Finish on the receiver appears two-tone as a result of roughening the metal above the wood line to reduce glare.
The carbine has a flip rear sight marked with S~ on the left side and chisel stake marks on the right side.
The front receiver ring has a “dot” before the “30 M1”. The CCNL 346, dated March 1, 2008, reported intermittent use of the dot up to serial number 205,355, which slightly predates this carbine.
The buttplate has the coarse diagonal pattern, found occasionally on early Inland but used sporadically throughout production into 1944. These are presumed to have been made by G. & G. Manufacturing. With the buttplate removed, the only marks on the wood are those of the diagonal pattern. I was surprised to see the buttplate was originally blued, as evidenced when viewed from the bottom. According to the CCNL 346, some first production block Inland buttplates were blued and others parkerized.
The flat bolt is marked “A I” on the left lug and contains a Type 1 firing pin marked “WI.”
The extractor is a Type 2, stamped W-I, and is considered transitional from Type 1 with the V cut to the flat Type 3.
Type 1 extractors were found to occasionally pop from the bolt leaving the user with an inoperable weapon. This condition was alleviated by the Type 2 modification. According to CCNL 226-5, Type 2 extractors were not manufactured as such but were actually modified from Type 1 extractors. Here are photos of a Type 1 extractor (on the left) and the Type 2 extractor from the Inland 210424 (on the right). Notice the larger cut out area in the Type 2.
The operating slide is the E169 design with the partial curve on the rear of the box. The operating spring guide is pointed.
The trigger housing is a mixture of very early and later parts. It has the rear bevel only. It is equipped with a Type 1 trigger housing retaining pin, “R I” sear with no hole, “R.I.” trigger, unmarked Type 2 safety, and Type 3 “W-I” magazine catch.
In the overhead view, note the hieroglyph in the bottom of the trigger housing. Hieroglyphs in this location are frequently seen in early Inland trigger housings.
The Type 1 Hemphill hammer is marked with H in a shield and a flaming bomb. According to CC NL 346-20, records show the highest serial number for this hammer as 4958x. The finish on this trigger housing and the corresponding wear, or lack of, on all components indicates to me this Type 1 Hemphill hammer, although typically found earlier, is original to this carbine. The unexpected H in a shield hammer is due to the part being 'first in last out'.
The carbine has a C-tip khaki sling with a rounded buckle. The opening around the oiler is too tight to remove the sling without possibly damaging the C-tips; so, I was unable to determine the oiler marking.
The stock is an I-cut high wood with Inland cartouche on the right and “OI” and single- flame flaming bomb in the sling cut. The handguard is a Type 1 with “OI”.
Only Type 1 band marks are on the stock nose.
The barrel band is an unmarked Type 1 with 3 weld scars and a “UI” swivel with wide opening.
And on the butt of the stock, behind the I-cut, are the initials “LT. A. M. ZAK”.
A quick Google of this uncommon name told me that A. M. Zak was mentioned in a book entitled Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees, by William Bradford Huie. I didn’t hesitate to invest $15.95 + shipping for the paperback version. Lieutenant A. M. Zak is mentioned in several places in the chapter about the landing at Salerno, where he was in charge of a causeway platoon. The text says, in Lieutenant Zak’s words:
“We started our run for the beach at 0655 and were proceeding in good speed when German 88’s began to fly all around us. Ten men were on the causeway to handle the deck lines. An 88 shell burst on the causeway and caught three of the men. A second shell got three more. The 88’s followed us all the way in but didn’t hit us again. …Machine gun bullets were bouncing all around us. There was absolutely no protection for the men on the causeway except to lie flat on the deck. We finally beached in six feet of water about 30 feet from shore. With the aid of an abandoned bulldozer on the beach we were able to maneuver the causeway almost parallel to the beach, yet near enough to the LST so that its ramp rested on the causeway. A couple of hours later we had completed the unloading of our equipment.”
A little research turned up that Alexander Mikolaj Zak was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1902. According to his citizenship papers, Poland was under Russian control at that time. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 4 and became a United States citizen in 1925.
That same year, he earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. Graduating senior, Alexander Mikolaj Zak, was acknowledged in the School of Engineering 1925 yearbook, The Cauldron.
Zak was a member of Naval Construction Battalion Detachment 1006. A history of the CBD 1006 is found on the Naval History and Heritage Command website. Here are some pages from that history.
I tracked down and contacted the granddaughter of Lt. Zak, and told her I felt sure I have her grandfather’s M1 carbine. When she saw the writing on the gun stock she remarked her grandfather always wrote in caps. At the time I thought she meant in his caps and hats. Later, it dawned on me she meant in all capital letters, which is a habit typical of engineers. She offered the following information about her grandfather.
“If you enjoy attaching history to your weapon collection, a few details about Alexander Mikolaj Zak (commonly called Walter, but "Mike" by his military peers): He immigrated to the US through Ellis Island from an area of Poland occupied by Russia. He came with his mother and little sister and joined their father in the north shore of Boston. His mother died when he was young and he had a tough childhood. He went to Boston Latin and later to graduate from Northeastern University with a Civil Engineering degree, where he excelled in wrestling and track. He was married and had one daughter (my mother). He volunteered to serve his country and was too old for most divisions, but the Seabees needed engineers and he went. He left my mom and grandmother in Franklin, NH to await his return. He was critically injured (head) in some type of jeep accident or explosion and my Gram received a telegram letting her know, but had to wait weeks for an update. We have stories of the day he returned on the train, and pictures. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and other commendations. He loved his wife, daughter and five grandchildren and had a twinkle in his eye and generous heart. He loved his country too. He died instantly of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1968. We don't know if it was a side effect of his war injury or not, he never complained, and always considered it an honor to serve.“
The granddaughter also shared that Lieutenant A. M. Zak was buried in his military uniform.
At the time of his enlistment, "Walt" Zak was working on the Franklin Falls Flood Control Dam on a river that is a major branch of the Merrimack in New Hampshire. The dam was completed and officially dedicated in October 1943. At the time, Lt. Zak was involved in the Italian Campaign. This marker, located at Franklin Falls Dam, acknowledges his contribution in building the dam. I think the way others viewed him tells us something about this Citizen Soldier.
-Glen Collier