The Required Gun  Part 2:
Of Arms And Armor

Submitted by George Hill
4/2/99

I have had several requests for me to talk about Star Wars weapons again - but this time in more detail, and describe current equivelants. As pointed out to me, I have garnered some fans and I have a duty to keep them amused. (Hear that Lucas? - Episode One... about dang time, fella!)

I was looking at the cover art on "The Mandalorian Armor" book,  and that brought about some trains of thought,  namely the Colt Peacemaker Boba Fett has in his hands. Back in the Wild West era, a gun like this was not uncommon,  and actually shows up in a couple of westerns. It is a basic handgun with a shoulder stock attached. This lends the tactical utility as a short, easily maneuvered weapon with the stability of a rifle. In layman's terms, it means it is a very leathal combo - best of both worlds so to speak. The ATF calls such a weapon today a SBR, or Short Barreled Rifle.   Illegal, unless you get the local sheriff's autogragh and pay for a $200 stamp of approval. (Laws regarding these vary state to state.)  It is very fitting that Fett carries one of these given the shady nature of the configuration.
"You put a stock on your Glock - you end up in a cell block."

Machine guns
As is generally known, the big guns some of the Storm Troopers carried was basically an unmodified MG-42, of World War Two.   Again, a very fitting selection on part of the film makers. That gun has an even nastier reputation than a SBR!   Back in WWII, it was nicknamed "The Reaper for the Reich."  It was very reliable, and so accurate (for a machine gun) it was spooky.  It also had a very high rate of fire - 1100 RPM, or Rounds Per Minute.   This was a very deadly arm, and also very light and handy compared to other machine guns of the time.  The US M-60 machine gun is based on the MG-42,  but we didn't make it as good as the original.  It is not uncommon for a platoon of infantry to have 2 to 4 M-60s.  In fact, these days, depending on the units load out, you will also see soldiers packing the M-249 "SAW."  

The SAW is the Squad Automatic Weapon.  This gives each squad one heavier gun for increased fire power.  The SAW is also quite capable of cutting down trees - one of the reasons the name SAW has stuck.  The difference between the '60 and the SAW is caliber.   The '60 fire the 7.62MM NATO cartridge (.308 Winchester in your dad's old hunting rifle) and the SAW fires the 5.56MM NATO round.   The SAW is also 1/3 lighter than the '60, and can fire at 1100 RPM,  which is why soldiers would often fight for the right to carry it - it rocked.   I say rocked in the past tense, because I understand the Army backed down the cyclic rate to 850 RPM. (you can't have too much fun).  

The organization is like this - in each group of soldiers, there are usually two bigger guns for support, on the squad level it is the SAW, a s we see the Stormies use the MG-42s.  On the Platoon level,  it's M-60s, and maybe even a .50 caliber Browning M-2 or Ma Duece as it is called, depending on the unit.  The Stormies would some times roll out a bigger machine gun and mount it on a tripod,  like how we would deploy the M-2. (As shown in the assualt on... ah... Echo Station - as the heros were taking off in the Falcon.   I'm thinking that had that gun engaged the Falcon, it would have disabled Han's hotrod, and kept in anchored - just like a .50 cal would do to one of our aircraft today.   But that would have ended the movie rather rudely.)   Luckily the falcon had an automatic gun that cut down the gun crew.   Some less knowledgable folks have critisized that bit - but it does have current equals. Some German and South African fighting vehicles and APCs have remotely articulated guns as well, as our B-52s - in the tails. (the B-52 is the last bomber to retain the traditional tailgunner)

In Episode One we see Battle and Destroyer droids - perhaps the tanks pictured are even droid controlled.

This is becoming more common today. Our world famouse Tomohawk Cruise Missiles have a type of AI on board, that guides these simple suicidal "droids" across rolling terrian at low altitude to the target.   At the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, we have worked on remotely controlled M-1 Abrahms tanks -  an attempt at keeping humans out of harms way - since these days, a tank on a battle field is the #1 target for the enemy to engage,  and with new technologies in shoulder-fired battlefield guided missiles, even a grunt can take out a main battle tank. We also have a pure ROBOT weapon system under developement (we have it - its proven to work - we just want it to work better and cheaper, and reuseably) called the FIRE ANT.    The Fire Ant is an ATV quadrunner, with a huge specialized antitank mine that lets the robot engage a tank at up to 100 yards effectively. 

With the new J-STARS systems (think AWACS for the ground) target ID and tracking is handled smoother than ever before, and tied in with the robotics, threat tanks could be dispatched by a simple "SIC'M!" command and a robot will go kill it. The Fire Ant tends to get blown up with the target, and that's the problem. We can only hope the brain-trust at Aberdeen will realize a MINE could be replaced with 4 AT-4 missiles, giving the FIRE ANT 4 times the lethality. (And they get payed how much?) 

