Infantry Weapons

Weapons that are organic to the infantry, the troops on the ground, range from the hand carried firearms of the individual soldier (rifles, carbines, pistols, and so forth) to crew served weapons that deliver bullets or explosives on to a target.

Infantry weapons include small arms and crew served weapons such as machine guns, bazooka or grenade launchers, missile anti-tank weapons, recoilless rifles, and mortars. Small arms and machine guns are found in the Olive-Drab.com section on Military Firearms and Artillery has its own section too. Other Infantry Weapons are found right here, in this section.

Soldier with M1A1 Bazooka, World War II
Soldier with M1A1 Bazooka, World War II.

Today in WW II: 16 Sep 1940 Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 signed by Pres. Roosevelt, beginning the military draft of US men aged 21-36.  More ↓
16 Sep 1941 German encirclement of Soviet forces in Kiev completed, to be followed by ruthless German attacks to annihilate the trapped Red Army troops.
16 Sep 1943 Malaya Zemlya enclave of Novorossiysk port on the Black Sea, after holding out against Wehrmacht for 225 days, liberated by the Red Army.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Infantry Weapons

Infantry weapons covered by pages in this section are listed in the table of links just below -- click to follow the link to the specific Olive-Drab page. These weapons are light enough to move with infantry units, carried or mobilized by jeep or light trucks. They provide both offensive capability against fortified positions or massed personnel plus defensive capability against tanks or other threats.

1st Cavalry Division trooper protects his ears as the M40A1 (or A2) 106-mm recoilless rifle fires. Flash and flying debris from the backblast were deficiencies of this otherwise excellent weapon. Near An Khe, Vietnam, 1967
1st Cavalry Division trooper protects his ears as the M40A1 (or A2) 106-mm recoilless rifle fires. Flash and flying debris from the backblast were deficiencies of this otherwise excellent weapon. Near An Khe, Vietnam, 1967.

The definitive book on this subject is Jane's Infantry Weapons , but it's quite expensive for a personal purchase. More affordable is the World Weapons Guide prepared by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Lance Cpl. Ty Fallow with Dragon anti-armor weapon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC, 13 May 1996
Lance Cpl. Ty Fallow with Dragon anti-armor weapon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, NC, 13 May 1996.

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: infantry weapons. Then click the Search button.