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Posted on 08/29/2003 4:55:59 AM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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M2 Machine Gun "MA DEUCE"   M2 .50 on U.S.Navy river patrol boat (PBR), Go Cong River January 1967  Browning machinegun, Cal. .50 HB, M2 The belt feed mechanism uses disintegrating links and, by repositioning parts, can be adjusted for left or right feed. This gun is has a back plate with spade grips, trigger, and bolt latch release.The M2 is equipped with leaf-type rear sight, flash suppressor and a spare barrel assembly. By repositioning some of the component parts, ammunition may be fed from either the left or right side. A disintegrating metallic link-belt is used to feed the ammunition into the weapon.  The gun is capable of single-shot (ground M2), as well as fully automatic fire. As a heavy firearm it requires either a tripod mount (weighing in excess of 30 pounds) or other means of mounting. The weapon provides automatic weapon suppressive fire for offensive and defensive purposes. This weapon can be used effectively against personnel, light armored vehicles; low, slow flying aircraft; and small boats.  An American 50-caliber machine gun emplacement helps defend against Japanese air attacks at Guadalcanal. The M2 machine gun on the M3 tripod provides a very stable firing platform. Together with its slow rate of fire and its traversing and elevating mechanism, the M2 was used effectively during the Vietnam war at fixed installations such as firebases. Snipers prefired the weapons at identifiable targets and worked the data into range cards insuring increased first-round accuracy. The 1st battalion, 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division constructed 20-30 foot high shooting platforms, adding steel base plates and posts to further stabilize the M2 on the M3 tripod. Together with the use of Starlight night vision scopes, the M2 severely limited enemy movement within 900 yards (1,000m) of the perimeter of a firebase.   M2 in action by US Soldiers The .50 Calibre Browning Machine Gun is a robust and capable weapon and is used in a variety of roles such as close in AA Support and against light surface targets at close range. It is ideal for providing covering fire for boarding parties.  THE BROWNING M2HB is quite simply one of the greatest machine guns ever designed, being efficient and very effective; easy to use and to maintain; and as suitable for installation in a tank turret as on aground tripod or an aircraft.  The M1 tank's .50-caliber machine gun The coolest thing about the M1's weaponry is its advanced fire control system. An array of sensors constantly monitors the tank's tilt, the turret's motion and any gusts of wind, and a computer adjusts the gun accordingly to keep it aimed at its target. With this system, the M1 can take out other tanks while it's on the move. Less sophisticated tanks have to come to a full stop to hit targets reliably. Further, it has been in front- line service for five decades and there is a large range of widely available ammunitton. Like all weapons, the design started with the cartridge.  An M2 Browning water-cooled .50-caliber machine gun is depicted in an antiaircraft-artillery (AAA) configuration on a three-legged-tripod—upported gooseneck pedestal mount. Note the spade grip configuration usually seen on this weapon. This gun is in action (the water hook-ups are attached). A spare drum magazine can be seen behind the gunner at the far right. This photograph was taken during the Operation Husky invasion of Sicily from early July to mid-August 1943. When the United States Army arrived in france in 1917 it found a need for a machine gun firing a larger round than that used in contemporary rifles, which was required not only for use against troops but also for new tasks such as attacking tanks, balloons, and aircraft. It proved impossible to convert any US weapon to take the 0.43in (I 1mm) round then being tested b'y the french, but at that point the US Army happened to capture some new Mauser anti-tank rifles with their ammunition.The excellence of the round was quickly recognized and a new United States O.5O" cartridge was rapidly developed along the same lines. At the same time John Browning, one of the most famous gunsmiths in history, was called in to develop a weapon to take this new round, which resulted in the M1921AI machine gun.The design was refined in the early 1930s which led to the M2, but this was limited by barrel life, and a new, much sturdier barrel was quickly produced, resulting in the definitive M2HB (HB = heavy barrel).  