The Pacific is the 2010 WWII HBO miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, who previously produced the acclaimed Band of Brothers. This miniseries focuses on the experiences of US Marines fighting in the Pacific Theater of World War II and is primarily based on the memoirs of Robert Leckie and Eugene Sledge.
The following weapons were used in the HBO miniseries The Pacific:
A Marine Sniper uses an M1903A1 Springfield with scope during the assault on Peleliu Airfield.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingA pair of M1903A1 Springfield sniper rifles (.30-06) with 7.8x Unertl scopes. The guns pictured here were the actual rifles used in Letters from Iwo Jima (one is primary, the other is a back-up), and the rifle was fired by Master Sergeant Tom Minder, one of the technical advisors, in the filmError creating thumbnail: File missingIn this promotional image, a Marine sniper takes cover behind a truck, scoped M1903A1 Springfield in hands. This shot didn't make it into the final cut, but if you look closely during the battle you can see a blurred shot of the Springfield as the sniper shoots an enemy soldier taking cover behind a wrecked car.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe sniper watches for enemy counterattacks.
M1903A3 Springfield
The M1903A3 Springfield rifle is the general issue weapon for the Marines who land and fight on Guadalcanal in Part 1 and Part 2, as all the new M1 rifles were sent to the US Army. One of the only inaccuracies in this series, as the Marines would be using the older M1903 version on Guadalcanal. The M1903A3 wasn't adopted until 1944. The Marines seen using the Springfield include Cpl. Lew 'Chuckler' Juergens (Josh Helman), PFC Wilbur 'Runner' Conley (Keith Nobbs) and Pvt. William LaPointe (Sam Parsonson). After being replaced with the M1, it was still used by Marines on the railway journey in Episode 3, to compare accuracy with the M1. PFC Ronnie Gibson (Tom Budge) is able to shoot a cow from the moving train with one.
The M1 is first seen in Guadalcanal, when Sid Phillips (Ashton Holmes) finds, to his disgust, a crate of newly arrived M1 Garands for the army. Whilst stationed in Melbourne, the Marines replace the M1903 with the M1 Garand, which remains the main battle rifle throughout the series. During Part 3, riding in a train through the Victorian country, several Marines compare the M1 to the M1903, and on Pavuvu in Part 4, Gunnery Sgt. Elmo Haney (Gary Sweet) is seen conducting solo bayonet drills against imaginary Japanese enemies using an M1. In combat, amongst those who use it are Cpl. Lew 'Chuckler' Juergens (Josh Helman), PFC Wilbur 'Runner' Conley (Keith Nobbs) PFC Bill Leyden (Brendan Fletcher) and PFC Bill "Hoosier" Smith (Jacob Pitts). Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) normally carries the M1 Carbine, but he uses the M1 on two occasions, one when he uses Leyden's to kill an attacking Japanese soldier in Part 7, and during a Japanese Banzai charge in Part 9.
The M1 Carbine is carried by several characters in the series including Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), Capt. Andrew Haldane (Scott Gibson), 1st Lt. Edward 'Hillbilly' Jones (Leon Ford), Cpl. R.V. Burgin (Martin McCann) and PFC Merriell "Snafu" Shelton (Rami Malek). John Basilone (Jon Seda) switches between an M1 Carbine and the Browning M1919A4 while on Iwo Jima in Part 8, with PFC Steve Evanson (Dwight Braswell) occasionally using Basilone's Carbine. In Part 9, the Carbine is used by replacement Pvt. Hamm (Noel Fisher).
The Arisaka Type 99 was one of the main battle rifles used by the Japanese Army in the Pacific theater and is seen used throughout the series, notably in Part 1 in Guadalcanal and Parts 5-7 during the battle of Peleliu then again in the hands of several Japanese Soldiers charging on Okinawa in Part 9.
Several Marines who fight on Guadalcanal in Part 1 are seen with the M1928A1 Thompson. Lt. Hugh Corrigan (Henry Nixon) had a 50 round drum on his for most of Part 1 until the end, replacing it with a 30 round "stick" magazine. In Part 2, Sgt. Manuel 'Manny' Rodriguez (Jon Bernthal) uses an M1928A1 Thompson with a stick magazine when running ammunition.
Several Marines are seen carrying or firing the M1A1 Thompson. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) uses a Thompson M1A1 throughout the rest of the series, notably in Part 4, when he takes out a Japanese patrol trying to flank his unit and then in Part 5 and 6 when the Marines land on Peleliu. In Part 9 on Okinawa Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) picks up a Thompson and uses it for a good duration of the episode. Other Marines such as Gunnery Sgt. Elmo Haney (Gary Sweet), Sgt. Stone (Toby Leonard Moore) and PFC Merriell 'Snafu' Shelton (Rami Malek) also use the Thompson. Bill Leyden (Brendan Fletcher) is seen with an M1A1 on Okinawa in Part 9 in place of the M1 Garand he used on Peleliu.
In Part 9, an Army soldier guarding Japanese POWs on Okinawa is shown with an M3 Grease Gun. An Army Captain whom is relieved by K Company later in the episode also carries a Grease Gun.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingM3 "Grease Gun" .45 ACP. The later model M3A1 would eliminate the crank lever for cocking the bolt, and instead used a simple hole in the bolt for the shooter to use their finger.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIn Part 9, a 27th Infantry Division soldier guards Japanese POWs on Okinawa with an M3 Grease Gun.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn Army Captain (bottom right; the red 27th Infantry Division patch on his sleeve) holds an M3 Grease Gun as he talks to his relieving officer.
