Marine Corps World War II Weapons: Description

Marine Corps World War II Weapons: Description

Rifles and Shotguns

M1941 Johnson Rifle In the late 1930s, Captain Melvin W. Johnson, Jr., USMCR, designed the Johnson rifle, a semi-automatic weapon. Primarily issued to Marine parachute battalions, this rifle had a removable barrel that made it suitable for airborne operations. Johnson gave "pet" names to his weapon designs. The M1941 was named "Betsy." Cost: $25 Weight: 9.5 lbs Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Feed system: 10 round rotary magazine Effective Range: 800 yds. Sights: Adjustable Iron Sights

1903 Springfield The M1903 Springfield was officially adopted as a military bolt-action rifle on 19 June 1903. World War I was the first major conflict that the weapon saw service. It was officially replaced as the standard infantry rifle by the fasterfiring semi-automatic eight-round M1 Garand starting in 1936. However, during World War II, the M1903 Springfield remained in service as a standard-issue infantry rifle since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also remained in service as a sniper rifle during World War II, the Korean War, and even in the early stages of the Vietnam War. Cost: $57 Weight: 8.7 lbs. Cartridge: .30-03; .30-06 Springfield Action: Bolt action Rate of fire: 10?15 rounds/min Effective firing range: 1,100 yds; 5,500 max. Feed system: 5-round stripper clip Sights: Flip-up rear sight graduated to 2,700 yards

M1 Garand Developed by John Garand and patented in 1934, the M-1 Garand rifle replaced the Springfield M1903. Following the Battle of Guadalcanal, the 1st Marine Division received the new .30 caliber rifle. It was used officially for the first time in combat by the Marine Corps on Cape Gloucester in 1943. Cost: $85 Weight: 9.5 lbs. Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action Gas-operated, rotating bolt Rate of fire: 40?50 rounds/min Effective firing range: 300 yards; 500 yds max. Feed system: 8-round clip, internal magazine Sights: Rear-adjustable aperture; Front-wing protected post

M-1 Carbine The .30 caliber M-1 carbine was designed primarily for troops, not on the front line. It was lighter and easier to fire than a rifle but with greater range, accuracy, and more effective stopping power than a pistol. Standardization of the weapon was approved in October 1941.

National Museum of the Marine Corps For Internal Use Only

Cost: $45 Weight: 5.2 lbs. Cartridge: .30 Carbine Action: Gas-operated, rotating bolt Rate of fire: 750 rounds/min Effective firing range: 300 yds; 450 yds max. Feed system: 15 or 30 round detachable box magazine Sights: Rear sight-aperture; L-type flip or adjustable, front sight-wing-protected post

M1897 Winchester Shotgun Extremely effective in close combat, the trench variant of the M1897 Winchester allowed the attachment of the M1917 bayonet. On 17 August 1942, Sergeant Clyde Thomason of the 2d Raider Battalion used a Winchester shotgun to attack a Japanese position on Makin Island. Cost: $25 to $100 Weight: 8 lbs. Caliber: 12-gauge, 16-gauge Action: Pump-action Effective firing range: 22 yards Feed system: 5-round tubular magazine

Automatic Weapons

M1928A1 and M1A1 Thompson Submachine Gun In 1928, the Navy made plans to adopt the M1921 Thompson officially but requested modifications, including a lower fire rate and a Cutts compensator. The rugged, reliable M1A1 Thompson replaced the M1928 in October 1942 but did not see full production until early 1943. The M1A1 had a barrel without cooling fins, a simplified rear sight, provisions only for box magazines, employed a straight blowback action, and the charging handle was on the side of the receiver. Over 1.5 million Cost: $175 to $225 Weight: 10 to 11 lbs. Cartridge: .45 ACP or .45 Auto Action: Blowback, Blish Lock Rate of fire: 700 to 1000 rpm. Effective firing range: 164 yds; 200 yds max. Feed system: Stick (20 or 30); Drum (50 or 100) Sights: rear, flip-up; front, post

