12-031 Garand Picture of the Day

[Snafu]

Marines hit the beach and charge over a dune on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands Feb. 19, 1945, the start of one of the deadliest battles of the war against Japan.(rudeerude)

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[AZPhil]

SEMPER FI !!!!
Thanks for the Pic!!!!

[emmagee1917]

I just love action photos showing handcarts.
Chris

[Bill Hollinger]

Yes Chris, the M3A4 hand cart. I had one given to me years ago. I did a little work on it and turned it for $$$!

[emmagee1917]

Actually , the M3A4 was the basic army version that served as the building base of a whole slew of "M" series carts. These are the aluminum framed , bicycle wheeled USMC type that I don't think had a name.
Chris

[Bill Hollinger]

The two I see look like the M3A4 with larger tires. Is that one of the modifications of the USMC cart? When blown up the framing and handle look the same.

[emmagee1917]

The army used several different wheels ( 6 spoked , solid with 5 large round holes , others? ) and tires ( front tractor style ribs , rear tractor style >>> , regular tread style , others? ) and were mostly made of steel after aluminum became limited. The key ID is that the wheels were lower than the top of the box. The marine cart has bicycle type spoked wheels with a narrow ( compared to USA ) tire and it sticks up high above the box's top . It also was made of aluminum through it's entire production , prob'ly because of the more limited production.
I would not say that one is a modification of the other , more like parallel development . The Marines used it to haul stuff over the small islands and took it with them when they left. The army did use it for ground troops , but also for paratroopers as thier weapons carriers and supply trucks . They made the jump with the men and many were lost as to be expected . The army considered them expendable goods , and many were left behind when the men moved on.
Chris

[Bill Hollinger]

Gotcha. There are so many variables to all things military!

[Bill Hollinger]

I can clearly see the difference here. There are a lot of similarities but they are different. Thanks Chris for the education

M3A4 cart


USMC cart

[emmagee1917]

Actually , the cart in the top photo is a reproduction a guy did. Did a damn good job , though . I would not have known it if I wasn't told. You can pull the large center pin out of the handle bar and store it into the "L" bracket above the tongue to give you the tow bar set up for vehicle pulling at up to 10 mph. The welded on loops at the 4 corners were for tow ropes for extra pullers.
M3A4 UTILITY HAND CART : CARTS | SmugMug
Chris