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.