News, rumours, analysis and assorted ramblings on the strategies, the missions, the procurement of kit and the future of the Armed Forces. The M60, officially the United States Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a. MSN Messenger Download On Your Mobile Free. Bill and Melinda Gates may not bear the glitz and glamor that are attributed to the powerful families, but their. The only safe course appears to be to assume that anything can happen within the lifetime of a ship and give equal weight. For SSM, it might be. Challenger-2 specifications: Dimensions: 8.3 (13.5 oa) x 3.5 (4.2 Applique Armour)x 2.49 m (27ft 3in (44ft 3in) x 11ft 6in (13ft 9in) x 8ft 2in) Total weight, battle. The Westland Wessex is a turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky S-58. VERSIONS Wessex HAS. Mk 1: Initial production version, developed for the Royal Navy. Medium Machine Gun (MMG) - At first this was a lighter variant of the early heavy machine guns. The barrel jacket water cooling system was dispensed with and a. UPDATED 2 August 2010 MECH! A medium machine gun (MMG), in modern terms, usually refers to a belt-fed automatic firearm firing a full-power rifle cartridge. Saco M6. 0 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG)Ammunition. The M6. 0 made use of several ammunition types in her day. The primary combat cartridge was the M8. Ball which was used in conjunction with the M6. Tracer round in a . This meant that for every four M8. Ball rounds fired, a single M6. Tracer round would appear in the circulation, this assisting the operator in aiming his successive shots (called observing the . While the M8. 0 Ball primarily served to tackle personnel directly, the M6. Armor- Piercing (AP) round was designed to combat light armored vehicles. Training rounds include the M6. Dummy and the M8. Blank - the latter utilized in field exercises and requiring use of a special attachment known as the M1. A1 Blank Firing Adaptor (or . Ammunition was supplied via the M1. Drawbacks. As noted in many sources, the M6. Many direct operators of the M6. M6. 0, and especially when moving on to something newer like the M2. M2. 49 machine guns. As these systems were design for squad support action in the sustained fire role, the changing of the barrel was expected for optimal performance (to prevent overheating). As such, the barrel needed to be replaced within time. By the removing the barrel, however, the bipod and gas- cylinder were removed as well, leaving no visible means of support for the operator to brace the weapon on during the barrel changing process. Most 'gunners were forced to hold the M6. As expected, the extra barrel came equipped with its own bipod and gas cylinder attachments, making a simple barrel change a clunky and time- consuming procedure. To add insult to injury, the barrel featured no handle to grasp during the procedure, leading to the issuing of bulky asbestos gloves as a standard part of the field goods. The gloves served to protect the user from handling the hot barrel but also added yet another tool to the complicated M6. Mind you that an M6. Other reports showcased the weapon's cheap sheet- metal stamp work, this over the receiver and making up the feed tray system. The gas piston was also non- adjustable as a fixed regulator was used instead. The sight system was off- noted as poor with the forward non- adjustable sight fixed to the barrel while the rear sight needing readjusting after each barrel change. The charging handle was somewhat weak and known to break in the heat of combat. The bolt and rod assembly would most assuredly destroy one another over time through constant though typical use. Though the M6. 0 tested out relatively fine in her controlled evaluations, this including the firing of thousands of rounds of ammunition without issue, in- the- field actions most certainly brought out the worst in any weapon - no matter the pedigree. M6. 0 Uses. As a general purpose light machine gun, it became little surprise to anyone that the M6. Not only serving as a squad support weapon alongside infantry squads, the M6. In theory, the M6. This included firing from the shoulder, from the prone position or . In practice, the latter was best reserved for Hollywood and its John Rambo exploits. Any trained soldier would see to it that he make himself as small a target as possible. Additionally, firing from the hip did not produce the most accurate of results. The M6. 0 could make use of its standard integrated bipod assembly for stability or be fielded with a collapsible tripod instead. As a general purpose machine gun, the M6. Variants. M6. 0 was the designation of the basic model of 1. The M6. 0E1 was an improved form of the base M6. A handle was finally added to the barrel and the gas assembly and bipod were now made separate from the barrel assembly itself, easing barrel changes. The M6. 