Browning Model 1919 machine gun
The
Browning M1919 was a
.30 cal medium general purpose machine gun family widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a
light infantry,
coaxial,
mounted,
aircraft, and
anti-aircraft machine gun by the US and many other countries, especially during
World War II, the
Korean War, and in
Vietnam. Although it began to be superseded by newer designs in the later half the century (such as by the
M60 machine gun), it remained in use in many
NATO countries and elsewhere for longer.
Many M1919s were rechambered for the new
7.62 NATO (7.62x51 mm) round and served into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries. The U.S. Navy also converted many to 7.62 mm, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; they were commonly used on river craft in the 60s and 70s during Vietnam.
The M1919 was an air-cooled development of the standard US machine gun of
World War I, the
Browning M1917, as designed by
John M. Browning. The weapon originally fired the
30-06 M1 or M2 rifle cartridge in either woven cloth
belts from left to right.
 |
US soldiers fire a M1919A4 in Aachen |
Loading:
Loading was accomplished by opening the top cover, lifting the extractor, inserting the new belt of ammunition into the gun's feed tray, then the extractor was lowered over the first round in the belt, the cover was closed and latched, and the cocking handle was pulled back and released inserting the first round into the barrel's chamber.
Firing:
When the rear of the trigger is pivoted upwards by the operator, the front of the trigger tips downwards engaging the sear, and the sear, in turn, releases the firing pin allowing it to strike the primer of the cartridge in the chamber.
As an infantry weapon, they were usually
crew operated by 2 soldiers: the gunner, who carried the weapon and some spare parts; and the assistant gunner, who carried the
tripod and
ammunition and when in action fed the ammunition belts into the gun to ensure smooth entry of each round in the belt, decreasing the chance of the weapon jamming.
The original idea was to allow the gun to be more easily packed for transport, and featured a light barrel and bipod when first introduced as the M1919A1. Unfortunately it quickly became clear that the gun was too heavy to be easily moved, while at the same time too light for sustained fire. This led to the M1919A2, which included a heavier barrel and tripod, and could be continuously fired for longer durations.
The M1919A4 weighed about 31 pounds (14 kg), and usually was mounted on a tripod (for
infantry use), or from a fixed mount. It saw wide use in
World War II. The gun was mounted on such vehicles as:
jeeps,
tanks, and
ships.
The A5 was an adaptation of the A4 with a forward mounting point to allow it to be mounted in
cupolas in tanks and
armored cars. This, along with the M37, was the most common secondary armament during WWII.
Another version of the M1919A4, the M1919A6, was an attempt to make the weapon easier to carry by reducing its weight and to make use of a bipod, but it turned out to be heavier at 32 lb (15 kg) and was considered "substitute standard". With its bipod and stock, it actually weighed more than the A4 by itself, but less than the A4 with its tripod. It was still used extensively however, by allied troops during World War II and the Korean War. The main differences were a folding bipod mounted on the front of the gun, a sheet metal buttstock that was attached to the pistol-grip firing handle, a carrying handle, and a tapered barrel weighing 4 lb (1.8 kg) instead of 7 lb (3.2 kg) returning the weapon to an A1-like state.
The Model 1919 was heavily re-worked to become the .30 caliber M2 aircraft machine gun. Key to aircraft use was weight. Unnecessary metal was removed from its components and with the cooling effect of air rushing past the barrel from the plane's speed the designers made the barrel thinner and hence lighter. As a result the M2 weighed 2/3 that of the 1919A4 and the lightened mechanism gave it a higher rate of fire â€" pertinent to use where the target might be in range and in the line of sight for barely a second.
The same basic weapon was also chambered for the British
.303 in round, and was used as a basic fighter aircraft gun until the widespread introduction of the larger caliber
Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon and throughout the war in bombers. Similar versions for a variety of European calibers were delivered by the Belgian gun maker FN (
Fabrique Nationale), notably German-standard
8 mm Mauser which was fairly widely used in eastern
Europe.
The M1919 was manufactured during WWII by many different companies in the U.S. including
General Motors and
Rock Island Arsenal. In the UK production was chiefly by
BSA.
