Operational use M1919 Browning machine gun

a marine cradles m1919 browning machine gun in lap in peleliu



a soldier takes aim tripod-mounted m1919a4 in korea, 1953

as company or battalion support weapon, m1919 required @ least two-man machine gun team. but, in practice, 4 men involved: gunner (who fired gun , when advancing carried tripod , box of ammo), assistant gunner (who helped feed gun , carried it, , box of spare parts , tools), , 2 ammunition carriers. original idea allow gun more packed transport, , featured light barrel , bipod when first introduced m1919a1. unfortunately, became clear gun heavy moved, while @ same time light sustained fire. led m1919a2, included heavier barrel , tripod, , continuously fired longer durations.

the m1919a4 weighed 31 pounds (14 kg), , ordinarily mounted on lightweight, low-slung tripod infantry use. fixed vehicle mounts employed. saw wide use in world war ii mounted on jeeps, armored personnel carriers, tanks, , amphibious vehicles. m1919a4 played key role in firepower of world war ii army. each infantry company had weapons platoon in addition other organic units. presence of m1919a4 weapons in weapons platoon gave company commanders additional automatic fire support @ company level, whether in assault or on defense.

american gis m1919a6 light machine gun

the a5 adaptation of a4 forward mounting point allow mounted in tanks , armored cars. this, along m37 , browning m2 machine gun, common secondary armament during world war ii allies.

another version of m1919a4, m1919a6, attempt make weapon light machine gun attaching buttstock , lighter barrel—4 lb (1.8 kg) instead of 7 lb (3.2 kg). a6 version in fact heavier a4 without tripod, @ 32 lb (15 kg), though bipod made faster deployment , enabled machine gun team dispense 1 man (the tripod bearer). a6 version saw increasing service in latter days of world war ii , used extensively in korea. a6 variant had folding bipod mounted on front of gun, sheet-metal buttstock, carrying handle, , tapered barrel. while modifications intended make weapon more useful squad light machine gun, stopgap solution, m1919a6 heavier old lewis gun of world war i, let alone contemporary light machine guns of other nations.

the m1919a6 attempt combine portability , low profile of m1918 bar sustained firing capability of m1919a4. m1919a4 given lighter barrel, buttstock, pistol grip, carrying handle, flash suppressor, , bipod achieve conversion. though reliable, proved impractical combat. while 31 lb m1919a4 had crew of 2 or more carry gun , 14 lb (6.4 kg) tripod, 1 m1919a6 gunner expected carry , deploy 32.5 lb (14.7 kg) gun himself.

during second world war, 2 additional variants of m1919 adopted military. 1 version coaxial m37 variant, ability feed either left or right of weapon. m37 featured extended charging handle similar on m1919a4e1 , a5. trial variant fitted special sighting equipment designated m37f.

in late 1950s, m1919 designed remote firing via solenoid trigger developed use in xm1/e1 armament subsystem designated m37c. navy later converted number of m1919a4s 7.62mm nato chambering , designated them mk 21 mod 0; of these weapons employed in vietnam in riverine warfare patrols.

from 1960s until 1990s, israel defense forces (idf) used ground tripod , vehicle-mounted m1919a4 guns converted 7.62 mm nato on many of armored vehicles , m3 personnel carriers. israel developed modified link these guns due feeding problems original m1 link design. improved israeli link worked .30 caliber, 7.62 mm nato , 8×57 mm cartridges.

aircraft

an aviation ordnanceman stationed @ naval air station corpus christi installing an-m2 browning machine gun in pby flying boat, ca. 1942

with assistance firearms engineers @ fabrique nationale de herstal, belgium, model 1919 re-engineered .30 caliber m2 (army-navy) aircraft machine gun. .30 in m2 browning adopted both fixed (offensive) , flexible (defensive) weapon on aircraft. aircraft machine guns required light weight, firepower, , reliability, , achieving 3 goals proved difficult challenge, mandate closed bolt firing cycle enable gun safely , synchronized fixed-mount, forward-aimed guns firing through spinning propeller, necessity on many single-engined fighter aircraft designs through end of world war ii. receiver walls , operating components of m2 made thinner , lighter, , air cooling provided speed of aircraft, designers able reduce barrel s weight , profile. result, m2 weighed two-thirds of 1919a4, , lightened mechanism gave rate of fire approaching 1,200 rpm (some variants achieve 1,500 rpm), necessity engaging fast-moving aircraft. m2 s feed mechanism had lift own loaded belt out of ammunition box , feed gun, equivalent weight of 11 lb (5 kg). in ordnance circles, .30 m2 browning had reputation of being difficult-to-repair weapon in entire small arms inventory.

the m2 appeared in twin-mount version paired 2 m2 guns opposing feed chutes in 1 unit operation single gunner, combined rate of fire of 2,400 rpm. of various .30 m2 models saw service in stages of world war ii, phased out beginning in 1943, hand-trained rifle-calibre defensive machine guns became obsolete air warfare (the .50 in/12.7 mm m2 browning , 20 mm hispano hs.404 automatic cannon had replaced .30 in offensive air armament well). .30 in m2 aircraft gun distributed other allies during , after world war ii, , in british , commonwealth service saw limited use vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft or anti-personnel machine gun.