Military Classics Illustrated vol.5

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From a rest, using Black Hills 95-grain FMJammo, 25-yard groups ran in the three-inchrange.

pin protruded far enough to discharge around, so it was determined that in allprobability some fugitive dried oil orgrease was inhibiting its proper forwardtravel. After putting a few drops of light oilin the rear of the pin and working it backand forth a few times, the gun was reload-ed and tried again. Success!

I ran through a couple of magazinesfull of ammo just to make sure all was ingood order, and then tried for accuracy.From a rest at 25 yards, it kept most of itsrounds in sub three-inch groups aboutfour inches above point of aim. Not toobad for a pocket piece.

Recoil was not unpleasant, and itproved to be a lot of fun to shoot. Targetsof opportunity at varying closer rangeswere handily picked off, exhibiting morethan adequate combat accuracy

While I admit the Beretta 34 would notbe my first choice for a service pistol, I'llalso admit it certainly has a presence andconsiderable amount of jaunty elan-justlike the Italians who first used it. G

recoil spring and spring guide.Reassemble in reverse order.

My evaluation 34 was in excellent con-dition, exhibiting little use and onlymarginal blue wear. The bore was perfectand the trigger a crisp 5% pounds. Aftera little checking, wiping and oiling, itwas ready to take to the range. It mightbe noted that in all probability, this wasthe first time the gun had been firedsince the war.

Ammo chosen was Black Hills 95-grainFM], as it pretty closely approximates theItalian service load. The magazine wascharged with seven rounds, a cartridgechambered and the trigger pulled.Nothing. Another round was chambered.Nothing again. I checked the primers, andthey had been barely dimpled. The magwas removed, the slide pulled back and apunch used to push on the rear of the fir-ing pin. It was, to say the least, a tad on thestiff side.

When pushed all the way forward, the

The magazine holds seven rounds. It hasopen sides so one can easily determine howmany cartridges have been loaded. Someexperts feel this feature allows dirt anddebris in.

both "1940" and "XVIII." Military pistolsare also stamped either "RE" for RegiaEsercito (Royal Army), "RA" for RegiaAeronautica (Royal Air Force) or "RM" forRegia Marina (Royal Navy.)

Barrel length on the 1934 is 33k inches,overall length is six inches and it weighssome 24 ounces.

The M34 and M35 proved to be verypopular with returning GIs, and eventhough thousands were brought back tothe States as war trophies, Beretta recog-nized that there was still a market for thispopular little pistol and continued mak-ing it for civilians until 1958.

Stripping the Beretta 34/35 is relative-ly simple. First remove the magazineand ensure the gun is unloaded. Nowlock back the slide with the safety leverand tap on the muzzle to free the barrelfrom the frame. Remove the slide for-ward off the frame and pull out the

The Model 1934's safety is a small leverthat must be rotated 180 degrees forwardbefore the pistol can be fired.

86 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

Like many other European (and someAmerican) autos ofthe period, the Model1934 has a heel-mounted safety catch. Thisis not as easy to manipulate as a frame but-ton, but is very positive.

even re-enactors, armed andoutfitted as World War IIU.s. Marines, await theircue to paddle their rubber

raft across a shallow pond at thisprivate ranch north of LosAngeles. In the dark, with a blastof special effects fog, and the jet-ski circling just out of camerarange making small waves, thissandy bank is a convincing Pacificisland beachhead. The camera

crew is ready to roll when one ofthe cast shouts "Hold it!" TomJennings, the director, asks forclarification. The re-enactor,unbuckling his M1936 web belt,explains, "I've got the holsterhanging on the wrong hip, Col.Carlson wore it on the left, back-wards." Jennings nods approval.The adjustment takes only aminute. The camera rolls, and themock assault continues.

MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 89

explained Jennings, "the co-producer isback in the Digital Ranch office collect-ing the stock footage, the historicalimages that will help me illustrate thevarious stories that these guys are dis-cussing on camera." According to co-producer Duffin, this is where the detec-tive work begins. "I search the records ofthe National Archives, the Library ofCongress, and a number of militarymuseum collections for the right shotsto convey the story. Sometimes we'relucky and discover that combat camera-men shot film footage of that particularactivity, or at least something very close.But, quite often, combat cameramen didnot shot action that matches the inter-viewee's story. Maybe that event tookplace after dark, and the cameramencouldn't get an exposure on their film, orthey just simply weren't there. That'swhen it gets fun," added Duffin.

