Marine Raiders and Their M1903's

[Chuckindenver]

maybe its the bad quality, or my old eyes, the guy standing right behind the 03 guy is holding a shotgun???

[Art]

Chuck, he does indeed have a shotgun

[MByrd]

If y'all are talking about the tall fellow with the BAR belt, it's hard to tell on this pic, but in a clearer one (I'm looking in "From Makin to Bougainville: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War" on page 37 if anyone has it) all you can really see is what's above his hand and it looks like a garand. I don't have my original copy of that photo here but will get it soon and maybe will be able to get a glass on it and tell.

Googled it and found a link to a better pic that can actually be enlarged (click on the pic in the link twice) with good resolution. It's clearly a garand.


File:US Marine Raiders on Cape Totkina on Bougainville.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

[Mike in Wis.]

Concerning the original picture in this thread, the location is Cape Torokina on Bougainville BSI, late '43 or early '44. There's an ebay seller who's been unloading low quality copies of this photo for some time who has this same wrong location in his description.

The National Archives file number for that photo is 80-G-205686. I noticed that Wikipedia had the Cape Torokina reference on the pic in the Bougainville Campaign page, which makes sense given the landing site and bunkers found there, but all the other references to the photo I've seen state Cape Totkina (the location of which I haven't been able to verify) including the caption on the original photograph.

http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/actio...5&jScript=true

Maybe a misspelling by the Navy photographer or ??? Have you any information to verify the correction that I can pass along ? I'll be looking at some materials the NA is sending me at the branch in Chicago in two weeks and can pass along the information.

Thanks,

Mike

[MByrd]

Easy to reference that name with it's location, just google it and you'll get all you want. Google cape totkina and you won't get any hits other than to that mis-labeled photo.

[Art]

If y'all are talking about the tall fellow with the BAR belt, it's hard to tell on this pic, but in a clearer one (I'm looking in "From Makin to Bougainville: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War" on page 37 if anyone has it) all you can really see is what's above his hand and it looks like a garand. I don't have my original copy of that photo here but will get it soon and maybe will be able to get a glass on it and tell.

Googled it and found a link to a better pic that can actually be enlarged (click on the pic in the link twice) with good resolution. It's clearly a garand.


File:US Marine Raiders on Cape Totkina on Bougainville.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

You are right. I enlarged the picture and the rifles visible are 2 M1903's, 2 M1 rifles and 2 M1 carbnes. Quite a mix.

[stryker]

the second pic, is neet as well, notice, the polished bolt, and sight cover, love the 1911 pistol as well, rifle in the back is a Johnson light machinegun, or a BAR, hard to tell.

Cool photo, but almost surely posed. Not going to do much good with the sight cover in place. (mine touches the top of my front sight) and the cocky looking guy with the .45 is going to do a lot of damage to the web of his hand if he pulls that trigger holding it like that! As far as the weapon in the back, isn't that a bayonet peking out behind the right side of the guy with the .45? My guess is either a 1903 with the old long bayonet or a captured Jap rifle with bayonet.

[Bolo Badge]

I may be mistaken but I believe I see the compensator of either a Thompson or Reising SMG just to the right of the helmet worn by the Marine standing in the left foreground.

[browningautorifle]

That's the muzzle of the shotgun we're talking about, beside the helmet of the left front tall man. Yes, the photo's staged. We did lots like that for the unit war diary. That's how unit historians record the history. Otherwise we all just disappear in the fog.

[John Beard]

The picture is obviously posed and, with all due respect, those guys appear to be rear echelon support troops. They don't appear to have the demeanor of combat veterans who have been dodging bullets all day and watching their buddies get blown to bits. Nor do they appear like they're going to see the elephant.

J.B.