Browning M1919
| M1919A4 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | Browning Machine Gun, .30 Caliber, M1919A4 |
| Country of operation: | United States |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | John Moses Browning |
| Manufacturer country: | United States |
| Production time: | 1918 to 1945 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1040 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 13.60 kg |
| Barrel length : | 609 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | * .30-06 Springfield (US) |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 250 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Ammunition belt |
| Cadence : | 400-500 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Visor : | open sights |
| Closure : | Block closure |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Browning M1919 is an American machine gun originally developed as a tank machine gun from the Browning M1917 in 1918 . The US standard air-cooled machine gun was used for a long time during the 20th century in many military units, such as tanks , infantry support , air defense and even warships . The Browning MG was used particularly often in World War II , in the Korean War and in Vietnam , whereupon it was replaced a short time later by the new M60 .
history
In 1918 the US Army was looking for a new machine gun for their armored vehicles. The already introduced M1917 machine gun was not suitable due to its water cooling. The new weapon should be air-cooled.
As with the M1917, John Moses Browning , who was working for Colt at the time , took over the design. The starting point was the M1917. The cooling jacket was removed and replaced by a running jacket with cooling slots. The barrel itself was made heavier by increasing the outside diameter by Browning. The additional mass should take over the cooling. A simple tube sight was used for aiming. The finished design was officially introduced by the US Army on September 30, 1918.
A simple emergency tripod and a removable shoulder rest were created for the dismounted use of machine guns (a tactic common in the First World War because the early tanks were often broken down) .
The French army then used in their tanks with machine guns success with optical sights . The US Army decided to do the same and so some M1919s were fitted with a mounting base on the left side of the housing. However, since there was confusion in the supply system between M1919 with and without mounting base, the Ordnance Committee decided on May 16, 1929 to designate the version with mounting base as M1919A1.
In 1930 the US cavalry decided to look for a replacement for the M1922 Cavalry Machine Rifle (a variant of the M1918 ). The M1919 was tested with the equipment for dismounted use, but was initially not satisfied. So the M1919 was equipped with a front sight base near the muzzle and a folding rear sight frame that could be adjusted to the side was mounted on the housing cover with a laterally adjustable hole rear sight. This new version was named M1919A2 and was introduced to mounted and motorized units.
At the same time, the infantry also tested the M1919 tank machine gun as the M1919E1. The grain was mounted on the front housing cover and a hole drilled in the handle of the lid locking hole served as a rear sight. Of this version, only 72 pieces were introduced as M1919A3 and used with a belt box with a capacity of 80 rounds.
The infantry came to the same result as the cavalry in various attempts : the barrel at 18 5/8 inches was too short to ensure adequate accuracy. It was enough for close range when deployed from a tank, but it was too little for fire support .
So the barrel was lengthened to twenty-four inches; the new version was given the preliminary designation M1919A2E3 (it was based on the M1919A2 of the cavalry). The accuracy was sufficient, but the grain socket near the mouth turned out to be too easy to damage and prevented the installation in spherical shields of tanks.
So you put the front sight back on the front of the housing cover and removed the front sight base. This weapon was given the designation M1919A4. A few other improvements were made: The housing cover was fitted with a spring lock, which prevented it from accidentally falling shut (and thus trapped fingers). The barrel jacket, which was previously slotted, was given holes, which increased stability. Existing M1919A2s were equipped with the longer barrel and received the new barrel jacket and cover lock. The version was introduced in 1936.
In 1939, the M1919A5 followed as a new tank machine gun. It had a remote loading lever and was partially equipped with a vertical instead of a horizontal buffer at the end of the housing in order to take into account the limited space in tanks.
During the Second World War , the newly introduced German standard machine guns ( MG 34 and MG 42 ) made a big impression on the US Army; it was decided to create something similar. After unsuccessful tests with designs from various manufacturers, the M1919A6 was created.
This was a modified M1919A4, which was equipped with a lighter barrel, a removable shoulder rest , a bipod and a handle. During the tests in 1942, it turned out that the weapon would not work reliably without the recoil booster (which was initially dispensed with) - so it was retrofitted. The M1919A6 was introduced on April 10, 1943 as a "substitute standard". That meant viewing the weapon as a makeshift and continuing to look for an alternative.
