My grandfathers M1 Garand

firemn260 · Jun 10, 2018

My moms father landed in France during the invasion of Normandy and made it all the way to somewhere in Germany before he was wounded by shrapnel from German 88mm gun. I was young when he passed but I remember him talking about the brutal fighting in the hedgerows and various towns they liberated. I do recall him saying he had his rifle with him when he was sent to England to recover from his wounds.( he was hit in the side of the face and I can always remember his jaw clicking when he ate) after that he was sent back to the states and guarded German pows for the rest of the war. I assumed he was issued a sidearm also but can’t say for sure. I wish I could of been a bit older to appreciate the stories he would tell. He was very proud of being a vet according to my mom.

Anyway I was wondering what the chances would be of tracking down the rifle and 1911 that was issued to him? Anybody have any experience with this? I would love to have one of them no matter the cost or effort to get them. I figure the chances are slim but to me it’s worth a try. Thank you

TargetGrade · Jun 10, 2018

firemn260 said:
My moms father landed in France during the invasion of Normandy and made it all the way to somewhere in Germany before he was wounded by shrapnel from German 88mm gun. I was young when he passed but I remember him talking about the brutal fighting in the hedgerows and various towns they liberated. I do recall him saying he had his rifle with him when he was sent to England to recover from his wounds.( he was hit in the side of the face and I can always remember his jaw clicking when he ate) after that he was sent back to the states and guarded German pows for the rest of the war. I assumed he was issued a sidearm also but can’t say for sure. I wish I could of been a bit older to appreciate the stories he would tell. He was very proud of being a vet according to my mom.

Anyway I was wondering what the chances would be of tracking down the rifle and 1911 that was issued to him? Anybody have any experience with this? I would love to have one of them no matter the cost or effort to get them. I figure the chances are slim but to me it’s worth a try. Thank you

Sadly slim to none, needle in a haystack BUT I salute your grandfather!

buellsfurn · Jun 10, 2018

firemn260 said:
My moms father landed in France during the invasion of Normandy and made it all the way to somewhere in Germany before he was wounded by shrapnel from German 88mm gun. I was young when he passed but I remember him talking about the brutal fighting in the hedgerows and various towns they liberated. I do recall him saying he had his rifle with him when he was sent to England to recover from his wounds.( he was hit in the side of the face and I can always remember his jaw clicking when he ate) after that he was sent back to the states and guarded German pows for the rest of the war. I assumed he was issued a sidearm also but can’t say for sure. I wish I could of been a bit older to appreciate the stories he would tell. He was very proud of being a vet according to my mom.

Anyway I was wondering what the chances would be of tracking down the rifle and 1911 that was issued to him? Anybody have any experience with this? I would love to have one of them no matter the cost or effort to get them. I figure the chances are slim but to me it’s worth a try. Thank you

I remember someone else posting the alike thing few months back not sure of any outcome but maybe try some MDS research and see if someone responded to his or her question that,s all I have sorry

Pinecone · Jun 10, 2018

Needle in a HUGE haystack.

The made over 5 MILLION of them.

If you have the serial numbers, you could start posting on every gun forum to see if someone had one and is willing to part with it.

Without the serial number, virtually NO WAY to track it down. Unlikely the issue records still exist in any form.

Jimbob2.0 · Jun 10, 2018

Never hurts to try, there are quite a few stories of veterans being reunited with their guns. If you have the serial number that will go a long way if not do some research to see if there is a military record that indicates the serial number issues. Without a serial you are pretty much toast and at that point seeking a "comparable" gun.

Don't get your hopes up and if someone has it they may be "inclined" to seek a premium, but others may be fair. Deal with that issue when you get there.

Blacksmith101 · Jun 11, 2018

It has been done and there are some reports over on the CMP Forum about it. Use the search to find the threads.
CMP Forum:
http://forums.thecmp.org/

The first thing you need is the serial numbers. Some people have found them in the persons personal papers and some have had luck requesting the official military records.
Military records:
https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel

If you find the serial number you can request a search of the CMP records and see if that number passed through their hands.
CMP Research:
http://thecmp.org/faq/will-the-cmp-...e-if-it-had-ever-been-sold-by-the-dcm-or-cmp/

If you find the number you will at least know who made it and when it was made so you could probably find one that was close to the original.
Born On Dates:
http://usriflecal30m1.com/ProductionGraph.aspx

This should get you started.
Very small needle very big hay stack.....Good Luck.

Threeband · Jun 11, 2018

Unless he said it was a 1911, his sidearm might have been something else.

My father guarded POWs at Camp Forrest, Tennessee and on harvest crews up and down the Great Plains. He told me he carried "a twelve gauge shotgun and a .45 revolver." I always figured the revolver was a 1917, Colt or S&W.

MilsurpDan · Jun 11, 2018

Here’s my thread.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=204234

Get your Grandfather’s records from the national archives. I was lucky enough to have gotten my Great-Grandfather’s Marine handbook and most of his other documents. One of the pages had the serial number of his rifle listed on it. Basically, if you don’t have the serial number recorded somewhere you’re screwed.

If I remember right, there was a fire in the national archives back in the early 1970’s that destroyed a ton of records for the Army or one of the branches.

I took the serial number and sent a letter to the CMP asking if they had it in their inventory. In 2014 it had been transferred from the CMP to TACOM. I’m thinking about contacting TACOM to see if I can get the rifle back.

engineerbrian · Jun 11, 2018

MilsurpDan said:
Here’s my thread.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=204234

Get your Grandfather’s records from the national archives. I was lucky enough to have gotten my Great-Grandfather’s Marine handbook and most of his other documents. One of the pages had the serial number of his rifle listed on it. Basically, if you don’t have the serial number recorded somewhere you’re screwed.

