The Browning heavy machine gun is one of the few rifle guns that remains in service with the US Army to this day, having undergone minor modifications. It will be discussed in this article.
The birth of a legend
The start of the development of the large-caliber machine gun of the John Moses Browning system is considered to be the last years of the First World War, when the question arose about the need to equip the infantry with modern weapons, capable of hitting a significant number of targets in a short time.
It is installed both on armored vehicles and on aircraft. It is known that the Thunderbolt aircraft has a Browning-M2 machine gun in the amount of eight units.
It is known to install a machine gun model labeled M2HB on an M46 tank. The machine gun was used as an anti-aircraft gun and was equipped with a sight. Placed in front or behind the commander’s niche.
A Browning light machine gun can also fire at aircraft at low altitudes, using lightly armored or non-armored vehicles. And of course, in clusters of enemy infantry.
Colt Browning's machine gun
In 1889, John Browning developed an easel machine gun with a barrel cooling system and the removal of powder gases. After that, the rights were purchased by the Colt company, which already in 1895 issued the Colt machine gun M1895. Thanks to serial production, the product was sold to European countries and to a number of Latin American countries. At the dawn of World War I, a version with a weighted barrel was released. Russia bought this machine gun in huge quantities, the weapon was popular along with the Maxim machine gun.
Machine gun model 1917
Adopted by the U.S. Army in 1917, the easel machine gun served faithfully until 1970, after which it was withdrawn from service.
Also known is the Browning machine gun - m1919 - an upgraded version with a weapon barrel cooling system - appeared after the First World War.
The performance characteristics
The Browning machine gun -1919 served until 1970, however, they began to gradually remove this model from service by the end of 1945 due to the analysis of military operations as a whole, which showed that the machine gun was morally outdated, and the emerging models (including in other countries ) push the product according to its characteristics to the second (or even to the third) plan.
The Browning light machine gun weighed 14 kg, a length of 1219 millimeters, of which the barrel is 609 mm. Rate of fire from 400 to 600 rounds per minute according to the principle of recoil of the barrel at short speed with lever locking.
Power was supplied by a machine gun belt of 250 rounds at a maximum sighting range of 1,369 meters.
Easel machine gun "browning" -m2
As stated above, the greatest fame was due to installation on heavy equipment and use as anti-aircraft. It is my
But in most cases, everything was exploited as a means of suppressing enemy manpower. The M46 tank carried a Browning heavy machine gun, often mounted on armor. But when firing from the armor, the crew member had to stick out of the hatch about to the waist, which made the soldier vulnerable. Therefore, the second machine gun was mounted, as well as the standard machine gun provided for on the M46, replaced by a Browning machine gun. Thus, the firepower of a combat vehicle increased significantly.
But such modernization was not carried out at the factory producing equipment, but directly by the crew of the combat vehicle in the conditions of hostilities, which had a very significant effect on the need to replenish the ammunition for the Browning machine gun (12.7 mm M2).
The American Browning machine gun (M2) was designed for belt power, and the box of 550 rounds intended for standard weapons on the M46 was often not enough. Therefore, the crew had to get out on their own to solve this difficult task.
Machine gun sniper shooting
For the first time in the war in Korea, such use of a machine gun was registered. However, the Browning machine gun gained the most popularity during the Vietnam War, when one of the US snipers named Carlos Hatchcock hit several times a target no larger than a human figure, located at a distance of about 1700 meters. At first, the rumor about such shooting, flying around the US troops, played into their hands and raised morale. A commission was even formed that tested the arrow to set and register a world record. Information about the sniper shooting of Carlos from a machine gun was confirmed.
Machine guns issued from the machine were even provided with a sniper scope after such an event. There is only one caveat. In fact, no one used this sight, and the Browning machine gun was used for its intended purpose. Well, there aren’t so many unique people in the army who will use a machine gun as a sniper rifle.