Handguns
Colt M1911A1
The main sidearm of the Marines in the miniseries is the Colt M1911A1. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) and John Basilone (Jon Seda) are seen using the pistol, in one scene Leckie uses it to mercy kill a Japanese soldier being non-fatally wounded by several Marines. Other Marines seen using the M1911A1 are Lt. Col. Lewis 'Chesty' Puller (William Sadler), 2nd Lt. Lebec (Rohan Nichol), who uses his M1911A1 to commit suicide, and Sgt. Manuel 'Manny' Rodriguez (Jon Bernthal) .
In Part 5, Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) receives a Colt New Service .45 Colt revolver in the care package sent from his family and in Part 9, uses the revolver twice in combat - once on Peleliu in Part 7 when he draws it upon hearing Japanese infiltrators, and on a wounded Japanese soldier on the island of Okinawa in Part 9. In episode 5 Sid Phillips (Ashton Holmes) tells Eugene that "It will stop a jap faster than a clip from your carbine" which is in fact true considering the stopping power of a .45 round compared to a .30 carbine used by the M1 carbine.
The main sidearm of the Japanese was the Nambu Type 14 Pistol. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) finds one in a Japanese officer's chest when they go through the camp in which he takes it and the chest as a war trophy. Leckie ends up handing over the pistol to Dr. Grant (Matt Craven) in Part 4. On Iwo Jima in Part 8, a Japanese officer playing dead tries to kill John Basilone (Jon Seda) with a Nambu, but is shot and killed by PFC Steve Evanson (Dwight Braswell) before he fires.
The Browning Automatic Rifle is one of the weapons seen in the hands of the Marines, and is used both with and without a bipod. It is only fired once in the series, when a Marine uses it to repel a Japanese counterattack on Peleliu in Part 5.
The Marines of the 1st Division that land on Guadalcanal use Browning M1917 water cooled machine guns. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) is seen firing it as part of a three man gun crew in Part 1. John Basilone (Jon Seda) is also seen firing it both on a tripod and from the hip in Part 2, as well as his comrades and buddies Sgt. J.P Morgan (Joshua Biton) and Sgt. Manuel 'Manny' Rodriguez (Jon Bernthal).
Replacing the Browning M1917 in the field for the Marines is the Browning M1919A4 machine gun in Episode Four, where Lew 'Chuckler' Juergens (Josh Helman) and Wilbur 'Runner' Conley (Keith Nobbs) use it to stop a banzai charge. M1919A4's also are seen mounted on LVT's in the series, notably when landing on Peleliu in Part 5. Leckie (James Badge Dale) is briefly seen manning an M1919A4A4 on his LVT during the landing. In Part 8, John Basilone (Jon Seda) trains PFC Chuck Tatum (Ben Esler) and PFC Steve Evanson (Dwight Braswell) in the use of the M1919A4. In Iwo Jima, Basilone uses one for a short amount of time, as well as a Marine Machine Gun Crew on Okinawa in Part 9. Also, in Part 8, Basilone demonstrates how to use a "bale", a handle attached to the barrel to prevent burns when picking up the M1919. One of the veteran Marines interviewed for the commentary track on the blu-ray release of the series says that the handle was often referred to as the "Basilone Bale".
The Browning M2HB machine gun is seen mounted on the Marine LVT-4's notably during the landings of Peleliu in Part 5 and Iwo Jima in Part 8, as well as one several M4 Shermans. In Part 1, a machine gun team uses on during the Battle of the Tenaru, and another is used by US Marines on Okinawa in Part 9.
Japanese forces are also seen engaging the Marines at Peleliu with Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns, better known as the Nambu or the "Woodpecker" because of the sound it makes when fired. It is normally seen firing from bunkers.
Japanese forces are seen firing the Type 99 Light Machine Gun during Parts 6, 7 and 9. A Japanese Gunner using a Type 99 almost kills Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) with a Type 99.
Sid Phillips (Ashton Holmes) and his gun crew uses the M1 Mortar during the Battle of the Tenaru River in Part 1. An M1 Mortar is seen with its crew as Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello) and the Marines prepare to leave the airfield in Part 6.
Eugene Sledge (Joseph Mazzello), PFC Robert Oswalt (Andrew Lees) and PFC Merriell 'Snafu' Shelton (Rami Malek) are part of an M2 Mortar team under the command of Cpl. R.V. Burgin (Martin McCann). During the battle of Peleliu, their team are seen carrying the different parts of the weapon and then seen firing it when the Marines cross the airfield. An Army team briefly use one on Okinawa in Part 9.
The M2 Flamethrower is used by Cpl. Charles Womack (John Reynolds) to flush out a bunker in Part 7 and by a Marine at the Airfield in Part 6 and another on Iwo Jima in Part 8.
The M1A1 Bazooka is used by Marines during the battle of Peleliu in Parts 5-7, notably by PFC Jay De L'Eau (Dylan Young), and by Cpl. Pegg (Karl Cottee) to knock out several Japanese positions on Iwo Jima in Part 8.
A wounded Japanese soldier uses a Type 97 Hand Grenade to commit suicide in Part 1, taking out a pair of Navy Corpsmen as well. In Part 4, a wounded soldier attempts to do the same to a Marine Patrol, but Lt. Stone (Toby Leonard Moore) manages to stop him. A Japanese officer is seen holding a just before he's shot in Part 7, but throws it before being wounded, injuring PFC Bill Leyden (Brendan Fletcher).
