Stoner 63 Light Machine-Gun: LMG of the SEALs

     U.S. Navy SEAL (Sea Air and Land) Philip “Moki” Martin checks out a Stoner 63 Light Machine-Gun (LMG) while deployed in-country during the Vietnam War. While more commonly called the Stoner 63, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) officially designated the weapon as the XM207. Designed by Eugene Stoner, the Stoner 63 started development in 1963 as a modular weapon that could serve as a rifle, carbine, light machine-gun (LMG), squad automatic weapon (SAW), as well as a vehicle mounted weapon. An evolution of the earlier 7.62X51mm chambered Stoner 62, the Stoner 63 used the 5.56X45mm NATO ammunition. Testing was undertaken by both the U.S. Army and the USMC with the former finding numerous flaws which needed correction while the USMC appreciated the light weight and high ammunition capacity. Stoner modified the weapon based on the Army's recommendations as the USMC retained an interest in the design even though the Army declined to accept it. Despite the rejection, Stoner took the improved design, the Stoner 63A, to the Army in 1970 and after successful testing, the Army put in a small order for the XM207 and issued them to a small number of Special Forces units. However, by 1971, the higher maintenance needs for the XM207 saw no further orders. The USMC first mass deployed the Stoner 63 in the rifle and carbine variant (designated the XM22 and XM23) with Lima Company, 3rd. Battalion, 1st. Marine Regiment, 1st. Marine Division in addition to the company using some of the weapons in the LMG and SAW versions. But the USMC wasn't the first to use the weapon in the Vietnam War as that went to the SEALs. The SEALs were also the last users of the Stoner 63, adopting the “Commando” variant as the Mark 23 Mod 0 machine-gun, and finally retiring the Stoner 63 in the late 1980s when the USMC accepted the M249 SAW into service. The LMG model weighed 11.7 pounds, was 40.3 inches long, had a gas-operated, rotating bolt action, and used simple iron sights. The weapon could accommodate a disintegrating M27 ammunition belt or a 75, 100, or 150 round drum magazine of which the larger drum is shown in the photograph. Maximum rate of fire was 1,000 rounds per minute out to an effective maximum range of 1,000 meters.

     As for Martin, he was born in September 1942 in Paia, Hawaii and in 1960, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After graduating from basic training in San Diego, he was posted to the USS Orleck (DD-886) which was a Gearing-class destroyer where he served as a steam engine operator. Within two years, he earned his promotion to Petty Officer, 2nd. Class. Martin had wished to go to the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) training but enrollment was limited and he wasn't able to get in. It should be noted that UDT teams existed as far back as World War Two and they were the forerunner to what would become the SEALs when the latter was formalized in 1962. Returning to Martin, the advent of the Vietnam War saw the expansion of UDT training opportunities and late in 1964, Martin was selected to attend as part of Class 35. The training commenced in September 1965 and of the 130 men who started the training, only 36 passed and Martin was one of them. Martin was deployed to Vietnam where he was able to see the new SEAL teams in action. Intrigued, Martin was able to enroll in the intense, 8 week SEAL training program and successfully graduated. He was then deployed to the Mekong Delta where he was involved in reconnaissance operations, raid missions, and prisoner interrogations. In 1972, he was promoted to Warrant Officer but as the SEALs did not have positions for him at that rank, he returned to the U.S. Navy Fleet but by 1975, he was a Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) instructor. In all, he served seven tours in Vietnam, four of them as a SEAL. Among other decorations, he received two Bronze Stars and three Navy Commendation Medals. After the Vietnam War, he returned to San Diego, still with the Navy but in 1982, Martin was involved in an accident that resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic. As a result of the injury, Martin was removed from active duty but as of 1983, he remains on Active Retired status and has the rank of Lieutenant. Today, he lectures at the Naval Special Warfare Center, is an lecturer to students on disability, and he is an accomplished artist.

