The Parachute Infantry

David Kenyon Webster's memoir is a clear-eyed, emotionally charged chronicle of youth, camaraderie, and the chaos of war. Relying on his own letters home and recollections he penned just after his discharge, Webster gives a first hand account of life in E Company, 101st Airborne Division, crafting a memoir that resonates with the immediacy of a gripping novel. From the beaches of Normandy to the blood-dimmed battlefields of Holland, here are acts of courage and cowardice, moments of irritating boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror, and pitched urban warfare. Offering a remarkable snapshot of what it was like to enter Germany in the last days of World War II, Webster presents a vivid, varied cast of young paratroopers from all walks of life, and unforgettable glimpses of enemy soldiers and hapless civilians caught up in the melee. Parachute Infantry is at once harsh and moving, boisterous and tragic, and stands today as an unsurpassed chronicle of war--how men fight it, survive it, and remember it.

Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich

by David Kenyon Webster, Stephen E. Ambrose

E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment (United States)

E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is a well known company in the United States Army. The experiences of its members during World War II are the subject of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers based on the book of the same name by historian Stephen Ambrose.

The 506th PIR was an experimental airborne regiment created in 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. E Company missions were to involve being parachuted from C-47 transport airplanes into hostile territory.
Major Richard Winters described the original organization of E Company as follows:
"[Easy] company included three rifle platoons and a headquarters section. Each platoon contained three twelve-man rifle squads and a six-man mortar team squad. Easy also had one machine gun attached to each of its rifle squads, and a 60mm mortar in each mortar team."^[1]
Before attending paratrooper training, the unit had to perform the standard battle drills and physical training that comes with being in the parachute infantry. One of the exercises was the regular running of Currahee, a large, steep hill. The phrase "3 miles up, 3 miles down" was derived from this run. E Company, while training at Toccoa, was under the command of Herbert Sobel, who was known for his extreme strictness.
Also as part of their physical training, the members of E Company performed formation runs in three-four column running groups. This innovative type of training was adopted by the Army in the 1960s.

Operation Overlord (D-Day)

For Operation Overlord, E Company's mission was to capture the entrances to and clear any obstacles around "Causeway 2", a pre-selected route off Utah Beach for the Allied forces landing from the sea a few hours later. The company departed from Upottery airbase in Devon, England, and dropped over the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy, France in the early hours of the morning of 6 June 1944.

The Memorial plaque near RAF Upottery, Devon, UK showing the names of those who died in transit from the base to France on 5th and 7th June 1944.

After assembling on the ground, the men of E Company disabled a battery of four German heavy guns on D-Day that threatened forces coming along Causeway 2. A town in France called Carentan was crucial for American soldiers to capture because it would link Omaha and Utah beaches together so the soldiers could move equipment through. The Germans knew that so they wanted to keep the town out of allied hands. In one of Donald Malarkey's articles he stated that Lieutenant Winters made him mortar sergeant of second platoon. E Company, along with Dog and Fox Companies, were walking down the road to Carentan when they came to an intersection and one or two German machine gun teams suddenly started firing on them. Mortars and tanks soon joined the fight. The American soldiers all jumped into ditches for cover. Winters saw this and as Malarkey states, Winters "got hotter than I've ever seen him." It was a fast attack, at the end of which Malarkey states that he could hear moans and groans of wounded soldiers and occasional gun shots. Also at the end of the battle Winters was slightly wounded in his lower right leg by a ricocheting bullet fragment. The Germans mounted a counterattack, but 2nd battalion held onto Carentan. By the time the company was pulled off the line, they had taken 65 casualties including 24 KIA, 17 of which including their CO and 1stSgt, who were killed on D-day when their plane was shot down.^[2]

