#M1 garand serial numbers history movie#
#M1 garand serial numbers history serial number#

I should mention that another movie, Carbine Williams, was made that involved the M1 carbine. A person at the Center of Military History Clearinghouse at the Anniston Army Depot did a database search for that serial number, got a hit, and the rifle was found ( Source).Р”Р‡igure 4 shows the rifle in its museum display today. It seems like a miracle that this specific rifle could be pulled out of a warehouse decades after the war, but it really happened.

#M1 garand serial numbers history movie#

When you think of US government storage, think of a warehouse similar to that shown at the end of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark (Figure 3). It is believed the rifle was recovered from the battlefield by the US Army, properly repaired, and put into storage. Unfortunately, most of that sergeantРІР‚в„ўs platoon was wiped out the following day. Thinking that the wound may send him home, Murphy gave his rifle to a sergeant who hoped that the carbine would bring that him luck.

It appears that Murphy was wounded by a sniper on 25-Oct-44.

The exact story of how the rifle left MurphyРІР‚в„ўs possession is unclear.

#M1 garand serial numbers history serial number#

The key to recovering the rifle was an interview with Murphy that provided a key piece of information РІР‚вЂњ the serial number of the rifle. The story of its recovery is a testament to the power of modern database technology. In MurphyРІР‚в„ўs case, he carried many different weapons but appeared to prefer the M1 carbine. For example, my father was a radioman and he carried an M1 carbine. tankers) or who had to carry other things (e.g. The carbine was usually carried by troops who had limited space available (e.g.

The M1 carbine was shorter and much lighter than the infantryРІР‚в„ўs standard M1 Garand. I recently read that the US Army had recovered his favorite rifle, which was an M1 carbine. I should mention that the book tells a better tale than the movie. He later starred in a movie version of his book that is well worth watching. It is a very American tale РІР‚вЂњ a dirt poor teenager from a family with a dead mother and missing father accomplishes amazing feats through sheer determination and force of will. When I was a boy, I read the memoir To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy and was very impressed with his accomplishments as an infantry soldier during WW2 (Figure 1).