World War II Database

1.  David Stubblebine says:
1 Mar 2010 06:46:43 PM

All previous captions for this photo (including at the Library of Congress) list the weapon as a Browning M1919 .30 caliber light machine gun. A close look at it (especially the receiver) reveals nothing consistent with the M1919 but all features match the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun.

2.  Bill says:
13 Sep 2011 07:28:24 PM

Looking at that receiver my guess is the
M-1919 .30 Caliber Machine Gun, look at the gunner on that B-24 photo check the distance
of gunner to back of the receiver.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. The PBY carried both the .30 and .50 Caliber Machine Guns. The can on the gunners left is for the ammo, and the can on the right is to collect the brass and disintegrating metal links? If I'm wrong about this all I can say is win some loose some...

3.  Bill says:
13 Sep 2011 07:32:44 PM

The gunner is way to close to the receiver to be a .50 my guess its a M-1919 air cooled .30 Caliber Machine Gun. The PBY was armed with both the .30 and .50

4.  David Stubblebine says:
14 Sep 2011 05:02:54 PM

Bill: You may be right (if this is the M1919, then you also agree with the Library of Congress). Before submitting my opinion that this was the M2, I struggled with this for some time and I struggled with the very same issues you bring up – it looks too small & too light for the M2. And the images where we see the muzzle, the hole looks smaller than .50 inches. If this is not the M2, I still wonder if it is the M1919, however. The gun certainly has many of the M2 design features as opposed to the M1919, most notably the twin luggage style hand-grips and thumb trigger. I have never heard of a M1919 fitted this way nor have I heard of the M2 design being scaled down to a .30 caliber. But if they ever made either one, perhaps one of those is what we see here. As an aerial gun, fitting the M1919 with the two-handed M2 style luggage grips makes some sense it would offer steadier shooting while aloft. Any armorers out there ever hear of that?

5.  David Stubblebine says:
15 Sep 2011 11:27:27 PM

Upon repeating my pictorial comparisons between the M2 and the M1919, I am forced to back up on my opinion of 1 Mar 2010 and join the mainstream that these photos show the aerial configuration of the M1919 .30 caliber machine gun. Thanks to Bill for getting me thinking about this again.

6.  Bill says:
5 Nov 2011 02:08:19 PM

CONTINUNING THE M1919/M2AN CONTROVERSY:

The M2AN .30 caliber Browning was designed as a specific aircraft version of the M1919.
The AN stands for Army/Navy the weapon was light weight, the operating parts were built thinner and lighter and was air-cooled.
Browning designers also reduced the barrel's weight and profile the M2, was two-thirds lighter than the standard M1919, the M2AN had a rate-of-fire of 1200rpm.

The M2AN also appeared as a twin-mounted weapon with opposing feed systems, giving the N2AN a combined rate-of-fire of 2400rpm.
By 1943 the M2AN was being phased out as a hand-held weapon being replaced by the M2
.50 caliber machine gun.
However, the M2AN continued to serve as air armament and a training weapon.

I apologize for not posting this information earlier the nomerclature could be confused with the .50 caliber machine gun, that is also identified as an M2, whereas the M2AN is a .30 caliber weapon.