Major: Bundesgrenzschutz

     Established on March 16, 1951, the West German Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; Federal Border Guard) was tasked with protecting the newly created West German borders. When first formed, it was a paramilitary force of 10,000 men responsible for protecting the borders within a 19 mile deep zone from said borders. The BGS was, more or less, light infantry and was organized as battalions made up of companies and platoons within the companies. A notable aspect of the BGS from its inception through to 1976 was the usage of World War Two surplus German equipment and field gear, uniforms patterned on their World War Two progenitors, production of field gear derived from their World War Two equivalents, and the continued (to this day) use of the stahlhelm. One reason for this was due to the BGS falling under the Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior) rather than the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (Federal Ministry of Defense). The German Bundeswehr (Federal Defense), which was founded on November 12, 1955, was under the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung and there was initial resistance (especially by France) of rearming West Germany. The looming Cold War changed this, resulting in the creation of the Bundeswehr, but there may have been an unstated desire to not have the new German army resemble its World War Two predecessor and because of this, the new German army looked much like U.S. soldiers in terms of uniform styling, field gear, weapons, helmets, and more. Only after a few years did some of the WW2-era uniform items and insignia creep back into the Bundeswehr. When the BGS was founded, it wasn't surprising that the majority of the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and officers were veterans of World War 2, having served in the Wehrmacht. It should be noted that the wartime Wehrmacht included only the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy), and the Luftwaffe (Air Force) and did not include the Allgemeine-SS (General SS) or the Waffen-SS. The influx of veterans is evidenced by the BGS officer in the photograph here.

     The officer holds the rank of Major and this is denoted by the collar Litzenspiegel (collar patches) and the schulterstücke (shoulder boards) on his tunic. The BGS used the same rank insignia as the Ordnungspolizei from World War 2, keeping the same green truppenfarbe (troop color) as the wartime Schutzpolizei (State Protection Police). The dienstrock (literally service shirt) bears a resemblance to the wartime Model 1936 officer's dienstanzug (service uniform) except for the usage of a more traditional lapel. The material coloration is a light green though the collar, in keeping with the tradition of the Model 1936, is a blue-green color. On the left sleeve is the BGS Bundesadler (Federal Eagle). The medal on his left pocket is the Deutsches Sportabzeichen (German Sports Badge). It is the 1957 regulation version of the wartime era DRL (Deutscher Reichsbund für Leibesübungen; German Reich Association for Physical Exercises) version of the badge but with the swastika on the bottom of the medal removed. Had it been earned post-WW2, the scripted letters would have been DSB (Deutscher Sportbund; German Sports Association). In 2007, the letters changed again, this time to DOSB (Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund; German Olympic Sports Federation). Above the left pocket is a ribbon bar consisting of his World War Two decorations. The first two appear to be the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse and Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (Iron Cross 1st. and 2nd. Class). The third may be a Verwundetenabzeichen 2. Klasse (Wound Badge in Silver) but the fourth cannot be determined with any certainty though it is most likely the Ostmedaille (Eastern Medal) for having served on the Eastern Front during the war. The collared shirt was white with a blue-green tie.

     In regards to the helmet, the BGS was issued with wartime produced M35 stahlhelm that had been taken from warehoused stocks. In 1951, production commenced on a small batch of new helmets to replace unserviceable ones with the designation M35/50. These were identical to the wartime helmets in every way with only the serial numbers giving away the newly built helmets. Curiously, most of these new helmets ended up in the hands of local German police forces rather than the BGS for whom they were made for. The second, and final, BGS helmet was the M35/53 and these can be easily told apart from the other M35 styles by the lack of ventilation holes and different liner arrangements. Since this officer's helmet has the ventilation holes, it is either a wartime issue M35 or the M35/50.

     Barely visible beneath his left arm is a pistol holster attached to his leather belt (koppel) which itself was much the same as the wartime two-prong officer's belt. The pistol was likely either a wartime produced 9mm Walther P-38 or the post-war version, the P1. This was the most common pistol in the BGS until 1975 when it was replaced by the P4 which itself was a further development of the P-38.

Fallschirmjäger: 1. Luftlandedivision

     The post-World War Two German military, the Bundeswehr, was founded on November 12, 1955. Initially, nearly every trace of German wartime uniform aesthetics was banished and it was the United States which provided the major influence in uniform design. The U.S. also provided much of the armaments for the Bundeswehr such as rifles, tanks, support weapons, heavy weapons, and other equipment, such as steel helmets and field gear. Despite this, some aspects of German uniform items survived, typified by the usage of the Einheitsfeldmütze (field cap) and gamaschen (gaiters), the latter worn with U.S. style leather boots. By 1957, as German industry was more and more able to supply the Bundeswehr, uniform items and equipment that hearkened back to World War Two returned. This included Marschtiefel (marching boots), a revised service dress uniform, and the wide-spread usage of camouflage uniforms in a post-war variant of the wartime Splittermuster (Splinter Pattern).