Eindhoven, the Netherlands

E Company was assigned to support the British forces around Eindhoven, by defending the roads and bridges, so that the British armored divisions could advance into Arnhem and force a crossing over the major bridge across the Rhine River in September 1944. The story of the ill-fated Operation Market Garden is told in the book A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan.
E Company landed on its designated drop zone in the Sonsche Forest, north west of Son and marched down the road into Son behind the 2nd Battalion's other two companies. When the 2nd Battalion reached the Son Bridge they were met by enemy harassing fire whilst the bridge was destroyed by the Germans. After the Regiment's engineers constructed a makeshift crossing, E and the rest of the 506th moved out for Eindhoven. These events were omitted from the Band of Brothers series, with E having been portrayed as landing in the Netherlands and then marching into Eindhoven to join up with the British Army advancing from the south.
On 19 September, the company departed for Helmond accompanied by six Cromwell tanks of the British 11th Armoured Division.^[3] Their advance was halted by the German 107th Panzer Brigade outside Nuenen and they were forced to retreat to Tongelre.^[3] During the days following the link up, E Company successfully defended the towns of Veghel and Uden until XXX Corps infantry took up the task of defending the area. As Market Garden progressed, the company and the rest of the 101st joined the 82nd Airborne on "the island" north of Nijmegen.
At the conclusion of Market Garden, the company relieved the British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division in Zetten.^[4] On 5 October 1944, 1st platoon fought in the battle of "the island" that lay between the Lower Rhine and the Waal river. Along with a platoon from Fox Company and support from the Royal Artillery, they routed two Waffen-SS companies on 5 October 1944.^[5] Colonel Sink issued a general order citing the company's 1st platoon for gallantry in action, describing their attack a "daring act and skillful maneuver against a numerically superior force".^[6]
E Company was involved in the rescue of over 100 British troops trapped outside Arnhem. Operation Pegasus was a military operation carried out on the Lower Rhine near the village of Renkum, close to Arnhem in the Netherlands. Overnight on 22–23 October 1944, the Allies evacuated a large group of men trapped in German occupied territory who had been in hiding since the Battle of Arnhem. On the south bank of a Dutch river, Canadian engineers and a patrol of E Company observed the signal and immediately launched their boats, but the British were some 500-800m upriver of the crossing point. Upon reaching the north bank E Company established a small perimeter while men headed east to locate the evaders.^[7] The men quickly moved downstream and in the next 90 minutes all of them were evacuated,^{[citation needed]} with the exception of a Russian who was captured by the Germans.^{[citation needed]} The Germans opened fire sporadically and some mortar rounds fell near the crossing, but the fire was inaccurate.^{[citation needed]} Once on the other side the escapees were led to a farmhouse for refreshments, before being driven to Nijmegen where Dobie had arranged a party and champagne.^{[citation needed]} The men were later flown back to the UK, rejoining the men who had escaped in Operation Berlin. Nine members of E company were killed in action in Holland with at least 40 wounded.

 

Battle of the Bulge

Names of E Company fallen on the monument in Foy

One of the still existing foxholes in the Jacques woods, occupied by the E Company in December 44 and January 45

 

Battle of the Bulge

During December 1944 and January 1945, E Company and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division fought in Belgium in the Battle of the Bulge. The 101st was in France in December when the Germans launched their offensive in the Ardennes. They were told to hold the vital cross-roads at Bastogne and were soon encircled by the Germans. E Company fought in cold weather under German artillery fire without winter clothing and with limited rations and ammunition.
Between the days of 1 to 13 January, the company took control of the Bois Jacques woods in Belgium, between the town of Foy and Bizory. E Company was assigned to capture the town of Foy.
Division Headquarters ordered the attack to begin at 0900 hours. During the assault, newly appointed company commander Lieutenant Norman Dike led E Company forward, then ordered 1st platoon (led by Lieutenant Jack Foley) to the left and lost contact with them. Dike ordered the remainder of the company to take cover after coming under fire. With the unit unable to proceed, he was informed by his subordinates that they would get killed if they didn't advance into the town, as they were now unprotected from enemy fire. At the same time, Captain Richard Winters, former company commander and now battalion executive officer, radioed to Dike, telling him the same thing. Dike ordered 1st platoon on a flanking mission around the town,^[8] and then found cover and froze, ignoring Winters' orders. As Carwood Lipton, first sergeant at the time, later put it: "He fell apart."
According to Clancy Lyall, Dike stopped because he had been wounded in the right shoulder (which Lyall saw), not because he had panicked.
In either case, Dike was immediately relieved by First Lieutenant Ronald Speirs under orders from Captain Winters. To countermand Dike's previous orders, Speirs himself ran through the town and German lines (as 1st platoon had no radio), linked up with the Item Company soldiers and relayed the order.^[9] Having completed this, he then ran back through the German-occupied town. Carwood Lipton later stated that "the Germans were so shocked at seeing an American soldier running through their lines - they forgot to shoot!"^[10] Speirs was reassigned as commanding officer of E Company and remained in that position for the rest of the war.^[11]
With the capture of Foy, the Allies defeated the German line in Bastogne. Afterward, E Company and the rest of the 506th PIR moved into Germany. The 101st Airborne Division was awarded a unit citation for holding the line at Bastogne. E Company suffered 82 casualties including 15 killed in action.

