Dear sir;
Your grandfather and my great uncle served our country in the same theater in WWII. My great uncle Cliff, whom my father was named after and I bear it as my middle name, served with the army rangers I believe, and worked behind enemy lines, primarily ambushing supply and official convoys. In his journals, he made reference to the M1 garand and it served him well. he documented well one ambush full of cars with Nazi officials. In that aftermath of the ambush he picked up a Luger, a bayonet, and the Swastika flags from the officials cars. I have deep respect for these men and am in the process of aquiring a M-1 myself. If you have any information you would like to share I would be grateful.

Jeremy P.

I have a few questions I would like answered about implementation of the M1 Garand in World War II. Your input on this subject would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time Mr. Foster.

1. How was it decided who received this rifle for combat?
2. Was this weapon considered favorable to soldiers among the others?
3. Why do you think historians believe this was the greatest implementation of WW2?
4. What do you think made this such a successfully implemented weapon?

I'll do the best I can with these, but of course I was not there so I'm drawing from my reading and just how I think they would have felt back then.

1. How was it decided who received this rifle for combat?

The Garand was standard issue throughout World War 2, just as the M-16 is now. Therefore ALL soldiers received this. Everything else, i.e. Tommy Guns, BARs, M1-Carbines were determined by Platoon Sergeants or Squad leaders, or were just picked up by the GIs off fallen comrades.

2. Was this weapon considered favorable to soldiers among the others?

This was decided by each individual. My guess would be that most men in the European theater or in the desert would have preferred this, however after the breakthrough at Normandy and as they began pressing against that Siegfried Line, the combat changed to towns and villages and house to house. I would suspect the Tommy Gun or the Grease Gun became the preferred weapons by that time because of their size and firepower. Again, each man would make his own decision. Many men did find the Garand's weight unbearable, and its length awkward.

I also tend to notice the Carbine being carried more in footage taken in the Pacific Theater. I suspect the average shot being made there was at a much closer range than it was in Europe or in the desert. Also, that jungle would have been much easier navigated with a Carbine rather than the Garand with its length and weight.

3. Why do you think historians believe this was the greatest implementation of WW2?

Again I believe that's person opinion. The United States was the first county in the world to implement an automatic weapon as its standard issue. Also you must remember the threat Nazi Germany along with the other Axis powers truly was. Things such as this are often measured by its antitheist.

4. What do you think made this such a successfully implemented weapon?

One word: Quality. This weapon works, it's that simple. You can take it to the desert's heat and sand against Rommel, the jungle islands of the Pacific against the Empire of Japan's finest, or straighten out that Bulge in the lines up in the freezing cold of Europe's high countries and it will never fail you.

I hope this helps you.

The M1 is the Elvis of all rifles. I didn't like it at first. It was like my love for the 1911 pistol. They seem awkward at first, but once you get one and learn to use it, everything else is crap!

I just found out that Springfield Armory (the private concern in Illinois) is
making a limited run of 10,000 new Garands. I want one BAD. Yet still, I'm
lucky enough to have an original rifle. I bought mine in 1991, for about
$350. It came from the Koreans. Those bastards sold our weapons back to us
at an enormous profit when they were done with them; I was told that they
bought them for $3.00 per weapon after the war. Still, I paid the ransom and
am glad that she is back on US soil to stay. Since I live in Illinois, I
wasn't too far to take the rifle to Genesseo to have the folks at Springfield
Armory replace her barrel and gas system. They went out of their way for me,
and performed the repairs while I waited (without an appointment, no less!).
As far as I'm concerned, they are the center of the Garrand Universe. They
love the weapon too, as no other company that I have found does. We are
lucky that they are around. My 'Baby' was made at the Springfield Armory in
Massachuchettes
in the Spring of 1944. Made by loving hands, I am sure. I wouldn't bet my
life on any other weapon save my 1911A1 (from the folks at Genesseo). I
must say that I wonder too, where she has been--but I KNOW where she will
stay. Words cannot explain the joy of having the 'real deal' to shoot on a
sunny day. She will outlast me.