Taking this into account, battle droids are not far off either.  Honda's robot walks around and is just plain creepy the way it moves... just give it an Uzi and piss it off and you'll have a prototype battle droid in five minutes.   We already use other robots for fighting too - RPVs for targeting air strikes and recon.  No, armies of droids are not far off at all. Some would say we already have the MARINES.    (But I don't want to get into any inter-service rivalry heckling here... You Jarheads know who you are.  My brother is a Marine - I respect that.  No one is perfect)

Dewbacks
Some sand troopers rode those big lizards on Tatooine.  This has too much historical basis to even touch - horses and military have been hand in hand through time.

Armoured Scouts

Today we have what are called Cavalry Scouts. These guys are very special folks - and I was lucky enough to work with some of these guys.  Nut Cases each one, God Bless'm.   These guys actually go out LOOKING FOR THE BADGUYS - which means when they start getting shot up, they've found them!  They use stealth, speed, smarts, and a lucky rabbit's foot to do the job.  They pack a goodly amount of fire power, but the job is to report the enemy location - if they dont get waxed first. They use M-3 Bradleys, Armoured HumVees, motorcycles, Kiowa Helicopters, dune buggies and sometimes whatever they can, to get in and out and find the OPFOR (Opposing Forces).  

The Empire uses three items.  First are the Probe Droids, who sneak in and make visual contact. Then they have the Speeder Bike Scouts, who can get in and out fast - when not being harrased by Jedi in the woods.  Then for the heavies:  the AT-ST scout walkers who run in and find the hot spots and locate the heavier concentrations of enemy forces - looking for weaknesses, and causing general havoc.  One duty of the scouts today and possibly in the Empire, if necessary, is to delay an attack - engage them out front to slow them down, and give the defenders time to prepare.    An ugly mission.   I bet the Empire's Scouts and Cavalry would feel the same way.

The issue of the nonstandard holsters, as noted in the SW Index section of this site,  reminds me of the units I served with.   We were given a lot of license in the way we wore our equipment, and in what extras we wanted to carry (knives, garotes, grenades, etc.)   Whatever we felt we needed was okay.   The Unit had in the past allowed privately-owned handguns - just as long as we didn't ask for the Army to pay for the ammo.   (That was squashed when we were sent to a certain base and were "just cause" for the other guys to say "HEY... we want that too!"   So the brain-trust said, like a parent with kids fighting over a toy,  "Okay, now NO ONE gets them!" )    Our '60 gunners had sidearms - .45's. we didn't want the newer 9MM. The Storm Troopers who had some extra gear, or holsters, may have had other or special individual duties - we don't know. But there is military precedent for this.

The Trooper's armour is also not unheard of.    Look at how a police tactical, or "SWAT" team, is outfitted - Kevlar helmet, Bolle' goggles, Safariland's Cover Six tactical body armour, lacbk military BDUs, Hatch Gloves, black combat boots. (Often HI-TECH MAGNUM, or ROCKIES, made tactical boots)  This outfit serves three purposes.  One, practical protection - it is designed to offer the most protection possible. Two, to set the wearer/team apart from the normal troops, police, whoever. It  lets everyone know they are not there for doughnuts, or to play around. T  hree, when the door gets kicked in, and the place is filled with big black clad guys,  it has a dehumanizing effect.   I have seen 300 pound grown men wet themselves.   It puts a shock and panic into the suspects - or enemy.   It works.   It's a mental effect for the wearer, as well. They become super-human:   less fear, less hesitation, more courage, more aggressivness...almost like a drug.   Packing big black guns doesn't hurt either.

I can't really comment on the fighting styles or methods shown in the Holy Trilogy.  I already covered that in the previous piece, and there were so little tactics used. Only one pair of Troopers used tactics in the movies - in ANH, when the troopers opened the door to find C-3PO and R2D2 in the closet - notice how they stepped to the sides as the door opened? That's a tactical move, in case the guys in the closet opened up with gunfire. This is probably the same pair that tried to capture Leia on Endor. Another tactic used was to keep her pinned while the maneuver element moves in.   Strategy there!    But then they get killed.    *Sigh*   Oh well. The Empire will get it right at some point, right?

If you have any questions... like what about wrist blasters? Or where do you get off?  Whatever - I'll be happy to 'splain it to you.

(George Hill, Jedi Knight. Age 29. Married to a lovely young dancer. 4 boys under the age of 6 And was only able to bestow one of them with a Star Wars name. Works in computers now after spending time in Military (Light Infantry), Law Enforcement and Fugitive Recovery. Has the day of the Episode One opening off from work. (Cause the Bosses wouldn't dare say no.)

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