Occupation duties

Toward the end of the war, E Company was assigned to occupation duty in Germany, specifically to Berchtesgaden, which was home to Adolf Hitler’s famous Eagle's Nest. Following Berchtesgaden, the company moved into Austria for further occupation duty. The company mostly attended to various patrols, awaiting the end of the war.

Post-war

E Company and the rest of the 506th PIR was disbanded in November 1945 and reactivated in 1954 as a training unit. Under the Combat Arms Regimental System and U.S. Army Regimental System, the lineage of E Company is inactive, but the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, a unit that officially traces its lineage to the World War II B Company, 506th PIR maintains an unofficial link to E Company's heritage.^[12]

Personnel

One hundred forty men formed the original E Company in Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Three hundred sixty-six men are listed as having belonged to the company by war's end, due to transfers and replacements. Forty-nine men of E Company were killed in action.^[13]

Senior officers

• Major General Maxwell D. Taylor (101st Airborne Division CO) (26 August 1901 – 19 April 1987)
• Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe (101st Airborne Division Artillery Officer, later acting 101st Airborne Division CO) (2 July 1898 – 11 August 1975)
• Colonel Robert Frederick Sink (506th Regiment CO) (3 April 1905 – 13 December 1965)
• Lieutenant Colonel Robert L. Strayer (2nd Battalion CO, later 506th Regiment XO) (2 March 1910 – 18 December 2002)
• Major Richard D. Winters (2nd Battalion XO, later permanent 2nd Battalion CO) (21 January 1918 – 2 January 2011)

Company commanders

Richard Winters in 2004.

• Captain Herbert M. Sobel (26 January 1912 – 30 September 1987)
• Major Richard D. Winters (21 January 1918 – 2 January 2011)
• First Lieutenant Frederick Theodore "Moose" Heyliger (23 June 1916 – 3 November 2001)
• First Lieutenant Norman S. Dike (19 May 1918 – 23 June 1989)
• Captain Ronald C. "Sparky" Speirs (20 April 1920 – 11 April 2007)

Junior officers

• Captain Lewis Nixon (30 September 1918 – 11 January 1995)
• First Lieutenant Lynn D. "Buck" Compton (31 December 1921 – 25 February 2012)
• First Lieutenant Edward D. Shames (b. 13 June 1922)
• Second Lieutenant Robert B. Brewer (1924 – 5 December 1996)
• Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton (30 January 1920 – 16 December 2001)

Non-commissioned officers

Don Malarkey with US soldiers in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (September 2008).

Forrest Guth, Clancy Lyall and Amos Taylor in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (September 2008).

In order of rank, then alphabetically by last name.

• Technical Sergeant Donald G. Malarkey (30 July 1921 – 30 September 2017)
• Technical Sergeant Amos J. "Buck" Taylor (28 September 1920 – 24 August 2011)
• Staff Sergeant William J. "Wild Bill" Guarnere (28 April 1923 – 8 March 2014) (served as a platoon leader as Staff Sergeant, before demotion)
• Staff Sergeant Earl McClung (27 April 1923 – 27 November 2013)
• Staff Sergeant Darrell C. "Shifty" Powers (13 March 1923 – 17 June 2009)
• Staff Sergeant Denver Randleman (20 November 1920 - 26 June 2003)
• Staff Sergeant Myron N. "Mike" Ranney (11 November 1922 – 22 September 1988)
• Sergeant Clarence O. "Clancy" Lyall (14 October 1925 – 19 March 2012)
• Sergeant Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk (4 March 1922 – 13 July 1999)
• Sergeant Robert Burr Smith (2 May 1924 – 7 January 1983)
• Sergeant Robert E. "Popeye" Wynn (10 July 1921 – 18 March 2000)
• Corporal Walter S. "Smokey" Gordon (15 April 1920 – 19 April 1997)
• Corporal Forrest L. "Goody" Guth (6 February 1921 – 8 August 2009)
• Corporal Dewitt "Alabama" Lowrey (22 April 1922 – 8 July 2015)
• Technician Fifth Grade John McGrath (12 December 1919 – 24 April 2012)

