M17 in Italy?

[Malygris]

Found it.

US Infantry Weapons in Combat - Personal Experiences from World War II and Korea by Mark G. Goodwin, Foreword by Scott A. Duff

[Malygris]

I ordered this book, and highly recommend it. It's a very different kind of take on US small arms. These guys are telling their own personal experiences with them, and you get a glimpse into the life of a GI in the 40s and 50s as well, plus lots of combat description of their engagements. I found it interesting that one guy loved the rifle grenade on an M1 but found them almost impossible to get his hands on them, and another guy in a totally different division loved them as well, and would fire 20 or so every time he got in an engagement. Very interesting stuff.

Amazon.com: US Infantry Weapons in Combat - Personal Experiences from World War II and Korea

[Hammer58]

Gosh dang that's a good WW2 story.

It just reminded me of a book I wanted to order a couple years ago and never did. It was about US small arms and had stories just like this that high lighted a particular weapon. One example I read from the book was about the Colt's Automatic 1911. The excerpt was from a USGI in the Korean war who slept with it in his fox hole. He was bundled up in his sleeping bag against the cold, next thing he knew a North Korean soldier dropped in on top of him. He didn't have time to do anything but pull the trigger on his 1911 FROM WITHIN HIS SLEEPING BAG. He said sleeping bag stuffing was flying around everywhere, when the smoke and cotton cleared, he was alive and the Korean was dead. If that rings a bell with anyone, let us know, I'd love to get that book.

My buddy's father is an old Frozen Chosin Marine. Recently, I found a 1911 with government markings for his son to buy and give to his Dad. The Old Salt had always wanted one. He told me how he constantly worked to get his hands on one for the very reason you describe. He said everyone wanted one so they could feel secure inside the sleeping bag with the .45 that they could quickly bring into action inside the bag. He recalled how guys were killed trying to get out of their bags before they could get to their rifles. When I was in the Corps in the '80s, those lessons from Korea were still being taught. We were not allowed to use sleeping bags in tactical situations only during stand down in rear areas. The reason given was incidents such as you and the Old Salt described in Korea.