U. S. Army Ordnance Research and Development In World War 2: A Review

By Ray Merriam

Merriam Press World War 2 History Series. Written just after the war, reviews activities of U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department’s research and development of small arms, ammunition, artillery, bombs, armored and unarmored combat and motor transport vehicles, aircraft armament, rockets and launchers, fuels and lubricants, rubber, steel, and ballistics, from 1940 through the end of the war, plus effect of climate and terrain in jungle, cave, desert, and arctic warfare on development trends. Contents: Chapter 1: The Situation in 1940; Chapter 2: The Effect of Climate and Terrain Upon Development Trends: Jungle Warfare, Cave Warfare, Desert Warfare, Arctic Warfare; Chapter 3: The Course of Development: Combat Vehicles, Motor Transport Vehicles, Artillery, Small Arms, Aircraft Armament, Artillery Ammunition and Bombs, Small Arms Ammunition, Rockets, Fuels and Lubricants, Rubber, and Steel, Ballistics; Chapter 4: Unfinished Business, 1945. 134 photos and illustrations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Merriam Press
• Release date: Oct 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781576384183

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U. S. Army Ordnance Research and Development In World War 2: A Review

U. S. Army Ordnance Research and Development In World War II: A Review

Ray Merriam

Editor

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Military Monograph 4

Bennington, Vermont

2015

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First eBook Edition (2015)

First reprinted by Merriam Press in 1988

Copyright © 1988 by Ray Merriam

Additional material copyright of named contributors.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

The views expressed are solely those of the author.

ISBN 9781576384183

This work was designed, produced, and published in the United States of America by the Merriam Press, 133 Elm Street, Suite 3R, Bennington VT 05201.

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Notice

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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Publisher’s Note

The material published in this Monograph is a complete reprint of the text of Chapter 1 (Review of Ordnance Research and Development in World War II) of a manuscript in the National Archives (Records Group Number 156, Box A746). The author was not identified on the copy I worked from, although it seems likely this manuscript was written by an officer (or historian) of the U.S. Army’s Ordnance Department, since the author obviously had access to most, if not all, Ordnance Department records.

While no date is given as to when the manuscript was originally prepared, it would seem likely that it was written not long after World War II. It was not declassified until 27 September 1958.

Although much more could obviously be written about the Ordnance Department’s research and development role in World War II, this work is certainly of immense value because of its almost exclusive use of original source documents, as well as having been written shortly after the events occurred.

Introduction

In addition to its responsibility for the procurement, supply, and maintenance of the weapons and vehicles required by the U.S. Army in World War II, the Ordnance Department also had the duty of designing and developing such weapons and vehicles.

Of necessity the research and development activities of the Ordnance Department went somewhat beyond those of designing and developing actual materiel. Development of improved gun tubes, for example, required inquiry into the properties of the steel which went into these gun tubes. Metallurgical research was also necessary in the study of armor plate for combat vehicles.

Since most of the equipment produced by the Ordnance Department contained moving parts and much of it was powered by gasoline or diesel engines, research into fuels and lubricants was imperative.

Since virtually all vehicles rolled on rubber and many other types of equipment utilized rubber components, Ordnance had a vital interest in the development of synthetic substances intended to replace natural rubber.

Its heavy requirements for explosives also forced Ordnance into an examination of the chemistry of such compounds.

While it exercised supervision over a wide range of research projects, the Ordnance Department used its own facilities primarily for the development of improved models of existing weapons and vehicles. Outside agencies, principally the National Defense Research Committee, performed, or arranged for performance of, most of the basic and applied research deemed necessary. Exceptions were military rockets and recoilless weapons evolved primarily by the Ordnance Department with the assistance of the commercial organizations which later produced them in quantity, and steel.

That Ordnance concentrated its physical resources on development rather than research is indicated by the fact that Ordnance had little to do with the three major wartime discoveries in the munitions field—the atomic bomb, radar, and VT fuze.

World War II was fought, largely, with the weapons, ammunition, and vehicles, or modifications of such materiel, with which the Army was equipped in 1940. These modifications, which permitted artillery and small arms to shoot further, faster, and with more deadly effect; permitted tanks to maneuver more swiftly, return enemy fire easier, and return more effective fire; permitted motor transport vehicles to move troops and supplies more rapidly, and assisted the Army in many other ways to become a more efficient fighting force—were the primary occupation of the Ordnance research and development organization. In addition, many new types of materiel were added to the list of standard equipment as part of the continuing effort to provide an adequate tool for any job the Army was required to perform.

On 30 June 1940, the Ordnance list of standards contained about 1,200 items (including substitute standard and limited standard items).[1] At the end of the war more than 1,800 items were listed.[2]

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[1] Ordnance Book of Standards, 1940 edition, Research and Development Service, Office of the Chief of Ordnance (OCO).

[2] Ordnance Book of Standards, 1945 edition, Research and Development Service, Office of the Chief of Ordnance.

The Situation in 1940

At the beginning of the defense period, 30 June 1940, research and development in the Ordnance Department was conducted jointly by Industrial Division and Technical Staff, with the understanding that Technical Staff would confine itself to basic research and. technical research problems of broad application. not relating directly to authorized development projects.[3]

Authorized development projects were within the province of Industrial Division. This division of functions in the research field was predicated on the theory that it is possible to separate basic research from applied research.

Although depot supplies of ordnance were not sufficient to arm and equip the military force mobilization planners had in mind for the future, the Ordnance Book of Standards, on 30 June 1940, listed many formidable weapons which had either been held over from World War I or developed during the peace years.

Standard artillery weapons included a variety of field guns, howitzers, special aircraft, anti-aircraft, anti-tank, tank, railway and seacoast artillery, and mortars.

The 155mm M1 field artillery piece was ready for immediate manufacture. Howitzers included the 75mm Pack Howitzer M1A1, the 105mm M2A1, and the 240mm M1918-M1A1.

The standard aircraft artillery was the 20mm M1 and AN-M2, and 37mm M4.

Standard anti-aircraft guns of the 37mm M1A2, 3-inch M3, 90mm M1, and 105mm M3 types had proven their value to both the Ordnance Department and the Service Boards of the interested combat branches and were ready for production.

The standard anti-tank