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Wild Bill -> A Little Gun with a Big Bite (MC-W) (9/29/2001 12:50:00 PM)
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Another little glimpse of MC-W or MC-3
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A LITTLE GUN WITH A BIG BITE
By Wild Bill Wilder
As Marine troops frantically set up defenses along the Ilu River on the afternoon of August 20th in anticipation of the arrival of the Japanese Ichiki force, two Marine riflemen walked to their positions. Both were part of a machine gun team.
Grumbling as Marines always do, the machine gunners broke down their equipment and began moving it inland. As they passed the sand spit near the mouth of the Ilu, they observed an artillery team entrenching a small 37mm gun.
The thought passed through some of their minds that such a "pop gun" would do little good in the upcoming fight. Near the sandbags being put into position was a pile of canisters. One gunner asked the other what they were.
"Canister," the other Marine caustically explained. "Those canisters are made of hardened wax filled with large steel ball bearings. When one is fired, the wax melts from the heat and the large shot sprays out in a widening pattern of death. It's kinda like a giant shotgun, but with some mighty powerful buckshot."
The inquisitive Marine paused for a moment contemplating the canisters. "Good God almighty, those things could kill a feller."
Could and did would be better stated. Fired at point blank range during the all-night battle at the Ilu, the canister rounds were lethal beyond all expectation against the bunched-up charging Japanese soldiers.
It would be one of the most valuable weapons on the line during the encounter.
Source: Challenge for the Pacific, Leckie
Pacific War Encyclopedia, Dunnigan and Nofi
The USMC in WW2, Smith
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![]("biggrin.gif")
True, hard to quit what I love so much. We spent years getting Steel Panthers to this level of excellence.
It's like giving a handyman a garage full of new tool, then thinking he won't make anything new.
No way!
