4 Sept 2023 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

GIs of the 357th Regiment, 90th Infantry Division have just received word that their squad will be granted a thirty day furlough at home, plus two months of travel time. Every soldier pictured here received The Purple Heart in the battle of Dillingen, Germany, February 6, 1945.

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[Ovidio]

War's over for them. Smiles are more than understandable.

[browningautorifle]

Yep, they'll survive. Now, what's the weapon the guy at left is holding? A captured sporting rifle or shotgun?

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

thirty day furlough at home, plus two months of travel time. Every soldier pictured here received The Purple Heart in the battle of Dillingen, Germany, February 6, 1945.

Thus, the smiles I suppose.
Men like these knew sacrifice and privation, came home and built a better country and did their best to make our country and the world a better place.

[RAM1ALASKA]

Normal every day challenges back home must have seemed insignificant for the most part after daily life at war !

[eb in oregon]

Yep, they'll survive. Now, what's the weapon the guy at left is holding? A captured sporting rifle or shotgun?

It appears to be an O/U shotgun, but then it's not a great photo.

[Bob Seijas]

"Dreilings" were popular in Europe, that's a double barrel shotgun over a rifle. Collectors here call them "Drillings." In Europe a hunter usually got a day assigned to him and had to be ready to shoot whatever presented itself: grouse, rabbit, boar, deer. A drilling was a prized GI souvenir.

[browningautorifle]

"Dreiling"

That makes sense too, something at the time that a guy wouldn't have seen.

[Low & Slow]

Probably not a guy in there that's seen his 29th birthday. At least they'd most likely see another one now at this point.