     The photograph depicts a fallschirmjäger (paratrooper) belonging to one of the units that made up the 1. Luftlandedivision (1st. Airborne Division) which was established on January 1, 1956. He is sporting the Kampfanzug (battle suit) in the Bundeswehr-Splittermuster camouflage pattern but on a uniform unique to the fallschirmjäger forces. It is believed only about 1,000 uniforms were made. It differed from the standard Kampfanzug in having upper pockets with zipper closures (rather than snaps), pockets added to the sleeves, and two pockets on the rear of the blouse. The matching trousers also differed from the regular issue Kampfanzug by having zippers on the pockets. The Bundeswehr camouflage is distinct from the wartime Splittermuster in that during the printing, the screen was purposely allowed to slip which resulted in white borders on some of the edges of the splinter patterns and this can clearly be seen on his uniform. There were also two variants of this camouflage in which the strich (raindrops) differed. The most common had thin, light gray strich printed close together while the other, more rare variant, had sparse black strich. The fallschirmjäger here most likely has the more common strich coloration though it is difficult to make it out. His stalhelm (steel helmet) was a post-war copy of the helmet used by fallschirmjäger during World War Two. For a weapon, he has a G1, which was the German designation for the Belgian FN FAL (Fusil Automatique Léger; Light Automatic Rifle). Germany ordered several thousand for the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS; Federal Border Guard) as the Bundeswehr was already equipped with U.S. supplied weapons. However, in November 1956, Germany ordered 10,000 rifles for the Bundeswehr and these were put into service as the G1 and remained in use for a short period of time before being replaced in 1959 by the Spanish CETME Modelo 58. The reason for this is that the Belgian company FN, refused to grant Germany the production rights to the FAL.

     As a note, the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) was formed on March 16, 1951 and because it operated under the Bundesministerium des Innern (Federal Ministry of the Interior) rather than the Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (Federal Ministry of Defence), the BGS was a heavy user of uniforms and equipment which either were wartime surplus or patterned almost exactly like the World War Two types and styles. This included the stalhelm which was virtually unchanged from World War Two (the Bundeswehr wore U.S. style helmets) and their own use of Splittermuster. It is thought that the Splittermuster used by the BGS was made off the same printing equipment as the pattern is almost an exact replica to the wartime pattern. However, it is distinguished from the World War Two pattern by having a very pale grey background and that the reverse side of the camouflage is solid white.

French SOMUA S35 Cavalry Tank: Abandoned at the Beaches

     The Battle of Dunkirk that ran from May 26 to June 4, 1940 encompassed a series of engagements in which British and French forces battled the Germans with the goal to delay the Germans for as long as possible in order to allow as many troops to evacuate from the beaches of Dunkirk as possible. In fact, it was the French who battled to the end, permitting British forces to depart knowing they would be left behind. The hardest of the fighters was what remained of the 12e Division d'Infanterie Motorisée (DIM) whose lineage was traced back to the Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815. Included in the combat was the 18e Régiment de Dragons (RD; Dragoon Armored Regiment) of the 1ère Division Légère Mécanique (DLM). The 1st. DLM was equipped with three main types of tanks, the Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance Renault Modèle 35 (AMR 35) light cavalry tank, the Char Léger Modèle 1935 H (better known as the Hotchkiss H35) cavalry tank, and the SOMUA S35 cavalry tank. The S35 was more of a medium tank in comparison to the AMR 35 and H35 and thus the SOMUA (which stood for Société d'Outillage Mécanique et d'Usinage d'Artillerie) was assigned to the 18e RD, the photograph showing two of them abandoned in Dunkirk.

     The S35 stood up well to contemporary tanks of the day. It featured well sloped frontal armor with a maximum thickness of 47mm and had some 40mm thick armor around the sides and turret. It was armed with the potent 47mm SA 35 anti-tank gun that could penetrate 60mm of armor at 1,800ft. This was more than adequate to pierce the majority of German tanks in 1940, to include early makes of the Panzerkampfwagen IV. The S35 had a top off-road speed of 20mph which was good for a 19 ton tank (the lighter H35 at 11 tons could only muster 17mph off-road). A distinguishing feature of the S35 was the use of a methyl bromide automatic fire extinguishing system. The S35, though, was not devoid of problems. It was a difficult tank to maintain in the field due to a complex track and suspension system. The V-8 engine used was also mechanically unreliable and access to the engine was not conductive to ease of maintenance. Another issue was the fact that the cast upper hull was bolted down to the lower hull (chassis), leaving a clear seam between the two components. If an enemy round struck the seam, the result was that the S35 could literally be split in half due to the impact. Another flaw was the single-man turret in which the commander had to not only lead the tank but also act as loader and gunner for the SA 35 gun. Finally, the S35 carried a high price tag and the cast hull couldn't be produced rapidly and thus fewer S35 tanks were obtained. The S35 began to enter service in 1936. Despite the flaws, some consider the S35 to have been one of the best tanks in the world in the 1930s.

