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Browning M1919A4
A fixture for American forces in World War Two - by land and by air.
By Staff Writer
Like many of the infantry weapons made available to US servicemen in the Second World War, the M1919 shared the common history of having been developed - or having stemmed from a development - originally conceived of or produced in the First World War. The M1919 was no exception as it appeared in a water-cooled form as the M1917.
Water-cooling was an essential part of early machine gun technology. The rate at which the gun was to disperse of ammunition required some act of cooling to take place in order to keep the weapon's barrel from completely overheating and breaking. The M1917 was actually issued with a water container and applicable hose installation that allowed the system to pump in water while squeezing off ammunition at an impressive 500 rounds per minute.
With the desire to make a more universal machine gun based on gas-operated recoil and air cooling, the M1919 series was developed from the developmental M1918. Air cooling now allowed various elements of the system to be produced in lighter form, easing the overall weight of the system. More importantly, it produced a universal system that was equally adept at being mounted on aircraft as well as armor and light vehicles. The M1919 would serve US infantrymen and airmen alike as the most important piece of suppressive fire support of the war.
The M1919A4 was the definitive mark in the M1919 series. This particular design allowed for a fized and flexible mounting style that made it proper for usage by both aircraft and infantry squads. The fixed mount was suitable for defensive positions onboard bomber aircraft as seen on the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator models among others. More importantly, the flexible mount allowed infantry units to affix the M1919 system to a portable tripod. This arrangement needed just a crew of two for operation - a loader and a gunner - with the loader being in charge of porting the tripod and keeping the ammunition belt untangled as it fed into the weapon. The gunner was charged with carrying the main system and firing the gun when called upon.
The M1919 survived past the war in various forms and paved the way for more evolutions of the successful and original air-cooled design. One of the unsung heroes of the Second World War, the M1919 was a real infantryman's friend and allowed the military war planner and tactician the flexibility of having a defensive weapon easily become an offensive one with out the encumbrance of water-cooling needed.
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| Specifications for the Browning M1919A4 |
 Operation: |
Action: Gas Operated, Air-Cooled
Cartridge: 30-60 Springfield, 50 BMG
Feed System: 250-Round Fabric Belt
Cyclic Rate-of-Fire: 400 rds/min
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| Dimensions: |
Overall Length: 1,041mm (40.98in)
Barrel Length: 0mm (0.00in)
Empty Weight: 14.05kg (30.97lbs)
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Profile: |
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| 1919 |
Designation: Browning M1919A4
Classification Type: Heavy Machine Gun
Manufacturer: Various - USA
Country of Origin: United States
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| Variants |
M1917 - Initial water-cooled version of World War One.
M1918 / M1918M1 - Interim design looking into making working the M1917 system away from water cooling and proposal of making the entire system lighter where possible.
M1919 - Base series designation of the air-cooled system intended as a tank-mounted machine gun in World War One but arriving too late; heavier barrel.
M1919A1 - Intended for Mark VIII tank mounting.
M1919A2 - Mounted cavalry usage with portable separated tripod.
M1919A3 - "General Purpose" variant; developmental version of the production M1919A4.
M1919A4 - Definitive Browning M1919 system series; fixed form offered usage onboard aircraft for defensive armament; flexible form was crew-served and carried by infantrymen with a tripod; other flexible forms included simple vehicle mounts for defensive armament.
M1919A4E1 - fitted with slide-retracting mechanism; post-war design.
M1919A5 - fitted with bolt-retracting slide; system designed for M3 Stuart Light Tank mount (Light Tank M3).
M1919A6 - Fitted with bipod, flash suppressor, carrying handle and shoulder stock; lighter barrel production; based on M1919A4 model series.
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