The role of Pfcs.

I've been wondering just what the status and role of privates first class were in the US Army during the war. They seem so far to me to have just been somewhat glorified privates earning marginally more pay but carrying out the same duties, but with some recognition of superior performance. In the infantry squad, the assistant squad leader was usually a corporal, I believe, whose job was to take over if the sergeant became a casualty or to lead the second half-squad if the squad was split up. What would a Pfc. have done, carry the BAR?

Would Pfcs. have been more plentiful in specialized services, like driver or clerk?

You're correct. PFC was and is essentially a pay grade and a nod to the fact that this soldier has marginally more experience and less proclivity to get into trouble than the rest. If there's nobody else around to command the fire team, you'd tell the PFC to do it. That's basically what enlisted rank amounts to. The guy with the most stripes gets the nod.

all the best

The old TO&E's called for so many Pvts, PFCs, Cpls, etc for each squad but I don't think the BAR went to a PFC - all depended who was the biggest or smallest guy - he's the one who usually got stuck with it. In 1944 or 45, the Army decided that if you had been a PVT for 2 years, regardless of the TO&E, you became a PFC - that's how I got my first stripe.