"The Raiders did a lot of their work atnight, in small teams, patrolling dense,rain soaked jungle. Not very good con-ditions for exposing film back in thosedays. So we knew from the start, that wewould need to shoot some pretty elabo-rate re-enactments," explained Rob Kirk.

"An accurate re-enactment needsthree key elements to succeed: convinc-ing actors, historically authentic uni-forms and gear, and the right weapons.For this program we had to not only castand outfit Marine Raiders, but JapaneseNaval Landing Force and JapaneseImperial Army as well," said HarlanGlenn, Digital Ranch's military coordi-nator. Glenn, who has written articlesand books on military equipment, andhas his own business making and sellingreproduction uniforms, has a network ofre-enactors and militaria collectors at hisfingertips. "I hand pick guys that workwell together, and who have the propergear. They need to look the right age,and they need to be in good shape. Nofat Marines on Guadalcanal," explainedGlenn. "Some of the guys bring extragear, or have some really rare pieces, andso we pay them a little extra to help usoutfit and equip some of the other cast."

One of the cast, Jeff Warner, hasbeen collecting all types of militariafor years. His expertise with MarineCorps gear makes him a valuable assetwhen it comes to deciding how theRaiders would have dressed and whatthey would have carried. "ManyMarines in early '42 were still armedwith the bolt- action '03 Springfield,and a lot of the guys were issued theM190S bayonets -the long ones withcotton webbed M1910 scabbards. Butsince we also intend to shoot scenesfrom '44 , we have Garand rifles ready


Director Tom Jennings (I) watches the shot in the monitor. Sometimes several "takes"are necessary before things are exactly as the director wants.

"~~ _ ~,r,~ ,j...;'~~A~thor 'Job Lihan! (far right) films with a super 8mm camera while the production crewvld~ota!,esa Marine emerging from the brush. The 8mm is used for backup and tomamtam a record of the shoot.

Technical advisor and Raider veteran, Bill Lansford, shares a helpful tip with HarlanGlenn, military coordinator and re-enactor.

experts. These interviews form the back-bone of the show. I am constantlyamazed by how vividly these guys canrecall things that happened to themalmost sixty years ago, and how willingthey are to share with us some very diffi-cult and troubling memories."

"While I'm out on the road with acamera crew interviewing the veterans,"

Japanese re-enactor preps for his shot. TheJapanese troops for this program were actuallybrought to the location from Japan.

well-researched proposalthat highlights the keypoints of the story. We pre-sent the idea to the pro-gramming executives at thenetwork, and if they areconvinced that the story isright for their audience, theygive us a thumbs up.Getting over that hurdlekicks off the next step: pre-production.

As executive producer atDigital Ranch, my job is tobring together the team thatwill create the show. First itis assigned to one of our co-producers. The co-produceris tasked with coordinatingthe myriad of elementsrequired for a show. "I startby finding veterans and his-torians who might be inter-ested in sharing their expe-riences and ideas on cam-era. I also start hunting forstill photos and archival filmfootage to use in the show,"explained Alan Duffin, the co-producer for Marine Raiders."I collect this information andI pass it on the producer/direc-tor."

"Next, we hire a producer/director.That person is responsible for puttingthe various pieces together into a clever,cohesive, entertaining and accurate pro-gram," said Rob Kirk, also an executiveproducer of the series. "The producergoes out into the field and conducts theinterviews with the veterans and the

The Japanese re-enactors capture the Marines with film and not bayonets.

Getting that kind of subtle detail cor-rect makes all the difference to ourviewers and to the veterans who livedthe stories that we tell. It is particularlyimportant for us here tonight since oneof the veterans of this story is visitingthe set. Usually, when confronted withan historical inaccuracy in their featurefilms or television dramas, Hollywoodfilmmak.ers shrug their shoulders anddeclare: "This isn't a documentary." We,however, don't get off that easily.