In 1950 a new tank machine gun was developed on the basis of the M1919A4, which was given the preliminary designation M1919A4E1 and was similar to the M1919A5, but the ammunition feed could be switched from left to right. The weapon was introduced as the M37.
After the introduction of the 7,62 × 51 mm NATO cartridge , a number of M1919 variants were converted to the new cartridge and used by the US armed forces until the Vietnam War , but were then replaced by the M73 and M60 .
description
The M1919 is a shooting, air-cooled recoil charger with a short barrel return and block cap . The ammunition is fed in from the left - usually by means of fabric belts with a capacity of 250 rounds (metal link disintegration belts were used in tanks). The cartridges are pulled back out of the belt pockets by an extractor, lowered and inserted into the barrel. The empty shells are ejected through an opening in the bottom of the housing. There is no device for changing the barrel quickly - to change the barrel, the rear housing end plate has to be removed, the bolt removed and the barrel and barrel extension removed. The barrel can then be unscrewed from the barrel extension.
The trigger is located at the rear of the housing below the cylindrical buffer housing. The pistol handle is attached to the buffer housing and has a spring catch at its lower end, which allows the handle to be locked onto the handle of a mount as a transport lock. This device also serves to secure the straightening mechanism of the tripod when changing position and thus protect it from damage and loss.
The M1919 has no fuse, just a sheet metal strip on the right side of the housing, which is riveted to the housing at its front end and has a groove in the middle for the cocking handle , whereby the lock can be fixed in the open position. This also serves to enable air to circulate through the barrel during pauses in fire and to prevent spontaneous combustion when the barrel is hot.
M1919A4
The M1919A4 is the most important variant of the M1919. The US infantry used it as a support weapon at company level. A rifle company (Rifle Company) had in addition to the rifle platoon, which was composed of rifle squads equipped for their own fire support with the automatic rifle M1918A2, a support platoon, which in addition to an M2HB machine gun and three 60 mm grenade launchers had two M1919A4 machine guns on M2 tripods. At the battalion level, three M1917A1 machine guns were also used in the Weapons Company.
The M2 tripod is significantly lower than the tripod of the M1917A1 and allows the shooter to lie on the ground when using the weapon - which significantly increases his survival rate (with the M1917A1 he had to sit or kneel). The two rear legs of the M2 are longer and connected by a crossbar on which the straightening mechanism sits and can be moved sideways. The controls of the aiming mechanism are on the left so that the shooter can operate them while keeping his right hand on the pistol grip.
The normal operating crew of an M1919A4 consisted of five men: the machine-gunner, the assistant shooter, the squad leader and two rifle shooters used as ammunition carriers. The machine gunner carried the machine gun and a supply of essential spare parts, the assistant the tripod and a belt case; the ammunition carriers and the group leader carried additional belt boxes.
The M1919A4 was available to the company commander as a focus weapon that could be used independently of the rifle platoons. In the attack, the machine gun groups covered the rifle trains in direct fire; Support by indirect fire was reserved for the M1917A1, which were better suited for this due to their better mountings and straightening system. The M1919A4 was lighter than the M1917A1 and therefore slightly more maneuverable, but it took longer to set up than a light machine gun on a bipod, as the assistant first had to set up the tripod before the shooter could put the weapon on it.
literature
- Karl R. Pawlas: The American Browning MGs M 1917 and 1919. In: Waffen-Revue No. 92 & 93, 1994, ISSN 0344-9076 .
- Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun: Infantry weapons yesterday . (1918-1945). In: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89488-036-8 , weapons, p. 572-575 .
- Frank Iannamico: Hard Rain. The Browning Machine Gun. Moose Lake Publishing, Harmony ME 2002, ISBN 0-9701954-8-6 .
- Dolf L. Goldsmith: The Browning Machine Gun. Volume 1: Rifle caliber Brownings in US service. Collector Grade Publications, Cobourg Ontario Canada 2005, ISBN 0-88935-370-0 .
- David Miller: Fighting Men Of World War II. Allied Forces. Uniforms, Equipment and Weapons. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA 2008, ISBN 978-0-8117-0374-1 .
- Gordon L. Rottman: Browning .30-caliber Machine Guns , Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4728-0804-2 . (81 pages online PDF)
