The gun crews monitored the barrel’s temperature. If smoke was seen, firing had to cease immediately. The weapons were distributed: one to the first section, one to the second, and one to the third. These were the rifle sections of G Company. One weapon was assigned to the demolition section. Grevich kept the fifth, Betty Anne.
He would carry it himself during the assault. The sixth weapon posed a problem. G Company had five, but Grevich had built six. They needed a gunner for this additional weapon, someone knowledgeable about machine guns, someone they could trust with an unauthorized weapon. The battalion commander suggested Corporal Tony Stein. Stein was assigned to another company, the 28th Marines, but he had a good reputation.
He was a toolmaker, a machinist originally from Dayton, Ohio. Before enlisting, he had worked at Patterson Field and Delo Products. He was skilled in mechanical systems and had experience modifying equipment. Stein met with Grevich on February 18. Grevich showed him the weapon, explained the modifications, and demonstrated the firing technique.
Stein examined the trigger mechanism, the stock fit, and the ammunition feed system. He asked technical questions: What was the play in the buffer tube? What type of steel was the trigger guard made of? Was the bipod mount strong enough to withstand repeated use? Gravich answered every question. Stein immediately understood how the weapon worked. Speculation later circulated as to why Stein had been given this sixth weapon.
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