".30-cal MG on bipod?" Topic

Saw a show on the Battle of the Bulge the other night that showed a US .30-cal MG mounted on a bipod. This was no ordinary bipod the legs looked to be almost 3-ft long!

BoB showed Easy Company having a .30-cal mounted on a "normal" bipod (much shorter legs).

The question is: Did the US Army "normally" mount .30-cal's on bipods or were these just individual "field mods"?

Also: Did the long-legged bipods exist or was it just some reenactor's overactive imagination?

Tim

The only bi-pod version that I'm aware of offhand is the M1919A6 model.

Indeed. And I can't imagine what the function of the lower thumb screw on the bipod leg would be other than to permit the bipod leg to extend -- although three feet seems a bit much.

All the best,

John.

I believe the M1919A6 was the usual paratrooper version of the MG. I don't know if it was exclusive, but I thought it was developed/modified for their use. I know somebody out there can correct me if I am wrong. And it wouldn't have to be my wife either!

No knowledge here, but a 3' bipod might imply use against aircraft, with the legs mounted on something higher, like the back of a vehicle. Or it could be Hollywood gone crazy.

"Towards the end of the Second World War, the US Army again revisited developing a lighter, more maneuverable M1919 that could better support the infantry company in the assault and perhaps even be used as a substitute for the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The resulting weapon, the M1919A6 .30 caliber machine gun was a belt-fed, air-cooled, recoil-operated machine gun that could be mounted on either a bipod or tripod mount. If necessary, the bipod legs could be folded to the rear, and the bipod rest legs used as a front support. The M1919A6 was similar to the M1919A4 except for a number of important differences. A removable metal shoulder stock was added and the barrel jacket was modified to mount a front barrel bearing and a removable bipod leg assembly with lock ring. A removable carry handle was added to the barrel jacket to allow easier handling of a hot weapon. The reciever cover latch was modified to provide easier opening. The driving spring was lightened to allow easier retracting of the bolt.

The weapon proved to still be too heavy and cumbersome for rapid changes of position. The weapon retained the ability to be used mounted on a tripod and was often employed this way as a substitute for the M1919A4. M1919A6s were also exported to US allies after the end of the Second World War."
link

Streitax had the same thought I did.

Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .30, M1919A6 — TM 9-206
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Mainly it was a paratrooper weapon (like John Salt says) because you didn't have a heavy tripod to lug around. It was also lighter and had a slower rate of fire than the A4. However, it did the job well.

From what I remember, IIRC, in the Airborne from December of 1944 1 BAR was added to the Rifle Squad replacing 1 of the 2 M1919A6s.

Indeed. And I can't imagine what the function of the lower thumb screw on the bipod leg would be other than to permit the bipod leg to extend -- although three feet seems a bit much.

Yeah, they appear to extend to less than double the retracted length, so about 2 feet in total when extended. See pages 2 and 3 of TM 9-206 Browning Machine Gun, Cal .30, M1919A6 dated 1 September 1943:
PDF link

Thanks to you all.

From what I've heard (from a guy who owns one) the M1919A6 was not developed specifically for the paratroopers. It was an attempt to quickly copy the German MG42.

What I've never been able to understand is why, oh why, the US didn't just take a captured MG 42, reverse engineer it and just build a million of the darn things. It couldn't have been all that hard.

Ever heard of "Not made in America Syndrome?"

I think the reason it is associated with the airborne is because the M1919A6 served at the squad level in paratrooper units, while it was a support weapon elsewhere.

The airborne used the tripod version in their squads through Normandy, then switched over to the bipod version for Market Garden and beyond. The BAR shows up as well, but there is debate about when and with who.

A Friends Garand father jumped with 82 on D Day and pick up a bar that night and used it the rest of the war.

Lord Ghee

What I've never been able to understand is why, oh why, the US didn't just take a captured MG 42, reverse engineer it and just build a million of the darn things. It couldn't have been all that hard.

Here's what happened when they tried:
PDF link