Pacific Theater Guns (In Honor of the HBO Series, "THe Pacific")

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Just to get ready for the new HBO Series, Lets see your pictures of WW2 Pacific Weapons. Bonus points for bring backs, let us know the story if you know it.

Here is mine a standard Type 99, A gun show find. (Although I did have family in WW2 both theaters)

 

[MagnumDweeb]

Saw the first episode, they did a great job. I guess special effects tech has come a long way since band of brothers. You get some real good shots of the Marines firing on the Japs and moving under fire. Man that night fighting then must have been terrifying as heck not that day time fighting must have been all that better. All you got to shoot at is rifle fire flashes at what seemed less than a hundred yards. It looks like the marines had 1903s which were accurate for the time. They really need to cover the Marine Raiders and their exploits one day now that HBO is doing this. It looks like it'll be another classic we all watch on veterans day on the history channel ten years from now.

I'm itching to see the 1911 get some screen time. There were more than few documented cases where Marines fought off human wave attacks with a Machetee in one hand and a 1911 in the other.

 

[The_Shootist]

Well the machinegunner put his 1911 to good use!

 

[leadcounsel]

Haven't seen any of the episodes, but from the preview it looks like over-bad acting and sub-par CGI... which is suprising.

I'm also sorta boycotting it due to Tom Hanks absurd psuedo-anti-American statements. As a combat veteran of OIF, his statements are offensive.

 

[NinjaFeint]

Haven't seen any of the episodes, but from the preview it looks like over-bad acting and sub-par CGI... which is suprising.

It's very well made (judging from the only episode aired), give it a shot.

I'm also sorta boycotting it due to Tom Hanks absurd psuedo-anti-American statements. As a combat veteran of OIF, his statements are offensive.

I respect your opinion but he is not the only person involved in it's creation. Don't disregard something without seeing it because of one of it's producers.

 

[erichtmobile]

Just finished the first episode. I wish I had some arms of that period to show off. I too was put off by tom hanks comments, all in all its off to a good start. I don't think it will stand up to band of brothers though

 

[nathan]

My Springfield ARmory Mil Spec with brother Yugo SKS.

[/IMG]

 

[garyhan]

I enjoyed the first episode, but was disappointed to see 03A3's insteadd of 03's or 03A1's in the hands of at least some of the Marines.

gary

 

[rocky branch]

So who exactly was it used SKSs in WW2?

 

[dom1104]

So who exactly was it used SKSs in WW2

Time Traveling Ninja-Commandos.

 

[Shung]

A friend of mine's..

 

[SSN Vet]

go to HBO.com and register and you can stream the entire first episode for free!!

you get to see it.

you don't put any of your money in Tom Hanks pocket....

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Nice...Nambu

Shung, That's what I was looking for!

 

[jimmyraythomason]

For fans of the Marine Raiders. Particularlly Carlson's 2nd Raiders attack on Makin Island 17&18 August 1942. <http://www.yohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6f_FvZpm3g&feature=relatedutube.com/watch?v=C6f_FvZpm3g&feature=related>

 

[Warhawk83]

Shung, one day my collection will be as friggin cool as your friend's.

The Pacific: I dvr'd the first episode but didn't get around to watching it till 2am ( 2 sick kids and wife), fell asleep twenty minutes in. I'll try

again tonight.

I'm about to google Tom Hank's statements,I didn't realize he had any Anti-American sentiment.

 

[Warhawk83]

Ok, seems to be a Class A D-Bag, but what do you expect from Hollywood.

Apparently we want to kill terrorists because they're "different".

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-nolte/2010/03/09/tom-hanks-america-wants-annihilate-terrorists-because-they-re-different

 

[Tim the student]

His comments don't really offend me (although I do disagree with them), but to I can empathize with those that do see them as offensive. I think they are idiotic, but not offensive. I can't say that I ever heard a soldier in Iraq say they wanted to annihilate anyone because they were different.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing this program.

 

[Cosmoline]

Hank's comments are actually a question, and one that we should always bear in mind. To pretend there wasn't incredibly intense racial animosity involved in our war in the Pacific ignores history. My grandmother, the daughter of two German-speaking, kraut making immigrants, had no love for the "Japs" and wasn't shy about saying as much. The fact that during WWI her own father had been subject to boycott and abuse as a German immigrant didn't seem to phase her. He ultimately trained himself to use an English accent and pretended to be English, though the town knew better ;-) I'm happy the government didn't round my people up. If they had I wouldn't even be here, of course. So looking back on it I can really see how unfair we were to the Japanese. We should have been clear that we were making war on the military junta, not the people as a whole. But we did quite the reverse.

It's something everyone needs to keep in mind during the present wars, as well. It's all too easy to slip into hatred of Muslims in general as the enemy, which is the point I believe Hanks was trying to make.

Sorry for going OT, but I have to defend the fellow typewriter collector. Attacking Tom Hanks is like kicking a puppy ;-)

 

[Mr.Davis]

Here's Tom Hanks' quote.

Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as ‘yellow, slant-eyed dogs’ that believed in different gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different. Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what’s going on today?”

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/john-n...rists-because-they-re-different#ixzz0iHTH41y3

Sure, Tom, whatever. And that whole Pearl Harbor attack and the conquest of the Pacific was just them being "different", I guess. I'd comment on his references to our current war on terror, but that would cross squarely into politics, not history, so I'll refrain.

 

[gondorian]

How about we keep this thread gun related, just saying.

 

[Hatterasguy]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6287495&postcount=29

Was used in the Philippines.

One of these day's I'll get the right stock on it. Anyone know what the proper stock is for an early Irwin Pedersen?


Maybe I'll put a few rounds through it this week, havn't shot it in about 2 years, .30 carbine is like crazy expensive!

 

[Doug S]

I have a small collection of pretty well used WWII guns in my basement "Man Cave". Of the ones pictured, only one served in the Pacific for sure. It is a Type 38 with all matching numbers and intact Mum (on left), with bayonet. The Garand and Carbine could have seen time in the Pacific also, but of course there's no way to know for sure. Wish there were a way of really tracing the history of these guns. I had a bunch of "collections" sitting in boxes, closets, etc., so I figured I'd use them as decorations in my basement. It certainly isn't fancy by most standards, but I like it. The walls are covered with authentic WWII newspapers including the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Hiroshima, and the Japanese surrender. Also have a WWII era Japanese newspaper hanging up. Would like to add an Enfield and a T99 Arisaka to the mix someday, and build appropriate display shelves, racks.

 

[Nighthawk0083]

nice collection

 

[Big_E]

Shung, every time I see a great pic then look over and see your name, it makes me full of envy. Wish I had some milsurps, but that is soon to change.

Now, about Tom Hanks. There was a lot of racism in WWII. Look at the war propaganda posters and stuff in magazines where the Japanese were portrayed with full on stereotypes and were labeled as barbarians, their military was cruel though. Going to war with them wasn't really fueled by racism but America used racism in propaganda. Same thing with the Germans in both WW's. I don't agree with Hank's comments entirely but racism did have a role in WWII.

**Doug S, that Mosin Nagant had the potential to be used in the Pacific Theater, had we invaded Japan and Russia would help us out.

 

[Uncle Billy]

I thought I saw a bolt action rifle being carried by one of the Marines as they went ashore from the landing craft, that was left-handed. I know that the marksmen carried bolt-action Springfields (I think), and this early in the war a lot of Marines carried Springfields at first, but left-handed ones too? In "Private Ryan", the marksman was left-handed but his rifle was not. Did someone flip the negative? Was I seeing things?