Corporal Tony Stein (September 30, 1921–March 1, 1945)
Citation:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
CORPORAL TONY STEIN
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company A, First Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Marines, Fifth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, in the Volcano Island, February 19, 1945. The first man of his unit to be on station after hitting the beach in the initial assault, Corporal Stein, armed with a personally improvised aircraft-type weapon, provided rapid covering fire as the remainder of his platoon attempted to move into position and, when his comrades were stalled by a concentrated machine-gun and mortar barrage, gallantly stood upright and exposed himself to the enemy's view, thereby drawing the hostile fire to his own person and enabling him to observe the location of the furiously blazing hostile guns. Determined to neutralize the strategically placed weapons, he boldly charged the enemy pillboxes one by one and succeeded in killing twenty of the enemy during the furious single-handed assault. Cool and courageous under the merciless hail of exploding shells and bullets which fell on all sides, he continued to deliver the fire of his skillfully improvised weapon at a tremendous rate of speed which rapidly exhausted his ammunition. Undaunted, he removed his helmet and shoes to expedite his movements on ran back to the beach for additional ammunition, making a total of eight trips under intense fire and carrying or assisting a wounded man back each time. Despite the unrelenting savagery and confusion of battle, he rendered prompt assistance to his platoon whenever the unit was in position, directing the fire of a half-track against a stubborn pillbox until he had effected the ultimate destruction of the Japanese fortification. Later in the day, although his weapon was twice shot from his hands, he personally covered the withdrawal of his platoon to the company position. Stouthearted and indomitable, Corporal Stein, by his aggressive initiative, sound judgment and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of terrific odds, contributed materially to the fulfillment of his mission, and his outstanding valor throughout the bitter hours of conflict sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service
Replica of improvised ANM2 .30-06 "Stinger"
By Charles A. Jones - Special to the Times
Posted : March 12, 2007
Marines have a long history of being creative and adapting things for use in combat. During World War II, leathernecks adapted the “Stinger” — a machine gun designed for aircraft — for use by ground forces. In combat, Marines found that the infantry’s standard light machine gun, the tripod-mounted Browning M1919A4, was ideal for defense but cumbersome for assaults. They also wanted a higher rate of fire than the M1919A4 and the squad automatic rifle, the Browning Automatic Rifle, provided.
The aircraft-mounted ANM2 .30-caliber machine gun was similar to the M1919A4, but it was lighter, had a higher rate of fire and spade grips for aerial gunners. Eventually, Marines took ANM2s from wrecked aircraft and converted them into Stingers by adding butt stocks and sights from M1 Garand rifles and bipods from BARs. Combat testing gave positive results.
Before the invasion of Iwo Jima, a sergeant worked tirelessly to build Stingers but could produce only six. Five went to 3rd Battalion, 28th Marines, and one to Cpl. Tony Stein with 1st Battalion. Combat Team 28’s after-action report for the battle on Iwo noted that 3rd Battalion “used a number of specially built ‘Stinger’ light machine guns” and “found their performance excellent under all conditions.”
The report stated that the Stinger was “an aircraft [Browning Light Machine Gun].”
It added that the weapon, with 100 rounds, weighed 25 pounds and that the Marines using it had “little difficulty” with jams.“It proved very good for surprise targets because of the ease in putting it into action, thus it is very good for patrol work,” the report stated.
It concluded by noting that the Stinger fired 1,200 rounds continuously in tests “with no effect on the machine gun.”
The battalion recommended that it be adopted, replacing one of the BARs in each squad. The sixth Stinger on Iwo helped Stein earn a Medal of Honor. His citation does not use the term “Stinger” but describes “a personally improvised aircraft-type weapon” and a “skillfully improvised weapon.”
When his company was stopped by enemy fire on Feb. 19, 1945, Stein stood to draw fire so gun positions could be located. He then attacked pillboxes with the Stinger, killing 20 Japanese troops.
The citation notes that the Stinger delivered fire “at a tremendous rate of speed,” requiring Stein to run to the beach eight times to obtain ammunition. To run faster, he removed his boots and helmet. On each trip, he assisted a wounded Marine to the rear. On March 1, Stein was killed while firing his Stinger at a pillbox.
Although the Stinger never became standard issue, it served its purpose and was a tribute to Marines who adapt and overcome.
The writer is a lawyer and Marine Corps Reserve colonel in Norfolk, Va. He can be reached at [email protected].
Charlene.
