12-278 Garand Picture of the Day

[Snafu]

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[Tom in N.J.]

Yellow grenades and long bayonets!.... I trust Mr. O. Newcomb survived the war and lived a long happy life!..

[Shake Rag]

I believe the picture was taken on Tarawa by WO "Obie" Newcomb Jr. He was a Marine photographer in WW2. It looks like he placed his bag in front of the Marine for the picture.

[browningautorifle]

Second pic is good too. Shows all the toys available for the BAR, tool kit and oil vessel. Assistant gunner(?) and Bar gunner loading from a cartridge belt. Stripping M1 clips for ammo. We had a former BAR gunner on here say the same thing about a week ago. I always thought Springfield clips and the mag charger...guess not.

[Shake Rag]

I'm just going to throw something out there. I wonder if they weren't unloading the mags? Why would you be on a ship and taking apart a cartridge belt? The wooden deck, IIRC, was not on an APA or AKA. The guy on the left appears to be removing rounds. Just something to ponder over.

[browningautorifle]

When loading a mag, the recruit is taught to lay his rounds out so he can get at them. The mag is in classic loading position, placed with the base down and he gathers up a manageable amount of round in his hand. If unloading, he'd have it bullets down, using a cartridge to depress the top round and they'd be falling bullets first into say...the helmet. I'm pretty sure these guys are getting ready for an Op. I've loaded mags in all kinds of places. They strip them out of a cartridge belt(2 actually) because that's what they have.

Now, that's only a guess...but I did it for 35 years...