Garand Picture of the Day #112 – Airborne Jump Gear + D-Day Bonus Photo

[mojalajab]

Mark will be back tomorrow with some more great photos. I hope you enjoy today’s selections.

Bonus Photo - 82nd or 101st Paratroopers inside a C-47 ready for the D-Day invasion.

Information

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[dbarn]

Very nice. Lots of weight but our guys were well equipped. Looks like enough gear to fight your way out of just about anything and handle most survival situations. The M2 Schrade switch blade pocket knife is very cool. No doubt the grenades came in handy too.

[Griff Murphey]

Notice the one guy with the long curly hair. He has his helmet off and there is a walkie talkie on top of his reserve. A far cry from our image of the "MOHAWKed" 101! A guy at the end of the troop seats on the right has a Garand, not bagged(!?!). On the left, close-up, is a major; probably Bn XO...

[Bob Womack]

Notice the one guy with the goggles? T'zup?

[Garand Doctor]

I noticed the M1923 belt is modified to take the M-1 clips standing on edge instead of laying flat. More clips per square inch I guess. Frank Jr.

[paul1440]

Hard to tell is that is a M1923 belt or a M1936 belt, though. My guess is a M1936 with modified pouches. But that sure is a lot of ammo on that belt.

[M1 Rifleman]

Also noticed that the M1905 Bayonet is the full 16" length and not modified. The trooper is also carrying a machete AND an M1918 Trench Knife (just above the M1911). Wow they carried alot of stuff!!!

[goo]

Paratrooper & the Combat Engineer

A Paratrooper jumps out of an airplane with a parachute on his back. As he's falling, he realizes his chute is broken. He doesn't know anything about parachutes, but as the earth rapidly approaches, he realizes his options are limited; he takes off the parachute and tries to fix it himself on the way down. The wind is ripping past his face, he's dropping like a rock, and at 500 feet, another Soldier goes shooting up past him. In desperation, the Paratrooper looks up and yells, "Hey do you know anything about parachutes?!"

The Combat Engineer flying up looks down and yells, "No, ... do you know anything about C-4 Plastic Explosives?!"


The Paratrooper serving overseas, far from home was annoyed and upset when his girl wrote breaking off their engagement and asking for her photograph back.
He went out and collected from his friends all the unwanted photographs of women that he could find, bundled them all together and sent them back with a note saying........... "Regret cannot remember which one is you -- please keep your photo and return the others."

A paratrooper on his first jump was given the following instructions: Jump from the plane and yell "Airborne!" Count to three and your chute will open.
If main shoot doesn't open, pull the reserve ripcord. When you get down on the ground, a truck will pick you up and take you back to the base.

The paratrooper jumped and yelled, "Airborne!" He counted to three and nothing happened.

He then frantically pulled the reserve cord. Nothing happened.

Then the paratrooper said to himself, "Damn, with my luck the truck won't be there to pick me up either!"

[Louis of PA]

I took this at our Normandy cemetary just over ten years ago.

He was killed on June 6th. I suppose his family still grieves.
Regards

[Louis of PA]

Side view of the submerged and exposed beach obstacles, Omaha Beach.

The "Element C" on the drawing is another name for the Belgian Gate, heavy steel gates used by Norman farmers to keep their cattle confined in fields.

On land, the Germans used them to block roads.
Regards