a reference to the M1, a rifle invented in 1929 by Canadian engineerJohn C. Garand (1888-1974). Often referred to as the Garand, the M1 was adopted for use in the US Army in 1936 and was the basicinfantry weapon used in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). When fired, it automatically ejected the used cartridge and loaded a fresh bullet; thus it could fire a new round as fast as one could pull the trigger. The Garand was a powerful gun of sturdy design, could hold eight rounds of ammunition and had a caliber of .30 of an inch (7.6 mm). (Caliber refers to the inside diameter of the gun barrel.) More than 5,000,000 M1s were manufactured.