This time on Gun Talk, we're taking a look at the Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun. Or the "Ma Deuce", as it is better known. I've had a love affair with this "gun" since I was a little boy. It was great to see old movies of WWII pilots screaming through the sky with all six M2's chattering away on their P-51 Mustang. Or pictures of a "grunt" silhouetted against a Vietnamese sunset with his M2.
But what made me fall for the Ma Deuce was my Uncle. My uncle Carl was in the 1st Infantry Division and served in Vietnam. Vietnam was where the "gun truck" became popular. I very clearly remember him telling me stories about these fabled beast when I was a boy, and it wasn't until I got a little older that he finally showed me what all the fuss was about. Stashed away deep inside his closet was a big green trunk and inside this trunk was everything he came home with. Part of this cherished keepsake, was a huge stack of pictures he had taken while in enlisted. While flipping through the pictures (with me glued to his shoulder with wonder) he came to a picture of a M35 cargo truck or a "Deuce-and-a-half". I immediately stopped him with such force he almost dropped the pictures.
This truck looked nothing like the ones I had seen before. There were steel plates welded on the sides (much like those you see on MRAP's today), and in the back there was four Browning .50 heavy machine guns and two M60 machine guns (a story for another day). I couldn't believe my eyes, despite the stories he had told me as a boy. They were real! GI's had really welded armor on cargo trucks and strapped as many machine guns to it as they could. I could only imagine the destruction these seemingly harmless cargo trucks were not capable of. It was at this point I realized, the "Deuce" was king!
A M35 "gun truck".
Now lets get into some of the technical bits.
The M2 is a heavy machine gun designed by mister John Browning himself, towards the end of the first world war. After the success of his first machine gun the M1919, Browning saw the need for a larger weapon. The M1919 was chambered for the .30-06 rifle cartridge, a very popular round to this day. However, with the rapid advancement of armor during the war Mr. Browning began development on the M2, which would fire the much larger and more powerful .50 BMG cartridge. Which was developed alongside and takes its name from the gun itself (BMG standing for Browning Machine Gun). The M2 would be put to use by infantry forces, mounted on wheeled vehicles, aircraft and boats.
There were several different types of ammunition used in the M2HB and AN aircraft guns. From standard ball ammo to armor-piercing (AP) and armor-piercing incendiary (API). All .50 "armor-piercing" ammunition was required to completely perforate .875 inches (22.2mm) of hardened steel armor plate at a distance of 100 yards (91m) and .75 inches (19mm) at 547 yards (500m). New ammunition types have since been developed. Such as the M903 SLAP (Saboted Light Armor Penetrator), which can perforate 1.34 inches (34mm) of FHA (Face-hardened steel plate) at 500 metres (550yd).
The "Ma Deuce" is capable of very high rates of fire considering the size of the cartridge, it has a cyclic rate of 450-575 rounds per minute depending on the model. It is also capable of reaching extreme distances, with an effective range of 1,830 meters (2,000 yd). It is however hindered by it's size, weighing it at a whopping 84 pounds (38 kg) and the tripod weighing another 44 pounds (20 kg).
One of the most recognizable features of the M2 is it's grip and trigger mechanism. The "spade handle" hand-grip on either side of the weapon allows for great control over the platform. And the V-shaped "butterfly" trigger is located in-between the hand-grips for easy depression with either or both thumbs. Recently, new buffer assemblies have used squeeze triggers mounted in the grips, doing away with the butterfly triggers. Thanks to John Browning's foresight, the M2 was designed to operate in many configurations, and can quickly be adapted to feed from the left or right side of the weapon, and the same goes for the charging assembly.
The Browning M2 is still in use today by more than one hundred countries worldwide. And stands as the longest produced machine gun in the world with more than eighty years of production. My hat is off to you Mr. Browning and this fine, fine, "gun".
This leads us to the modern day "gun truck" the MaxxPro and MaxxPro Plus. These "MRAPS" or Mine Resistant Ambush Proof vehicles are used heavily by infantry troopers. Here in The 506th IR RU the MaxxPro is our "go to" ground transport for two reasons. First, they offer great protection from small arms and light explosives. Secondly, and most importantly is their ability to be a "force multiplier". This force multiplier status is achieved by the one and only Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun.
Convoy of MaxxPro's preparing to leave COP Otter.
A great man once said "speak softly, and carry a big stick". This weapon system is surely a "big stick" and troopers of The 506th take it into combat with one request in mind, "Mr. Browning, help me bring everyone home today". And thanks to the "Ma Deuce", Mr. Browning is always happy to oblige.
That's it for this issue of Gun Talk and as always, remember.
-The gun is just the tool, the trooper is the weapon.
SPC J. Sathers - Public Affairs Broadcast Specialist - 506th IR
**This article is a work of fiction to support the 506th ArmA gameplay**