Junior Enlisted men

• Private First Class Edward J. "Babe" Heffron (16 May 1923 – 1 December 2013)
• Private First Class Edwin E. Pepping (b. 4 July 1922)
• Private First Class Edward Tipper (b. 3 August 1921 - 1 February 2017)
• Private First Class David Kenyon Webster (2 June 1922 – 9 September 1961)
• Private Albert Blithe (25 June 1923 – 17 December 1967)

Active	1942–1945 1954–present
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry company
Role	Air Assault Forces
Size	140 soldiers listed, but "162 soldiers and officers" is said in part 7 of Band of Brothers because of replacements
Nickname(s)	"Easy Company"
Motto(s)	"Currahee" (We Stand Alone)
March	Blood on the Risers
Engagements	World War II: * Operation Overlord * Operation Market Garden * Battle of the Bulge * Western Allied invasion of Germany
Commanders
Colonel of the Regiment	Colonel Robert Sink
Notable commanders	Lt. Col. Herbert Sobel Lt. Col. Ronald Speirs Lt. Col. Norman Dike Maj. Richard Winters 1st Lt. Frederick Heyliger

The Gewehr 41

The Gewehr 41 (German for: rifle 41), commonly known as the G41(W) or G41(M), is a semi-automatic rifle manufactured and used by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Background

By 1940, it became apparent that some form of a semi-automatic rifle with a higher rate of fire than existing bolt-action rifle models was necessary to improve the infantry's combat efficiency. The Army issued a specification to various manufacturers, and Mauser and Walther submitted prototypes that were very similar. However, some restrictions were placed upon the design:
Gewehr 41
    no holes were to be bored into the barrel for tapping gas for the loading mechanism;
    the rifles were not to have any moving parts on the surface;
    and in case the auto-loading mechanism failed, a bolt action was to be included.

Both models therefore used a mechanism known as the "Bang" system (after its Danish designer Søren H. Bang). In this system, propellant gases were captured by a cone-shaped gas trap at the muzzle, which in turn deflected them to operate a small piston which in turn pushed on a long piston rod that opened the breech and re-loaded the gun. This is as opposed to the more common type of gas-actuated system, in which gases are tapped off from the barrel, and push back on a piston to open the breech to the rear. Both also included fixed 10-round magazines that were loaded using two of the stripper clips from the Karabiner 98k, utilizing the same German-standard 7.92×57mm Mauser rounds. This in turn made reloading relatively slow (as compared to rifles which had magazines that could be reloaded from a single unit, such as the M1 Garand, although it was typical for its time, being identical to the reloading procedure of the 10-round Lee–Enfield).

The Mauser design, the G41(M), was the only one of the two that respected the criteria imposed. The end result was an overly complex, unreliable, clunky and heavy rifle. It incorporated a familiar sighting and control arrangement to the standard Kar98k rifle. The G41(M) was striker-fired, rotating-bolt locking and featured a traditional bolt handle/charging handle that automatically disconnected the bolt assembly from the recoil spring should the rifle be used in manual mode. The flag-type safety cams and blocks the striker. Only 6,673 were produced before production was halted, and of these, 1,673 were returned as unusable. Accuracy issues were noted since the front sight was mounted on the gas tube in front of the barrel, producing play after sustained fire. Most metal parts on this rifle were machined steel and some rifles, especially later examples, utilized the Bakelite type plastic hand guards.

The Walther design was more successful because the designers had simply ignored the last two restrictions listed above. Lacking a bolt, the receiver area was much cleaner than the M version. However, both the Walther and Mauser versions suffered from gas system fouling problems, since gasses at the muzzle cool down and deposit solid carbon fouling. These problems also seemed to stem from the muzzle trap system becoming excessively corroded from the use of corrosive salts in the ammunition primers. The muzzle assembly consisted of many tight-fitting parts and was difficult to keep clean, disassemble, and maintain in field conditions.

G41(W) rifles were produced at two factories, namely Walther at Zella Mehlis, and Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik. Walther guns bear the AC code, and WaA359 inspection proofs, while BLM guns bear the DUV code with WaA214 inspection proofs. These rifles are also relatively scarce, and quite valuable in collector grade. Varying sources put production figures between 40,000 and 145,000 units. Again, these rifles saw a high attrition rate on the Eastern front.

