Paramarines!

[thunderw21]

These scans are from an issue of "Mechanix Illustrated". I believe it is from October of either 1941 or 1942. Interesting and rare photos of the never used "Paramarine" unit. Note the weapons and equipment.

 

[thunderw21]

 

[SamMarlowPI]

those are pretty neat...looks like a little wooden gun to me...

 

[Sarge]

These scans are from an issue of "Mechanix Illustrated". I believe it is from October of either 1941 or 1942. Interesting and rare photos of the never used "Paramarine" unit. Note the weapons and equipment.

Those special operations Marines and their fancy toys. The M1941 Johnson is a great lookin' gun. Too bad they never got all the kinks worked out of it in time to be officially adopted by the U.S. military.

 

[Ben]

Fantastic Scans

These are fantastic scans. Is there much text that goes along with the article, or was it mostly just photos?

 

[AeroDillo]

I hear the Johnson is a fine rifle. The Reising, on the other hand....

 

[thunderw21]

These are fantastic scans. Is there much text that goes along with the article, or was it mostly just photos?

I believe there was a short article but I don't have the magazine here so I can't scan it. Maybe at Thanksgiving.

 

[Twitch]

There was another that was touted to be a very nice piece the Marlin UD M42.
http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg67-e.htm
It was 9mm but a few .45s were made. Big mystery is what happened to some 15,000 shipped to France captured by the Germans.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

interesting gun Twitch...

 

[MrBern]

These scans are from an issue of "Mechanix Illustrated". I believe it is from October of either 1941 or 1942. Interesting and rare photos of the never used "Paramarine" unit. Note the weapons and equipment.

Didnt they see some combat?
They never actually jumped, but didnt those troops serve in some combat capacity?
The Johnson gun did see some combat w/ the short lived FSSF, the black devils.

 

[Harp]

The M1941 Johnson is a great lookin' gun. Too bad they never got all the kinks worked out of it in time to be officially adopted by the U.S. military.

1st Special Service Force traded USMC 9k lbs demo for Jacks before Kiska Op and Italy.

 

[thunderw21]

Didnt they see some combat?
They never actually jumped, but didnt those troops serve in some combat capacity?

Yes, but not as a single, special uint. The paramarines were broken up, sent to multiple combat units. A shame, it would have been interesting to see them in action in the role they were meant for.

And you're about the Johnsons, the Army traded 2 tons of demolition charges for 125 of the guns, though they never got the special pouches to hold the magazines.