The A&M M2 aircraft cannon was not designed for field maintenance. If the cannons failed, the weapons would be out of service, and the 28th Marine Regiment would have to rely on standard machine guns: slower, heavier, and less effective. Grevich wondered if six weapons over two days would be enough, or if they would be out of action before the fighting even began.
February 20th began at 6:00 AM in the cold rain. The 28th Marine Regiment prepared for the assault on Mount Surabachi on three fronts. This 168-meter-high mountain, composed of volcanic rock, was a veritable labyrinth of caves and tunnels. The Japanese defenders had established artillery positions, machine-gun nests, and mortar pits, all connected by underground passages.
The Marines would have to advance across open terrain, up the hillside, with minimal cover. Grevich’s combat team set off at 7:30 a.m. Their mission was to neutralize the positions on the eastern slope while the rifle sections advanced. Bettyanne had cooled down overnight. The gun still showed signs of overheating, but it functioned normally during a pre-assault check.
Grevich loaded a fresh 100-round belt. He estimated he had enough ammunition for 10 to 12 engagements before needing to resupply. The advance began slowly. Japanese positions opened fire from concealed positions: mortars, machine guns, rifles. The terrain forced the Marines to move through narrow corridors. Each corridor was covered by crossfire.
The modified weapons became crucial for breaching these defensive positions. Grevich would spot a Japanese machine gun, fire a ten-round burst, and the Japanese machine gun would cease fire. Rifle sections would then advance twenty meters, and another position would open fire. Grevich would neutralize it. The process repeated endlessly. By 9:00 a.m., three of the six modified weapons had malfunctioned.
The section’s first machine gun suffered a barrel rupture. The thin barrel, designed for aircraft, couldn’t withstand the sustained heat and pressure. The weapon was out of service. The gunner then used a standard M1919 A6 machine gun. The rate of fire dropped immediately. The demolition section’s weapon experienced a failure in its feeding mechanism. Sand and volcanic dust had accumulated in the ammunition box.
The belt jammed during feeding. The gunner spent 15 minutes clearing it. The weapon resumed functioning but required constant cleaning. The weapon of the third platoon overheated critically at 9:30 a.m. The gunner had engaged targets continuously for 40 minutes. He had not allowed sufficient cooling time between bursts.
The barrel temperature exceeded critical limits. Metal fatigue caused the barrel to deform. The shells began to penetrate. Accuracy became irreparably compromised. The gunner attempted to continue firing. The weapon jammed completely. He abandoned it and retrieved a wounded marine’s rifle. Three weapons remained operational: Gravich’s “Betty Anne,” the weapon of the second section, and Tony Stein’s, positioned on the western flank.
These three weapons alone provided machine-gun support for the entire regiment during the morning assault. The loss of the other three forced tactical adjustments. The rifle sections had to provide their own suppressive fire using M1 Garands and BARs. The advance slowed. Casualties mounted. By 10:00 a.m., Gravich’s ammunition stocks had become critically low.
He had fired 600 rounds since 7:30 a.m. He had 75 rounds left in his last belt of ammunition. No resupply was immediately available. The beach was 300 meters behind the front line. Enemy mortar fire covered the road. The ammunition suppliers could not advance safely. Grevage had to conserve his ammunition. He reduced the duration of his bursts to three rounds and chose only critical targets, positions that directly threatened the advancing Marines.
The machine gun of the second platoon broke down at 10:45 a.m. The trigger mechanism failed. The metal casing, unable to withstand repeated firing, tore the trigger from its mounting point. The gunner attempted a repair on the spot, trying to manually activate the firing solenoid. He was unsuccessful. The weapon was out of service. The second platoon had lost its machine gun support.
Betty Anne and Stein’s weapons were the last two still functional. Gravich was on the east slope, Stein on the west. They couldn’t coordinate or support each other. Each was isolated with their respective unit. Their ammunition was limited, and their damaged weapons could break down at any moment.
Gravich’s last belt of ammunition ran out at 11:20 a.m. He had fired 75 rounds in six engagements. The ammunition box was empty. He looked for more and found a wounded Marine carrying spare belts for a standard M1919. The belts were compatible. Gravich loaded one and fired a test burst. Betty Anne functioned normally. She had 200 rounds remaining.
