| First I want to say as an owner of a M1 Garand that I
think that
your web site is one of if not the best. I have a question. Do you know
why there is a safety
pin in the sling of the 6 pocket bandolier. Johnnie I
appreciate what you wrote about in your writing about your garand rifle . and
for the soldiers that served with the weapon. I have great pride for people that
wont forget the men and brothers who served with each other in ww2. I cant find
the words to thank you for remembering the men who died for us I hope I will not
have to make that decision that they did. but I will pay my respect by serving
in this great army that they once did . the names and faces may change but the
spirits are always the same. Jonathon Hi.
I just visited
your site for the first time and also just finished
reading your statements
on the title page. I found your passion moving,
your imagery vital. I swear
it was actually exciting to read it. I get
MY WWII experiences and stories
(I'm 36) from reading and my tangible,
hands-on satisfaction at the Gun &
Knife show that appears every few
months in West Springfield, Mass. I love
the militaria stuff, and I
have a particular fascination with the oddball
Sten.
I can understand the strong desire to know the exact path your M1
Garand took on it's eventual way to you. I have not as of yet bought
one,
but luck be with me, I shall. I wish YOU luck on gathering
information, if
at all possible, on the lifetime of yours.
Thanks for listening E Stacy, I
like your site and the information you provided on the M1 Garand rifle. My
78-yr-old dad was a rifleman in the Italian Campaign in WWII. He was with
the U.S. 34th infantry division, 133rd Inf Regt, 1st Battalion form January
'44 to April '45. He was in the campaigns of Rome-Arno, Anzio and the North
Apennines. he has two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star w/V, the EAME Theatre
metal w/3 stars, the Infantry Combat Badge, the Good Conduct, the
Presidential
Unit Citation, the French Croix de Guerre w/Palm, the Expert
Rifleman Badge
and the Victory Metal. He says he used the M1 Garand 8 shot
simi-automatic
rifle throughout the war in Italy. He was hit on Anzio May
20th '44 in the
arm when a German machine gunner sprayed 50 cal bullets at
him and he says
all he can remember is the wooden stock of his M1 exploding
in his hands before
he went out. He was back in the lines around Florence
and had to endure the
Gothic Line Campaign and the Apennine Line Campaigns
North of Rome. He was
in ground combat for 14-15 months. He does not
remember the specific brand
of his M1 but he thinks it was either a
Winchester or a Springfield. He says
he had two or three rifles during his
time in combat. He and I are wanting
to get one, but I don't know much about
them and I have never seen one. Would
you be interested in helping me to
learn a little more and to purchase a good
one with the bannet and all on it
like yours ? I've noticed in reading that
there were several different makes
and models of these rifles. Do you know
which was most comman during the
Italian Campaign mainly during the year of
1944. He says he usually kept 7
bullets and a tracer bullet in his clip. I've
seen that International
Harvester, Harrington and Richardson, Winchester,
Springfield all made these
guns. I've also seen info re Danish types and all
kinds of stuff. Because he
is not sure about it after all these years, I don't
want to make a bad
decision. Like I said, he seems to think Winchester or
Springfield. Thank
you for including the section on your grandfather. People
in general have no
idea what these men went through. Thanks again. Sincerely, Gary I
recently visited your M1 Grand site for the first time and was very impressed.
I found it while searching for a reference to try and identify the manufacture
date and any other information regarding the history of my M1 Garand. If you are
know of any where i could find this information I would be very greatful if you
could pass it on to me.
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work
on your web site!
Wesley
Stacy,
I just read your tribute to the M1 Garand and could not agree more
with your comments. I too am a collector of historical military weapons and treasure
the Garands I am fortunate enough to have. It was just luck on my part
that I have one manufactured in Nov 1941 and one in May 1944, the months before
Pearl Harbor and D-day. To me this symbolized the part the Garand played from
the beginning to the end of that conflict. I too, share your commitment
to passing these treasures to the future generations. To quote my 10 year old
Grandson as he looked in my gun safe, "Ah Yes, someday all this SHALL be
mine!" I really enjoyed your site. Thanks,
Don
United
States Army, Retired
I purchased an M-1 this past April
and wondered about how I could determine when and where the pieces and parts were
manufactured, including the stock.
Do you know whom I could discuss this
with, or what resources exist for me to determine this?
I appreciate
your reverence for the M-1. The rifle 'speaks to me' as well.
David
Mr. Foster,
I just acquired my first Garand today and after
reading your site I couldnt agree anymore!
RG
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. Also...if you can help any of our fellow enthusiasts with their questions
it would be greatly appreciated.
Please email comments to S.Foster@us.army.mil Thank
you. Sergeant Foster | 