Gift 1: Division Scout and NCO

    

    This division scout Marine is armed with the Thompson M1928A1 sub-machine gun. His magazine pocket contains 5 additional 20 round magazines. They were not widely used by front line units in the Pacific theater due to sounding similar to the Japanese 6.5mm light machine gun. The Marine wears the “frog” pattern camouflage two piece utility uniform green side out.

     On his olive drab webbing are two canteens (common practice after Guadalcanal) one army and one Marine Corps, and his first aid kit. He also wears leather boondockers and canvas gaiters, though his pant legs are rolled and not bloused.  The base of the miniature is sand from Okinawa’s Blue 2 Beach, where 1 st Battalion 7 th Marines came ashore. Blue 2 is the main Tori Station beach, in line with the circular reef, and was collected in March 2016.

    This non-commissioned officer is armed with a Type 98 kyuhachi-shiki gunto sword manufactured towards the end of the war, missing the second hanging point on the scabbard and with the scabbard made of wood and cheaper brass ornamentation. He wears an enlisted/ NCO cotton field cap on his head, and standard uniform in olive green throughout. On his right hip is the leather holster for his Type 14 Nambu 7x20mm semi-automatic pistol issued to non-commissioned officers beginning in 1927.

    The miniature is based on sand from Okinawa’s Red 2 Beach where elements of 1st Battalion and 3rd Battalion 4th Marines came ashore on 1 April 1945. Red 2 is located on the north end of Tori Station and the “beach” is enclosed on three sides by coral rock and has coral running all the way to the rock sea wall. The sand was collected in March 2016.