But the idea of creating a sniper rifle based on the design of the machine gun attracted attention and was developed. But not for long. As a result, the project to create a sniper rifle was curtailed, and in 1982 the Barett company appeared on the scene with its sniper rifles, which quickly went into service with the US Army and successfully forgot about the initiative of sniper "browning".
The myth of machine gun sniper shooting lasted until about 2002, gradually overgrown with new details and fables. Turning from mouth to mouth, the data on the firing range of the “sniper” was constantly changing. In 2002, news was recorded about the firing range of up to 3,000 meters, which immediately revealed the frank delusionality of the material presented.
TTX M2
The legendary machine gun weighs 38 kg, and if with a machine, it is already much more - 58 kg.
The length of the product is 1653 mm, of which the barrel is 1143.
Uses NATO cartridge 12.7 x 99 mm.
The military version of the machine gun (the one that was installed on the tank) has a rate of fire, which varies from 483 to 630 rounds per minute. Slightly different indicators for the AN / M2 machine gun are from 740 to 845.
The upgraded version of the aircraft gun (AN / M3) has a rate of fire equal to 1200 rounds per minute.
Sighting range is 1820 meters.
Since the start of mass production in 1921, over 3 million products have been produced.
From war to war
Developed back in those years, the Browning machine gun is in service with the US Army (as well as many NATO countries) to this day. Used during the Second World War, as well as in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and a number of local conflicts. In some, the United States participated directly; in others, these weapons were used by one or both parties.
Many conflicts have long died down and have developed on further history. Some are forgotten, and some still last.
Kaleidoscope of conflict
At different times, the machine gun was used by different parties to the conflict. In some countries, it is still in service, but somewhere it has already been decommissioned and put into storage.
Suez War (October 1957 - March 1957) - war in Egypt, which arose due to the uncertain status of the Suez Canal. And also received the name "Operation Kadesh."
The Six Day War is a military confrontation in the Middle East that lasted from the fifth to the tenth of June 1967.
Three Indo-Chinese wars, which, according to historians, were waged by European countries against Vietnam for maintaining influence over the Indo-Chinese colonies from 1946 to 1991.
The military confrontation between Great Britain and Argentina for control over the Falkland Islands from April 2 to June 20, 1982.
The South African War (or the War of Independence of Namibia), 1969 to 1989 - An armed clash in the territory of Namibia between the Organization of Independent Peoples of Southwest Africa (SWAPO) with the support of the USSR, Angola and Zambia against South Africa and UNITA (rebels advocating the independence of Angola) with the support of the United States, China and Zaire.
The Gulf War is a large-scale confrontation of the armies of many countries led by the United States and Iraq for the independence of Kuwait. Even the Soviet Union, which was on the verge of collapse, eventually supported the United States. The war lasted from August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991.
The civil war in Somalia, which began in 1988 and continues to this day.
The U.S. invasion of Grenada, known as Operation Urgent Fury, carried out from October 25 to October 27, 1983.
The invasion of Panama - from December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990. The official pretext is to protect the rights of US citizens and democratic values in Panama.
The wars in Yugoslavia are a series of ethnic and religious conflicts from 1991 to 2001, which led to the collapse of Yugoslavia and the emergence of a number of independent republics. It is considered the most bloody conflict after the Second World War.
US and NATO military operations in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It is considered the longest war in US history. Officially, hostilities aimed at confronting the Taliban ended in 2014, when the right to maintain order was transferred to local security forces. In fact, the fighting continues to this day.
Iraq war to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein 2003 - 2011.
Narcoyne in Mexico is an armed conflict between Mexican drug lords and the Mexican police, which lasts from 2006 to this day.
The Cambodian Civil War is an armed confrontation between a local government supported by the United States and a communist party supported by North Vietnam. The war lasted from 1967 to 1975.
Kampuchean-Vietnam War - from 1978 to 1991.
Colonial war in Portugal from 1961 to 1974. Also known as Guerra Colonial and Guerra do Ultramar.
Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988.