0E1 became the first major revision of the base M6. The M6. 0E2 became an electrically- fired, vehicle- mounted co- axial version of the base M6. Its usefulness was apparent in such systems as main battle tanks and armored fighting vehicles. The co- axial version was generally a stripped- down variant made specifically for the installation into vehicles - most often times in the forward turret wall alongside the main armament and operated by a designated gunner or commander (depending on the vehicle). As can be expected, these weapons vented their dangerous gasses outside of the vehicle and therefore sported revised and elongated gas cylinders. The M6. 0E2 was replaced by the co- axial version of the M2. GPMG (based on the Belgium FN MAG). The M6. 0B was used for a short time in . The bipod was removed for the role and a different stock affixed. This arrangement allowed for the operator to maintain a pretty hefty field of fire from his lofty position. The M6. 0B was, however, replaced by the M6. D which made use of a pintle- mount assembly. The M6. 0C . The C- model had her sights, pistol grip and bipod assembly removed for the role and eventually proved highly adaptable across different aerial platforms. A hydraulic swivel system was utilized as was an electronic control system and the firing action was controlled from within the cockpit. The M6. 0C could sustain a rate- of- fire equaling 5. On the UH- 1. B Huey helicopter, the M6 and M1. M6. 0C. On the OH- 1. Sioux and OH- 2. 3 Raven platforms, the M2 armament subsystem was used instead. Some 5. 63 M6. 0C examples were produced. The M6. 0D . The M6. D made use of spade grips with a ring- type gunsight not unlike those used in World War 2 bombers such as the Boeing B- 1. Flying Fortress. The ammunition feed system was revised for the role and included a canvas bag to collect spent cartridges and link parts (the latter more of a safety concern considering the delicate nature of rotary aircraft - blades and turbines alike). The M6. 0D saw extensive use on UH- 1 Huey, CH- 4. Chinook and UH- 6. Blackhawk helicopters during her tenure. The M2. 40. H was developed to replace the M6. D. The Maremont Lightweight Machine Gun M6. Saco Division, Maremont Corporation of Maine to provide for a lighter and, therefore, more versatile version of the M6. E1. The bipod was affixed to the receiver and a carrying handle was installed onto the barrel itself to also double as a barrel- changing hand grip. A forward pistol grip was installed along the forward section of the weapon. The feed system was revised to simplify charging and a heat shield replaced the original forward design. The front sight was now made fully- adjustable and the gas system simplified. Though not selected for production itself, the Maremont M6. M6. 0E3. In the mid- 1. M6. 0E3 was introduced as a . It featured the changes listed above for the Maremont M6. A new and improved gas system was instituted as were an ambidextrous safety and universal attachments for a variety of slings. However, the barrel was lightened at the expense of the amount of ammunition that could be fired during the sustained fire role, requiring frequent barrel changes as a result. Two barrels - a . While these changes were intended for the positive, it was soon realized that the weight loss of the M6. E3 contributed to the fragility of the system in the long run. The durability of the machine gun came into question as the lighter components were shown to wear down or even break more easily than before. Nevertheless, the M6. E3 still found a home as a marketable and useful product for those looking to upgrade or compliment their existing collections of M6. The M6. 0E4 light machine gun was an altogether improved multi- purpose machine gun developed in the 1. The M6. 0E4 was advertised as a more reliable system when compared to the earlier M6. The M6. 0E4 was fielded with three different barrel types - a short lightweight assault, a short heavy sustained fire and a long heavy sustained fire barrel. A revised feed system improved reliability, particularly in how the M6. However, the M2. 40. B (previously the M2. E4) was developed as the M6. E4 equivalent and selected by the US Army instead. The United States Navy SEALs nevertheless fielded the M6. E4 under the designation of . The Mk 4. 3 Mod 0 sported a shorter barrel and multiple accessory attachments in line with the M6. E3 before it. The M6. Vietnam. Like other weapons in the Vietnam conflict, the M6. The environment played havoc on the internal systems of the M6. M6. 0 crew. Sand proved a major culprit in causing jams within the weapon and general maintenance proved a headache for most. The original M6. 0 quickly fell out of favor with US Marines - owing their dislike to the permanent attaching of the bipod, barrel and gas cylinder assemblies. The M6. 