MrP
Banned
The iconic M1 Garand faced some competition prior to its adoption as the standard service rifle of the US armed forces. Could the also-ran M1941 Johnson have been picked instead?
According to Wikipedia:
I rather like its look, personally.
According to Wikipedia:
Since Johnson had also designed a light machine gun which shared the same operating principle and many parts with the rifle, both guns might have been picked as a package deal.Melvin Johnson campaigned heavily for the adoption of the Johnson rifle by the U.S. Army and other service branches. However, after limited testing, the U.S. Army rejected Johnson's rifle in favor of the M1 rifle developed by Springfield Armory. The M1941 was ordered by the Netherlands for issue to the KNIL in the Dutch East Indies, but only a few rifles were shipped to the Dutch East Indies before the Japanese invaded. At this time, the U.S. Marine Corps found itself in need of a modern fast-firing infantry rifle, and acquired some rifles from the Dutch East Indies shipment for issue to its Paramarine battalions then preparing to deploy for action in the Pacific theatre. By all accounts, the M1941 performed acceptably in combat with the Marines in the early days of the Pacific fighting.
I rather like its look, personally.