Even before the two powerful adversaries met for the first time on the ground, the American Rifleman had the advantage in weaponry.
The M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle had been adopted by the U.S. Army as the standard that replaced the manual, bolt-operated, Springfield Model 1903. MacArthur's 32nd and 41st Divisions used the M1 in the Eastern Papuan campaign. The Marines, however, went to Guadalcanal with the Springfield. I asked George Jacobsen (E Co., 163rd) why, in his opinion, the Marines fought for Guadalcanal with "old technology." His response, one I believe close to the truth, was the Marines were a part of the Navy...I get his point.
The Japanese remained with the tried and trusted bolt-action infantry weapons that virtually every army in the world used to equip their armies. The primary source for Japanese arms, unless otherwise noted, is The Handbook on Japanese Military Forces as identified on the Resources page.
Choose your weapons by clicking on the appropriate flag.
