WWII questions:

[Guest]

Ok, I have a few questions concerning the second world war which I have been curious of, here goes:

1: What was the difference between the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine?

2: Is it true that only a Captain/squad leader had a Thompson SMG to give covering fire to his squad, or could the rest of the squad also have a Thompson, or did they have to stick with an M1/BAR/other weapon not mentioned?

3: What was the main advantage of the M1 Carbine over the M1 Garand?

4: Did the axis have a man-portable MG-42?

[MP 0]

1: The M1 Garand was the first fully automatic rifle to be issued to infantry personell. A total of 5,000,000 were produced. All other rifles were semi-auto or bolt action.

2: Usually the second in command of the squad carried the SMG. But I have read about other infantry men (like privates) carring the Thomson.

3: The M1 Carbine weighed alot less than the M1 Garand.

4: This I am not sure of. The MG-42 was a big bulky machine. In my opinion I think that this MG could not have been carried by a man for a long period of time.

I've been studing WWII for the last 11 years and I like to think of myself as a bit of a historian on the subject.

[Guest]

Not too sure who carried the SMG, I think in most US squads the squad leader carried it. The British squads who carried it often gave it to the privates. They used the older version (the gangster style early version) with 50 round mag, probally left over from ww1. I think also the 1928 M1A1 version too.

The M1 Carbine was not actually just a shortened version of the Garand, they were completely seperate weaons. The carbine was designed to be used by rear echelon troops, support workers and staff to defend themselves in the case of a sudden enemy break through their lines. It was intended to replace the Colt 1911 handgun as their "personal defence weapon"

The MG42 could be portable by one man when used on a bipod, it could also be fired by one man. The MG3 is todays proof of this and is commonly used by one man using box mags (I think) and can be fired from the shoulder. How successfully, I'm not sure, it's a bulky piece of kit. (MG3 is MG42 chambered in 7.62 NATO instead of 7.92)

[Guest]

Thanks a lot for the information both!

[Pukko 0]

Regarding MG42:

I played some "Advanced Squadleader" (probaly the most complex 'board game' (or what its called) ever made) back in the 80's and early 90's, and remembered that there were 3 types of machineguns there:

Heavy, Medium and Light (for all nations), all portable, even if squads carrying HMG moved slowly.

However, all 3 German types (HMG, MMG, LMG) were supposed to be different versions of the MG42; I think I heard some "proof" of that this was the case in reality too.

EDIT:

Obviously there were no MMG version of the MG42 in WW2, but maybe it was a MG34 they meant (as MMG or LMG), or MG42 on threepod with (HMG) and witout (MMG) optical sight. Look at:

Maschinengewehr 34 and 42

[Wobble 1]

1: What was the difference between the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine?

the M1 carb was just like the garand accept shorter and the stock didnt go the full length of the gun

2: Is it true that only a Captain/squad leader had a Thompson SMG to give covering fire to his squad, or could the rest of the squad also have a Thompson, or did they have to stick with an M1/BAR/other weapon not mentioned?

it depended on mission, and what the leadrer said.. there really was no specified general layout..

3: What was the main advantage of the M1 Carbine over the M1 Garand?

It was shorter, better for close in combat, lighter.

4: Did the axis have a man-portable MG-42?

not really, though some troops would run around with it.. 1 guy firing and 1 guy would lean over and let him rest it on his back.

[Assault (CAN) 1]

For question #1.

The M1, designed by John C. Garand, was the standard issue military rifle used by the U.S. Army from 1936 to 1957, when it was replaced by the lighter M14 rifle. The M1 was one of the first semi-automatic rifles to see action in combat. It offered a great improvement in fire power over the bolt-action M1903 series rifle it replaced. It was rugged, reliable, and tolerant to the abuses of use in the field. The rifle used .30-06 cal. cartridges in eight-round clips.

The M1 Carbine was developed to provide better protection to service troops than standard issue pistols, when caught under surprise attack during envelopment movements by enemy forces. The Carbine filled a need for a weapon heavier than a pistol, but lighter than a rifle for issue to company-grade officers and NCOs. The Carbine proved to be such an effective light weight weapon that it was also carried for protection by heavy and light weapons teams. All models used a .30 cal. Carbine cartridge in 15-round and 30-round magazines.

The M-1 Garand was chambered for the .30-06 round.

The M-1 Carbine was chambered for a special .30 calibre pistol type round which was shorter and skinnier than the .30-06 cartridge.

Does that help?, I think that FAS.org could be the most usefull site on the web!

Tyler

[MP 0]

Beautiful piece of machinery...

[Guest]

Thanks all! I really appreciate the info!

Man does that M1 Garand look beautiful! Look way better than any modern weapon we have now.

EDIT: Where can I buy one?

[theavonlady 2]

The old WWII M1 carbine is standard issue to Civilian Guard volunteers here in Israel.

[Wobble 1]

its still a badaass and accurate rifle.. very robust.. with a good scope you can really reach out with it.. it makes a very good hunting rifle.

[Black Op 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MP @ Feb. 16 2002,21:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">1: The M1 Garand was the first fully automatic rifle to be issued to infantry personell. A total of 5,000,000 were produced. All other rifles were semi-auto or bolt action.<span id='postcolor'>

the M1 Garand was not a fully automatic weapon, it is a semi automatic weapon as you need to pull the trigger again to fire the next shot, you cant just hold down the trigger

the Garand was a very heavy weapon, which helped lower the recoil, it was indeed a very impressive weapon, "the rifle that won the war"

the garand and carbine both use .30 (7.62 mm) ammunition

garand holds a 8 bullet clip whereas carbine could hold 15 or 30 bullet clips.

however it was very difficult to reload a half used clip in the garand, when the clip was used it would be ejected with a "ping" sound, which cost quite a few americans there lifes as enemy soldiers would know they were out of ammo

the garand was designed for a standard issue rifle for US infantry, where the carbine was intended to be given to support classes such as mortar, machine gun and bazooka teams

[Guest]

Well? Where can I buy one and how much will it cost me?