     Following the French defeat, the German army captured a little under 300 S35 tanks and would issue them to various units under the designation Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f). Others were shipped off to German allies such as Bulgaria, Hungary, and Italy. Some of these tanks did see front line combat but most were used for anti-partisan duties where the risk of facing enemy armor was low. Some of the tanks had the upper hull removed and used as tank driver trainers at German armor schools. Still other tanks served in security forces.

     The gun seen in the foreground is a British Ordnance QF (Quick Firing) 25-pounder Mark I that entered service in 1940. Interestingly, this gun, in later makes, is still used today with the largest user being Pakistan with some 1,000 guns in service.

Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf C: 1. Panzer-Division in France

     On October 14, 1935, the 1. Panzer-Division (1.Pz.Div.) came into being, the first of three debut tank divisions raised by the Germans in that year. The formation of the 1.Pz.Div. came from the Reichswehr era 3. Kavallerie-Division that had existed since June 1, 1920. The unit was first commanded by General der Kavallerie Maximilian von Weichs (who was the last commander of 3. Kavallerie-Division) until September 30, 1937 when Generalleutnant Rudolf Schmidt assumed command. Schmidt led the division through the Anschluß Österreichs (Annexation of Austria) and later the occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938 before, in 1939, commanding the unit in the taking of Czechoslovakia and the invasion of Poland (operation “Fall Weiss”; “Case White”). However, when operation Fall Gelb (“Case Yellow”), the planned invasion of France and the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), was fully underway, the 1.Pz.Div. had a new commander, Generalleutnant Friedrich Kirchner, who assumed his position beginning on November 2, 1939.

     When “Fall Gelb” commenced on May 10, 1940, 1.Pz.Div. was under XIX Korps which was commanded by General of Cavalry Heinz Guderian. XIX Korps itself was under Panzer Gruppe Kleist which in turn was underneath Heeresgruppe A (Army Group A) that was led by Generaloberst Gerd von Rundstedt. 1.Pz.Div. was mainly equipped with the Panzerkampfwagen I and II (PzKpfw I and II) which were light tanks with equally light armament and armor. However, by 1937, the unit began to receive the more powerful PzKpfw III medium tank as well as the PzKpfw IV medium tank. The former, with its 3.7cm and later 5cm gun, was designed to tackle enemy tanks while the latter, with a stubby 7.5cm gun, was tasked as a infantry support tank. These medium tanks, however, never completely replaced the PzKpfw II within the two tank regiments in the unit (Panzer-Abteilung I and Panzer-Abteilung II). 1.Pz.Div. took part in the Battle of Sedan (from May 12 to May 15, 1940), the Battle of Dunkirk (which raged from May 26, 1940 to June 4, 1940), before taking part in operation “Fall Rot” (“Case Red”) which was the second phase of the conquest of France. This phase would see the end of France, the country's leadership signing the armistice with Germany on June 22, 1940.

     Overall, the 1.Pz.Div. suffered only light casualties. All told, the unit lost 500 men killed in action from the start of “Fall Gelb” to the German victory at the close of operations of “Fall Rot.” This photograph, however, illustrates quite well the grim side of that victory. The tank is a PzKpfw IV Ausf C and its entire front has been completely demolished. The front glacis plate, which was 30mm thick, is completely missing and has exposed the ZF 6-speed SSG 76 gearbox and where the steering gear had been on the front of the gearbox. To the left and right of the gearbox are the round disc brakes which were connected to the drive sprockets for each track which, in this case, at least the left drive sprocket is completely gone. The driver would have been sitting to the left of the gearbox and on the right would have been the radio operator. Given the level of destruction, it is highly doubtful either man survived whatever hit the tank. The tank caught fire and this is evidenced by the scorching on the hull side and the lack of rubber on the road wheels. That the tank is an Ausf C model is evidenced by the armored sleeve for the co-axial MG 34 machine-gun (just visible to the right of the 7.5cm KwK37 L/24 gun) and the lack of a hull mounted machine-gun. The tank can be identified as belonging to the 1.Pz.Div. by the stylized oak symbol which can be seen in white on the turret front, underneath the gunner's vision flap (to the left of the gun). The tank had been stripped of useful parts as another, earlier, photograph of the same tank showed far more parts on the tank. Identifiable parts removed include the steering gear, the brake cover for the left brake assembly, return rollers, and the tracks. In fact, one of the tank's road wheels can be seen propping up the gearbox.