Dr. David Walker’s US Military History class visited the Idaho Military Museum on 5 March. The class learned about infantry weapons and tactics of World War 2 armies which form the basis of modern weapons and tactics.
Museum staff and other community volunteers demonstrated weapons from the museum and private collections. Students were instructed on the history and operation of infantry weapons and tactics developed in the period between the World Wars and how they worked out in World War 2, as well as their influence beyond the war.
Students received some hands on time with many of the historical weapons and the instruction culminated in an outdoor blank fire demonstration of several of them.
In the first photo a, while Dr. Walker looks on, a BSU cadet handles a World War 2 era .30 caliber Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) with a 20 round external magazine. The BAR served as the squad automatic weapon during the war but was a heavy weapon to carry.
In the second photo while one student handles the BAR another tests out the feel of a Thomson sub-machine gun. This weapon gave squad leaders full automatic fire but fired .45 caliber pistol ammunition. Volunteer Ken Swanson, the former director of the Military Museum, is showing the student how to properly hold the weapon.
The third photo showcases a student carrying a US WW 2 era Bazooka, an infantry anti-tank weapon. The class leaned that such weapons formed the basis for today’s modern weapons such as the Russian RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) and the US LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon).
Also in the photo another volunteer, Russ Trebbe, holds the German Sturmgewehr, classified as the first assault rifle that became the basis for the Russian AK-47 and the US AR-15 series weapons. The innovation surrounded using a medium round (smaller than a full sized rifle bullet but bigger than a pistol bullet) combined with a pistol grip and a large capacity external magazine. Ken Swanson is holding a modern variant of the Sturmgewehr, the M4 carbine (of the AR-15 series) in use with the US Army today.
Boise State’s ROTC cadets represent half the class which is a requirement for their graduation.