July-August - Air Defense Artillery

Silver Star
SERGEANT FIRST CLASS CHARLES M. BAMfORD,
while a member of Battery D, 15th
AM AW Bn. (SP), distinguished himself by
gallantry in action against on armed enemy
near the Chasin Reservoir in Korea, during
the period 29 November 1950 to 30 November
1950. On 29 November, when the unit
was attacked by a numerically superior force,
Sergeant Bamford, who was then battery
Mess Sergeant, lost his kitchen due to the
enemy action. He then voluntarily assumed
the task of assisting in bringing wounded men
from their positions to the aid station and
assisted in making the wounded more comfortable
alter they had been treated. In so doing,
Sergeant Bamford exposed himself to intense
enemy automatic weapons, mortar, and small
arms fire on many occasions. On 30 November
while aiding wounded men, Sergeant
Bamford was wounded himself by enemy fire .
Immediately alter receiving first aid, he resumed
his task of bringing in and caring for
other wounded men, again exposing himself
to the hazards of the heavy enemy fire. As
a result of his repeated disregard for his
own safety in going to the assistance of others
he was wounded t.• ice by enemy fire. Again,
despite his three . ounds, Sergeant Bamford
voluntarily continu~1d to assist and care for
other disabled mer "mtil on 2 December 1950
he was reported as nissing in action. His outstanding
heroism :,elped Save the lives of
many men, lightened the heavy burden of
the medical personnel and inspired his comrades.
His gallantry in action reflects great
credit on himself and the military service.
x x x California.
platoon contact is normally by radio only.
In the course of battle, tactical communication
with infantry elements is maintained
through use of SCR 300's or
liaison with nearby tank clements. Fire
missions, orders to shift or cease fire, and
other instructions are thus received from
the suppo~ted infantry commander by
the AAA platoon leader who transmits
these instructions to his guns by radio
and/or hand or other visual signals.
AMMUNITION
EMPLOYMENT in the ground role
results in sizable expenditures of ammunition.
It is not unusual for four M16's
to fire fifty thousand rounds during one
M16's readying to attack Changgo-ri.
JULY-AUGUST, 1951
engagement of a few hours duration.
Ammuniiton resupply problems, if not
carefully anticipated, can be troublesome.
The problem is further aggravated
by the inability to use trailers with
1\116's supporting infantry. \Ve have
found that trailers reduce the maneu-
\'erability of the track to such an extent
that they are a hindrance
used.
and cannot be
Our approach to the ammunition
problem entails three principles-conservation,
a large basic load, and perpetual
resen'e stocks.
The conservation policy requires that
four barrels be fired onh, in emeroencies
against enemy attack
• 0 '
or for saturation
fire in the initial phase of infantry attacks.
For normal firinoo two barrels are
employed.
Each M 16 carries a basic load of eioht o
thousand rounds. This load is carried on
the Roor of the carriage.
Continual reserve stocks are maintained
at regimental ASp's and at the
battery headquarters. Regimental ammunition
officers maintain a day's supply of
from 60 to 80 thousand rounds. From
this supply the AAA battery commander
maintains a level of 25 to 30 thousand
rounds. Batteries transport ammunition
from the regimental ASP to platoon positions
with two 2Y.!-Ton Cargo trucks
made available for this purpose by battalion
headquarters, One truck works
forward from the battery Gp. to platoon
positions while the other works back to
regimental ASP. \Vhen terrain or the
situation requires 1'.l3's are used to shuttle
ammunition from the truck at a
rendezvous point to the gun positions.
1'.116ADAPTEDTO GROUNDROLE
THE 1'.116,old World War II veteran
that it is, has found new glory in Korean
fighting. But as a ground support weapon
it has several inherent disadvantages.
Foremost among these is the lack of crew
protection. \Vorking in close support of
the infantry brings our crew members
within enemy small-arms range. The
high silhouette of the weapons and its
scant armor make 1\116 crews particularly
vulnerable to enemy fire. It soon
became apparent that unless steps were
taken to reduce the vulnerability of our
crews, we would suffer many casualties.
\Vhen the battalion commander advised
the CG, division artillery and the division
commander of this problem, he
found staunch supporters for his desire
that every effort be made to reduce this
threat. The division ordnance officer was
instructed to work with the battalion
commander on the development of an
U.S. Army Photo
Light machine gun mounted to cover
cab dead space area.
armor shield for the turret to protect
crews from small-arms fire and shell
fragments. In a matter of days a template
was designed, a pilot model fabricated
and attached to an 1\116 turret. The
1\116 was then put through road and
turret tests to determine whether the
added 200 pounds of the shield would
adversely affect the turret drive mechanism.
Results showed no adverse effects.
The experimental shield was then shown
to the army commander, who ordered
that all 1\'116's in the Eighth Army be
similarly equipped as rapidly as shields
could be manufactured and installed.
An inspection of our shields will attest
to their effectiveness. Pocked with indentations
from riRe and machine gun
bullets, they have prevented many casualties
and have done much to reassure
exposed cannoneers.
Efforts to reduce crew vulnerability
did not stop with the addition of weapon
armor. Armored \'ests for crew members
were also procured. These "flak suits"
arc worn by all crew members when in
action and have proved to be lifesavers
on several occasions.
In one respect 1\ 116 crew protection
has been surprisingly good. Enemy land
mine damage to \'ehicles has been extensi\'e,
accounting for total loss of ten
1\116's. In these ten encounters onlv two
men were gravely injured. /
The most serious injuries resulted
from concussion and collision with vehicle
fixtures. Indications are that two features
of the 1'.116 carriage are responsible for
this protection. The armor plate naturally
provides some protection. 1'.lines
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