M1919
*initial model
M1919A1
*Original light barrel and bipod
M1919A2
*Heavier barrel, tripod for better sustained fire
M1919A3
*An improved version of the M1919A2.
M1919A4/A4E1
*Dominant version, the M1919A4 was designed for both flexible and fixed use on vehicles and by infantry. A subvariant, the M1919A4E1 were refitted M1919A4s with A5 extended charging handles.
M1919A5
*A4 adapted for mounting on vehicles. The A5 featured an extended charging handle.
M1919A6
*Modified M1919A4 for infantry use as a "
light machine gun". The A6 featured a buttstock and a bipod, and the kit could easily be used to retrofit earlier models to this standard.
M2
*Commonly referred to as AN/M2. The AN/ part of the nomenclature stood for "Army-Navy" and was used until the end of the Second World War.
*Aircraft version of the Model 1919A4 manufactured by Browning with a thinner barrel and thinner receiver walls. Used on pre-WW2 US aircraft but replaced by the larger .50 caliber
M2 machine gun and relegated to training duties. A derivative of this weapon was built by Colt as the MG40-2.
*This weapon soldiered on for a short period during the 1960s as the main weapons for early
AC-47 Spooky Gunships in Vietnam, until sufficient
Miniguns could be acquired.
M37
*
Coaxial M1919 variant, with the ability to feed from either the left or the right. Also featuring an extended charging handle similar to those on the M1919A4E1 and A5. A variant fitted with special sighting equipment was designated T153. Another variant, the M37C was designed for remote firing via a solenoid trigger for use in the
XM1/E1 armament subsystem.
*A version of the M37, rechambered in 7.62x51 mm NATO is rumored to have been created, but even if it was it mostly likely would've been quickly overtaken by the M60 and M73 machine guns.
Mk 21 Mod 0/1
*A Navy designation for M1919's converted to fire 7.62 mm NATO.
|
A M67 "Zippo", a flame thrower version of the M48 Patton, fires in Vietnam in 1968, a M1919 is mounted on the right |
The M1919 pattern has been used in countries all over the world in a variety of forms and under a number of different designations.
Browning Mk 1/2
An older style Commonwealth designation for the .303 caliber Browning machine guns used on the vast majority of British aircraft of the Second World War at one point or another. The difference between the Mk 1 and Mk 2 versions is unknown, but the weapon visually is quite similar AN/M2 aircraft gun.
FN-Browning mle 1938
French designation for the
FN-built derivative converted to 7.5x54 mm ammunition. Manufactured in the late 1930s and used on fixed mountings of US-build aircraft in French service from 1939 to 1942.
L3A1/A2
The Commonwealth designation used by both the United Kingdom and Australia to designate the fixed (A1) and flexible (A2) versions of the M1919A4 in .30-06 caliber.
L3A3/A4
Sear hold-open conversion of previous L3A1s and L3A2s. The A3 is the modified version of the A1, and the A4 is the modified version of the A2.
MG A4
Austrian designation for the M1919A4.
MG4
South African licence-built version of the M1919A4 in current use with the South African National Defence Forces (SANDF). Manufactured by Lyttleton Engineering, Pretoria.
C1/A1 and C5/A1
Canadian designation for 7.62x51 mm rechambered M1919A4s for fixed (C1) and flexible (C1A1) applications. The C5 and C5A1 were product improvements of the previous C1 and C1A1 respectively.
Mg M/52-1 and Mg M/52-11
Danish designations for the M1919A4 and M1919A5 respectively.
Ksp m/42
Swedish designation for license built M1919 chambered in
6.5 x 55 mm or
8 x 63 mm, and from 1975 circa, mostly fitted with barrels in
7.62 x 51 mm.The Ksp m/42B was a lighter version with bipod and shoulder stock (used in a similar way as the M1919A6), chambered in 6.5 x 55 mm and later in 7.62 x 51 mm.
*
M1919A4 Enthusiasts and semi-auto rebuilders*
How machine guns work* Frank Iannamico,
Hard Rain: History of the Browning Machine Guns*
Colt MG38
