161 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
161 lines
7.5 KiB
Plaintext
#############################
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# The ZED/NET Presents...#
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# #
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# A Guide to: #
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# #
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# INFANTRY WEAPONS #
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# #
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#############################
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By The ZED/NET Writer #1
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Automatic Rifles
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----------------
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When you think of machine guns, you think of automatic rifles, usually the
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American M16.
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The most popular automatic rifle in the world today is the Soviet Ak-47,
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invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov. Certainly everyone should have one, so the
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Soviets give them out to any Communist guerilla group they can. Over 20 million
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are in somebody's hands right now.
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When the bullet is fired, the pressure of released gasses which drive it down
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the barrel is as great forwards as it is backwards. In the AK-47 and most
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modern automatic rifles, the backward pressure is used to push the bolt back,
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eject the empty cartridge case and allow a new round into position. This can
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the nbe pushed into the barrel by returning the spring- loaded bolt formard.
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The AK-47 is fed by 30-round detachable magazine and can be used to fire single
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shots as well as bursts of fire.
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The AK-47 is not without rivals. The German G3 is just as good as the AK-47.
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The 47's main competitor, however is the American M-16.
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It seemed that automatic rifles were to heavy for infantry. Thus, the
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Armalite AR-15 was created. It fired a lightweight bullet (as opposed to the
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huge 7.62 mm the AK-47 uses), and was made out of lightweight materials.
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So by 1980, everybody decided they needed a light automatic rifle. So the
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Soviets produced the AKS 74 (a 5.45 mm remade Kalashnikov), the Israeli 5.56 mm
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Galil, and NATO with its Armalite M16, a perfect light automatic fighting
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machine.
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Sub-Machine Guns
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----------------
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Although not used much by the military, the sub-machine gun has seen many
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unusual uses. It is great for "house clearing", and is often used by organized
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crime. They are usually cheap and easy to produce.
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Certainly the most famous sub-machine gun in modern use is the Israeli Uzi 9
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mm SMG. It is only 44.45 cm, making it ideal for use by troops in armoured
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vehicles, or for pulling out of your jacket and "clearing house". The Uzi is
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particularly nice at close range because of the burst of fire from a weapon not
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much bigger than a pistol. However, long and medium range use is very difficult
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because it is not very accurate.
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Heavier Weapons
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---------------
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The smallest unit of riflemen is usually 10 men, called a section. Each
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section usually has one machine gun and one anti-tank weapon. Although there is
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much criticism of the need of a machine gun when every rifleman has an automatic
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rifle, soldiers will all say they need one badly. Because of its tripod or
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rest, the machine gun can fire larger rounds with much more accuracy than a
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rifle.
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During WWII it was common for sections to be equiped with light machine guns
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with box magazines and belt fed heavier guns for use when sustained firing was
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required. This resulted in a mixture of weapons which all had to be trained
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for, and many differening products had to be made. A need was felt for a
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general purpose machine gun (GPMG).
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The British L7A2 is a good example of a GPMG. It does all the tasks of a
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light and heavy machine gun, but is not entirely satisfactory in any of them.
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As a light machine gun, it weighs to much at 28 pounds when loaded with a belt
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of 30 rounds. The belt feed can also be cought in undergrowth. But the belt
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feed is a necessity when the gun is fired at 750-1000 rounds per minute. At
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these rates however, the barrel overheats and needs to frequently be replaced.
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All this in mind, there still is no real replacement for the GPMG. The
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Belgian MAG and the L7A2 will still be in the forefront of GPMG's for a long
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while. However, with the introduction of lower caliber ammunition (5.56 mm and
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lower), the GPMG may be increased in efficiency.
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Another possibility is the tripoding of light machine guns. The Israeli
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Galil has already been equiped with a bipod and magazine sizes up to 50 rounds.
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The Rocket Launcher
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-------------------
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The most interesting type of weapon today is the rocket launcher. The
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single-man anti-tank device have had troubles. The US M72 launches a 66mm
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rocket, is not effective against modern tanks unless it is used against the thin
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back armour.
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The best anti-tank single-man rocket launcher is undoubtedly the Soviet
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RPG-7. This 40 mm launcher fires an 85 mm rocket-propelled greanade to a max
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range of 500 meters. The shaped explosive charge will penetrate 20 cm of armour
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and squirt hot gas and molten armour inside.
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This serious anti-tank deficiency will soon be relieved by the new British
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light anti-armour weapon (LAW). The LAW is a throwaway launcher which fires a
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single highly lethal round. It can destroy any armoured vehicle (including the
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formidable Soviet T-72 MBT) at ranges up to 300 meters. No doubt the Warsaw
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pact forces will soon be issued LAW copies instead of the RPG-7.
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Until a while ago, the main anti-tank units were two or three man crews
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working recoiless rifles and guns of various types. The Soviet 73 mm SPG-9
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fires a rocket assisted round that does very well even past 1,000 meters. The
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recoiless rifle is not yet dead!
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The increase in rockets on the battlefield ment the increase in various
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guidance systems. There is manual control (from a joystick), and the second is
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line-of-sight. Line-of-sight means the operator simply keeps his target in the
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sights, and the rocket will follow it. However, both the British Swingfire and
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Soviet Swatter are manual rockets that work as good as line-of- sighters.
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There is a difference between anti-tank rockets requireing three men, and
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those that are carried by a vehicle. The Frecnh designed MILAN (Missile
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d'Infanterie Leger Anti-char) is a line-of-sight that the manufactures say has a
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98% chance of striking targets 250-2000 meters away, and it hits hard. The US
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TOW (tube-launched, optically- tracked, wire-guided) missle is a good example of
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an easy to operate vehicle mounted missile.
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Light and medium mortars give infantry their own artillery section. The
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British-Canadian ML 81 mm L16 is a highly successful example of a medium mortar,
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which can throw out 15 rounds per minute to a max range of 3,200 meters.
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Because of the popularity of blitzkrieg attacks--over running the front lines
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and quickly moving armour through into the heartland--infantry needed some sort
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of transport faster than walking. Thus comes the Armoured Personel Carrier
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(APC). APC's are typically mounted with NATO 20 mm cannon, while the Soviets
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like a single- shot gun that fires a larger round. Such armed APC's are called
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infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The most lavishly equiped is the Soviet
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BMP-1, with a 73 mm gun with a coaxially mounted 7.62 mm machine gun. A
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launcher for the "Sagger" anti-tank missle is partitioned over the gun and a
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SA-7 anti- aircraft is carried inside it.
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Both the SA-7 and Swedish made RBS 70 from Bofors laser- guided are shoulder
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mounted anti-aircraft missles. This may provide a deterent to aircraft up to
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10,000 ft.
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The role of the infantryman will probably stay the same-- to use his personal
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rifle to take and hold ground that is important to his commanders.
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-------
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-*****- A ZED/NET Production
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----*--
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---*--- By Writer #1
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--*----
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-*****- thanx to special forces
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------- and the Incorporeal
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Call The Works BBS - 1600+ Textfiles! - [914]/238-8195 - 300/1200 - Always Open
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