"We owe it to the men who fought forour country to tell their story as accu-rately as possible," concludes Jennings."Re-shooting a scene and working herein the dark a little longer isn't that muchof a sacrifice considering what thoseguys went through."

The twelve re-enactors and theeleven-person production crew gath-ered in this thicket of bamboo andbrush are working on the forty-secondepisode of The History Channel's hitseries, "Dangerous Missions." For sevenyears, Digital Ranch, a television pro-duction company owned by Rob Kirkand myself, has made documentariesfor The History Channel. "DangerousMissions" has brought to the screenexciting stories of high risk occupationsranging from Airborne Pathfinders inWorld War II, to Vietnam Tunnel Rats,to today's law enforcement bombsquads. The episode that we are shoot-ing now will chronicle the combatrecord of the famed Marine Raiders.

Formed in February, 1942, the MarineCorps' Raider Battalions were the firstAmerican ground forces to take theoffensive to the Japanese and to stem thetide which had threatened to engulf thePacific. They struck fear in the enemythrough their hard-hitting, surprisestrikes. The Raiders played a critical rolein the victory at Guadalcanal, a turningpoint in the war. Their thrilling storywas a natural for this series.

The process of turning an idea into anhour of television begins with writing a


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ActorSam Motojima, armed with the Mauser "broomhandle" pistol, reacts to theattacking Marines. While not primary issue, many Japanese officers carried C.96Mausers that had been acquired through private purchase or in China.

An evocative detail ofactor Lloyd Squires on "The Long Patrol. "

as well," said Warner."That's part of the beaUly f \VOl hng

with 'Harlan's Heroes.' This group {1f r -enactors and collectors that Ihlll,lll has The dramatic "ambush of the Japanese patrol."gathered here already knows how twear the uniforms and h w lhl' 'qulp-ment is used. As a result, th '> 1001 atease with the gear and the Wl"IPOlls, andthat naturalness comes a ross 1111 l,llTl-era," said]ennings.

"The men portraying tlH' J.lp.ln' eNaval Landing Force and th Imp'lw]Army came from]apan SPl' IfI .IIly forthis show," said Glenn ... am 1010}lmaand his team invested a 101 Oillml' andmoney to participate. IllS \"l'I> Illlp 11'-tant to them thallheir fOI '1.IIh 'IS bportrayed accural ly. 'l'dkss to say,their uniforms ar imp" ,\hl' I h 'y'r'either hand mad r 'ph{ .Is 01 t h ' 1(: a Ithing. Stuff you would Sl'l' III ,I mus

Cameraman Scott Farguharson shootsvideotape ofHarlan Glenn on the "LongPatrol." Generally, most of these docu-mentaries are shot directly on tape.


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Marines about to hit the beach. The dramatic results of considerable pre-planning.

The Marines defending Edson's Ridge. Much care is taken to ensure proper handling offirearms. Blanks, though they contain no projectiles, can still be dangerous.


urn. You can't get any more auth nlithan japanese guys wearing p rijapanese gear. It's like stepping inl ,time machine with these genll 111on the set."

"That [act that they spoke v ry Jilll'English wasn't a problem," said umn."Dan King, one o[ 'Harlan's HI',' ISfluent in japanese, and he lran lal d th .director's instructions [or Mr. MOLOpmaand the other japanese re-ena t rs." Inaddition to his [requ nl work 01Dangerous Missions, King erved as Ill'japanese Military 0 rdinalor on til .feature film "Windta\k I' ."

One sequence I' - I' at'd a Millin'Raiderambushofajapan ' I ,lIm\during the fight [or uad, I 'anal.jennings explained, "W had thMarine re-enactors take cover in tilbushes and wait [or the japan towalk into range. We didn't telllhejapanese soldiers exactly where orwhen the Marines would stage thei I'mock ambush. As the Marines openedfire on the passing japanese, their looko[ surprise and their reaction to beingcaught "0[[ guard" was genuine."