If I remember right, there was a fire in the national archives back in the early 1970’s that destroyed a ton of records for the Army or one of the branches.

I took the serial number and sent a letter to the CMP asking if they had it in their inventory. In 2014 it had been transferred from the CMP to TACOM. I’m thinking about contacting TACOM to see if I can get the rifle back.

What is TACOM?

MilsurpDan · Jun 11, 2018

engineerbrian said:
What is TACOM?

https://www.army.mil/tacom

It’s the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM).

When the CMP called me, the lady on the phone said they handle loaning rifles to different units for “ceremonial purposes” like honor guards, drill teams, (etc.). The way she explained it to me was that they are used for “21 gun salutes”, so I guess that could mean the rifle is still functional.

Blacksmith101 · Jun 11, 2018

MilsurpDan said:
Here’s my thread.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=204234

Get your Grandfather’s records from the national archives. I was lucky enough to have gotten my Great-Grandfather’s Marine handbook and most of his other documents. One of the pages had the serial number of his rifle listed on it. Basically, if you don’t have the serial number recorded somewhere you’re screwed.

If I remember right, there was a fire in the national archives back in the early 1970’s that destroyed a ton of records for the Army or one of the branches.

I took the serial number and sent a letter to the CMP asking if they had it in their inventory. In 2014 it had been transferred from the CMP to TACOM. I’m thinking about contacting TACOM to see if I can get the rifle back.

Definitely contact them start at the top and explain your interest. If nothing else you should be able to find out where it is and maybe able to get a chance to photograph it. I am sure you will find many people in the military sympathetic to your interest.

lazarus · Jun 11, 2018

Blacksmith101 said:
Definitely contact them start at the top and explain your interest. If nothing else you should be able to find out where it is and maybe able to get a chance to photograph it. I am sure you will find many people in the military sympathetic to your interest.

To be realistic, I’d say you have about as much luck as winning the lotto, maybe an easy drawing, of actually getting ownership of it some day. Long odds of finding the serial number through a records search, but it isn’t impossible, just not highly likely.

Tracking it from there is going to be unlikely.

MilsurpDan · Jun 11, 2018

lazarus said:
To be realistic, I’d say you have about as much luck as winning the lotto, maybe an easy drawing, of actually getting ownership of it some day. Long odds of finding the serial number through a records search, but it isn’t impossible, just not highly likely.

Tracking it from there is going to be unlikely.

The lady at the CMP told me to write a letter to them every 6 months or so to see if TACOM returns it when they don’t need it anymore. She said if they get it they’ll send it to me.

zoostation · Jun 11, 2018

MilsurpDan said:
If I remember right, there was a fire in the national archives back in the early 1970’s that destroyed a ton of records for the Army or one of the branches.

There was indeed. At the St. Louis archives. I know because they lost most of my dad's service related medical documentation in it.

firemn260 · Jun 11, 2018

Thanks for sending me in the right direction. I know it’s a long shot but i figured it’s worth a try. It would be neat to find one comparable to what he carried. I’ve always wanted a M1 and maybe this is the angle I got to work in order for my wife to let me buy one.

firemn260 · Jun 11, 2018

Threeband said:
Unless he said it was a 1911, his sidearm might have been something else.

My father guarded POWs at Camp Forrest, Tennessee and on harvest crews up and down the Great Plains. He told me he carried "a twelve gauge shotgun and a .45 revolver." I always figured the revolver was a 1917, Colt or S&W.

I’m not sure he ever mentioned if he had a 1911 or not. My mom has a shadow box with all his original badges and medals in it including a Purple Heart, bronze star, the blue combat infantry pin I think it is, campaign awards and some other qualification pins. She has some of his records that I’ll have to dig through and see what I come up with.

I’m not sure where he guarded pows at but my mom said that he had mentioned that the pows pretty much guarded themselves. After they separated the hard core nazis from the regular soldiers they had it so good that they had no reason to try and escape. I’m sure they were much happier to be captured by the US and British forces than by the Russians.

Pinecone · Jun 11, 2018

If you want one comparable, just get one.

Most out there are mixmasters with parts from different manufacturers. Most of them have been thorugh arsenal reconditioning, so they take them apart, and put them back together with random parts from the bins. And all the parts interchange, so a Garand is a Garand.

Yes, it would be nice to get the same manufacturer receiver as he had. But the reality it, other than the markings, a Garand is a Garand.

lazarus · Jun 11, 2018

MilsurpDan said:
The lady at the CMP told me to write a letter to them every 6 months or so to see if TACOM returns it when they don’t need it anymore. She said if they get it they’ll send it to me.

Sorry, I was directing my response at the OP. It sounds like you may really have a shot at getting it once TACOM returns it (likely eventually). Just the process of tracking down the records of what the OP’s grandfather was issued isn’t super high and then being able to go further is unlikely and even if you could identify if it went further I’d be surprised if an organization like CMP would tell you (if it was) a private individual’s contact information if they or DCM did sell it to someone (and I’d be really shocked in a bad way if they would). And decent odds it never went through DCM or CMP.

Hey, it is absolutely worth a shot. Just a tempering of expectations. If a thousand people could try to find their grandfather or father’s service weapon and I’d guess one or two of them might some day succeed. You sound like you are pretty close, but OP hasn’t gotten past step one yet and there are half a dozen more with a good chance of failure at each one.

My grandfathers M1 Garand

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