The museum's WWII collection includes weapons, communications equipment, mine detection devices, and ordnance from the Pacific and European theaters. Many pieces are accompanied by period photographs documenting their use in combat.
M1911 A1 Automatic Pistol
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol, chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge, which served as the standard-issue sidearm for the United States Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985. During WWII, about 1.9 million units were procured by the U.S. Government for all forces, production being undertaken by several manufacturers. In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life.
After Pearl Harbor, the already high demand increased exponentially. The .45 pistol saw widespread service in all theaters of the war and further cemented its already stellar reputation as one of the finest military handguns of all time. The pistol was often criticized for being heavy and, like most handguns, required training and practice to be reasonably proficient while shooting at anything much beyond point-blank range. Regardless, the .45 was reliable and possessed potent short-range “stopping power.” A handgun was essentially a supplemental sidearm and was generally employed in actual combat action only when the more effective rifles and automatic arms were unavailable, out of ammunition or damaged.
Museum Examples
M-1 Garand Rifle
The M-1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle chambered for the .30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge — the first standard-issue semi-automatic rifle, called “the greatest battle implement ever devised” by General George S. Patton. During World War II, the M1 gave U.S. forces a distinct advantage in firefights against Axis enemies, whose standard-issue rifles were slower-firing bolt-action designs.
The Garand’s fire rate in the hands of a trained soldier averaged 40–50 accurate shots per minute at a range of 300 yards, making it the single fastest-firing service rifle during WWII until the Germans introduced the StG44 in 1944. In the short-range jungle fighting, where opposing forces sometimes met each other in column formation on a narrow path, the penetration of the powerful .30-06 M2 cartridge enabled a single U.S. infantryman to kill up to three Japanese soldiers with a single round.
Museum Examples
Firearms & Carbines
The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) was the most produced small arm in American history — a lightweight, easy-to-use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. During the period of 1942 to 1945 a total of 6 million carbines were manufactured. Unlike conventional carbines, which are generally a version of a parent rifle with a shorter barrel, the M1 carbine has only one minor part in common with the M1 rifle, a short butt plate screw. Its effective range was about 200 meters.
The first M1 carbines were delivered in mid-1942, with initial priority given to troops in the European Theater of Operations. The M1 carbine gained generally high praise for its small size, light weight and firepower, especially by those troops who were unable to use a full-size rifle as their primary weapon. In the Pacific theater, soldiers and guerrilla forces operating in heavy jungle with only occasional enemy contact praised the carbine. The carbine’s exclusive use of non-corrosive-primer ammunition was found to be a godsend by the troops and ordnance personnel serving in the Pacific, where barrel corrosion was a significant issue with the corrosive primers used in .30-06 caliber weapons. While the .30 Carbine cartridge used in the M1 Carbine could not penetrate small trees and light cover as well as the standard U.S. .30-06 rifle cartridge, it was markedly superior to the .45-caliber Reising and Thompson sub-machine guns in both accuracy and penetration, while its lighter .30 cartridge allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition.
Museum Examples
Water-Cooled Machine Gun
The M1917 Browning machine gun is a heavy machine gun used by the United States armed forces in World War I, World War II, Korea, and to a limited extent in Vietnam, and by other nations. The M1917’s weight and bulk meant it was generally employed as a fixed defense, or battalion, or regimental support weapon. It was mainly used at the battalion level, and often mounted on vehicles.
There have been many modifications since its inception in 1895. Each phase showed major improvements. In 1937 the M1917 became the M1917A1, and as such became the Military’s Machine Gun of choice with continued up-grades, modifications, and rebuilds throughout WWII ending as an M1919A4.
WWII Pacific campaign, the armament of the Marines on Guadalcanal consisted of bolt-action Springfield rifles, Browning automatic rifles (BARs) and Browning water-cooled machine guns. The 8 water-cooled Brownings in the machine gun platoon which supported each rifle company were spread very thinly, and carefully selected placement and determined action to keep them going at all costs were of paramount importance. In the battles that followed, the Brownings and their Marine gunners had their “finest hour”.
Museum Examples
Radio Communications Equipment
World War II started an explosion of applications of electronics to military needs. These Radio Sets contain a portable, low-power, frequency-modulated radio receiver and transmitter (BC-620), providing communication over a range of approximately five miles. The set could be operated from a stationary position or in vehicular installations. Radio set SCR-510 could also be used in vehicles, obtaining power from the vehicular battery.
Field radio equipment representing the communications technology that coordinated Allied forces across the Pacific and European theaters. Many sets are accompanied by period photographs documenting their use in combat conditions.
Museum Examples
Mine Detectors
The SCR-625 was the original portable mine detector, developed under a National Defense Research Council (NDRC) contract with Hazeltine Co. of New York in the early days of World War II. Fielded in 1942, it first saw combat use in North Africa. The detector was standardized in September 1942 and was available for American units that landed in Morocco in November. It performed well and became one of the most popular pieces of Army equipment in North Africa. It had two serious shortcomings: it was not waterproof and it was quite fragile.
Museum Examples
Ordnance & Bombs
The MK-15 was a 100-lb. practice bomb used by the United States Navy. According to OP 1280 “Aircraft Bombs” that was published by the Navy on 17 February 1945 this was One of the most popular practice bombs built.
The MK-15 was made of welded sheet metal. The empty weight was 17 lbs. A water-filled bomb of 4.55 gallons weighed 56 lbs. while a wet sand filled bomb weighed 95 lbs. Under icing conditions, a mixture of anti-freeze could be used instead of water. The overall length was 41.2 inches with a maximum body dimension of 8.0 inches.
During World War II, various types of hand grenades were used by different countries, each with its own design and purpose. The Mk II grenade, also known as the “pineapple grenade,” was the most recognized hand grenade used by the U.S. Army from 1918 up through the 1960s. It was a fragmentation grenade designed to scatter shrapnel and was widely used during the war. The Mk II grenade was known for its distinctive grooved surface divided into 40 knobs in five rows of eight columns, which enhanced fragmentation and provided a better grip when handling and throwing the grenade.
