Dear Smith and Wesson Forum, I am an amateur writer and im working on a small writing project about a ww2 marine fighting on the island of quadalcanal and im in need of help in choosing his long gun i have a small list of weapons but i can not chose. the character is in the infantry with the rank of sergeant and he is 22 years old also his height is 5 feet 3 inches. any and all help with this would be greatly appreciated sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the Smith and Wesson Forum. p.s. here is the list
1. browning automatic rifle
2.thompson submachine gun
3. 1903 springfield rifle
4. m1 carbine

1-3 are most likely, early in the war for 4. My vote would be 2 or 3.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

BAR would not be carried by a sergeant. There were typically one BAR in each Marine fire team. He would most likely carry either the tommy gun or the carbine.

The organizational structure of a Marine infantry company of that period was based on the mission; i.e.: amphibious assault and rapidly moving ground combat operations. A Marine sergeant would have been a squad leader in an infantry company, in charge of 8 or 10 Marines with a corporal as his assistant. A Marine infantry sergeant at Guadalcanal would most likely have been armed with the M1 Garand rifle (great efforts had been made to re-equip Marine units with the new M1's in anticipation of the Pacific offensive).

The squad BAR man would most likely have been a PFC or Corporal at most, with that assignment usually based upon proficiency with that weapon.

Neither M1 Carbines nor Thompson SMG's were standard issue weapons for Marine infantry units of that period. Those weapons were usually provided to support troops in other roles.

The 1903 Springfield rifles were used in some quantities, and were generally regarded more highly for accurate shooting by many Marines. For the most part, however, the '03's had been phased out of front-line combat units and replaced with M1's prior to the Guadalcanal operation, although sniper-scouts were equipped with sniper versions of the Springfield. Again, a sergeant was not likely to have been part of a sniper-scout team, which were usually privates and PFC's.

Other weapons likely to have been present would have included M1911 and M1911A-1 .45 caliber pistols (usually issued to officers and senior NCO's), and the H&R Reising model .45 caliber SMG (issued to quite a few radio-telephone operators and some others functioning in direct support of infantry operations). Each Marine company would have also had a weapons platoon, providing 60mm mortar and Browning .30 caliber machinegun capabilities.

A very few Marine units were armed with the Johnson .30 caliber semi-auto rifles, adopted as an alternative to the M1 Garand during the run-up to WW2 combat operations.

Rifle grenades were used in some quantity, with a squad member typically designated as the grenadier. The grenade-launching attachment for the rifle, and blank cartridges used to launch rifle grenades, generally prevented the grenadier from quickly changing his weapon back to standard use with live ammunition.

Hand grenades were in general use by Marine infantrymen. Flame throwers were in general use, although many Marines balked at going into combat with a large tank of gasoline strapped to their backs.

Each marine typically had a bayonet, and the fighting knife was in general use (either the USN Mk II style, later popularized as the Marine fighting knife, or the earlier PAL RH-36, but any number of private-purchase knives would have been seen in abundance).

Each Marine infantryman carried an entrenching tool, a small shovel used for preparing fighting positions, digging latrine holes, etc. The entrenching tool proved to be quite effective in hand-to-hand combat.

Ahh, K bars and E tools. Wonder if they referred to "Deuce gear" or 782 gear back then?

Found my answer here..................................http://www.ww2gyrene.org/782GEAR.htm

Great site for the info the OP wanted.

Semper Fi!

Gentlemen, check your history books, Marine Infantry carried 03 Springfields in the invasion of Guadalcanal. They did not even start getting Garands until Army units started coming in to relieve them. The early days of the fight used the standard Marine table of organization of weapons. 1903's ,1917 Watercooled, Bar's , .45 Gov'ts and maybe an odd reising or two but I am not sure about that. I even have some pictures in some of my reference books on Jap weapons that show dug-in Marines with Type 38 6.5 carbines laying on the edge of their positions. The Sgt. would have an 03 and maybe a 45.

Yep, Marines are usually the last to see the latest. In mid 66 when I went to Parris Island, we were still being issued M14s to qualify with. Never even saw an M 16 until much later.

