Which countries used the JSAR?

[Black Tom 0]

Is there any record of the serial number range of the rifles that were actually shipped to the Dutch East Indies?

I'm aware that some rifles were made for Chile in 7x57 caliber. Does anyone know how many were made for Chile and did they have the Chilean nat'l crest stamped on the receiver?

What other countries purchased/used the JSAR and in what calibers?

Thanks,

B.T.

[webmaster 0]

I have the list of the firts 10000 rifles and the destinations are mostly to NPC and Govt. of Chile. There are a few odd destinations such as Red River (USMC training facility), Marines and Boston 500 (plus some odd misc.)

The Chilean, USMC and odds and sods appear throughout the NPC series with small clusters here and there, no logical (yet) reasoning on how they were selected for each end user.

Chilean rifles run to approx. 1000 units. They had no special markings on the receivers (there are some fakes about though) the barrels are marked with the Mexican National Armoury crest though, very small in the same manner as the BPC/Dutch pattern JSARs.

The main users of JSAR's were the KNIL in both the NEI and NWI; The Chilean Govt.; U.S.M.C./USN (limited use both forces); The Australian Navy (again very limited) and other nations with diverted shipments already in transit to Far East when NEI fell to Japanese.

After WW2 due to the mass of surplus weapons on the market, JSARs ended up in odd places such as Korea, Cuba, Israel, etc.etc., being used to equip may armies both regular and irregular, often in the same conflict.

[Bob Lamoreaux 0]

The two primary military users of Johnson weapons during World War II (using the September 1939 date as the start of World War II) were the Dutch Colonial forces, notably the KNIL (Netherlands East Indies Army) and Dutch Colonial naval forces as well as those Dutch forces in the Netherlands West Indies and, of course, the U.S. Marine Corps paratroop regiment. These forces also were armed with Johnson light machine guns, though I doubt that very many made it to the NEI before the Japanese conquest of that colony. There is some evidence that the French colonial forces, either during the Italian campaign or the Southern France campaign may have been armed with Johnson light machine guns. The OSS, notably in China, or the CBI theater, had Johnson light machine guns and probably some JSARs.

As Jim (the Webmaster) correctly stated, Johnson weapons were used after World War II, usually by insurgent groups. The Israeli Navy or forces within that organization were armed, in part, by Israeli produced modifications of the Johnson light machine gun. At least one example of the Johnson rifle was produced as a pre-production prototype in Argentina by an automobile manufacturer in that country, but no production was undertaken.

[Bob Lamoreaux 0]

Sorry, but I forgot to add this: The Chilean forces using the Johnson rifle were apparently a paramilitary police force, rather than the Chilean Army or Navy. According to one source, one Johnson was captured from the Chinese Communist Army by USMC forces during the Korean War. I believe this was a JLMG, undoubtedly left over from OSS supplies there. Additionally, one person posted information stating that a Johnson rifle was purchased in Hong Kong or Macao from a former (World War II) Chinese soldier, this probably having been an OSS weapon.

As far as I know, no particular armed force was armed with Johnson weapons following World War II, though some Cuban exile forces seemed to prefer this weapon to the M1 Garand. Price may have been a deciding factor in that preference as Johnson rifles were selling for $59.95 (mint condition for $10 more) and Garands were selling for $79.95. Of course gasoline was selling for about 25 or 27 cents per gallon at that time.

[budbd 0]

I had searched this forum and found some links with photos of the johnson in use in the dutch east indies, one of those showing johnsons being practice fired on board ship at a water target, etc.

Now, I must have not either saved it or I can't recognize the link on my computer!