The rifle was redesigned in 1943 into the Gewehr 43, utilising a short-stroke piston copied from the SVT-40 rifle and implemented a conventional detachable box magazine.


Gewehr 41 (Walther version)
Type     Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin     Germany
Service history
In service     1941–1945
Used by     Nazi Germany
Wars     World War II
Production history
Designed     1941
Specifications
Weight     4.9 kg (11 lb)
Length     1,140 mm (45 in)
Barrel length     546 mm (21.5 in)
Cartridge     7.92×57mm Mauser
Action     Gas-operated, gas trap
Rate of fire     20 to 30 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity     776 m/s (2,546 ft/s)[1]
Effective firing range     400 m (440 yd)
Feed system     10-round non-detachable magazine

M1 Garand

The M1 Garand[nb 1] is a .30 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was the standard U.S. service rifle during World War II and the Korean War and also saw limited service during the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many hundreds of thousands were also provided as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely used by civilians for hunting, target shooting, and as a military collectible.

The M1 rifle was named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand. It was the first standard-issue semi-automatic military rifle.[5] By all accounts the M1 rifle served with distinction. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised".[6][7] The M1 replaced the bolt action M1903 Springfield as the standard U.S. service rifle in the mid 1930s, and was itself replaced by the selective fire M14 rifle in the late 1950s.

Although the name "Garand" is frequently pronounced /g?'rænd/, the preferred pronunciation is /'gær?nd/ (to rhyme with errand), according to experts and people who knew John Garand, the weapon's designer.[8][9] Frequently referred to as the "Garand" or "M1 Garand" by civilians, its official designation when it was the issue rifle in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps was "U.S. Rifle, Caliber 30, M1" or just "M1" and Garand was not mentioned


History
M1 Garand with en bloc clips
M1 Garand displayed with en block clip at US Army Museum of Hawaii
Development

French Canadian-born Garand went to work at the United States Army's Springfield Armory and began working on a .30 caliber primer actuated blowback Model 1919 prototype. In 1924, twenty-four rifles, identified as "M1922s", were built at Springfield. At Fort Benning during 1925, they were tested against models by Berthier, Hatcher-Bang, Thompson, and Pedersen, the latter two being delayed blowback types.[10] This led to a further trial of an improved "M1924" Garand against the Thompson, ultimately producing an inconclusive report.[10] As a result, the Ordnance Board ordered a .30-06 Garand variant. In March 1927, the cavalry board reported trials among the Thompson, Garand, and 03 Springfield had not led to a clear winner. This led to a gas-operated .276 (7 mm) model (patented by Garand on 12 April 1930).[10]

In early 1928, both the infantry and cavalry boards ran trials with the .276 Pedersen T1 rifle, calling it "highly promising"[10] (despite its use of waxed ammunition,[11] shared by the Thompson).[12] On 13 August 1928, a semiautomatic rifle board (SRB) carried out joint Army, Navy, and Marine Corps trials between the .30 Thompson, both cavalry and infantry versions of the T1 Pedersen, "M1924" Garand, and .256 Bang, and on 21 September, the board reported no clear winner. The .30 Garand, however, was dropped in favor of the .276.[13]

Further tests by the SRB in July 1929, which included rifle designs by Browning, Colt–Browning, Garand, Holek, Pedersen, Rheinmetall, Thompson, and an incomplete one by White,[nb 2] led to a recommendation that work on the (dropped) .30 gas-operated Garand be resumed, and a T1E1 was ordered 14 November 1929.

Twenty gas-operated .276 T3E2 Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in early 1931. The .276 Garand was the clear winner of these trials. The .30 caliber Garand was also tested, in the form of a single T1E1, but was withdrawn with a cracked bolt on 9 October 1931. A 4 January 1932 meeting recommended adoption of the .276 caliber and production of approximately 125 T3E2s. Meanwhile, Garand redesigned his bolt and his improved T1E2 rifle was retested. The day after the successful conclusion of this test, Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur personally disapproved any caliber change, in part because there were extensive existing stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition.[14] On 25 February 1932, Adjutant General John B. Shuman, speaking for the secretary of war, ordered work on the rifles and ammunition in .276 caliber cease immediately and completely and all resources be directed toward identification and correction of deficiencies in the Garand .30 caliber.[12]:111

