On December 17, 1944, the German armored spearhead of Kampfgruppe Pieper overran the U.S. 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion at a crossroads in Belgium during the opening of the Battle of the Bulge. The lightly armed Americans—mostly with M1 carbines—were quickly overwhelmed and forced to surrender. The name of the field they were herded into will live in infamy. It was there, at Malmedy, that 86 American prisoners of war were executed by the Germans. In this American Rifleman Television segment we are at that hallowed ground, and we continue on to the exact spot that Kamfgruppe Pieper was stopped by the men of the U.S. 30th Infantry and the 82nd Airborne Divisions.
Much gratitude has been, and is given, to the man who created the M1 Garand. But folklore suggests John C. Garand did all the work for free. Let us dispel that notion.
While the U.S. Army's Model 1903 Springfield rifle is one of the most well-recognized small arms of the 20th century, a lesser-known variant, the Model 1903A3, served as an important stopgap rifle in the early years of World War II.
Springfield Armory introduced its first optic-ready TRP 1911s, equipped with the Agency Optic System, along with the company's first 9 mm Luger-chambered TRP pistols.