Merrill's Marauders where a hard hitting, fast moving, long range penetration unit, who fought in the toughest and most hostile jungle in the war. The Marauders hit and run tactics and the fact that they had to carry all their equipment and supplies on their backs or on the backs of pack mules, did not afford them the luxury of having any heavy equipment with them. These weapons are the tools that the Marauders used as individual fighting men in the close-in, hand to hand jungle fighting that they encountered on an almost daily basis. "CLICK ON THE WEAPON TO VIRTUALLY TEST FIRE IT"
Colt .45 - Model 1911 Semiautomatic Caliber: .45 (11.4mm) Magazine load: 7 round magazine Velocity: 830fps (253mps) Effective Range:32yds (30m) Weight: 2.43pds (1.1kg) Length: 8.62in (21.9cm) Invented by: John M. Browning First produced: 1911 The Colt .45, was regarded as a weapon of last resort, ideal for close hand to hand type of fighting. Although this weapon was standard issue for officers and squad leaders, many found their way into the hands of front line soldiers. It remained the standard issued sidearm for U.S. forces until it was replaced in 1984
Garand Rifle M1 Semiautomatic Caliber: .30 (7.62mm) Clip load: 8 round Clip Velocity: 2,800fps (853mps) Effective Range:600yds (550m) Weight: 9.5pds (4.3kg) Length: 43.6in (110.7cm) Invented by: John C. Garand First produced: 1936 The Garand was the standard issued U.S. riffle for most of WWII. Although it was in short supply until 1943, there were over 4 million produced by the end of WWII. It was an easy weapon to disassemble and clean, and provided good firepower with it's combination velocity and caliber. The one drawback to the Garand was the difficulty in removing partially fired clips, many GI's would simple fire off the remaining rounds to allow easy removal of the clip so they could be reloaded
Carbine M1, M1A1, M2 Semi-automatic & Fully-automatic Caliber: .30 (7.62mm) Magazine load: 15 & 30 round magazines Velocity: 1,972fps (600mps) Effective Range:83yds (75m) Weight: 5pds (2.3kg) Length: 35.6in (90.4cm) The M1 Carbine, proved to be a versatile weapon, its light weight and good fire power made it easier to master than a pistol, and ideal for medium to long range use. This made it the ideal weapon for mortar teams, machine gun crews, bazooka-men, or any one who had other equipment to carry. The M1A1 variant had a folding stock and was used mainly by paratroopers. By the end of WWII over 6 million Carbine's were produced.
Thompson Submachine Gun Selective Fire (Semi-automatic & Fully-automatic) Caliber: .45 (11.4mm) Drum or Magazine load: 50 round Drum, 20-30 round magazines Velocity: 920fps (280mps) Effective Range:55yds (50m) Weight: 11pds (4.9kg) Length: 33.7in (85.6cm) Invented by: John T. Thompson First produced: 1921 The Thompson Submachine Gun (AKA Tommy Gun) used the same caliber slug as the "Colt .45" and could fire it's 50 round drum in less than 4 seconds when selected to full automatic, making it a devastating weapon for close combat. The Tommy Gun performed well when exposed to rain, mud, and dirt, its drawbacks were its weight (11 pounds), and it's lake of accuracy at ranges over 50yards
Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) M1918A1 & M1918A2 Selective Fire (Semi-automatic & Fully-automatic) Caliber: .30 (7.62mm) Magazine load: 20 round magazine Velocity: 2,800fps (853.4mps) Effective Range:600yds (550m) Weight: 18.5pds (8.33kg) Length: 47in (119.4cm) Invented by: John M. Browning The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was a popular weapon in all theaters of WWII, because it provided units with a combination of rapid fire (up to 650rpm), and penetrating power. The BAR was well received for it's reliability under adverse conditions. The only draw back to the BAR was its lack of a quick change barrel to help reduce the chance of overheating
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO " NIALL MULLALLY" FOR PERMISSION TO USE HIS GRAPHICS, SOUNDS, AND DATA, FOR THIS PAGE.