Steve H

"Charlie, I don't suppose you would ever, ever, run across such a thing as an M1 now and then?" I inquired.

Well, he just happened to have one there on consignment. A customer decided he didn't want it after all; he thought it was too beat-up. So he paid for it, and put it back on the shelf for private sale rather then go through the hassle of returning it to CAI..

I was so happy with actually finding an M1 like that, no "yeller" sheets, no hassle, that I happily paid $135.00 (ok, ok, don't cry--that was about twelve years ago) cash.

Beat-up stock, no proof mark left, non-matching handguards (birch) and almost no finish.

It had a mixture of IH, Winchester, Springfield, etc., parts. Stamped "CAI VT." on the barrel. I took it to an expert and a certified NRA instructor who gives Garand shooting classes. He gauged it for throat erosion--rifling, and overall mechanical condition--It was an import, but if a Korean soldier did use it--he took damn good care of it. The barrel was almost in perfect condition! very good condition at chamber, bore and overall!

I joined GCA and cooresponded with other collectors and Garand lovers--got most of the parts traded back and forth as much as possible, matched as close as I could to orginal Springfield Armory drawing numbers, etc.,

Sent it in to the nice folks at Fulton Armory--they had to restock it in issue-grade walnut, reparkerized it, tuned and timed it, and now it's beatiful and reborn. It 's an oirginal SA, mfg. about 1954 according to barrel stamping and serial number.

It shoots great, accurate, and just like it was when it was originally issued. Had a lot of offers--but I'm keeping the old gal--makeover and all. It should be good well into the next fifty or so years.!

---J.P. Doyle

Help with World War II Ammo in Europe:

hi

i'm anton from holland and i'm also very intrested in the second world war i was checking out your site it's very nice it most be awesome to owne a
real m1 garant !! i've bin to normandie ones it was very intresting to see the place where it happend and see the little church in sint mer
eglease with the dummy soldier hanging on it you know the famous scene from
that d-day movie i forgat the name
anyway the reason i'm maling you is because i am a metaldetector amateur and i'm specialy intrested in wo 2 stuff i most of the time i go searching
with a friend of mine sometimes whe find german ammo and other gun shells
i'always check out the back of the shells to see the numbers
i know it when it's german ammo because there's always a D on it and most of
the time the year 38 ore 39 that was the time when german ammo was made?? because i heard somewhere that the later in the war run out of
metals that's why the stole all the church bells! the stole it in ore
village to! the problem is i don't know how to recognize alleid ammo do you know what was on the back of shell's of a m1? ore any american ammo?
i realy would like to know! do you know any site's about this subject? i wil
gife you a number that's on a shell i found in belgium
i hope you can tell me what it means i think it's not german because there's
not a D on it i think it's from a machine gun i think it's 12.7 milimeter
but i dont know anything about guns here is the number : 3-w-t-4 please
email back!!

thanks in advance

anton minnee, the netherlands friesland (the north)

ps. my english typing is not real good but i hope you understand

(if you can help this guy...please email him at: punk_0_anton@hotmail.com)

I have a Garand of my own, its serial number indicates that it was
produced at the Springfield armory in 1944. I too have wondered did my
Garand go to war? Did it save some GI's life? I have spent 7 years in the
Army, so i will answer the gentlemans question from the Netherlands. 1. It
would not be possible to save the issue records from WW2 for the US Army,
because at its height the army had more than 5 million soldiers in it. Some
were wounded in combat or killed, their weopons damaged or even destroyed.
Sometimes they were re-issued or just picked up off the ground. It is not
feasable or even with the best record keeping system to try to keep track
of who was given what. As to the lack of understanding about the reverence
for a weapon, i noticed in Europe that there was little understanding about
our 2nd Amendment. It was written into our constitution so that the people
would have the right to defend themselves against a unjust goverment should
that need ever arise. You might say that that can never happen, maybe, but
them 5 months ago who would have believed that two planes could destroy the
world trade center. In this caotic world we live in people should believe
that ANYTHING is possible. To the gentleman seeking the Garand, i will do a
little research for you, it might be a little higher though.