0E1 attempted to rectify this and itself became a respectable and feared opponent within time. A standard infantry company was issued six M6. Beyond the squad support role, the M6. The PBR (Patrol Boat, River) and like water- borne vessels featured the M6. Huey helicopters took to operating M6. M6. 0 systems as well). This arrangement turned the durable transports into full- fledged gunships that could bring rain down onto North Vietnamese positions. If the M6. 0 maintained any advantages, it was in her basic design philosophies. She was a relatively cost- effective solution, firing a NATO- standard round that was available in number, and she yielded a good rate- of- fire from a hefty ammunition pouch. Despite her being regarded as a heavy weapon for lugging around, she was in fact one of the lighter general purpose machine guns in use at the time. Like the M1. 6, the M6. Vietnam War but this is not to say that she did not have her optimal uses - or that she failed to save the lives of countless American GIs through her available strengths. But we leave this argument to those respected veterans to decide. At the very least, the M6. French- based . The M2. NATO cartridge through a gas- operated, open bolt action. The weapon entered service in 1. M2. 49 based on the Belgium FN Minimi) the roles once held by the M6. The M6. 0 in Pop Culture. The M6. 0 has seen some action in pop culture as well, appearing as Rambo's weapon- of- choice at the conclusion of the motion picture . Actor and martial arts star Chuck Norris puts an M6. In the South Africa War, the Second. Special Service) Battalion of the Royal Canadian. Regiment rarely split into tactical sub- units. Captain Michael O'Leary who has studied. A. company consisted of 1. NCOs. There were four corporals. Lance Corporals authorized, but the unit. After the Somme battles in the. One. infantry platoon would have a Lewis Gun section, a. Bombing section specializing in hand grenades, a. By. Vimy Ridge in April 1. Canadian infantry. From The Face of. Battle: A Study Of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme. John Keegan: French small unit. Second World War. They may. well have been right. But the alternative. German. wire. From When Your. Numbers Up: The Canadian Soldier In The First World. War by Desmond Morton: In the months. Somme, Canadian infantry battalions. Officially they had. In. practice, pre- 1. Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions to rely. Now, instead of. advancing as companies in line, as most troops. Somme, (General) Byng insisted that. A permanently. constituted platoon with four specialized. Instead of. companies advancing in line.. An infantry company would have four. Byng's. transformation of his corps's (sic) organization. By late 1. 91. 4 the. Germans were already feeling their way towards. Stosstruppen.. So. French divisions. In 1. 91. 6, the. Infantry Platoon was reorganized permanently. Each platoon had. Lewis Machine. Gun Section Bombing Section. Rifle Grenade. Section Rifle Section. Second World War to. Unification. By the. Second World War, the infantry platoon had been. The three. sections were identical in equipment and armament. In. 1. 93. 9, the section consisted of RIFLE TEAM Section. Commander (Corporal) - armed with a rifle, but. Thompson or. Sten Six Riflemen - . Lee Enfield rifle. SMLE, or beginning in 1. No. In an article in Military Illustrated: Past. Present (No. 2. 0, Aug/Sep 1. British historians Ian V. Hogg and Mike Chappell as. On to a limitless. The instructor. bawls . Then, in. unison, they shout . The. section commander gives his stereotyped orders. Finally, having reached the last. Also note the . CRAWL Move to a. FIRE Return fire. The section had to be. Bren group and. the rifle group. Ideally, one group would provide. The section commander had. Once the section had. LOBOnce in action, the. Canadian Army found it best to reintroduce the . Key personnel throughout the. Company, platoon and. It was not uncommon for infantry sections to. War Establishment. W. E.) strength. In fact, if the after battle. Calgary Highlanders. The following questions and. Name Did your section. W. E. If so, what was. ORs in the section? Major W. Lyster Yes Five or Six. The. section commander responsibilities following. He immediately indicates a suitable. Bren group, if it has not. According to the ground he. The two groups move on in. Bren group ready to support. However the. fewer bounds which the Bren group has to make. The two elements of success. Second World War section were the. The freedom of the section. Similarly, the. relative importance of battle drills had been. Drills were a basic structure on. They. are simple guides for the simple soldier. As. sections and platoons become expert in these. No one. drill