[Guest]

Better than the M1 garand also the 30 round clip for the carbine was very rare.

Mauser Kar 98

Operation: Manual, bolt action

Caliber: 7.92mm (.31 in)

Muzzle Velocity: 745 mps (2,445 fps)

Capacity: 5-round magazine

Weight: 3.9 kg (8.5 lbs)

Overall Length: 111 cm (43.75 in)

Effective Range: 550m (600yds)

The Mauser Gewehr 98 (rifle, model 1898) was the archetype of most bolt-action rifles built in the 20th century, including the American Springfield model 1903 rifle. Its 7.92-mm Mauser cartridge was introduced in 1888 and is still in use today. Variants of the Gewehr 98 remained in general use in the German army through both world wars because it worked so well and so reliably. The Kar 98 carbine, about six inches shorter than the standard rifle, was issued to most German infantrymen in World War II.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Regarding MG42:

I played some "Advanced Squadleader" (probaly the most complex 'board game' (or what its called) ever made) back in the 80's and early 90's, and remembered that there were 3 types of machineguns there:

Heavy, Medium and Light (for all nations), all portable, even if squads carrying HMG moved slowly.

However, all 3 German types (HMG, MMG, LMG) were supposed to be different versions of the MG42; I think I heard some "proof" of that this was the case in reality too.

<span id='postcolor'>

The mg42 was a light machine gun and so was the mg34,

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">

MG 42

Operation: Fully automatic

Caliber: 7.92 mm (.31 in)

Muzzle Velocity: 755 mps (2,478 fps)

Capacity: 50-round belt

Weight: 11.5 kg (25.3 lbs)

Overall Length: 121.9 cm (48 in)

Rate of Fire: 1,200 rounds per minute

Range: 1,000m (1,100 yds)

The MG 42 was one of the best light machine guns ever made; variants of this weapon are still in widespread use today. Its very high rate of fire made the MG 42 an intimidating weapon; those who faced its deadly hail of fire were equally impressed by the sound it made - "like ripping canvas". Its barrel could be quickly changed, and its design, using stamped and pressed steel, was well suited to mass production. The MG 42 was more reliable, and almost as versatile, as the MG 34 that it generally replaced, allowing use on bipod, tripod and dual anti-aircraft mounts. However, because the square barrel housing of the MG 42 was inappropriate for use as secondary tank armament, the MG 34 continued in that role. An assault variant of the MG 42 used a 75-round twim drum magazine like that made for the MG 34. The original design of the MG 42 was so successful that it was updated in the 1950s. The newer version, designated MG3, is still in use by a number of nations, including Germany<span id='postcolor'>

MG 34

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">

Operation: Fully automatic

Caliber: 7.92mm

Muzzle Velocity: 800 mps

Capacity: 50-100 Belt or Drum

Weight: 12.1 kg

Overall Length: 1220 mm

Rate of Fire: N/A

Range: N/A

In 1932 a program was undertaken, attempting to produce a new weapon which would be more flexible and adaptable, to compliment the needs of fast paced mechanized warfare. The MG34 eventually resulted from the testing of many different light-machineguns, developed by Rheinmetall, using some elements of Mauser designs. The basis of the whole project was the idea of a single gun design acting in both light and heavy roles. That is, being able to be used as an assault weapon, or an emplaced defensive weapon, and being compromised in neither by design. The result was a weapon with modularized accessories and ammunition feed methods. In the assault, the MG08/18 had proved unsuccessful with belt fed rounds, so in place of belt feeding, a Doppeltrommel 15 75-round magazine was developed. This was carried to the MG34, with the name Patronentrommel 34. The problem with this device in particular was the difficulty and specialized tools required to load the drum, hence it was dropped after 1940. The Gurttrommel 34 was to continue service in its place, being able to hold but 50 rounds, but using a much simpler design.

<span id='postcolor'>

[Guest]

cool! but...where could I be able to purchase the M1?

[ran 0]

buy a tamya box of 1/35 us soldier , throw away the soldiers but keep the weapons et voilŕ you have your own ww2 american weapon collection

[ran 0]

you can find the tamya figures in all the good model shops

[Guest]

lol! I was actually thinking a bit bigger, maybe like the real weapon?

[ran 0]

you could always try to sculpt it with some resin ........ but it's for the pro , if you want a real one i think that there are some sites on the web that sell inert weapons , they cost a lot but they are damn cool

there are also some resin weapons at the 1/1 scale for the collections ,they cost a little bit less and you sometimes need to repaint them to look more realistic

[Guest]

cool! Do you know any of these sites or how may I find them?

[ran 0]

i think that the cost of a inert weapon is from 600 us$ to 2400 us$

it depends of the type of the weapon

i don't know the price of the resin ones , i think it's about 500 dollars for a m16 so a garand ..........

by all the way you can't afford it

[Fenna 0]

Hey Red remember I wrote that letter to president putin asking him for 3000 SU-37s ? well, i'll take one of the guns out of one of them and send it to you.

[Fenna 0]

Hey ran nice pictures in your sig.

[Guest]

lol!!, No, but I'm specifically looking for an M1, but if those babies cost that much...well, I can't afford it

[Guest]

-500$ sheesh! Don't they sell them for like 50$ or something?