After that, the weapon became a useless heap of scrap metal. The assault on Surbachi continued throughout the afternoon. Progress was measured in meters. Every cave entrance had to be cleared, every pillbox destroyed, and every tunnel sealed. The Marines used flamethrowers, explosives, and direct tank fire. The modified weapons, when still functional, had provided crucial fire support during the initial advance.
But by mid-afternoon on February 20, only two weapons were still operational, and both were nearing the end of their service life. By 5:00 p.m., the 28th Marine Regiment had advanced 200 meters up the mountain. They held positions halfway to the summit. Losses were heavy. The regiment had lost 430 Marines, killed or wounded, in two days.
The advance was scheduled to resume the following morning, but Grevich knew Betty Anne wouldn’t last another day. The barrel was visibly bent. The receiver showed stress cracks. The trigger mechanism was loose. He estimated the weapon had about 50 rounds left to fire. After that, he would be carrying 24 pounds of unusable equipment, and the 28th Marine Regiment would have one less weapon to break through the Japanese lines.
The Marines were going to take Surabachi, but with standard weapons. The modified guns had served their purpose. Now they were failing one by one, one engagement at a time, until all that remained was the memory of two Marines, armed with hand tools, who had built something the Marine Corps arsenal could never have produced. Bettyanne fired its last rounds at 8:15 a.m. on February 21.
Gravich neutralized a machine-gun nest on the northern slope of Surbachi. He loaded his last belt of ammunition, fifty rounds. He fired three bursts of ten rounds each. Silence fell over the Japanese position. Gravich attempted a fourth burst. The weapon jammed. He cleared it and pulled the trigger again. Nothing.
The firing solenoid had failed. The electrical connections had been severed by the vibrations and heat. Betty Anne was out of commission. Grevich put the weapon aside. He retrieved an M1 Garand from a wounded Marine. For the next two days, he fought with a rifle. The weapon he had designed and built over three months had lasted 72 hours in combat. Three days.
But those three days had mattered. Tony Stein’s weapon lasted longer. Stein continued to use his modified rifle until February 23. On that day, the 28th Marine Regiment reached the summit of Mount Sarabachi. A 40-man patrol from E Company began the ascent at 8:00 a.m. They carried a small American flag.
At 10:20 a.m., the flag was raised to the summit. Photographers captured the moment. Later that afternoon, a second, larger flag was raised. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal photographed this second flag-raising. This image became one of the most famous in American history. Stein’s weapon malfunctioned on February 24.
The barrel broke, and there was a complete structural failure near the chamber. The weapon literally snapped in two upon firing. Stein escaped unharmed, but the rifle was destroyed. He used a standard M1919 A6 for the remainder of the fighting at Surabbachi. By February 26, all six modified weapons were out of service. Four had barrel failures.
One had a faulty trigger mechanism. Another had a catastrophic crack in the receiver, rendering it unusable. The 28th Marine Regiment recovered the damaged weapons. They were supposed to be handed over to the battalion armory for archiving, but they were never officially registered: no serial number, no inventory record, no maintenance log.
The damaged weapons disappeared, likely discarded along with other battle-damaged equipment, perhaps buried beneath the volcanic sand. Their exact fate was never documented. Stein returned to the fight after Surabbachi was secured. The 28th Marine Regiment moved north on the island. The fighting intensified. The Japanese defenders had constructed an extensive network of caves.
Machine gun positions covered every approach. Advances slowed to a few meters a day. Casualties mounted. On March 1, Stein volunteered to lead a 19-man patrol. The mission was to locate and destroy a Japanese machine gun complex that was pinning down a company. Stein set out on patrol at 2:00 p.m. The patrol advanced through rough terrain north of Hill 362A.
The Japanese positions were concealed in caves and spider holes. The patrol was under fire from all sides. Stein located the main machine gun. He was now using a standard weapon, not his modified one. The rate of fire was slower, the suppression less effective. He advanced toward the position.
