Quote:
Originally posted by T. A. Gardner:
The LDV / Home Guard might have had numbers in mid to late 1940 but certainly lacked training, orgainzation, and equipment. In the early days most volunteers got just an arm band (uniforms came later). This made them legal combatants in the same way the Germans did this with the Volksturm towards the end of the war.
One also has to note the guns the US sent were the SMLE No 3 Mk I and I* (or P 14) both of which used .30 06 (7.62mm) ammunition not British .303 (7.92mm). To note this many had a white band painted around the stock about half way to the muzzle. You sometimes see this in Home Guard photos.
Certainly, a unit of even fairly well equipped Home Guard with say some Lewis guns, a BAR or three (yes they received some of these too), and a couple of Smith guns was hardly an awesome fighting force.
Now, a more interesting proposition is that the Germans do something totally different.
What if instead of launching an invasion, the Germans use their preparations to assist the U-boat campaign? The British held at a minimum 36 destroyers in the South of England for counter invasion duties. This in turn put a real strain on the Royal Navy's ability to escort convoys properly.
So, now the Luftwaffe turns its attentions to RN destroyers and other naval vessels in port and tries to attack them at sea as well. With the continued build up of shipping and other preparations for a landing the attacks would not look out of place.
At the same time priority is given to U-boat constuction and operations. If the British had a few more thrid to half million ton losses per month as they did in this period historically, it might have really put some economic hurt on England.
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Mate the rifle the U.S sent was not the SMLE No1 MK3 or 3* and the Pattern 14 (different rifle to the SMLE)and both rifles were in .303 (7.7mm not 7.92), the rifle the U.S sent was the M17 (model of 1917) in 30-06. The only .303 rifle the U.S produced during WW2 was the Savage No4 MK1 and MK1*.
Cheers
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There is no beating these troops, I always thought they were bad soldiers- now I am sure of it. I had turned their right, pierced their centre and everywhere victory was mine- but they did not know how to run.
Nicholas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, Duke of Dalmatia.
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