M3/M3A1 and the Marines in the Philippines

[horge]

Three years ago, I (re)posted about how the Philippine Marines, for utter lack
of resources, had started refurbishing WW2-era M3 "grease guns" for use as
PDW's for their armor crews and as a weapon for naval boarding teams.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=95093
(from news in http://www.timawa.net/m3/m3.htm)

Fast forward ....
I'm pleased to have recently heard that the venerable subguns are acquitting
themselves very well, having been fielded in quite a number of VBSS incidents.

The wicked things have even made it into joint exercises with US forces:



Cheers,

 

[dfariswheel]

As submachine guns go, the M3 still fills the bill quite nicely.

While not as modern and refined as the H&K MP5, it's still delivers the goods, and does so with .45 caliber authority.
No sense spending money buying or developing a limited use item when the Greasegun is so effective.

 

[Run&Shoot]

I remember reading the account of a soldier in Vietnam who was mostly in a base area that would have occasional mortar attacks. Everyone on base seemed to think they were safe from human wave attack, but he had listened to an older sargent that told him if he ever came across a grease gun to snag it and as many mags as he could. He was skeptical but did as the NCO advised anyway.

Long story short, one night the base was overrun. He grabbed his M3 and a satchel of mags and ended up making a stand on top of a bunker. It must have been pretty reliable as it saw him through several hours of intense fighting and he survived. He was seriously impressed by the terminal effects of the big .45 slugs at close range and was a believer in the ugly grease gun thereafter.

 

[LeonCarr]

A buddy of mine who was an Army Tanker in Operation Desert Storm had an M3A1 Grease Gun, with the cone shaped flash hider, issued to him as his personal weapon. According to him, they used the Grease Guns until the mid-90s.

He misses the Grease Gun now that he retired.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Hoppy590]

Old gun ( steel and maybe wood) > New Gun ( polymer and alloy)