[yarddog]

I am sure Patton thought highly of the Garand and rightly so.

Still he had a habit of praising American equipment even when he must have known it was not that great.

Probably to keep the troops confident.

[treetopsandroofs]

“Probably to keep the troops confident.”

Pappy Boyington would fly the worst plane for the same reason.

Real men.

[SES1066]

Still he had a habit of praising American equipment even when he must have known it was not that great.

Are you saying this about the M1 Garand or as a 'general' statement? Here is the letter that he wrote to the US Army Chief of Ordnance in 1945, General Campbell. Note that he starts by specifying praise for the M1, then gives praise for the bounty that the Ordnance operations had delivered.

If you take 1943 as an exemplar year for WW2, the best rifles in common use were probably the German K98 Mauser, the British Enfield Mark 4, the US M1 Garand and the Russian Mosin Nagant 91/30. Only the M1 Garand was a non-bolt and thus maintained the sight-picture through a firing sequence. It's apparent biggest weakness was a nonadjustable 8-shot magazine and a ping sound when completed. One on one may have been a problem, in squad actions and at distances, probably a non-issue.

I think that the M1 Garand fully deserves its reputation.