Hi:
Did anyone viewed "Pacific" on HBO last night?
One of the Marines in the chow hall displayed a Colt M1917 to his buddy saying "This is one item that I am not trading. This will stop a jap better than a M1 Carbine".
Wonder where he got it
Jimmy

I believe he got it as part of a package sent to him from his parents (along with baby food.... good as gold in a few weeks I believe he is told.)

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I mean, you feel me....

I have a friend whose father served with the Marines in Guadalcanal and he has told me he carried an issued revolver while he was there.

I think I heard something like.."you owe your Dad...for that..". Lots of folks sent "comfort" packages to their sons. I had a friend who served in the ETO. His Dad was a jeweler who gave him a fine wrist watch before he shipped out. When my friend realized good wrist watches were worth a small fortune on the black market, he tried to get his Dad to send him some that he could sell. He knew his mail would be read by censors so he wrote and told his Dad that he had lost his watch and needed another one. His Dad wrote back and cussed him up one side and down the other for "losing" his watch. Never sent him another one either.

Frank

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sona si latine loqueris .

Sir, I seem to remember some old gun writer, possibly Skeeter Skelton, writing of Marines in the Pacific during WWII asking their friends back home to send them pistols.

I've read of other care packages containing cleverly concealed liquor (not allowed for enlisted men). One instance involved a can of pineapple juice; the Marine's dad had removed the top, replaced the juice with whiskey, then soldered it back up.

Going back to revolvers in the Pacific, there's a photo of then-Brig. Gen. Merritt "Red Mike" Edson on Betio Islet (Tarawa Atoll) wearing what looks like a big revolver instead of a 1911.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Dad had mentioned that overseas you could pretty much carry whatever you could get a hold of, at least in the Pacific once. Said they had one pilot who carried a Colt SAA in a modified shoulder holster.

My dad (USMC) had his sister buy a S&W 1917 and ship it to him. Later, in Japan, he sold it to a guy who, it turns out, had a buddy who wanted to turn it in and keep his 1911. Years later he found out about the buddy. Sure wish he would have kept it!!!

There's a great thread in the prewar section, or nowadays we call it the 1896 to 1960 section, or something like that, about a registered magnum, the penultimate RM, that was with a fellow named Phil in the Pacific theater.

It is terrific thread, with a lot of great stories. Member Calmex, a Canadian expat in Mexico, who runs an ice cream parlor, inherited it from his good friend, Phil, a WWII Marine, ex CIA, one helluva taget shooter, and etcetera. Look it up. It' a great read!

The charecter that recieved the pistol is Eugene Sledge. I believe he authored a book about the Pelelui fight. "The Old Breed" or "With The Old Breed". He talks in the book about the pistol, and also about the taking of gold teeth. The books downstairs, I'll have to go check the name.

Correct title "With The Old Breed". I had a hand written note in the jacket that he died in 2001.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

Here's the thread. Quite a read: Penultimate Pre Postwar Magnum is in Mexico!

That's funny - I saw that big Colt, too, and immediately thought about starting a thread here about it.

I hope we get to see young Eugene put it to good use. I like the dialog in the series so far - remember the scene where Hoosier was shooting cows from the train? In the background you could here a couple of jarheads discussing the merits of the M1 versus the Springfield. Good stuff.

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Rule of law, not a man.

There are at least two documented photos of WW2 Pacific Marines holding large frame revolvers in their hands. One guys is looking down into a fox holes containing dead Japs, the other is a guy holding a large frame while walking beside a concrete Jap pill-box/bunker. These were definately large frame US revolvers.