Mr. Foster,
I recently surfed into your M1 Garand tribute site. As a Canadian owner of an M1 Garand, I wanted to say thanks for the site. I've often wonder where my rifle has been and what it has done. My garand seems a bit unusual as it has a factory ingraved anchor near the rear site. Do you have any info on this marking? Keep up the good work brother.
tanstaafl@shaw.ca

I would just like to say that your web site is very helpful in the search for M1 information. I have learned quite a bit about the weapon and the men who used it. I guess my interest in the weapon came from a friend of mine who trained with the rifle in the marines. He bought one a few years ago and I was hooked the first time I saw one. Even thought he is 42 years my senior my friend and I seem to bond when we talk about this magnificent weapon. I am 28 years old and most people my age are interested in AR15s or glocks. They always ask why I insist on shooting that old gun. Well when I take them out to shoot my M1 for the first time that all changes. Both my grandfathers served in WWII and I guess I feel a certain attachment to the weapon and the times they had to endure. I'll never forget a few years ago when I was at my grandfathers house. I had mentioned something about an M16 and he blurted out "What about the M1" that was the best rifle ever issued. I guess that shows the strong feelings toward the weapon. To end I guess we can never forget what those men did for us so many years ago. Finally another statement made by a veteran holds a very strong message for generations to come about the men who gave their lives for our freedom, and I quote " They gave all of their tomorrows for your todays". Something to think about.

Jason

Good site, i enjoyed it! Good to see people still have interest in History,
even though we have quite an age gap between us. I like WWII alot, or at
least when i say i 'like' it, i mean i am 'interested' in it. The M1 was
certainly a fine weapon, perhaps not as fine as the Mauser but it was at
least on a par.

I just had one problem. Im from UK, and as u know we were in the war from
the very start until the very end, and one of the few allied countries to be
able to say that - i just think you should take it easy on Russia. Taking on
the Axis from the Eastern front must have saved hundreds of thousands or
Limeys, Yanks and Froggies, and by the end of the war, the red army was
hardly an army. I will be gratefull to those russians dogs until the last

Keep it real army man :)

Regards,

Jon

I was looking for information on the scale model kit of the M-1 (also the '03, BAR, Springfield '03, Winchester 98 and Bren) which was made by Majix in the late 1950's. do you have any information on these?

My e-dress is psquires@canada.com

Thanks,

Paul
Edmonton, Alberta

God and Country let Freedom Ring . I approach this with hat in hand . I thank
the men that fought for my freedom . Yes, I said "my'' freedom . Mine was
handed to me because of the men who were willing to fight the japs and the
krauts . My Great Uncle Woodrow Wilson Mobley took Shrapnel to his Grave
from the damned japs.And I will be damned if I forget what the little yellow
bastards did to destroy this country. My Uncles sacrifice will not be
forgetten.I bid you restful sleep for a job well done

Stephen

Thank you,
Matt H.

I am 63 years old now – ex-paratrooper (US and Chinese (Taiwan)) and licensed firearms collector. My time with the M1 was during the 1960’s. During this period I used the M1 as my main rifle for many months, and shot match versions on the 82nd Airborne as well as several other military rifle teams. In my collection I have various military rifles from US as well as other countries. I still shoot most of them often and feel I can evaluate them accurately.

The M1 was a rugged rifle – we jumped with them strapped under our parachute harness with the stock over our right shoulder and the muzzle down. Often we rolled on them when we hit the ground and this never seemed to change the battle sight. When we were issued the M14s we found the M14 could not stand up to this activity – barrels were actually bent. We did like the 20 round magazines on the M14, but hated the location – right at the balance of the rifle. We dropped the M14s very quickly and went back to the WWII M2 Carbine because our old M1s had been returned until the M16s started to come in.