On 3 August 1933, the T1E2 became the "semi-automatic rifle, caliber 30, M1".[10] In May 1934, 75 M1s went to field trials; 50 were to infantry, 25 to cavalry units.[12]:113 Numerous problems were reported, forcing the rifle to be modified, yet again, before it could be recommended for service and cleared for procurement on 7 November 1935, then standardized 9 January 1936.[10] The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy on July 21, 1937.[15]

Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the army until September 1937. Machine production began at Springfield Armory that month at a rate of ten rifles per day,[16] and reached an output of 100 per day within two years. Despite going into production status, design issues were not at an end. The barrel, gas cylinder, and front sight assembly were redesigned and entered production in early 1940. Existing "gas-trap" rifles were recalled and retrofitted, mirroring problems with the earlier M1903 Springfield rifle that also had to be recalled and reworked approximately three years into production and foreshadowing rework of the M16 rifle at a similar point in its development. Production of the Garand increased in 1940 despite these difficulties,[17] reaching 600 a day by 10 January 1941,[10] and the army was fully equipped by the end of 1941.[14] Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Winchester was awarded an "educational" production contract for 65,000 rifles,[10] with deliveries beginning in 1943.[10]

Service use
John Garand points out features of the M1 to army generals.
Lance Corporal Cecilia M. Giaise, woman Marine reservist from the 5th Communications Bn. of Long Beach, CA, the first woman qualified as a rifle marksman (with a score of 206x250) and authorized to operate the M1 rifle. Also pictured, Sergeant E.F. Burlem, rifle coach from the WTBn. Photograph taken at Landing Force Training Unit, NAB, Coronado, CA, July 1961.
U.S. Army infantryman in 1942 with M1, Fort Knox, Kentucky
U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team with M1 rifles

The M1 Garand was made in large numbers during World War II, approximately 5.4 million were made.[18] They were used by every branch of the United States military. By all accounts the M1 rifle served with distinction. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised."[7] The impact of faster-firing infantry small arms in general soon stimulated both Allied and Axis forces to greatly increase their issue of semi- and fully automatic firearms then in production, as well as to develop new types of infantry firearms.[19]

Much of the M1 inventory in the post-World War II period underwent arsenal repair or rebuilding. While U.S. forces were still engaged in the Korean War, the Department of Defense determined a need for additional production of the Garand. Springfield Armory ramped up production but two new contracts were awarded. During 1953–56, M1s were produced by International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson in which International Harvester alone produced a total of 337,623 M1 Garands.[20][21] A final, very small lot of M1s was produced by Springfield Armory in early 1957, using finished components already on hand. Beretta also produced Garands using Winchester tooling.

The British Army looked at the M1 as a possible replacement for its bolt-action Lee–Enfield No.1 Mk III, but it was rejected when rigorous testing suggested that it was an unreliable weapon in muddy conditions.[22][23] However, surplus M1 rifles were provided as foreign aid to American allies; including South Korea, West Germany, Italy, Japan, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Iran, South Vietnam, etc. Most Garands shipped to allied nations were predominantly manufactured by International Harvester Corporation during the period of 1953-56, and second from Springfield Armory from all periods.[24]

Some Garands were still being used by the United States into the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14's official adoption in 1957, it was not until 1965 the changeover from the M1 Garand was completed in the active-duty component of the army (with the exception of the sniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam). The Garand remained in service with the Army Reserve, Army National Guard and the Navy, well into the early 1970s or longer.

Due to widespread United States military assistance as well their durability, M1 Garands have also been turning up in modern conflicts such as with the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.[25]

Some military drill teams still use the M1 rifle, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Honor Guard, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, almost all Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and some Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) teams of all branches of the U.S. military.

Design details
Features
The M1 Garand with important parts labeled.

The M1 rifle is a .30 caliber, gas-operated, 8 shot clip-fed, semi-automatic rifle.[26] It is 43.6 inches (1,107 mm) long and it weighs about 9.5 pounds (4.31 kg).[27]

The M1's safety catch is located at the front of the trigger guard. It is engaged when it is pressed rearward into the trigger guard, and disengaged when it is pushed forward and is protruding outside of the trigger guard.[28]

The M1 Garand was designed for simple assembly and disassembly to facilitate field maintenance. It can be field stripped (broken down) without tools in just a few seconds.[29]

The rifle had an iron sight line consisting of rear receiver aperture sight protected by sturdy "ears" calibrated for 100–1,200 yd (91–1,097 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. The bullet drop compensation was set by turning the range knob to the appropriate range setting. The bullet drop compensation/range knob can be fine adjusted by setting the rear sight elevation pinion. The elevation pinion can be fine adjusted in approximately 1 MOA increments. The aperture sight was also able to correct for wind drift operated by turning a windage knob that moved the sight in approximately 1 MOA increments. The windage lines on the receiver to indicate the windage setting were 4 MOA apart. The front sighting element consisted of a wing guards protected front post.