The M2HB has seen service in fixed-wing aircraft; helicopters; a multitude of trucks and field cars such as jeeps. Land Rovers, fast strike vehicles and HMMWVs;as well as APCs and tanks. It has been manufactured in vast numbers and is still widely used, since its O.5O" high velocity round has both considerable range, greater carrying capacity than the 5.56mm rounds now used in rifles and light machine guns, as well as great accuracy since it is highly resistant to wind drift.  M2 .50 -.50 on PBR in Vietnam The ammunition is widely available, having been manufactured in some 30 countries, and is still in production in at least 10 of them.  There is also a vast range of natures (ie, different types) with some countries still devoting research effort to producing new 0.50 caliber rounds.  One of the most recent of these developments was the Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) round developed by the US Marine Corps in the middle and late 1980s. This uses a sub-caliber (0.30in [7.62mm]) tungsten carbide penetrator carried in a 0.50in (12.7mm) sabot, which breaks away as the round exits from the muzzle.This results in the penetrator having a much increased velocity (3,985ft/s [l,215m/s] compared to 2,900ft/s [883m/s]) giving it a very flat trajectory, thus enhancing both hit probability and armor penetration. SLAP rounds were used with great success during their operational debut in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.   SLAP ammunition is completely interoperable with M2 machine guns, but requires one of the new type of chrome-plated, stellite-lined barrels. Upgrade kits are also being marketed, mostly concentrating on quick-change, longer-life barrels fitted with noise suppressors. Indeed, the only challenge of any significance to the M2HB is coming from the new heavy cannon, such as the McDonnell Douglas ASP 30mm,although these are very much larger and considerably heavier.  Another view of an M2 Browning water-cooled .50 caliber machine gun in an AAA configuration on a three-legged pedestal mount. Note the cradle for the operator to lean into and compare to the spade grips in the above photo. No water hookups are visible, but the ground directly beneath the mount is littered with expended shell casings. The photo was also taken in Sicily during 1943.  A U.S. soldier of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) mans a .50-caliber machine gun during Operation ANACONDA combat in the Shah-e-kot mountains in eastern Afghanistan.  Sgt. Douglas D. Tompkins of Jud, North Dakota, Tank Company, 5th RCT, 24th U.S. Infantry Division, fires a .50 caliber machine gun at Communist-held positions during an assault against the Chinese Communist forces along the east central front, Korea. 14 July 1951.  Loading Mustang      |
M2HB .50 Caliber Air Cooled Machine Gun
Operation Selective Fire; Semiautomatic or Fully Automatic, recoil operated, air cooled
Caliber .50 (12.7 mm)
Ammunition bullet 710 gr, charge 235 gr
Muzzle velocity 853.4 mps (2930 fps)
Capacity 110-round metallic link belt
Weight 57.8 kg (128 lbs); barrel 81 lbs, tripod 44 lbs
Overall length 165.4 cm (65.1 in), (barrel 45 in)
Rate of fire 400 to 550 rounds per minute
Effective range 2287m (2500 yds)
Note: The M2 .50 caliber machine gun is still standard issue today. Mr. Browning's magnificent weapon may see its 100th birthday, still on active duty.
The .50 caliber machine gun is primarily an anti-vehicular weapon. Its weight, and the weight of its ammunition, make it unsuitable for mobile infantry use. However, in semi-fixed positions such as the MLR in Korea, or mounted on vehicles in file, as in the withdrawal from Chosin, the weapon is magnificent. Its great range and striking power make it deadly in enfilade against troops staging for assault. Again, these capabilities make it ideal for quick reaction against machine gun and mortar positions on heights overlooking road communications.
Against massed infantry attack over ground with relatively constant slope, as against the Chinese human wave assaults on our MLR such as at Vegas, the M2 is a truly terrible force. For mobile patrol deployment, mounted on light vehicles, it is equally effective.
Quad .50-caliber M2 Heavy Barrel Air-Cooled Heavy Machine Guns Mounted on half-track, WWII AAA vintage
Col. L. Fletcher Prouty USAF (Dec.), former liason with Special Forces for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports that for the Bay of Pigs operation, "the CIA's very able and potent Air Division already had. . .the versatile B-26 bombers that had been modified by the Air Force for the CIA to carry eight 50-cal aircraft-type machine guns in the nose." Prouty recounts the refusal of the Kennedy administration to grant permission for the final raid by these B-26's to destroy Castro's three .50 cal. equipped T-33 jet trainers on the ground.
