22 Nov 20 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Close up of Chemical (smoke) hand grenade adapted for use on M-1 rifle with M-7 grenade launcher, designed by Maj. Livesey Division Chemical Officer, 106th Inf Div Camp Atterbury, Indiana. 168-05-44-7326' Army Signal Corps photograph

Information

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[Bob Seijas]

GI innovation

[Mark in Rochester]

One More

[browningautorifle]

That second one isn't recommended and personally I wouldn't even be close when it was used. It would be super rough on rifle and firer. See, he's hunkered up against a concrete base. Imagine the recoil...

[Mark in Rochester]

not authorized but documented

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=56965

The army even put out a Technical Bulletin showing how to use a 60 mm M49 mortar shell as a rifle grenade. It did not authorize its use, stating only the ground commander could in an emergency. I made up a dummy for display (can't have mortar shells in N.J.) using a restored M1icon projection adapter. It was not to be used on the M1 carbine!!..



Page 20 - 21 Company Commander by Captain Charles Brown MacDonald - Charles B. MacDonald (November 23, 1922 – December 4, 1990) was a former Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army. He wrote several of the Army's official histories of World War II.

"The main request was for several types of ammunition, including 60 mm mortar shells adapted for firing from the M1 rifle with the aid of a grenade launcher. My men had found the the expedient to be most effective in street fighting in Brest and swore it was that it was more effective than either hand grenades or fragmentation rifle grenades. It, in effect put the equivalent of 60 mm mortars in the forward foxholes"

[browningautorifle]

not authorized but documented

I'm well aware, and remember the last discussion. We even have that picture of a guy which I'm sure had done it whether that pic was just for effect. Bet he'd done it though... Rifle grenades were bad enough.

[fjruple]

I remember a picture in an old US Army Special Forces publication from the early 60's that showed a SE Asian soldier with a French MAS 36 bolt action rifle with a one of these 60mm Mortar rounds attached to an adapter on the grenade launcher. The soldier also had several 60mm Mortar rounds hanging from his pistol belt. I will see if I can dig up the photo.