During World War II the M1 rifle's semiautomatic operation gave United States infantrymen a significant advantage in firepower and shot-to-shot recovery time over enemy infantrymen armed primarily with bolt-action rifles. The semi-automatic operation and reduced recoil allowed soldiers to fire 8 rounds as quickly as they could pull the trigger, without having to move their hands on the rifle and therefore disrupt their firing position and point of aim.[30] The Garand's fire rate, in the hands of a trained soldier, averaged 40–50 accurate shots per minute at a range of 300 yards (270 m). "At ranges over 500 yards (460 m), a battlefield target is hard for the average rifleman to hit. Therefore, 500 yards (460 m) is considered the maximum effective range, even though the rifle is accurate at much greater ranges."[27]

En bloc clip
An M1 Garand en bloc clip loaded with eight .30-06 Springfield rounds.
Loading the M1.
Unloading an M1 "en bloc" clip.

The M1 rifle is fed by an "en bloc" clip which holds eight rounds of .30-06 Springfield ammunition. When the last cartridge is fired, the rifle ejects the clip and locks the bolt open.[31] The M1 is now ready to reload. Once the clip is inserted, the bolt snaps forward on its own as soon as thumb pressure is released from the top round of the clip, chambering a round and leaving it ready to fire.[32][33] Although it is not absolutely necessary, the preferred method is to place the back of the right hand against the operating rod handle and press the clip home with the right thumb; this releases the bolt, but the hand restrains the bolt from slamming closed on the operator's thumb (resulting in "M1 thumb"); the hand is then quickly withdrawn, the operating rod moves forward and the bolt closes with sufficient force to go fully to battery. Thus, after the clip has been pressed into position in the magazine, the operating rod handle should be released, allowing the bolt to snap forward under pressure from the operating rod spring. The operating rod handle may be smacked with the palm to ensure the bolt is closed.[28][33]

Contrary to widespread misconception, partially expended or full clips can be easily ejected from the rifle by means of the clip latch button.[28] It is also possible to load single cartridges into a partially loaded clip while the clip is still in the magazine, but this requires both hands and a bit of practice. In reality, this procedure was rarely performed in combat, as the danger of loading dirt along with the cartridges increased the chances of malfunction. Instead, it was much easier and quicker to simply manually eject the clip, and insert a fresh one,[34] which is how the rifle was originally designed to be operated.[33][35][36] Later, special clips holding two or five rounds became available on the civilian market, as well as a single-loading device which stays in the rifle when the bolt locks back.

In battle, the manual of arms called for the rifle to be fired until empty, and then recharged quickly. Due to the well-developed logistical system of the U.S. military at the time, this wastage of ammunition was generally not critical, though this could change in the case of units that came under intense fire or were flanked or surrounded by enemy forces.[35] The Garand's en-bloc clip system proved particularly cumbersome when using the rifle to launch grenades, requiring removal of an often partially loaded clip of ball ammunition and replacement with a full clip of blank cartridges.

By modern standards, the M1's feeding system is archaic, relying on clips to feed ammunition, and is the principal source of criticism of the rifle. Officials in Army Ordnance circles demanded a fixed, non-protruding magazine for the new service rifle. At the time, it was believed that a detachable magazine on a general-issue service rifle would be easily lost by U.S. soldiers (a criticism made of British soldiers and the Lee–Enfield 50 years previously), would render the weapon too susceptible to clogging from dirt and debris (a belief that proved unfounded with the adoption of the M1 Carbine), and that a protruding magazine would complicate existing manual-of-arms drills. As a result, inventor John Garand developed an "en bloc" clip system that allowed ammunition to be inserted from above, clip included, into the fixed magazine. While this design provided the requisite flush-mount magazine, the clip system increased the rifle's weight and complexity, and made only single loading ammunition possible without a clip.