Of all the military rifles I have shot the early M16s were the worse – absolutely unreliably and pretty much unusable. We lost men because of this rifle. They were so bad that the enemy actually told their troops not to pick the little black rifles up because they could not do the cause any good. Many or us would have been glad to have the old M1s or even the M14s back. At one point I carried a Chinese SKS for several weeks just to have something I could count on.

The M1 is an accurate rifle -- a good service M1 can shoot within 2” at a 100 yards and a match version can shoot within 1” at 100 yards. To put this in perspective this is good for a military rifle – an AKM47 would be in the 3” range or more. On the other hand I have an 1898
Swedish Mauser that consistently shoots within 1”. I have never shot
any Mauser in good condition that was not as accurate or better than an M1, but overall the M1 with its semi-auto action, very powerful 30-06 cartridge, and reliability was a winner on the battlefield and still is a fine military weapon.

The big difference in the M1 and the German Mauser rifle was their intended use. The M1 was designed to give the individual rifleman good firepower while the Germans at first viewed the rifleman’s main job as providing support for the machine gunners – the machine gun was where the firepower was focused. Of course by the end of the war the Germans had rethought this position – thanks in no small part to the M1 --and had developed and employed sub-machine guns and semi-automatic rifles, unfortunately for them too late to have much affect.

Jon from the UK made a couple of points I would like to support:

1. On quality the M1’s quality started out relatively high and improved as the war went on while the German Mauser was very high at the beginning and fell rapidly as the war turned against them.

2. On the Russians he is right on, many believe the Allies used the Russians to weaken the Germans with little loss of the other countries.

Hi guys,my name is Frank,i am a fanatic about shooting and collecting old militairy rifles.I have a problem over here,maybe you can help me.

It has been more than 15 years ago,my best friend John was jogging in the woods of Braschaat near Antwerp (Belgium)
Suddenly he fell over a piece of metal wath appeart to be half a rifle.There was only a little bit of rust on the surface of the metal,
so it couldn't be there sins 1945.
Wath he found was the barrel and the receivergroup of a M1 Garand rifle made by Springfield Armoury 1941
The gun had a very low serialnumber(just over 240000.)Only the stock and triggergroup where missing.A few days later a ran to the local
surplus store and bought all the missing parts including the sling and bayonet.
I have been shooting that rifle still.Nowerdays original surplusammo is really hard to find,so i am thinking to reload.
Now i am shooting the original M2 bullet 150 gr.Flat base,who seems the best bullet choise.
Is it tru the Garand does't like the heavyer bullets.Also the rifle is not so accurate with boattail bullets!?
Can someone of you Garand experts,help me out with my bullet choise.
I would be very grateful.

Mail to : frank.verhulst@tiscali.be
.
Greetings to all Garand fans.(sorry for my bad English)
PS: Wish there where more sites like that on the web.

Frank Verhulst

Dear Sir,
I too am looking for a Garand. Much too late but that's not the point of this message to you. What you wrote was gripping tribute from the heart and I could not do as well myself. If there is anything I can add to this tribute is a certain amount of guilt I feel is a shared guilt of so many of us who now appreciate the items and war tools of a generation of brave men we didn't really know. While I was collecting Nazi helmets and stuff a nearly half-century ago there were Veterans languishing away on their front porches and in hospitals with noone to tell their stories to. As my generation helped foist upon these souls an increasing amount of confusion and madness they died off nobly one by one. They gave us the freedom of choice and for the most part were silent and perplexed. I think the last ten or so years our honor suffered through the clintonist regime was the final death stroke to many good people. There is and was an apathy we allow to the goodness we are blessed with. A beautiful s
We helped bury our dear Father recently. He was ill for a long time and tried to tell us sorting-out things, gave us gentle warnings, but we could not face those possibilities. Too soon it's over . Every family faces this but it's monumental like a mountain collapsing but it's right there.
Untold stories. Memories. Buried with Honors. Our Flag in a box.
Torch has been passed. Long it will burn.
regards,
may God bless you
wayne

Hello,
Your grand-dads rifle "won the war". If you go to my website, you'll see a
photo of my uncle "David Green". He's sitting in the cemetery of St. Lo. If
you notice, he's holding the M-1 Garand that he'd picked up on Omaha Beach. He landed with the 110th Field Artillery, 29th Division with the M-1 Carbine. The first thing he did was tossed the carbine. He carried that Garand the rest of the way to Germany. All 3 of my uncles on my mothers side made it
back to Westminster, Maryland. David died in 1989 with 12 children and now
over 60 grand-children. I've been to the spot where the photo of him was
taken by Yank Magazine. I hope to be back in Normandy this coming June with
my new postcard.

