Rifles of "The War"

[kBob]

Has anyone else caught any of Ken Burn’s “The War?”

(What does this have to do with rifles , kBob?)

I have not watched it all and frequently been tempted to turn off the sound (besides all the “oh it was awful” and “Darn it they treated us differently because we were not WASPs” And “boy was the military stupid” there was the fact that all machine guns sounded suspiciously like stock sound for a M1919 Browning MG and every rifle goes the same variety of “Bang” and all artillery makes the same “boom”) I have enjoyed the images.

Much of it is clips I have never seen.

One image I found interesting was a large group of Black Artillerist doing rifle exercises ( not drill but calisthenics with the rifle for weight training) with the M1917 “Enfield” rifles. This I found neat as some THR folks have claimed that the M1917 was NEVER issued to WWII US troops.

I’ve seen a couple of Johnson LMG/ ARs and maybe one Johnson rifle (1st SSB?) Lots of M1 Garands and one I think had the early gas cylinder and lock up. There are M1903 and M1903A1 rifles and I would swear a M1903A3 in combat.

Aggravating are the images of the German 1st Lincks Hande Gewar regiment.......OK the film is reversed and so it looks like a group of Krauts have left handed K98s made in Mirror image of everyone else’s. Some Left handed Garands, too. My guess is the same problem that appears in Gun Magazines on occasion, some art director decides that for visual impact people and guns should be facing the direction opposite the way they are on film, so they simply flip the image. It is annoying to say the least.

At some point I would like to get a DVD copy of the series and take a better look at the rifles and other gear.

Any how I thought the WWII cranks would be interested that the propaganda is worth listening too (or turning the sound off on) to see the gear.

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[GarandOwner]

I started to watch it because I read the book.......then I realized all the series is, is someone READING the book, word for word. I flipped when my roomie got tired of hearing me complete the sentences.

I would swear a M1903A3 in combat.

That’s because the Marines used 03'A3's for a good part of the war, they didn’t get the pretty new Garands as fast as the army did....I forget the reason why though. I’m sure one of you good people will chime in here with the reason.

This I found neat as some THR folks have claimed that the M1917 was NEVER issued to WWII US troops

Just because they showed some video footage doesn’t necessarily mean that it was from WWII. I have seen a few documentaries that slip up and might stick something in there from another time period

 

[Hoppy590]

That’s because the Marines used 03'A3's for a good part of the year, they didn’t get the pretty new Garands as fast as the army did....I forget the reason why though. I’m sure one of you good people will chime in here with the reason.

because the marines never get the shiney new toys. they take army seconds, add marine creativity. and use it for another 20 or 30 years. look at the Cobra. its still on the books some 20 years after the army switched to the apache.

This I found neat as some THR folks have claimed that the M1917 was NEVER issued to WWII US troops

i believe the M1917 was issued to home guard, alaskan territorial guard ( some of historys most effective and dedicated fighters) and maybe a few sliped into combat in reserve units. the british certainly had a large number of m1917's and p14's in service and reserve. i watched an old movie "whiskey galore" where the islands guard force recieved .303 ammo instead of ".300" which is the brit designation for 30-06 i believe.

 

[kBob]

Grandowner (me, too)

The USMC was using the M1903 and M1903A1 rifles at the begining of WWII as was much of the Army. The M1903A3 did not go into production until late 1942 and many historian/gun nuts insisted that none were sent overseas during WWII.

There were plenty of shots of troops with M1903 and M1903A1 rifles. THe single image that appeared to be an M1903A3 in combat startled me. I want a DVD of the series to see if perhaps SOmething else was behind or infront of the rear bridge of the rifle that made me think it was a A3 apperature.

One of the local pre reviews in our paper here made a big deal of US troops at the begiing of the war being armed with "Single Shot bolt action rifles" I asume they meant Springfield M1903s or A1s. Besides not being single shots I am at a loss to figure out how this was more backwards and shameful than our foes being armed with Mausers, Ariskas, and Carcanos.

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[Pilgrim]

This I found neat as some THR folks have claimed that the M1917 was NEVER issued to WWII US troops.

My father was drafted in 1943. In basic training he carried a M1917. He shot expert with it.

Pilgrim

 

[SSN Vet]

So I guess because WWII occured before the full blown civil rights movement, were supposed to feel guilty about it too?

From my limited historical readings, the military was way, way ahead of the civilian population in the "equal treatment of negroes" department.

I was really looking forward to seeing the series when it comes out on Net Flix, but now I have my reservations.

Can't we evaluate a was as a war and leave the evaluation of all the P.C. topics to those who are interested in them.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

When I read the book I was reminded of what someone once said, "Mark Twain could preach a sermon and entertain at the same time. But Mark Twain had talent."

 

[GarandOwner]

Can't we evaluate a was as a war and leave the evaluation of all the P.C. topics to those who are interested in them.

This series I think is more about showing the hardships of war not just on the battlefield but of DP's (Displaced Persons) and the home front as well. I read the book which was pretty good......but I find the series irritating as it is literally them READING the book on TV.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Hoppy 590 quoted:

because the marines never get the shiney new toys. they take army seconds, add marine creativity. and use it for another 20 or 30 years. look at the Cobra. its still on the books some 20 years after the army switched to the apache

This is one of the reasons why the Marines called the Army Big Brother because of all of the "hand me downs"

 

[Slugless]

Dept of Navy

Garandowner,

The reason the Marines didn't get the Garand as fast as the Army is because the Marines are Navy.

The Navy procurement people had other things on their mind in 1942. As usual, the Marines had to make do.