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Post by volkssturm on Jan 15, 2021 11:42:45 GMT -5
Here's a short clip from Critical Path showing the First Special Service Force in a firefight. Notable is the use of the Johnson LMG. Looks like it's probably Italy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn2V0nvENIA
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Post by 2ndbat2 on Jan 30, 2021 15:00:42 GMT -5
The straight back stock and hence elevated sights (also present in the FJ42) were way ahead of their time. As in the M16 series it greatly reduces recoil climb especially in full automatic. You can see clearly in the footage how much more effective the Johnson LMG was than a BAR.
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Post by volkssturm on Feb 1, 2021 14:39:18 GMT -5
The Johnson had a lot of potential, especially for airborne troops. It's one of those failures of imagination that Ordnance didn't do more with it. One real oddity about the airborne division, from what I read, is that the original TO&E did not include BAR's (they might have added them later in the war. Not sure.) What the thinking there was is unfathomable. You'd think that troops being dropped behind enemy lines would be given more firepower, not less.
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shiftysgarand
Corporal
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Post by shiftysgarand on Feb 2, 2021 11:44:07 GMT -5
The reason airborne troops weren’t given BARs initially was that they had an M1919A4 (later M1919A6) in every squad performing the SAW role that the BAR had in the regular infantry squad. While still not as good as something like an MG42, this did give them significantly more firepower than a standard leg infantry squad, which is what your intuition would indicate.
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Post by 2ndbat2 on Feb 2, 2021 18:19:05 GMT -5
Though not part of the TO&E there were airborne units that managed to dog rob BARs and they did wind up in the hands of airborne troops. I have seen a few pictures of BARs with troops ready to jump sitting in C47s. It must have been a bitch to jump with. Lots of accounts from Holland and the Bulge mention BAR men. Shifty is correct the M1919a4/ a6 was the "by design" squad automatic weapon and was far more numerous in airborne infantry companies than regular line units which only had a few MGs per company vs 9!
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Post by CPL. Mills 2nd Rangers on Feb 4, 2021 13:47:49 GMT -5
Awesome footage, great find. I shared it to the Facebook page
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Post by 2ndbat2 on May 2, 2022 17:54:22 GMT -5
There is no doubt the Ivar Johnson light machine gun was superior to the BAR. The 1st Force having initially served in the Pacific (Aluetian Island Battle) traded compound C4 blocks that they had a surplus of with the Marines for a significant number of the IVAR Johnson LMG which was totally off the books and unauthorized. Its shows the flexibility and creativity of their commanding officer which in large part turned them into a highly effective fighting force in Italy. The IVAR Johnson as I understand it faired very well in trials and testing but their was some concern about field stripping and maintenance due to small parts they felt could be easily lost. No such actual reports from either the Marines of First Force that I am aware of?
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