Care of the weapons fell to armorerPaul Schoeman. A gunsmith for tenyears, Paul joins the ranks of the DigitalRanch production team on a set when-ever weapons are to be fired. "Harlanasked me to be on hand and trou-bleshoot any problems that mightoccur with any of the weapons. Thatmeant Garands, Springfields,Thompsons, a Model 97 Winchestershotgun, a BAR, .45 automatic pistols,and .38 Victory Model revolvers usedby the Marines. And the 6.5mm and7. 7mm Type 99 Arisaka rifles, and9mm Nambu and Mauser"Broomhandle" pistols of the japanese.The Imperial Army had captured theBroomhandles during their invasion ofChina back in the 1930s, so its appro-priate for this shoot. My favorite, how-ever, was the .55 caliber Boys antitankrifle used by the Raiders," explained


Guadalcanal, taking part in the famous"Long Patrol." Tom]ennings had inter-viewed Landsford for the program, andinvited him to watch the filming of thereenactments. For the re-enactors, hav-ing the Marine veteran on the set is aspecial treat. "It's a real honor," saidLloyd Squires, the tall, dark haired re-enactor portraying Colonel Carlson, the

tion gets rolling, I collect the cast andcrew and give a safety briefing. I pass outar protection, and keep my eye on how

the weapons are being handled."tanding quietly behind the camera

and carefully watching all the action isBill Lansford. Landsford fought with the2nd Raider Battalion. He was a riflemanand participated in the fight for

Tom Jennings explains the action in the next shot. While the director has a clear idea ofwhat he wants the action to be, often suggestions are made by actors and technicaladvisors.

Schoeman. "The Thompsons I h,1t \\ ('have on the set are semi-auto, ,llllltlllBoys has been re-barrelecllCl lO ,t!-iber. But these modificali I1S.Il' 111\'1 Ible to the viewer."

"My biggest challeng i k '('Pill I Ih 'weapons clean. In some of Ihl' ('Ill.the actors throw their w apoll Illlhl'dirt. Its like a big sandb . ( UI h( I '. ,mdso I have to clean them afl 'I (,Il h I,d (' IIIthey'll jam. Sometimes it rcquII(' ,J Will-plete take down to g tthClll \\ Oil Illgagain," said Schoeman." f ((lUI ('. \\ II hfirearms on a set, safet)' IS I h llulllh'lone concern. W firc only hl,1I11- hutblanks can still kill you B'f H' pilldu

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Director Tom Jennings describes the "raft sequence." Complicated setups require a lot ofplanning, coordination and forethought.


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Rob Lihani (r) meeting with a cast member. (Trying to convince him to work overtime, iftruth be told.)

Author Lihani (r) shoots some "behind the scenes" details of the Japanese soldiers.

Cameraman Scott Farguharson goes in for a closeup.

2nd Raider Battalion Commander.Landsford knew Carlson and takes aminute to share a war story with the re-enactors between takes. "He tells usthings-lots of small details-pricelessinformation that you would never findin a book," said Squires.

"It's a thrill for me to see that someonecares to tell our story, and cares enoughto try to tell it correctly," said Landsford."I'm impressed with how good theseguys look, and how hard they are will-ing to work to get it right. For example,I mentioned to some of the fellas thatthey didn't look dirty and sweatyenough. On Guadalcanal, we were justfilthy. So, they immediately smeareddirt all over themselves! The japanesesoldiers are so realistic too. I'll tell you,it sent a shiver up my spine when I firstsaw them here."

At midnight, jennings double checkshis tally of completed shots with co-pro-ducer Duffin making sure they filmedeverything they need to tell their story.The two agree its "in the can," andannounce "that's a wrap." With a roundof handshakes and thank you's, the castand crew start packing away their gear.

For the next few weeks, jennings sitswith his script and an editor in the editbay stitching together the black andwhite historical footage, the interviews,and the re-enactment scenes. Before theshow is delivered to the network, weinvite Mr. Landsford for a screening tocheck for any gaffs. After an hourpatiently assessing our effort, the formerMarine Raider turns to the collected pro-duction team, grins, and declares,"Semper Fl." Coming from a MarineRaider, we couldn't ask for a better sealof approval.

An Emmy nominated producer, RobLihani is co-owner of Digital Ranch, a LosAngeles based production company. He is agraduate ofusc Film School, and aformerCaptain in the Air Force who lead the com-bat camera teams dUring the 1989 invasionofPanama. ~



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Military Classics Illustrated vol.5

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