In the ** U.S. armament unit establishment standards, the light machine gun configuration of infantry combat units is carried out on a company-by-company basis. In general, each infantry company is equipped with 6 light machine guns, which means that a squad (usually 3 platoons) will be equipped with 2 light machine guns. The special feature of the integrated 74th Division in terms of equipment is that the strength statistics of the division mention that it is equipped with a total of 992 light machine guns. This means that after the reorganization, the division was armed with an average of 165 light machine guns per infantry regiment and 55 light machine guns per infantry company. In other words, the light machine gun armament of the integrated 74th Division was much more than the standard configuration.
This is because the reorganized 74th Division is a unit equipped with US aid, and its equipment is more fully equipped than that of ordinary ** troops. The light machine gun equipped with US aid is mainly the Bren light machine gun produced in Canada, which became the main light machine gun equipment at the end of the Anti-Japanese War due to its excellent performance and reliability. Therefore, it is not surprising that the reorganized 74th Division, as a U.S. armament unit, can get a large number of Bren light machine gun equipment. In general, the integrated 74th Division was able to be equipped with nearly 1,000 light machine guns, mainly because it received a large number of high-quality light machine gun equipment as a unit equipped with US aid. This is also one of the reasons why the number and quality of equipment in the reorganized 74th Division were relatively high at that time.
The number of light machine guns in the integrated 74th Division was exceeded, which may be due to the fact that the division's subordinate units and brigades were equipped with some light machine guns. In addition, the integrated 74th Division is a divisional unit with an over-standard allocation, and there may be a situation of strengthening the formation of infantry units. As a result, the number of light machine guns in the integrated 74th Division exceeded the basic armament standard. However, this question raises a deeper thought: why did the reorganized 74th Division exceed the standard in terms of equipment, while other divisional units did not? First of all, we need to understand the special situation of the integrated 74th Division. As an elite unit, the reorganized 74th Division has higher operational requirements and stricter training standards.
Therefore, in order to improve combat effectiveness and adapt to a diverse combat environment, they may increase the number of light machine guns in order to enhance fire support capabilities. Secondly, the reorganized 74th Division may have discovered some practical problems in its peacetime training. For example, they may find that in certain combat scenarios, the number of light machine guns is insufficient for firepower. To compensate for this, they may increase the configuration of light machine guns to ensure that the troops have sufficient firepower superiority in battle. In addition, the over-configuration of the integrated 74th Division may also be related to the geographical environment and combat missions.
If the division is stationed in a complex and volatile area with high security risks, then the addition of light machine guns can improve the defense capability of the troops and better adapt to the complex combat environment. Finally, the phenomenon of the 74th Division being over-equipped with light machine guns may also be due to the decision of the management. Sometimes, decision-makers may take the initiative to increase the number of equipment based on the needs of future operations, so as to ensure that troops can respond and respond quickly in the face of unexpected situations. In general, the reasons for the over-allocation of light machine guns in the 74th Division were many, including special operational requirements, the discovery of practical problems, the geographical environment and combat missions, and the decisions of the management.
Whatever the reason, this over-allocation reflects the positive attitude of the integrated 74th Division in improving its combat capability and ensuring the safety of its troops. Of course, when carrying out excessive allocation, we should also give full consideration to the rationality of resource allocation and management to ensure the rational use and maintenance of equipment. The integrated 74th Division is an infantry division of the Chinese People's Liberation Army with more than 1,000 light machine guns. Due to its strategic location and the special nature of its combat mission, its actual strength and equipment are slightly stronger than the number of establishments. Therefore, these more than 1,000 light machine guns are relatively high-level in the division and directly subordinate units, including some service units also have light machine guns.
This enabled the reorganized 74th Division to have strong self-defense firepower in defensive operations. After the annihilation of the integrated 74th Division, most of the ** were captured, including the Buran light machine gun. These captured light machine guns greatly enriched the equipment level of the East China Field Army. This is one of the reasons why the reorganized 74th Division is not easy to defeat.