https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ee_large-1.jpg
Berlin 7Th Army
Date taken: 1961
Photographer: Hank Walker
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https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ee_large-1.jpg
Berlin 7Th Army
Date taken: 1961
Photographer: Hank Walker
That is a tad late to be armed with a Garand in Germany... IMHO.
The Soviets would have been much more modernly equipped, as were the East Germans.
Ovidio- Not really, the Berlin Brigade was the first to get the M14 in that time frame as it was the show case of the West in Berlin. Other units followed over time. My father's unit in West Germany did not get the M14 until early 1963. As I remember it quite well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ovidio
Hi Frank. Thanks for the interesting info.
I meant that being armed with Garands in 1961 was generally late and not at the Soviet's level, especially thinking about the units in Germany.
Already in Korea the UN forces faced lots of Simonovs and the AK was already existing and widely in use in the USSR in '61.
Good that they got the new M14s first. Sensible decision. I would have imagined that the units of the US forces in Europe would be the first to be upgunned.
The Berlin Garrison was among the very first to get the M14... note that they still had wood handguards, so probably 1961. The GCA Journal ran a terrific 4-part series by Frank Iannamico "The M1 Learns to Rock And Roll" starting in 2011. This photo is from Part 3 in 2012:
Attachment 124511
My father's unit in Orleans, France started receiving M14s in 1962 and they were not combat units.
I remember him talking about firing one and how on automatic, it climbed up and above his head. My father was infantry but was assigned to Orleans, France because of a a family tragedy in Germany. The Army was reassigning us to remove the family from the site of the tragedy.
BEAR