Your Favorite P-08 Luger

Doubs · 08-12-2003, 11:53 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Big Norm:
Doubs, you are right, the Garand gave us a great advantage in the war. But Roosevelt was interested in defeating Hitler first and then the Japanese. So the army got the Garand first. Then the marines in the Pacific. Don't think that for a moment the marines were happy with this situation.
Big Norm<hr /></blockquote>Norm, it's been awhile since I've researched the Garand but as I recall - always open to question - the Marines were offered the Garand about the same time the Army adopted it and rejected it for several reasons. It wasn't accurate enough. It wasted ammunition. And, it was an Army development which made it inferior. In truth, the Marines were hide-bound to keep the Springfield and improved their version with a better front sight and other minor modifications. It took actual combat for them to see the light and admit that their decision wasn't a good one.

I'd have to do a little research to verify it but after the Guadalcanal campaign I don't believe that the Marines conducted any major action with the Springfield as their primary weapon. Once the decision was made to convert, I think the Marines received the Garand pretty quickly.

08-12-2003, 11:53 AM	#35
Doubs User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Byron, Georgia Posts: 1,742 Thanks: 826 Thanked 1,788 Times in 590 Posts	</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Big Norm: <strong>Doubs, you are right, the Garand gave us a great advantage in the war. But Roosevelt was interested in defeating Hitler first and then the Japanese. So the army got the Garand first. Then the marines in the Pacific. Don't think that for a moment the marines were happy with this situation. Big Norm</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Norm, it's been awhile since I've researched the Garand but as I recall - always open to question - the Marines were offered the Garand about the same time the Army adopted it and rejected it for several reasons. It wasn't accurate enough. It wasted ammunition. And, it was an Army development which made it inferior. In truth, the Marines were hide-bound to keep the Springfield and improved their version with a better front sight and other minor modifications. It took actual combat for them to see the light and admit that their decision wasn't a good one. I'd have to do a little research to verify it but after the Guadalcanal campaign I don't believe that the Marines conducted any major action with the Springfield as their primary weapon. Once the decision was made to convert, I think the Marines received the Garand pretty quickly.