"The Forgotten Guns of D-Day" (Article)

*German FG-42 in 7.92x57mm*

In honor of this years D-Day ceremonies, ignore the occupant of the White House's dishonest blather and read this great article about real heroes, villain's, and some of the more obscure firearms they used in battle. Then break out the DVD or go to YouTube and watch the film "The Longest Day". Then I will forgive you of your semi-automatic sins..../;-)  (S9)
---
at first the prisoners were taken to the battleship U.S.S. Texas (BB-35). With prisoners coming aboard, the ship’s Marine Detachment was called on to draw arms and serve as guards. While the Marine NCOs carried M1911A1 pistols, the guards themselves were armed with one of the unlikeliest guns of D-Day: the Model 50 Reising submachine gun made by Harrington & Richardson. It may not be well known, but U.S. Marines participated in the D-Day invasion and many of them did so with their Reisings. ...

Read full article HERE:
The forgotten guns of D-Day
---
Note: The photo used in the heading of this article is one I have posted to the photo pages of this blog earlier (Don't forget to give it a look). It shows US Black American troops hunting Nazi snipers in France. If you did not know they were Black, you might think it was just an effect of the black and white film used in the photo, so now you know the rest of the story. They used this photo because it shows them with Springfield bolt action rifles (and other weapons). Segregated Black units were issued second line weapons in large numbers, such as the Springfield, over the newer M-1 Garand's, so it is easier to find photos of them with these WW1 era rifles. One can only speculate how many of these troops were killed due to lack of the M-1's legendary firepower. There is an obscure seldom seen photo of General Patton (with his famed Ivory handled Colt Single Action Army revolver on his general officer's belt and buckle) decorating a Black trooper, who is carrying a slung Springfield....(S9)