Destination Tokyo (the movie)

[38 WCF]

Just watched this old movie from 1943 starring Cary Grant. There is a scene in the movie where a three man patrol from the submarine goes ashore and they are armed with Winchester M 1894 carbines. I wonder if US submarines really did cary Winchester rifles aboard or is this just movie stuff.
Any ideas on this.?

[Alan Wood]

My guess would be prop department gaff or just what they had on hand. 1903s M1s and M1carbines would have been unavailable I think for an entertainment film due to the war.
Alan Wood

[2ndovc]

If you watch closely a lot of the WWII films made during the war there are many troops our's and their's running around withthe wrong weapons.

There are several movies where the Japanese are running around with Krag rifles.
I'd say it was kinda difficult gathering up a couple dozen Arisaka to make a movie!


jb

[KCSO]

A limited number of M 94 carbines were issued to the Forest Service and some shore guards in the early war. They were a very limited issue and they has a specific serial number range. I have the detail in a Winchester book somewhere but I can't lay hands on it right now. I imagiane that the movie folks had to use whtever they could get early in the war. This was at the time when soldiers were drilling with Krags and Springfields. But... My Dad was on Tresure Island and their work boat had a M94 on board. They worked installing radar equipment.

[Jayhawker]

The Navy did use lever actions during the war although most of them were used for base defense. All the newer stuff went to the Marines, who put them to good use. Very few rifles were used aboard ship as it just wasn't a priority. I guess there weren't too many boarding parties during the wars. The 1911 pistol was, by far, the most common hand carried firearm. This was from my FIL who served in both WWII and Korea as a machinist mate. He used to talk about fabricating repair parts for worn out rifles. He hated the Winchesters because they were more complicated than they had to be.