Prouty: "We had provided the rebels with 16 B-26's that I had put through a transition project in Arizona. They had 8 50 Cal. machine guns in each nose. (With this in mind), Castro had only 10 capable combat aircraft Kennedy ordered them all to be destroyed before the landing. On Sat., a.m., May 15th they were attacked and all of 7 were destroyed. We scoured Cuba with U-2 reconnaissance and found that three jets that Castro had left were all that he had; but these armed jets could easily shoot down the B-26's. Therefore Kennedy made it very clear on May 16th that the landing could not take place until the Rebel's B-26's had totally destroyed the last three Castro jets...ON THE GROUND. (If this had been done, as ordered by the President then the 16 bombers could have supported the invasion and the Cuban rebels would have had a more than even chance to beat Castro's ground troops and their equipment by bombardment."
Hence the brigade was cut to pieces and a special bullet was designed for JFK designated the Mannlicher-Banana Miracle Specter Bullet which could turn corners and leap tall buildings. It is not true, however, that "to zap", meaning to kill is derived from the Zapruder film.
The Counter Invader was a highly modified version of the Douglas A-26 Invader, a WW II attack bomber. Redesignated B-26 in 1948, the Invader served again during the Korean War (1950-53), mainly as a night intruder against North Korean supply lines. It was removed from service in 1958, but in 1961 the USAF recalled many Invaders for use as tactical bombers in Southeast Asia (SEA). Combat duty and two decades of wear took their toll and, in 1964, the B-26s again were removed from service.
In 1966, the old bomber was resurrected once more when the improved B-26K Counter Invader returned to SEA for ground-attack missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Modified by the On Mark Engineering Co., the B-26K had a rebuilt fuselage and tail, strengthened wings, improved engines, reversible propellers, wing-tip fuel tanks, and other refinements. Redesignated A-26As in 1966, Counter Invaders remained in SEA until 1969, then were removed for disposal.
Originally an A-26C converted to B-26K, the Counter Invader on display was one of the first six to arrive at Nakon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1966. In November 1980 it was flown to the Museum.
Thanks for the info on the modified B-26.
The -G model was basically a B-25C with the 'greenhouse' nose replaced by a shorter solid nose housing a 75mm M4 cannon and two fixed .50-cal. machine guns. The cannon was manually reloaded after each shot; twenty one 75mm rounds were carried onboard.
Since the -G model was primarily intended to fill the ground attack and strafing role, more armor plating protecting the crew and ammunition storage areas was added to the aircraft. Fuel capacity increased, but so did the aircraft's gross weight; however, the top speed was only reduced by 3 mph (281 mph for the -G and 284 for the -C model).
The B-25H was an improved version of the B-25G. The fixed nose armament was increased to four nose-mounted .50-cal. machine guns and four more .50-cal. machine guns in fuselage mounted pods. The 75mm cannon was changed from the -G model's M4 to the lighter T13E1 75mm cannon.
The Bay of Pigs fiasco was a betrayal of the Cubans by the Kennedy admistration, funny how it's never mentioned by the Kennedy worshippers.
What's that? LOL!!! I hardly remember what a weekend is. The days are all the same. hehe!
IF it doesn't rain later today, we at least get a little "fun break". We'll be going to a cruise-in this afternoon and evening. Guess I should carry my lil carcass to the bat cave for a couple winks of sleep. I stayed up a bit later than I'd planned. That's nothing new, is it? LOL!!!
Hope you have a fantabulous holiday weekend, my friend. That's a hope I extend to everyone.
GAU-8/A Avenger
The GAU-8/A gun is capable of firing rates of 2100 and 4200 spm.
Used in the A-10 Warthog
The G andd H models made great anti-shipping bombers
free dixie,sw
the father one of my best girlfriends in HS days was TSgt Houston Burkhardt, a former B17 tailgunner of the USAAC. he was the ONLY member of his gunnery class to survive the war= one of 188 BRAVE men!
free dixie,sw
she still talks about his HIJINKS! and was VERY proud of him.
SADLY, he was NOT well-liked by the townsfolk at home because his family "pulled onions" for a very poor living. when he came home from war, he was asked NOT to visit his sisters on the campus & was NOT given a homecoming party.
the TXARNG rememied that ommission in the late sixites!
free dixie,sw
she still talks about his HIJINKS! and was VERY proud of him.
SADLY, he was NOT well-liked by the townsfolk at home because his family "pulled onions" for a very poor living. when he came home from war, he was asked NOT to visit his sisters on the campus & was NOT given a homecoming party.
the TXARNG rememied that ommission in the late sixties!
free dixie,sw
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