M17 in Italy?

[mack]

I don't want to leave anyone feeling insulted, but not all troops were frontline and not all were issued the latest in technology. Troops weren't supposed to be categorized that I am aware in any Allied army, but such took place as older men might have different assignments than younger, the physically fit more rigorous duty than those with some disability, etc., etc. Even race was a reason for categorizing, at least here in the US where blacks were routinely given "labor" assignments.

While troops up front may have had M1's, No. 4's and Thompsons, the cooks, drivers and laborers were usually issued something less "state-of-the-art." A paint-banded P-14 sounds like it may have been drawn from war reserves and found its way on to prison detail.

I once worked with a WWII vet who did double duty in the South Pacific as a cook because he could bake. He also stood guard duty many nights and had an '03 to shoot at the occasional Japanese patrol searching for food or prisoners. He was fairly accomplished with it until the Japs brought along a MG one night and upset his bread rising for breakfast chowline. He had better sense than to take on a machine gun with a bolt gun though. He asked his captain the next day if he could get a Browning to fight off the encroaching Japs and was told the "soldiers on the frontline needed those." He then impolitely reminded the captain that the "frontline" began about twenty yards behind the mess operation. He got busted back to private, but in a night or two a well-worn BAR showed up in the mess for him to use, which he did until the threat was relieved. I suppose the Japs didn't know the BAR had a lot of miles on it, but they did at least recognized that someone had new technology.