Use of the M1903 during WWII

[Brutus]

Watch the trend in the infantryman`s firepower from the crank-bolt Lee-Enfield with 10 rds, to the SA FN with 20 lighter rds, to the M16 with 30 still lighter rds. Artillery, mortars and MGs are the big killers, but what `Joe Snuffy`carries still counts for a lot.

Yes sir. The weapon system that created the most battle casualties during the Vietnam War: the medium mortar.
A heavy mortar very likely used on unarmed Bosnian civilians to terrible effect 1990s.
And very briefly, very recently was a showstopper the seige at Bhengazi US consolute.

 

[M1-Garand]

The Garands would have been useless without a supply of en bloc clips. Any ammo coming through the marine corps supply chain would have used Springfield 5-rd stripper clips. How did they keep their irregularly acquired M1's loaded, I wonder.

That's one of the reasons the Marines liked the Johnson so much since it could be loaded with stripper clips(chargers) or individual rounds.

 

[mbogo3]

Chesty Puller also clung to 1903s for his Marines on Guad, and when he found some of his men had traded with Army units for Garands made them trade 'em back.

Personally, I chalk it up to "Horses for Courses"--the Springfield was a better fit for Puller's needs and purposes, the Garand better suited to Patton's on the other side of the globe.

The Garand didn't differentiate between Nazis and Communists. One size fits all.

 

[Yankee-Canuck]

Here's a Remington wartime 1903 serial number and manufacture date table https://www.remingtonsociety.org/1903-and-1903a3-production-and-serial-no-table/

My 1903A3 is younger than my Garand

 

[shredder]

From what Ive read the army was equipped with Garands and the marines had Springfields on Guadalcanal. The marines got creative about upgrading to Garands apparently.

The Garands would have been useless without a supply of en bloc clips. Any ammo coming through the marine corps supply chain would have used Springfield 5-rd stripper clips. How did they keep their irregularly acquired M1's loaded, I wonder.

Garands didn't show up on Guadalcanal until the US Army did - and the US Army brought with it plenty of ammo in en-bloc clips.

When the Army first went into battle on the 'Canal, it was under Chesty Puller's command as his battalion was neck-deep in Japanese and needed help fast. The 3rd Battalion 164th Regiment (IIRC a National Guard regiment) sent into line to reinforce Puller's men was equipped with Garands. Apparently, when the soldiers showed up in Marine foxholes, some Marines took the Garands and used them to great effect on the Japanese....

I also recall reading that when the Marines left Guadalcanal, US Army officers were stationed at all embarkation points to retrieve the "borrowed" Garands......