firing rate of the rifles on both sides and even the distribution of enemy and enemy firepower on the battlefield, the risks taken by the volunteer soldiers can be imagined, and they often have to get close when the visibility is relatively low and the enemy's guard is relaxed.
▲ The volunteer army has also captured the M3 night vision gun, a "black technology" weapon
Later in World War II, the U.S. army captured the vampire night vision goggles used in the German STG44 assault rifle, which had small infrared night vision goggles and infrared searchlights. The U.S. military quickly copied the M3 Night Vision Carbine and used it in the Okinawa battlefield. Later in the Korean battlefield, the M3 night vision gun also had thousands of guns in use, and because the gun had special ammunition and muzzle flame elimination devices, it was difficult for attackers to find the enemy's location. What's even more frightening is that some M3 night vision guns also have special silencers, which is enough to make it difficult for the other party to judge the attacker's area from the sound of gunfire. Faced with U.S. military positions equipped with such terrorist weapons, the volunteers often had to face the problem of concealment, and it was even difficult to effectively exert their advantages in night combat. In a domestic documentary, many scenes of volunteers sacrificing themselves at night in front of such US military weapons have been restored.
▲ For the volunteer army, if you want to defeat the American snipers, it is best to get closer
Seeing this, it is not difficult to imagine that the opponents faced by the volunteer army in those years were not the so-called greedy young masters who were afraid of death or paper tigers, but really strong enemies who were well trained, well-trained, well-trained in the battlefield and well-armed. When facing an opponent whose effective attack range exceeds their own by a large margin, the volunteer sharpshooters not only need the fearless will to die at any time, but also need to come up with the most impeccable countermeasures in the instant of electric flint, if there is not enough tactical wisdom, it is obviously impossible to do it. Today, whether we watch war movies in the cinema, use keyboards and mice to bravely kill the enemy on the virtual battlefield, or simply read the stories of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea from books and materials, it is difficult for us to truly understand what the heroes of the Volunteer Army experienced in those years.
▲ American snipers wearing body armor who were killed by volunteers often had to pay a great price for such a record
If you fall behind, you will be beaten! Only by deeply understanding the opponent and facing up to its strengths and strengths will you make up for your own shortcomings and truly defeat the opponent. As Li Yannian said: We must learn war in war, the enemy uses certain tactics and weapons to make us miserable, we use the same tactics and weapons to make the enemy uncomfortable! On the contrary, if you blindly belittle the enemy with subjective colors, or even "divine dramatize" the hero, it is disrespectful to that history of blood and fire!