User Panel
Posted: 4/13/2023 7:30:45 AM EDT
What weapon would you carry in the Pacific as an infantry US Marine in WWII if you were able to choose?
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M1 or tommy gun. Anything else on that list is a "special weapon," and marks you for special attention from snipers.
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My grandfather liked the carbine there. He had a lot of experience with both the Garand and the Thompson.
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Want something I could move with in a trench or cave. M1 is too long and I don’t dig the carbine.
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I've fire both the Thompson and Riesing side by side. I'd be happy with either 45 cal goodness.
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Having owned them all except for the 1919 and flamethrower, the M1 Garand. If it were an option I'd take the M2 carbine with 30 round mags.
The Thompson is an amazing weapon but very limited by its inaccuracy at range and lack of reach. Web gear for the Thompson magazines was also a little lacking and you could generally carry less ammo for a Thompson than a Garand. The Garand is reliable, powerful and you can carry an epic amount of ammo for it. I read in a GCA article that in a survey of troops after WW2 or Korea that the majority of combat troops carried at least one bandolier of Garand clips in addition to their cartridge belt that held 80 rds. Many or most carried two or three extra bandoliers with extra clips shoved wherever they could be carried. The Garand is also very easy to maintain and will run dry, wet or neglected for some time. |
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Garand.
Stopping power, range, and ability to shoot a reasonable amount of suppressing fire if needed when in a squad. No caves or tunnels for me. |
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Quoted: My grandfather liked the carbine there. He had a lot of experience with both the Garand and the Thompson. View Quote I'd probably prefer the carbine too. Light and handy with good enough range for most engagements. Doubt that you'd need the range of the Garand on the small islands with heavy tropical vegetation. |
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My dad carried a M-1 Carbine in Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. He carried 6 magazines + the one in the weapon. Made it all the way pretty much without a scratch. He used it the most during the Banzai charges on Saipan. He was with the 4th Battalion/ 10th Marines. 2nd Marine Division.
That would be my choice. He later on carried a 1911 on Tinian, Okinawa and with the occupation forces in Nagasaki right after they dropped the A- bomb there. Even though he carried it he was very cautious with it. He said he saw more ND’s with the 1911 than any other weapon. |
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I'd probably go with.......whatever weapon I was told to carry.
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I bought this book from CMP: US Infantry Weapons in Combat: Personal Experiences from World War II Most of the people had nothing positive to say about the Carbine.
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Jungle environment screams short range and thick cover, close range ambushes, etc, thus out of those choices sub machine gun / high capacity mags to me, so Thompson, or m1/m2 full auto carbine with 30 rd mags would work nicely too.
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Quoted: Jungle environment screams short range and thick cover, close range ambushes, etc, thus out of those choices sub machine gun / high capacity mags to me, so Thompson, or m1/m2 full auto carbine with 30 rd mags would work nicely too. View Quote I am VERY partial to the M1 Garand, but I picked the Thompson for the Pacific. |
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With the exception of the M1 Carbine, everything else it heavy...........!!!!! and the Carbine didnt really have the knockdown power.....
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M1
I carried a SAW going through the JWTC on oki so a nice light trim M1 Garand in the jungle would be a treat. Same with a couple months in the Philippines. Attached File Attached File M1 Garand shooting today |
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Having seen fired and fired a ww2 era flamethrower with both straight gas and napalm. I'm gonna go with that.
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Dad said upon landing on Iwo Jima he picked up the first BAR he found that the former owner no longer needed.
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What’s up with all the .30 carbine love? Never shot one, but they do seem underpowered.
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My uncle, who fought at Peleliu, told me he picked up the first Thompson he could find.
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Having been a Marine infantryman in the 1970's I have some idea what I would prefer. Give me a Stinger. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgecTgbz3ik&feature=youtu.be)
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Quoted: What’s up with all the .30 carbine love? Never shot one, but they do seem underpowered. View Quote They are light and handy. Easy to shoot and point well. I don’t think 30 round mags were available till the end of the war if they were available at all. I’m curious to see how .45 ACP out of a Thompson compares to .30 carbine out of an M1 Carbine. My bet is that .30 carbine is harder hitting with more ft lbs of energy at 100 yards. |
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Depends on the campaign. Carbine for something like Guadalcanal where jungle keeps combat close. Garand for somewhere like Okinawa, which while it had vegetation, it was sparse enough to allow the Garand to stretch its legs
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My Wife's Grandfather was a 1st Div Marine that fought on Guadalcanal. He was on the first landing. He was a machine gunner. He crewed a M1917A1. He told me they also carried a couple of M1903 Springfield rifles with them. And grenades, all the grenades they could hoard. He said during wave attacks they threw grenades while changing belts of ammo.
He was a quiet man that served in hell. He did not talk about his service much and when he did, he didn't bull shit. My Grandfather on my Mother's side was a Navy SeaBee with the 6th Naval Construction Battalion who was also on Guadalcanal. He was an equipment operator. And was wounded at Henderson Field. He said they had Springfield rifles and a Reising that they got from the Marines. |
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Quoted: My Wife's Grandfather was a 1st Div Marine that fought on Guadalcanal. He was on the first landing. He was a machine gunner. He crewed a M1917A1. He told me they also carried a couple of M1903 Springfield rifles with them. And grenades, all the grenades they could hoard. He said during wave attacks they threw grenades while changing belts of ammo. He was a quiet man that served in hell. He did not talk about his service much and when he did, he didn't bull shit. My Grandfather on my Mother's side was a Navy SeaBee with the 6th Naval Construction Battalion who was also on Guadalcanal. He was an equipment operator. And was wounded at Henderson Field. He said they had Springfield rifles and a Reising that they got from the Marines. View Quote |
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Pol fail.
No 50 cal. I would want to be behind a Ma Deuce fuckin' shit up. |
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At least this thread has more volunteers for the 1919 and the Flamethrower than the last one.
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Quoted: Marines pulled all the 1911s out of the infantry and artillery regiments and replaced them with carbines. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: M1 carbine backed up with a 1911 Marines pulled all the 1911s out of the infantry and artillery regiments and replaced them with carbines. So the 1919 guys didn't have a 1911? |
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