A concealed Japanese sniper fired a shot that struck Stein in the head. He died instantly. He was 23 years old, fourteen days after the landing at Euoma. Stein’s recommendation for the Medal of Honor was submitted on March 15. His section commander wrote the initial citation, which described Stein’s actions on February 19, the first day of the invasion.
Stein was armed with an improvised aircraft-type weapon. He had provided cover for his section from enemy fire and made eight trips back and forth across the beach to resupply with ammunition. On each trip, he brought wounded Marines to safety. He had killed at least twenty Japanese defenders, destroyed several pillboxes, and stood his ground under enemy fire to draw attention and pinpoint their positions.
The citation made no mention of Grevich, the small quantity of weapons, the three months of work in Hawaii, the unauthorized manufacture, or the five other weapons. It described the weapon as being homemade, implying that Stein had built it himself.
The language was technically accurate. Stein had received the weapon. He had used it personally. But the phrase “personally improvised” suggested an individual creation, a unique work. This was inaccurate. The recommendation for the Medal of Honor was forwarded to the higher ranks. The battalion commander approved it. The regimental commander approved it.
The division commander approved it. The commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Forces approved it. Admiral Chester Nimtz, commander of the Pacific Fleet, approved it. The chief of naval operations approved it. The secretary of the Navy approved it. President Harry Truman signed the final authorization. On February 19, 1946, exactly one year after the landings, Stein’s widow received the Medal of Honor at a ceremony in Columbus, Ohio.
Governor Frank Louch presented the award. Admiral Richard Penoyer placed the medal around his neck. The article was published in newspapers across the United States. It highlighted Stein, his courage, his sacrifice, and his improvised weapon. The story was poignant: a toolmaker from Dayton who had modified an aircraft cannon and used it to save his platoon.
The story was true, but incomplete. Two other Marines had designed the weapon, manufactured six of them, and distributed them to the regiment’s gunners. These two Marines were never mentioned in the citation, nor in newspaper articles, nor in historical records. Mel Grevich and John Little had created the weapon that earned Tony Stein the Medal of Honor, but history only remembered Stein.
The question was why, and whether anyone would ever uncover the truth before the last witnesses disappeared forever. The reason Grevich and Little vanished from history is simple: they survived. Stein, however, died. The Medal of Honor is almost always awarded in wartime. Of the 464 Medals of Honor awarded during World War II, 324 were given to men killed in action.
The citation recounts the recipient’s final moments, the heroic act that cost him his life. This account is poignant and moving. It captivates the reader’s attention. Grevich survived. He fought for all 36 days of the battle. He was wounded twice. Neither wound was serious enough to require evacuation. He returned to Hawaii with the 5th Marine Division in March 1945.
The division prepared for the invasion of Japan, Operation Olympic, scheduled for November 1, 1945. Japan surrendered in August. Grevich never spoke publicly about the modified weapons. Demobilized in 1946, he returned to Mountain Iron, Minnesota, where he led a quiet life until his death in the 1980s. His obituary made no mention of the grenade launcher. John Little also survived.
He fought at Euoima with Company H of the 28th Marine Regiment. He was at the foot of Mount Surabachi during the flag-raising ceremony. He saw both flags raised on February 23rd. After the war, he returned to civilian life and became a house builder in California. He rarely spoke about his combat experience. Later, he confirmed his role in weapons manufacturing, but he never sought recognition, contacted historians, or attempted to set the historical record straight.
He died in 2015. His obituary stated that he was a decorated survivor of the Battle of Eoima, without mentioning the grenade launcher. The Marine Corps never officially adopted the modified version of the ANM2. After Eoima, it was recommended that the weapon be produced in larger quantities, that the reinforcement bar be replaced in rifle sections, and that one modified weapon be issued to each section.
The recommendations went up the chain of command. Weapons evaluators studied the concept. They identified the fundamental problem: the gun. Aircraft guns could not withstand the stresses of ground combat. The weapons functioned during brief engagements but failed after prolonged use. Therefore, the guns would need constant replacement.
The logistics were impractical. The Marine Corps continued to use the M19119 A6 until the end of World War II. The weapon was heavy, slow, but reliable. It could fire continuously without malfunctions. This reliability took precedence over rate of fire. After the war, the Marine Corps developed new weapons.
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