M17 in Italy?

[smellie]

Interesting!

Another forum just posted a photo taken at Ortona during the fighting, of a Canadian sniper with a P.-'14 with a Warner & Swayze scope. Definitely War Two photo: he has a Bren Gun beside him.

Sportered Rosses (with the bayonets tied on with string) were issued in Canada for POW duty and equipment was tight at times. Not surprising that second-line troops might not have the latest, just so long as it ate ammo that you could get.

In early 1942, Canada had an RCAF base at Boundary Bay, British Columbia. You had to actually go THROUGH the USA from Canada to get to the RCAF base. After Pearl Harbour, the off-duty guys on coast watch were issued M-1917 rifles (called, in Canadian Service, the "P-'17") and told, "If the Japs land, fire 5 rounds and run like hell!" Because of severe ammunition shortages at that tme, the men were issued RIFLES which they then cleaned, but AMMO was so tight that thewatch going off-duty turned ove their 5 rounds per man to the oncoming shift.
Once they got the Hurricanes up in the air and the expiry date on some of the MG ammo was passed, there was lots of ammo for coast watch and for target practice, but it was tight at first.
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