M1917A1, M1918A2, and M1919A4 Browning Automatic Rifle First issued in 1940, the M1918A2 could only be fired in fully automatic mode, at a slow mode of 300-450 rounds per minute or a fast mode of 500-650 rounds per minute. Weighing more than 20 pounds, it featured a folding bipod that Marines often removed in the field. The BAR was designed to be carried by infantrymen during an assault while supported by the sling over the shoulder or fired from the hip. This concept called "walking fire" is thought to be necessary for the individual soldier during trench warfare. The BAR never entirely lived up to the war department's original hopes as rifles or machine guns. Cost: $290 to $320 Weight: 15 to 20 lbs Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action: Gas-operated, rising bolt lock Rate of fire: 500?650 rpm Effective firing range: 100?1,500 yds; 4,500?5,000 yds max

National Museum of the Marine Corps For Internal Use Only

Feed system: 20 or 40 round detachable box magazine Sights: rear, leaf; front, post

M-50 and M-55 Reising Submachine Gun The Reising submachine gun was innovative for its time compared to its main rival, the famous Thompson Model 1928 submachine gun. It possessed similar firepower with better accuracy, excellent balance, lightweight, and much lower cost and ease of manufacture. However, the poor combat performance of the Reising mired the weapon in controversy. It was used mainly by Marine Raiders and Paramarines. Cost: $62 Weight: 6.2 lbs (M-50); 6.8 lbs (M-55) Cartridge: .45 ACP Action: Delayed blowback, closed bolt Rate of fire: 550 rounds rpm (M50); 500 rpm (M55) Maximum firing range 300 yards Feed system: 12 or 20 round detachable box magazine; 30-round aftermarket detachable box magazine Sights: rear notch; front blade

M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun In 1942, the Marines tested the M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun at Quantico, VA, and shortly after that, purchased some. Primarily intended for parachutists and raiders, the Johnson Light Machine Gun was used extensively during the Bougainville campaign. It shared the same operating principle and many parts with the M1941 Johnson rifle and the M1947 Johnson auto carbine. Melvin Johnson named this weapon "Emma." Cost: $265 Weight: 13 lbs. Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action: Short recoil Rate of fire: 300?900 rpm Feed system: 20-round, single stack-column detachable box magazine Sights: Adjustable Iron Sights

Heavy Machine Guns

1917A1 Browning Machine Gun In the 1930s, Rock Island Arsenal undertook an extensive modification process of converting almost 70,000 Model 1917s to new specifications. Designated the M1917A1, the .30 caliber machine gun was water-cooled, belt-fed, and recoil-operated. With water and a tripod included, the total weight of the M1917A1 was 93 pounds. In the Pacific theater, it was most often used as a defensive weapon, where, according to Col. Pedro del Valle, it was "a grand gun with which to stop a banzai charge." Cost: $450 Weight: 47 lbs (103 lbs total) Cartridge: 30-06 Springfield Action: Recoil-operated automatic Rate of fire: 450-600 rpm Feed system: 250 round fabric belt

M1919A4 Browning Machine Gun The definitive U. S. Machine gun of World War II, the .30 caliber M1919A4, was modified from the earlier water-cooled M1917. Weighing significantly less than its precursor, it was an ideal infantry weapon that could be mounted on a tripod or armored vehicle. Cost: $663 (1941); $141 (1943)

National Museum of the Marine Corps For Internal Use Only

Weight: 31 lbs. Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield Action: Recoil-operated/short-recoil operation, closed bolt. Rate of fire: 400?600 rpm Effective firing range: 1000 to 1,500 yd Feed system: 250-round belt Browning M2 .50 caliber Machine Gun The Browning M2 is an air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun. The M2 fires from a closed bolt operated on the short recoil principle. The closed bolt firing cycle made the M2 usable as a synchronized machine gun on aircraft before and during World War II, as on the early versions of the Curtiss P-40 fighter. The M2 is a scaled-up version of John Browning's M1917 .30 caliber machine gun, even using the same timing gauges. Cost: $180 Weight: 38 lbs. Cartridge .50 BMG Action: Short recoil-operated, closed bolt Rate of fire: 450?600 rpm Effective firing range: 2000 yds; 8,100 yds max. Feed system: 250-round belt

