17-3-9 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Privates Bill Smith and Ora Pace of the US. 331st Inf Regt., 83rd Inf Div. manning a Browning 1917 HMG.
Smith aims his M1A carbine, while Pace has rested his M1 Garand rifle, with bayonet fixed, on the house wall in St Malo, Brittany on the 8th August 1944.

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.

[browningautorifle]

And we can JUST see the flip sight of the carbine...

[Paul S.]

Nice posed picture. The Pte. Pace isn't going to stay crouched behind that machine gun for very long.

[browningautorifle]

Pace isn't going to stay crouched

I was wondering if that 1917 was even going to stay there when it started eating belts. I've not shot one so I can't say...

[CINDERS]

Surely the tri pod can be fixed at a lower height than what it is set at now!

[browningautorifle]

the tri pod can be fixed at a lower height

Like the MAG mount group, yes it can. One thing that is out of place is the fixed bayonet on the rifle. An MG crew doesn't do that. The MG is their main weapon and bayonets would poke each other in the head while doing gun drills.

[Bill Hollinger]

Looks like Pace is signaling the pitcher.

[CINDERS]

Once again Jim your explanation has me chuckling guess thats why they wore helmets to stop poking each other......!

[browningautorifle]

your explanation has me chuckling

Well, picture two guys struggling with the gun and mount. Their rifles go across their backs. Add bayonet and then take post at the low mount gun and tripod...the number one's bayonet points directly at the number two's head... Anyway, I had a pistol when I carried the gun. The other carried an SMG.

[matthanne1]

I see the caption, and wondered at first about the seemingly non-chalant pose of the MG gunner, only after mentioned did I note the M1 had the bayonet, were they perhaps posing for a photographer?