Joe Kent,
You are correct, sir, in that the 1stMarDiv went ashore on Guadalcanal on 8 Aug., 1942, with 1903 Springfields. The Marine Corps had adopted the M1 inNov., 1941, however the distribution of those weapons was the privy of the Army. As you might imagine, they made certain their units were issued the M1s first. Now, the rest of the story. When the Army's 164th Reg. went in to back up the Marines they had the brand spanking new M1s. Well, Marines being Marines, they made some "moonlight requesition excursions" and lo and behold some M1s began appearing in the ranks.
The Sgt. in question would most probably have an '03 Springfield and a 1911 pistol, or possibly a 1921/1928 Thompson, as these had been issued to squad sergeants since Nicaragua in the 20's. Hope this info is somewhat useful.

Semper Fi,
Jim

A fraternity brother of my father landed on Guadalcanal carrying a 1903. He stated that they had WWI helmets, too, IIRC.

He remembered that the only times he was really scared were when the Japanese cruisers shelled them at night. And they were always hungry, because the naval resupply was problematical due to the Japanese navy's depredations.

What tough men they were.

The Johnson's were issued to the Marine paratroop infantry, before they were disbanded.

The notorious Reising .45 was the issue SMG in the early days.

Semper fi.

Good info here, and yes the 1903 Springfield was the rifle that most Marines had in this crucial conflict. It is important to note that they would not have had the 1903A3, but the orignal 1903 with the rear ladder sight over the bbl and the finger grooves in the stock. The 16" bayonet and the leather sling would be standard. The Sergeant may well have had a 45 or a personal handgun, such as a S&W revolver.

The Marines loved the 1903 and marksmanship was huge in the pre-WW2 USMC. Col George Chin, the greatest expert on the machine gun who ever lived, was once (40 years after the war) asked by his apprentice lieutenant, "Sir, what was your favorite weapon?". The Colonel did not hesitate his answer, "The 1903 Springfield!" That is a strong endorsement.

...oh, yes, we capitalize "Marine" nowadays.
Another Marine who was there in real life and who was an accomplished shooter was Captain Walter McIlhenney. He commanded a company and was a Navy Cross recipient. He was also the heir to Tobasco. One still finds Tobasco in USMC chow halls and in MREs.

My favorite Guadalcanal book is "No Bended Knee", by General Merril Twining. He actually waited for everyone else to die off before he published it, so that he could freely speak the indelicate history of events. He was the ops officer (LtCol) under Gen Vadergrift.

During my tours in Vietnam we always had individual-sized bottles of Tabasco sauce, provided at no charge by the McIlhenny family. I believe that they also paid for the freight charges to deliver those thousands of cases of tiny bottles of Tabasco for all the troops that wanted them.

I will always value the McIlhenny family for their efforts on behalf of our troops.

Gentlemen, Tobasco is the Hot sauce of choice in our household for the very same reason.

Captain McIlhenny came out of WW2 and stayed in the reserves, retiring years later as a Colonel. Since he was highly decorated in combat he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General the day he retired. He passed in 1986 and I'd have given away a couple of my favorite S&Ws to have been in the room for one of his famous dinners on Avery Island.

A Marine infantry sergeant would have carried an M1928 Thompson Navy issue model (horizontal wooden grip with finger grooves) and not the later M1 or M1A1, or a Reising with the solid (not folding) stock, or a M1903 Springfield rifle....unless he was one of the later "users" of stolen M1s from the Army.

He also could have possibly carried a "trench-gun", a shotgun with the handguard and bayonet lug. The models would have been for sure the M1897 Winchester and maybe a Model 12 Winchester.

The use of the trench-gun and maybe even the sub-machine guns may not have been his original issue but very quickly in WWII a lot of Marines in the Pacific "got" what they needed, or wanted.

On the Thompson he probably would have carried 20 round stick mags in and about the weapon when walking about. Once dug in he might have used a 50 round drum for defensive purposes.

The report here of a Marine on Guadalcanal wearing a WWI (Kelly) helmet is true. There is some pictorial evidence and one report I just read in Robert Leckie's "Helmet For My Pillow". Men of the later arriving 7th Regiment were wearing them when the original 1st and 5th Marines (regiments) were wearing the later model M1 Helmet.

Good luck on your story.

__________________
Have guns...will shoot'em.

My father in law was in G 2/5 on Guadacanal. He had an '03 Springfield. The only M1's that he saw were carried by replacements. He mentioned Reisings as the only submachineguns and how much they were disliked. He made it through the battle of Bloody Ridge and got shot at the mouth of the Mataniaku River shortly after.

He recommended the book Guadacanal: Starvation Island as the best book on the campaign that he ever read.

My father was on the island much later with the 70th CAC and spent his time shooting 37mm and 90mm guns at wandering Japanese aircraft. He had a much better time than my father in law did.