The Number of Weapons and Ammo For The Normandy Invasion

[llowry61]

The information below was the caption from a picture as the Allied forces prepared to invade Normandy. The number of weapons and ammunition are mind boggling.

The Deadliest Table
©Photo Credit: Frank Scherschel/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
An American soldier eats his lunch on an ammunition stockpile while taking a break from loading the ships in the days leading up to the assault. Running out of ammunition was not an option once on the beaches, so the Allies came prepared. Altogether, there were around 11.6 million carbines and rifles, 2.8 million pistols and revolvers, 2.3 million submachine guns, 1.5 million crew-served machine guns, and 188,000 automatic rifles.

There were also around 19 million small arms, along with 57 billion rounds of small arms ammunition. These were mostly just for the infantry storming the beaches and for backup since there was no telling how long it would take.

 

[LVSteve]

Seems like a reasonable starter stash.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My dad held no group in higher esteem than the Merchant Marines.

 

[smoothshooter]

The way your post is written it mostly seems like the numbers given refer to the number of weapons, not rounds of ammunition.

 

[llowry61]

The way your post is written it mostly seems like the numbers given refer to the number of weapons, not rounds of ammunition.

Thats true.

The 57 billion rounds of ammo grabbed my attention. The number of weapons really drove home the magnitude of the effort more than anything. I knew it logically, but I had never seen it quantified like the caption does.

 

[Pisgah]

Add up the first series of numbers; the "19 million" is the same number. I believe in typical journalistic fashion the caption is a muddle of numbers poorly reflecting total production for the war.

 

[Buford57]

According to Encyclopedia Britannica 326,000 Allied forces (ground and airborne) participated in the invasion from D-Day to 06/11. 19,000,000 small arms equals just over 58 weapons per soldier. And they called me paranoid over 3 handguns and a shotgun.

 

[Rudi]

Good that the Austrian Gefreiter was asleep. The Panzer divisions might have made a big difference.

 

[Skeet 028]

FIL had a machine gun squad...He told me when they ran out of ammo the first couple of days...set a thermite can on the machine guns and retreat back to the beach to get more guns and ammo. He said it was quicker and safer to go back and get new gear than to possibly wait for more ammo. He said he went through almost 20 machine guns till they could carry enough ammo with them to keep moving forward. Said he also lost quite a few men K&W. BTW he really liked Patton

 

[ladder13]

Sacred ground

 

[cmj8591]

The other thing to consider is that almost none of that stuff, or the capacity to make it, existed prior to 1941. I bet it was hard to find large rifle primers on the shelf back then too.

 

[llowry61]

The other thing to consider is that almost none of that stuff, or the capacity to make it, existed prior to 1941. I bet it was hard to find large rifle primers on the shelf back then too.

LOL oh so true. Amazing what the arsenal of democracy was able to deliver.

I have been watching WWII in color on Netflix and it does a good job telling the story with actual footage from the war.

I look at all of those young faces and think about how our youth today would respond to an emergency of epic proportions.

I don't know if this generation would be as capable. I certainly hope they are because I think we are going to need them at some point in the near future.

 

[djohns6]

Few, if any armorers available . Run it till it quits and find another one .

 

[smoothshooter]

Add up the first series of numbers; the "19 million" is the same number. I believe in typical journalistic fashion the caption is a muddle of numbers poorly reflecting total production for the war.

Agreed.
There is no way 19 million weapons were sent to Normandy.

 

[smoothshooter]

LOL oh so true. Amazing what the arsenal of democracy was able to deliver.

I have been watching WWII in color on Netflix and it does a good job telling the story with actual footage from the war.

I look at all of those young faces and think about how our youth today would respond to an emergency of epic proportions.

I don't know if this generation would be as capable. I certainly hope they are because I think we are going to need them at some point in the near future.

America is no longer capable of mounting anything near the war effort that was accomplished in the early to mid 1940’s for a variety of reasons.

 

[swsig]

...
There were also around 19 million small arms, along with 57 billion rounds of small arms ammunition.

Sounds like the holdings of some of our Forum members.

 

[smoothshooter]

LOL oh so true. Amazing what the arsenal of democracy was able to deliver.

I have been watching WWII in color on Netflix and it does a good job telling the story with actual footage from the war.

I look at all of those young faces and think about how our youth today would respond to an emergency of epic proportions.

I don't know if this generation would be as capable. I certainly hope they are because I think we are going to need them at some point in the near future.

America is no longer capable of mounting anything near the war effort that was accomplished in the early to mid 1940’s for a variety of reasons.

 

[Kevin J.]

Logistics wins wars. Hard to fight without ammo, fuel, or food.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I guess maybe the technical accuracy of our news "reporters" is nothing new.

 

[djohns6]

Logistics wins wars. Hard to fight without ammo, fuel, or food.

And trucks to haul it . We supplied a buttload of trucks to the Russians in WWII .