GI Joe Action on Land

Sailors in WWII might have a wide variety of weapons.  Shotgun, pump action, 12 gauge.

A larger ship would have Marines, with their own weapons, including a flamethrower.

Of course, M1 rifle or 1906 Springfield rifle.

Revolvers, or pistols were very common.

Even the flamethrower guy might have a pistol.

So would officers and shore patrol.

Action Sailor

Warships have an arms locker where they carry guns.

Sometimes they are needed for internal security.

Some sailor gets drunk or goes mad and has to be taken down because he is endangering the ship.

That's very rare.

Sometimes to repel boarders.  That's rare, but it does happen, actually it's attempted, but does not happen much.

Mostly they are needed if they have to put men ashore.

Scout a landing beach.

Check out the harbor.

Conduct sabotage.

Or safeguard the lives of American or Allied civilians.

GI Joe Outside

 I found a small water channel in the yard.

Added some GI Joe sandbags....

And created a small set up for the Joes.

Sailors and Marines.

Likely in the Pacific in late World War Two.

Armed with a light machine gun on a tripod.

And a flamethrower.

And an assortment of small arms.

Action Marine and Action Sailor

Several of the weapons are by 21st Century Toys.  Action Sailor in this pose has an M1 Carbine.  Action Marine has a Reising submachine gun.

The Reising submachine gun was issued to the USMC in World War Two but it was not popular because it jammed when dirty.  Not good for a weapon in the jungle.  They were withdrawn and issued to police departments, private security and they performed well, because they were easy to keep clean in an urban environment.

GI Joe action .30 caliber machine gun.  With US Navy ammo box.  Note the single army of the tripod is to the front, which is correct.  Two legs better absorb the recoil of the gun than one leg.  Also the machine gun can be attached to the crossbar on the two legs and that can be used to fire it using a map for indirect fire or at night with pre-planned fires.

GI Joe Action Marine with flamethrower.  Inside a bunker the flamethrower did not have to burn you to death, the fire was so hot it would use up all the oxygen in a confined space and you would suffocate from lack of air.

The flamethrower weighted almost 100 pounds and so was only donned when use was immanent.  They were typically deployed in a two man team.  The second man was there to turn on and turn off the pressure valve on the back of the unit, in the small center gas tank.

The Action Sailor has a Colt .45 M1911 pistol.  It was in use by the US military for about 100 years.  During World War Two many companies made them, including the Singer Sewing Machine Company.

Sometimes on patrol in the jungle, Marines would wear the soft cap rather than the helmet because the helmet would make noise as the helmet scrapped against trees and brush.

Welcome readers from Russia!

GI Joe Action Sailor and Action Marine

GI Joe outside in the yard.

My new home in Kentucky, USA has an acre of land with it, that's about ten times the size of my previous home in California.

So I am taking advantage of that property by posting photos of GI Joe and other figures outside in the open.

These are mostly 40th Anniversary edition GI Joe figures and accessories.

The sandbags were sewn together by a former roommate of mine.  I gave her a sample one and she did 100 of them for me at 25 cents each.  They are simply burlap sewn into a bag and stuffed with polyfil like a pillow. 

They are a bit smaller then the real GI Joe sandbags which I always thought were too large.

I use the plastic GI Joe Sailor hat as I think its more realistic than their cloth version.

The Beginning of the End

The trucks begin to pull away.

Other men flee on foot, unable to get a ride.

Even the heavy artillery is forced to leave and manages to provide transportation to some of the men.

Other men sell their lives dearly so that a few of their brothers may escape.

One man here and there is simply by-passed by the bugs, and is able to crawl away, undetected.

Still a few hold on for precious minutes giving others a chance.  The bugs have brought defeat again.

Welcome to readers from France.

Wargame table is getting built.

The Missile

In the meantime the scientists and technicians prepare the rocket for firing.

A cameraman records the preparations for launch, but quick, the locusts are here!

Hundreds of locusts are too close to kill with the missile.

But the missile is launched, and it's fired into the rear ranks of the locusts.  A hit!

Scores of locusts are killed, but what are scores when there are thousands?

Vast numbers of locusts remain, and on they come.

They are breaking into the rear areas, men are starting to falter, even to pull back, even to run to save themselves!

Welcome readers from the United Kingdom!