US Army WWII Pacific theater - The Firearms Forum

Jackman · 09-26-2010, 08:05 AM

Anyone know what type rifle an WWII Army Grunt in the Pacific area would have most likely carried? I would think it was the M1 Grand but not sure. Also is there an M1 Grand and also a M1 Carbine?

jim brady · 09-26-2010, 08:33 PM

The standard rifle issued to the U.S. Army in WW2 was the M1 Garand. The .30 M1 Carbine was standard issue for support troops, but a vast number were also issued to front line troops.

Early in the war, numbers of 1903 Springfields were also issued because of shortages of weaponry, but the Army had already declared the M1 Garand as the standard infantry rifle in 1939. The Marines adopted it by 1942.

The M1 Garand (U.S Rifle, Caliber .30 M1) is a much different rifle than the .30 M1 Carbine. The Garand is a .30-06 full length rifle cartridge, while the .30 Carbine could be considered as sort of a 'magnum pistol' cartridge. The idea for the Carbine was to replace the .45 semi-auto pistol for support troops who worked in more confined areas where a rifle would have been too cumbersome to operate. The Carbine had greater range and ammunition capacity than the pistol.

Years ago, I had a friend who was a Marine assigned to a tracked howitzer on Guadal Canal. He had an M1 Carbine, and had to use it 'for real' on a couple of Japanese soldiers. The Carbine took several shots to drop them, so he ditched the Carbine and used a Bolt Action 1903 instead after that.

Big ugly · 09-26-2010, 11:03 PM

Jim My Grandpa said the same thing. He was an Army Engineer during the war and said that the 30 is what he was issued, Beeing on a airfield he had some open area fighting and the 30 carb he was issued didnt have the reach that the ground troops needed. He and a few others opted for the 1903 also. He said that the M1 was available to him but harder to get ahold of so the 1903 better suited the sitution for fighting on open ground at a long distance than the 30.

Palmetto · 09-27-2010, 03:08 PM

My father was in the Pacific as a Navy Medical Corpsman and carried the shorter M-1 30 caliber Carbine. Most ground troops carried the longer heavy duty M-1 Garand, 30.06.

Jackman · 09-27-2010, 07:30 PM

Great info thanks , so were the Garand and the Carbine semi and auto or just semi? Seems reasonable that an Engineer and a Navy Corpmen would have the shorter Carbine , who else got the Carbine I read that Army officers were issued the Carbine while enlisted got the Garand.

jim brady · 09-27-2010, 08:36 PM

Officers in ground units carried just about whatever they liked. That ran the guantlet from the Thompson .45 sub-machinegun, the Carbine and the Garand. Of course the Garand, being heavier than the Carbine, saw less use among officer ranks. Nearly all officers were issued sidearms - usually the M1911A1 .45ACP.

As far as who else were issued the Carbine - that option was also given to Paratroopers. Both the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine were semi-auto. The fully auto M2 Carbine was developed at the very end of the war, and it is my understanding that none saw actual combat in WW2. That changed in the next war - the Korean War - when great quantities of M2 Carbines saw widespread use.

Most armies considered the sidearm as a badge of rank. The U.S. military has always considered the sidearm as appropriate for issue to enlisted ranks as well, as a working weapon.

Jackman · 09-27-2010, 09:55 PM

Jim great info

...... My father was a Army Infantry 1st Lt so I am just trying to figure out what he may have carried probly never know for sure but I think it was the Carbine it seems ti fit with the info you provided.

Thanks

flintlock · 09-28-2010, 08:30 AM

My father was on Tinian, in the signal corp, and had an M1 carbine. He never said anything about it except that it worked.

whirley · 09-28-2010, 01:06 PM

I had a .45 and an M-2 carbine at the beginning of the Korean war. For close work the M-2 with it's high rate of fire was effective, difficult to control on full auto, but didn't have the knock down or effective range of the of the M1 rifle. After all it was only a souped up pistol cartridge. It basically did the job it was designed to do. I used it for deer hunting in Japan, but that was close work also.
Speaking of Japan, the Japanese pheasant was found in forested areas similar to grouse cover here. I sometimes wonder how they'd work in this country. I hunted with a Gordon setter owned by a Japanese guide. Small dog, not much bigger than a springer spaniel.