Ejection of an empty clip created a distinctive metallic "pinging" sound.[37] In World War II, reports arose in which German and Japanese infantry were making use of this noise in combat to alert them to an empty M1 rifle in order to 'get the drop' on their American enemies. The information was taken seriously enough that U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground began experiments with clips made of various plastics in order to soften the sound, though no improved clips were ever adopted.[36] According to former German soldiers, the sound was inaudible during engagements and not particularly useful when heard, as other squad members might have been nearby ready to fire.[38] Due to the often intense deafening noise of combat and gunfire it is highly unlikely any U.S. servicemen were killed as a result of the ping noise, however some soldiers still took the issue very seriously.[39]

Airborne: The Combat Story of Ed Shames of Easy Company

Colonel Ed Shames is that rare man who can call himself a true warrior. A member of Easy Company of Band of Brothers fame, Shames saw combat in some of the most ferocious battles of World War II. From jumping behind the lines of Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne Division, to the near victory of Operation Market Garden, to the legendary stand at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, Shames fought his way across Europe and into Germany itself.
In Airborne Shames and writer Ian Gardner (Tonight We Die As Men) tell the gripping true story of what it was like to be at the spear point of World War II in Europe. Neither the book nor TV series of Band of Brothers ever showed the real Ed Shames. Although he started as a private, combat soon forged Shames into a tough and inspired leader who would win a battlefield commission in Normandy. Seeming always to be where the fighting was, his two goals were to prevail in each fight against the Germans, and to keep his men alive. “Shames, you are the meanest, roughest son of a bitch I've ever had to deal with. But you brought us home,” was what he considered to be the highest compliment he received from one of his men.
Even though he was wounded in the Ardennes, Ed Shames never stopped fighting until Germany surrendered and the war was won. He has never stopped being a warrior.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ian Gardner is the author of the critically acclaimed Tonight We Die As Men, (co-written with Roger Day), Deliver Us From Darkness, and No Victory in Valhalla, all from Osprey. Gardner served as a medic in 10 Para, British Army. After a visit to Normandy in 2000 he decided to focus his historical research on the 101st Airborne Division, and in particular the 3rd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.  The author lives in Farnborough, UK.

---

Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers Marcus Brotherton

As part of the elite 101st Airborne paratroopers, Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton fought in critical battles of World War II as a member of Easy Company, immortalized as the Band of Brothers.

This is the true story of a real-life hero. From his years as a two-sport UCLA star who played baseball with Jackie Robinson and football in the 1943 Rose Bowl, through his legendary post-World War II legal career as a prosecutor, in which he helped convict Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Buck Compton's story truly embodies the American Dream: college sports star, esteemed combat veteran, detective, attorney, judge.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Second Platoon was indeed 'blessed' to have Buck Compton as our leader. He was a quiet and strong officer who, above all, listened and talked to all men under his command. I could never say enough to express my thanks and admiration for Buck Compton."
-William "Wild Bill" Guarnere

About the Author

Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton (1921–2012) was a decorated war veteran, lawyer, and judge. In 1969, he led the team that secured the prosecution of Sirhan B. Sirhan for the assassination of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Compton's military service in World War II was portrayed in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He served as a lieutenant and commanded Company E, also known as Easy Company, in the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division. For his heroic service he was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.

Marcus Brotherton is a journalist and professional writer, known internationally for his literary collaborations with high-profile public figures, humanitarians, inspirational leaders, and military personnel. He is the author of the national bestsellers A Company of Heroes, We Who Are Alive and Remain, and the coauthor of Call of Duty with Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton.

---

The national bestseller of never-before-published stories from the Band of Brothers They were the men of the now-legendary Easy Company. After almost two years of hard training, they parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and, later, Operation Market Garden. They fought their way through Belgium, France, and Germany, survived overwhelming odds, liberated concentration camps, and drank a victory toast in April of 1945 at Hitler's hideout in the Alps.
Here, revealed for the first time, are stories of war, sacrifice, and courage as seen by one of the most revered combat units in military history. In We Who Are Alive and Remain, twenty men who were there, and the families of three deceased others, recount the horrors and the victories, the bonds they made, the tears and blood they shed- and the brothers they lost.

Product details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Caliber; Reprint edition (18 May 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425234193
• ISBN-13: 978-0425234198
• Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 2.2 x 22.9 cm