Battle of the Bulge: Weapons of the 106th Infantry Division

Just like its Volks-Grenadier counterpart, this post will be updated with more weapons as the series moves on.

                                                       Infantry Weapons

This link describes what is on display at various museums around the Ardennes and I will use this as a reference until I find a reference for the 106th's specific weapons. 

M3 /M3A1 Sub-machine gun

M3/M3A1 from Infogalactic article.

The M3 was developed using a design study of the British Sten and the first models were in development at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack.  The development project was then given higher priority and the M3 rushed into production. Nicknamed the "Grease Gun" due to its unusual design the newly issued guns were easily damaged, especially the cocking handles breaking off and bending stocks. The M3A1 was produced in 1944 using a simpler design that was easier to use (for example getting ride of the easily broken cocking
handle). 

The M3 used a 9mm round, weighed 4.65kg/10.25 pounds and had a relatively low rate of fire at 350-450 rpm. The M3A1 was phased out of front line service by 1957 but remained in inventory for tank and truck drivers up to 1992.

Front line troops in Europe preferred the Thompson M1 or captured MP38 or MP40 guns allowing insight into its effectiveness versus other infantry weapons.

Bazooka

Note: I cannot recall first person accounts of bazookas being used by 106th ID infantrymen so, for now, listing the bazooka as a comparison with the VG's Raketenpanzerbüschse (Rocket tank rifle) 54.


First used in North Africa, this simple weapon (open tube and electrical firing mechanism) was used by the Germans to develop their Raketenpanzerbüchse after one was captured on a North African battlefield in 1943. Despite the Germans answering with larger caliber weapons, the bazooka used the 60mm caliber rocket to the end of the war.

The length of the tube was 1.384 m / 4ft 6.5in and weighed 6.01 kg / 13.25 lb while each rocket weight 1.54 kg / 3.4lb.

Maximum range was 594 meters.

                                                  Overall OOB for the 106th

Note: to be used to add equipment notes to units.
From Nafziger OOB (944ULAA).

106th Infantry Division: Major General A.W.Jones

422nd Infantry Regiment 
423rd Infantry Regiment
424th Infantry Regiment     

589th Field Artillery Regiment 
590th Field Artillery Regiment 
591st Field Artillery Regiment   
592nd Field Artillery Regiment     

81st Engineer Combat Battalion
820th Tank Destroyer Battalion (towed) 
14th Cavalry Group, Mechanized         

275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
634th AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion 
563rd AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion     
333rd Field Artillery Battalion (155mm howitzers)
559th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm guns)   
561st Field Artillery Battalion (155mm guns)     
578th Field Artillery Battalion (8" howitzers) 
740th Field Artillery Battalion (8" howitzers) 
770th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm howitzers)
771st Field Artillery Battalion (4.5" guns)       
965th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm howitzers) 
969th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm howitzers)