Almost any list of facts about the U.S. military’s M1 Garand is likely to include General George S. Patton’s now legendary statement, “In my opinion, the M1 rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.” Patton never actually said those words; rather, he wrote them in a letter to Major General Levin H. Campbell, Jr, the War Department’s Chief of Ordnance. It was high praise indeed, but Old Blood and Guts didn’t exactly single out the M1 Garand.
Patton added, “However, my admiration for Ordnance products does not stop with the M1-1 Rifle. Our machine guns, mortars, artillery, and tanks are without equal on the battlefields of the world.” Arguably, Patton also may have tailored his letter to the audience. His opinion to General Henry “Hap” Arnold, commanding general of the United States Army Air Forces, might have suggested the B-24 Liberator was the greatest battle implement ever devised.
The M1 Garand certainly played a significant role in America’s victory in World War II. It gave U.S. Army infantrymen and United States Marines a weapon capable of largely outgunning the enemy in every theater of operation. While perhaps not the “greatest battle implement ever devised,” the M1 Garand is still one of the finest weapons of its day. Here are some other key facts about it that don’t get enough attention.
1) You’ve probably been pronouncing it wrong
The M1 was named for its inventor, John Garand. Garand was a Canadian-born firearms designer who worked at the Springfield Armory. Descendants of Garand agree his name isn’t pronounced as “Ga-rand”; rather, it rhymes with “errand.”
2) Owners are likely to get “Garand Thumb” at least once
Shooters and collectors love the M1 Garand. However, more than a few likely cursed the firearm after the bolt was locked back incorrectly. If the bolt locks at the follower, it is all too easy for the bolt to slam forward on the operator’s thumb while loading the Garand’s en bloc clip. It isn’t a pleasant experience but can be avoided by ensuring the bolt is all the way back and by laying the thumb over the clip and then pressing down.
3) Video games overemphasize the M1 Garand “ping” sound
If you’ve played “Medal of Honor,” “Call of Duty,” or other World War II first-person shooter games, you’ve likely heard the “ping” sound when the final shot is fired and en bloc clip is ejected. Whether anyone not in rifle range actually heard the sound is debatable, but it certainly didn’t warn the enemy that you were out of rounds!
It’s worth noting many of those same games also make it seem like the en bloc couldn’t be removed before every round was fired. That’s simply another myth!
4) Most of the M1’s World War II production occurred at the U.S. Government’s Springfield Armory
Numerous companies throughout the Arsenal of Democracy stepped up to produce weapons, vehicles, and all sorts of items for the U.S. military during World War II. The M1 Garand’s production was primarily at the historic Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. Production ramped up even before the United States moved to a wartime economy.
In January 1940, the facility produced 100 rifles per day. Within four years, it produced an average of 3,936 rifles daily — or 164 rifles per hour. In total, Springfield Armory produced more than 3.5 million M1 Garand rifles.
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Connecticut, was the only other World War II-era producer of the rifle. In total, it manufactured around 513,880. Total wartime production from both plants exceeded four million.
5) The Japanese military tried to copy the M1 Garand
During the Second World War, the M1 Garand was not the only semi-automatic rifle to see use in combat. The Soviet Union’s Red Army employed the SVT-40 while Nazi Germany developed the G-43. However, neither was as successful as the M1 chambered in the venerable .30-06 cartridge.
The Japanese military experimented with semi-automatic rifle designs throughout the 1930s. The rifles were never deemed suitable for combat. During the island hopping campaigns, Japanese forces, armed with the bolt-action Arisaka rifles, increasingly found themselves seriously outgunned by the M1 and, again. sought to introduce a modern design.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, the Japanese copied the M1’s internals and produced it as the Type 4 – although it was cosmetically distinct from the Garand. The rifles were set for full-scale production in 1945. However, only 250 rifles were produced with 125 actually assembled. The Type 4 remains a footnote in the history of the M1.
6) It was innovative, but arguably outdated by the end of World War II
Patton’s praise of the M1 Garand also seems odd given the weapon was nearly a decade old by the time he wrote that aforementioned letter in January 1945. Surely, he must have seen some of the other weapons developed during World War II – like jet aircraft.
Moreover, even when it comes to firearms, the M1 Garand was arguably “old news” by 1945. The Germans had developed the StG-44, the world’s first assault rifle. Today, militaries around the world still carry weapons that are on the evolutionary tree of that firearm, while the M1 only spawned the M14. It was a fine weapon, but not nearly as innovative as the StG-44.
7) A tanker model was developed
While the M1 Carbine was developed independently of the M1, Springfield Armory produced a compact version of Garand’s design. Springfield Armory manufactured a handful of prototypes with an 18-inch barrel, known as the T26 Tanker Garand. The design was originally proposed for aerial and jungle operations, not for armored vehicles. It was never adopted; yet in recent years, “tanker” rifles have been commercially produced.
8) M1 Garand production resumed during the Korean War
When the Korean War broke out and the United States led a coalition of United Nations forces to support South Korea, the Springfield Armory – which rebuilt around half a million World War II Garand rifles – began new production. This continued even after hostilities ended and the last M1 service rifle rolled off the Springfield Armory assembly line on May 17, 1957.
The Armory produced 637,420 rifles while the International Harvester Company of Evansville, Indiana, and Harrington & Richardson Arms Company of Worcester, Massachusetts, were each contracted to produce the rifle for the U.S. military. International Harvester delivered 337,623 rifles and Harrington & Richardson supplied an additional 428,600.
9) Its film debut came just months after the U.S. entered World War II
Due to wartime constraints, the M1 Garand didn’t appear in all that many films made during the Second World War. Yet, it did appear on screen in the 1942 film “Wake Island” which told the heroic defense of the Pacific Island in the opening weeks of the war.
The U.S. had a limited number of Garand rifles to spare and the Marines in the film “Wake Island” with an M1 were likely completing their training.
Moreover, the 1st Defense Battalion at Wake Island was not equipped with the weapons. Instead, they defended the island with M1903 Springfield rifles. The first Marines to employ the Garand in combat were the defenders of Midway Island on June 4, 1942.
10) Tens of thousands of M1 Garand rifles remain in South Korea
In addition to the millions of M1 Garand rifles carried by U.S. servicemembers, countless more rifles were supplied to allies. This included tens of thousands provided to South Korea. Many of those rifles – including vast quantities never employed in combat – were put into storage. As South Korea upgraded its military equipment, those rifles remained. Well over a decade ago, two American firms tried to purchase the M1 rifles and spare parts to bring them home. Yet, due to a number of factors, the M1s haven’t returned to the United States and very likely never will.
The South Korean government attempted to blame the Obama Administration. They claimed it blocked the re-importation on the grounds that the guns were old and potentially dangerous. There were also claims those rifles could fall into the hands of terrorists and gangs. In addition, South Korea wanted to sell those guns to a third party and not return them to the U.S. government. This was in conflict with a preexisting ban on the return of American military hardware provided for lend-lease or foreign aid.
Much of this was to ensure current U.S.-made small arms wouldn’t face competition from foreign entities. The efforts to bring home the M1 Garand rifles didn’t stop. However, in 2013, after numerous hurdles seemed to be cleared, President Obama issued an executive order that blocked the guns’ return yet again.