09-26-2010, 08:05 AM	#1
Jackman V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 446	US Army WWII Pacific theater Anyone know what type rifle an WWII Army Grunt in the Pacific area would have most likely carried? I would think it was the M1 Grand but not sure. Also is there an M1 Grand and also a M1 Carbine? -->

09-26-2010, 08:33 PM	#2
jim brady Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,076	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater The standard rifle issued to the U.S. Army in WW2 was the M1 Garand. The .30 M1 Carbine was standard issue for support troops, but a vast number were also issued to front line troops. Early in the war, numbers of 1903 Springfields were also issued because of shortages of weaponry, but the Army had already declared the M1 Garand as the standard infantry rifle in 1939. The Marines adopted it by 1942. The M1 Garand (U.S Rifle, Caliber .30 M1) is a much different rifle than the .30 M1 Carbine. The Garand is a .30-06 full length rifle cartridge, while the .30 Carbine could be considered as sort of a 'magnum pistol' cartridge. The idea for the Carbine was to replace the .45 semi-auto pistol for support troops who worked in more confined areas where a rifle would have been too cumbersome to operate. The Carbine had greater range and ammunition capacity than the pistol. Years ago, I had a friend who was a Marine assigned to a tracked howitzer on Guadal Canal. He had an M1 Carbine, and had to use it 'for real' on a couple of Japanese soldiers. The Carbine took several shots to drop them, so he ditched the Carbine and used a Bolt Action 1903 instead after that.

09-26-2010, 11:03 PM	#3
Big ugly Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Knoxville Tennessee Contributor Posts: 2,603	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater Jim My Grandpa said the same thing. He was an Army Engineer during the war and said that the 30 is what he was issued, Beeing on a airfield he had some open area fighting and the 30 carb he was issued didnt have the reach that the ground troops needed. He and a few others opted for the 1903 also. He said that the M1 was available to him but harder to get ahold of so the 1903 better suited the sitution for fighting on open ground at a long distance than the 30. __________________ "You say the Devil made do it with a smile. Raisin' hell and howlin at the moon. Well I'm gonna put your @$$ back in line. I'm gonna scare the Devil out of you." BlackBerry Smoke Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R513dA4peMg Nothing is "proof" against a truly talented fool. Swanshot

09-27-2010, 03:08 PM	#4
Palmetto V.I.P. Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: North Carolina Posts: 188	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater My father was in the Pacific as a Navy Medical Corpsman and carried the shorter M-1 30 caliber Carbine. Most ground troops carried the longer heavy duty M-1 Garand, 30.06.

09-27-2010, 07:30 PM	#5
Jackman V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 446	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater Great info thanks , so were the Garand and the Carbine semi and auto or just semi? Seems reasonable that an Engineer and a Navy Corpmen would have the shorter Carbine , who else got the Carbine I read that Army officers were issued the Carbine while enlisted got the Garand.

09-27-2010, 08:36 PM	#6
jim brady Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,076	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater Officers in ground units carried just about whatever they liked. That ran the guantlet from the Thompson .45 sub-machinegun, the Carbine and the Garand. Of course the Garand, being heavier than the Carbine, saw less use among officer ranks. Nearly all officers were issued sidearms - usually the M1911A1 .45ACP. As far as who else were issued the Carbine - that option was also given to Paratroopers. Both the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine were semi-auto. The fully auto M2 Carbine was developed at the very end of the war, and it is my understanding that none saw actual combat in WW2. That changed in the next war - the Korean War - when great quantities of M2 Carbines saw widespread use. Most armies considered the sidearm as a badge of rank. The U.S. military has always considered the sidearm as appropriate for issue to enlisted ranks as well, as a working weapon.

09-27-2010, 09:55 PM	#7
Jackman V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 446	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater Jim great info...... My father was a Army Infantry 1st Lt so I am just trying to figure out what he may have carried probly never know for sure but I think it was the Carbine it seems ti fit with the info you provided. Thanks

09-28-2010, 08:30 AM	#8
flintlock Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Upstate NY Contributor Posts: 898	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater My father was on Tinian, in the signal corp, and had an M1 carbine. He never said anything about it except that it worked.

09-28-2010, 01:06 PM	#9
whirley V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Contributor Posts: 457	Re: US Army WWII Pacific theater I had a .45 and an M-2 carbine at the beginning of the Korean war. For close work the M-2 with it's high rate of fire was effective, difficult to control on full auto, but didn't have the knock down or effective range of the of the M1 rifle. After all it was only a souped up pistol cartridge. It basically did the job it was designed to do. I used it for deer hunting in Japan, but that was close work also. Speaking of Japan, the Japanese pheasant was found in forested areas similar to grouse cover here. I sometimes wonder how they'd work in this country. I hunted with a Gordon setter owned by a Japanese guide. Small dog, not much bigger than a springer spaniel.