THE GUAM GARANDS

by Scott A. Duff and David C. Clark

This article was previously published in the Garand Collectors Association Journal, Volume Eleven, Number Two, pages 15 and 16. It is published in Culver’s Shooting Page with permission of the authors and the GCA.

In all military conflicts, the price of an objective is paid with the lives of combatants. Historically it has been considered that the force armed with superior weapons incurs fewer casualties and has a greater chance of victory. For this reason tacticians and military historians have studied small arms for centuries. As the appreciation for the development of small arms grew, and people began to accumulate these pieces of history into collections, so did the interest in where and how they may have been used. As the conflict or event passes further into history, and we begin to rely more upon what is written in the history books rather than eyewitness accounts, greater appreciation is given to a weapon or artifact which is factually tied to the event. The 30 Guam Garands provide students of U.S. martial small arms an unparalleled opportunity to study a group of circa 1944 configuration M1 rifles with a documented battle provenance.

When the Japanese struck in the Pacific, previously unheard of islands such as Oahu, Corregidor, Wake, and Guam became part of news headlines announcing swift and terrible Japanese aggression. Guam is the largest and most southerly of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It was ceded to the United States in 1898 among the terms of the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish-American War.

In the autumn of 1941, 424 lightly armed U.S. Marines and Navy personnel, along with an 80-member Insular Patrol Force manned the garrison of the U.S. territorial island of Guam. On 10 December 1941, Guam was attacked by Japanese naval forces launched from the neighboring island of Saipan. After a heroic but futile defense, during which they sustained 19 killed and 42 wounded, U.S. forces surrendered

On 21 July 1944, the IIIrd Amphibious Corps (3rd Marine Division, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the Army's 77th Infantry Division) landed on Guam. Fierce resistance from the 18,000 Japanese soldiers coupled with the rough terrain exacted a high price in American casualties. On 10 August 1944, organized resistance ceased and Guam was, from a military operational standpoint, declared secure. In reality, thousands of Japanese soldiers, dedicated to the emperor, refused to surrender. They retreated into the thick foliage of the hills to continue the resistance.

In late August 1944, Admiral Nimitz directed that a Local Security Patrol Force be organized to hunt down and capture or kill the Japanese holdouts. The unit was comprised of U.S. Marines and Guamanians, many of whom had served in the Insular Patrol Force prior to the war. Within a month, patrols were credited with killing up to 80 Japanese soldiers per day. Attacks on Marines and Guamanians continued after the surrender of Japan in September 1945. It is highly likely that M1 rifles used by the Local Security Patrol Force were transferred to the new Guam Police to support continued anti-Japanese activity.

In December 1994, the Guam Police Department found itself armed with a wide variety of small arms. Desiring to update and standardize their small arms inventory, they negotiated a trade agreement with a licensed firearms dealer in the United States. The deal was simple: in exchange for their mixed small arms inventory, the department would receive new firearms. Guam's outdated small arms inventory was shipped to the United States in July 1996. As Guam is a United States territory, the rifles bear no "import stamp."

All of the Guam Garands are of Springfield Armory manufacture. One was made in July 1942, one in September 1942, one in November 1943, and the remainder were produced between January and July 1943. Twenty stocks bear the EMcF cartouche, two are stamped SA/GAW, one is a GHS without visible cartouche, and two marked WRA/GHD. The remaining five are unmarked or the cartouche is no longer visible. A few of the stocks are cracked. Three stocks have words or initials carved into them. It is unknown if this was done by U.S. troops or Guamanians. Twelve have the often seen "bullet tip dings" on them from tapping the cartridge clip of ammunition prior to insertion in the rifle.

Several of the rifles are in what appears to be their original combination of parts. Others have obviously had components traded among this group and other rifles. One rifle has a Winchester operating rod, two rifles have Winchester safeties.

The climate on Guam is hostile to firearms. It is tropical with an average annual temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and high humidity is common. All of the rifles have their original finish. The only parts changes would have been performed by unit armorers. Some rifles have surface rust, especially on the operating rods, trigger guards, and trigger housing floor plates. Others exhibit some pitting of metal surfaces above or below the wood line. The bore on most of the rifles is in poor condition. The ammo fired through them during the war was corrosive. Inadequate cleaning appears to have been the norm.

All rifles are equipped with un-modified operating rods and locking bar rear sights. One rifle has the "poppet valve" gas cylinder lock screw used in grenade launching. The other 29 have the solid, single-slot gas cylinder lock screw. All but one rifle has the narrow sight base gas cylinder. Seven rifles contain front sight screw seals. Eight rifles are equipped with the short-fork riveted follower rod. The remaining 22 have the long-fork type which came into use in late 1943 or early 1944. It is not known whether these rods were added prior to or after the battle. Two rifles have had the barrels changed. All of the other components are typical to the era of a World War II battle in the late summer of 1944.

A few World War II components, which were not available prior to the battle, are found on the rifles. Two rifles have revision 19 (SA) bolts, one has a revision 18 (SA) trigger housing. As the rifles remained in action months after the wars end, this is not surprising.

Not all parts are "matching colors" the way most collectors think they should be. The opportunity to examine substantially original circa 1944 battle rifles makes these Garands extremely valuable to researchers.

The butt plates, rear hand guard clips, lower bands, and front ends from the front hand guard ferrules forward are painted black on all rifles. It is assumed this paint was applied by the Guam Police.

The 30 M1 Garands of the Local Security Patrol Force of Guam give the historian and arms collector a unique opportunity to own a weapon which is linked to a specific World War II campaign. These Garands are the only known group of M1 rifles documented to a World War II battle. Aside from minor parts replacement at field service level, they remain in circa 1944 configuration. For the collector who appreciates provenance, it doesn't get any better!