Tim
www.ww2dday.com

I have really enjoyed your website and the links you have provided. I have a question or two for you. I was wondering about the Blue Sky Garands from Korea. I have read in a few places that they are just junk metal and wood. Is this true? My father owns one of these rifles and I was curious about its worth. It is in fair to poor shape. The muzzle looks worn with no visible rifle grooves observed. I guess my question is, if the rifle as a whole is junk, is the SA receiver capable of being restored with a new barrel and stock to be considered a worthy Garand? My other question is about two of the links, Orion7 and Fulton Armory. I see that they both offer refurbished Garands for sale. I just don't understand why the rifles offered by FA are so much more expensive? I am considering purchasing a "Select Grad
Thanks for your time,

Steve M.
Texas

I am 18 years old and took a liking to the Garand. I aquired a rebuilt M1(it was in my price range) for a shooter. I enjoy shooting it. I often wonder if some of the pieces were over seas and saw action. I mavel at the brilliance and simplicity of the design. The Garand is the highest quality rifle I have fired. I hope some day to purchase a Garand from all the companies that built them. Irecommend this rifle to anyone who enjoys sport match shooting, or people who shoot for fun.

Kevin
Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Dear Mr. Foster,

Like you I have a deep and loving passion for the M1 My great uncle carried one in WWII and told me of his deep respect for it. My grandfather carried a 1903 as a Railway soldier all over Europe during WWII but, stated that the M1 was a notch above, firepower wise. All his buddies (WWII Vets) stated their love for the Garand as well when they would open up and tell series of the greatest conflict the world will know. I loved these stories and would sit at the edge of my seat to listen! I, as you do have a great interest in WWII history in Europe and read everything I can about it. I even do WWII reenacting, of course with one of my Garands! I have always admired the M1 and finally built two of them. Hopefully, I can start on number three soon. Both are Springfield's, one built in Sept.43 and the other in Apr. 45. I enjoy shooting them and just handling them as much as I can. Thank you for the good work on this web site. Keep it up!! Thank You.

Matthew

This may seem odd, getting a e-mail from a 15 year old. i am a odd teenager, i love firearms, most importantly, colt and other american firearms, especially old ones like the Colt M1911A1....and the M1 Garand. I learned mostly about the M1911A1 and the Garand by playing a popular modification for a popular game, Day of Defeat for Half-life, this may seem incredibly stupid, but i play the class that has that rifle as often as possible, for in there it is incredibly accurate and powerful, and i love the semi-auto part of it, if i had a M1 Garand in my possession i would constantly wonder about it's history as well, as in how many lives it may have saved, how many lives it may have taken, what it has been through, who it has seen, who has set their hands upon it, who has fired it, i would love to hear the PING of a empty clip being ejected from it, i would love even more to fire the rifle, even once, even if it knocked me flat on my butt from the recoil, it would be a bruise that i could live with. I love the USA, even though i plan on going into PC Programming when i am older, if a war happened and i was called upon to defend my country, i would not hesitate to answer that call. even if it ment not seeing my wife or children(if i had any) ever again, i would know that i would see them again at a later time, probably in heaven, well, as i am typing this my mother is yelling at me to get off, so i must end this later, goodbye.

Signed,

Nicholas

Read more thoughts on the M1 Garand from visitors: Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |

I would really appreciate your thoughts, comments and questions regarding the M1 Garand, your heroes, World War II, the Korean War, or anything else this page encompasses.

Please email comments to S.Foster@us.army.mil

Thank you.

Sergeant Foster