https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=61320
--- Comment #46 from thopre01 at gcc dot gnu.org --- After expand, the newly created 16bit big endian load becomes: (insn 688 687 689 (set (reg:HI 482) (mem:HI (reg/v/f:SI 189 [ ptr ]) [0 MEM[base: ptr_110, offset: 0B]+0 S2 A8])) /vol/gcc/src/hg/trunk/local/gcc/java/jcf-parse.c:1622 -1 (nil)) (insn 689 688 690 (set (reg:SI 483) (ashift:SI (subreg:SI (reg:HI 482) 0) (const_int 16 [0x10]))) /vol/gcc/src/hg/trunk/local/gcc/java/jcf-parse.c:1622 -1 (nil)) (insn 690 689 0 (set (reg/v:SI 185 [ min_line ]) (lshiftrt:SI (reg:SI 483) (const_int 16 [0x10]))) /vol/gcc/src/hg/trunk/local/gcc/java/jcf-parse.c:1622 -1 (expr_list:REG_EQUAL (zero_extend:SI (reg:HI 482)) (nil))) I don't understand why those two loads. Also, the HI load is not split into 2 QI ones.