Heavy Weapons

M3A1 Stuart Light Tank The M3 Stuart, officially Light Tank, M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version entered service as M5. The service name "Stuart" came from the American Civil War Confederate officer J. E. B. Stuart. The Marine Corps only used the "M" designation for the M3 and the M5 Light Tank. In the U.S, the tanks were officially known as "Light Tank M3" and "Light Tank M5". In World War II, the Stuarts were the first American-crewed tanks to engage the enemy in tank versus tank combat. The Stuart was also the light tank counterpart of the M3 Lee, which was a medium tank. Cost: $37,500 Weight: 28,500 lbs Crew: 4 Armament: 37mm main gun, three .30 caliber machine guns Speed: 36 mph max. Armor Thickness: .25 in to 1 in.

M4 Sherman Tank The M4 Sherman tanks were effective weapons in the Pacific theater, confronting Japanese armor, reinforced caves, and pillboxes. In January 1942, the Army's Ordnance Committee authorized the Ford engine's use in the Sherman tank and designated the new version the M4A3. In May 1944, the term `light' was dropped from designations of the 1st through 5th Tank Battalions, which replaced their light tanks. By the end of 1944, the Stuart tanks and early model Shermans had been replaced by the M4A3 in most units. Cost: $44,556 to $64,455 Weight: 66,800lbs to 84,000 lbs Crew: 5 Armament: 75mm gun, a .50 caliber machine gun, and two .30 caliber light machine guns Speed: 30 mph Armor Thickness: .5 in to 7 in.

Boys Antitank Rifle

National Museum of the Marine Corps For Internal Use Only

In early 1942, the Marine Corps ordered 30 Boys .55 caliber antitank rifles, nicknamed the "Elephant Gun" by Marine Raiders. Although adequate against light tanks in the early part of the war, the Boys was ineffective against heavier armor and was phased out in favor of the hollow charge weapon PIAT in mid-war. Cost: $1200 Weight: 35 lbs Cartridge: 0.55 in (14 mm) Action Bolt Rate of fire: 10 rpm Effective firing range: 23.2mm penetration at 90? 100 yards; 18.8mm penetration at 90? 500 yards 37mm Anti-tank Gun Developed by the U.S. Army, the M3A1 was well-suited to combat in the Pacific theater. Adopted in the late 1930s, the weapon offered accuracy, penetration, and mobility wherever used in the Pacific islands. Marines successfully towed the M3A1 through Guadalcanal's jungles, in the mud of Bougainville, and over Tarawa's seawall. The M3A1's primary role was defending against Japanese armor. Although less effective than larger weapons, the M3A1 was often called into service against Japanese-held positions. Cost: $2500 Weight: 413 lbs. Shell: 37 mm, 1.61 lbs. Crew: 4 Effective range: 500 yds; Rate of fire: up to 25 rpm Maximum firing range: up to 4.29 miles Sights: telescopic, M6

M1 Rocket Launcher Developed by Colonel L.A. Skinner and Lieutenant E.G. Uhl of the Ordnance Department, the `bazooka' was standardized on 30 June 1942. The universally applied nickname arose from the M1 variant's vague resemblance to the musical instrument called a "bazooka," invented and popularized by 1930s U.S. comedian Bob Burns. Cost: $475 to $500 Weight: 13 lbs Crew: 2 Type: Shoulder Mounted Caliber: 60mm M6A1 Rocket Effective Range: 328 ft. Rate of Fire: 5 to 10 rpm

M2 Flamethrower As American forces moved across the Pacific toward Japan, the flamethrower proved invaluable for clearing caves and reinforced pillboxes. The M2 featured a more reliable ignition than previous models and enabled the operator to send a mixture of gasoline and napalm. With flamethrower tanks' arrival, the use of men carrying flamethrowers was significantly reduced. Cost: $500 Weight: 43 lbs empty; 68 lbs filled Crew: 1 Rate of fire: 0.5 US gal. per second Burn time: 7 seconds Effective range: 50 yds; 100 yds max. Feed system: 2 U.S. gal. Napalm/gasoline tanks (fuel); 1 Nitrogen tank (propellant)

Pistols, Knives, and Grenades

National Museum of the Marine Corps For Internal Use Only

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download