can suit all circumstances, and variations. The venerable Bren Gun was. FN C2, a fully automatic version of. FN with heavier barrel and firing from a 3. The much hated Sten Gun was. C1 Sub Machine Gun, a Canadian. Sterling SMG, and its use in the. Some reserve. units seem to have issued them to section. Section. Commander - Corporal, FN C1 Section 2 i/c - . Lance Corporal, FN C1 2 x Section. Automatics - Private, FN C2 6 x Riflemen - . Private, FN C1 FN C2. LMG (foreground) and FN C1 Assault. Rifle. Seaforth Highlanders on. Fort Lewis,Washington in. The C2 was a heavy. C1. Photo courtesy. Steve Marshall. Unification and the. New Rank Structure. After Unification in. Corporal - which in the post Second World War. Army had always signified a soldier qualified to. Two separate types of Corporal. Corporal A and Corporal B, signifying. Master Corporal. emerged. Section leadership was changed so that. Sergeants were to now lead sections. This was a. departure to the previous status of a Sergeant, who. World War One up into the 1. The new. Master Corporals were tasked with the. Lance Corporals of the pre- Unification era. In many. units, particularly reserve units but also in the. Regular Force, sections were often commanded by. Master Corporals and even Corporals. Also. equipment shortages and personal preferences often. SMG was usually relegated to radio operators. The section, however. When I went. through (Trade Qualification Level One. Infantry) in 1. 97. Seaforths we were. You walked through the objective, in. Section Commander yelled . Different. Regimental Support Staff maybe? Mechanized. Infantry. During the late. 1. Germany were the best trained and. Canadian Army. Their mission in Europe was simple - . Warsaw Pact. invasion of Western Europe, which would include. Nuclear/Biological/Chemical warfare environment. REFORGER (REdeployment of. FORces to GERmany) was just part of the training. Canada. While it was Canadians who had. APC in Normandy in 1. After the self- propelled units that landed in. Normandy converted back to towed 2. Priests had the guns stripped out. The first use of. Normandy was a success, and Ram. American. Sherman - were similarly converted for infantry use. After the Second World War, some Sherman. Canadian service were similarly converted. However, no purpose built APCs were on inventory until the 1. M1. 13 which had been used extensively. Vietnam by the US military. Above, the 3rd. Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment formed up at Hohenfels, Germany in the early 1. Canadian Army. Ten years later, the. Communism and the end of the Soviet threat. Europe would bring about rapid decline in. Canadian defence spending and overseas commitments. Photo. courtesy James Smith. As Canadian units. West Germany to defend against. Soviet Union, section organization changed. Manpower shortages (the military was. Canada or the United States. Vietnam) meant that Master. Corporals and even Corporals were leading sections. James Smith (3rd. Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment): I remember in. Germany in 1. 98. M Company RCR) our sections. Section Commander (Sergeant), M1. Driver and two weapons teams of 3 men. One with the. Carl Gustav and the other with the . As most of what we were doing. REFORGER against enemy. ADP. Platoon had 1. TOW equipped M- 1. At the time. I don. Mortars with Mike. Company, Recce with November Company and ADP. Oscar Company. Papa Company was the. RCR. (and may have included the Assault Pioneers, who. Battalion. Headquarters.) Mind that was for admin/garrison. On Exercise the ADP Platoon were broken up. Combat Teams. Normal defensive. M- 1. 13s in a harbour. Like I said basically. Carl G. C2s were I guess. Lot. of fun as you also had to hump your personal. C1/C2) and NBCD kit too. The following is from. Sheldon Clare (Royal Canadian Regiment and later. Captain in the Reserves): As I recall the. Mike Company 3. RCR for. Reforger Exercises looked like this. Section. Commander Sergeant . Sometimes the Carl G team would act as. We. only dismounted the fifty in defence and. I was usually carrying the Carl G! When the. section was doing something dismounted we would. Air, Gas, and Sagger watch and. We did a lot of. NBCW with gas in the field that summer . The driver. would trade the SMG when needed for patrols or. SMG sat in oily rags. The platoon. commander also had a light mortar and a GPMG. I never did see the mortar. GPMG was used frequently . I asked about it. We tried some other. Section Commander. I recall that there was. Also, four M7. 2 (also known as. LAW (Light Anti- Armour Weapon) or SRAAW (L). Short Range Anti Armour Weapon (Light)) were the. At right, a rifleman. Seaforth Highlanders of Canada on exercise in. Fort Lewis, Washington in the early 1. The M7. 2. was a disposable weapon that could be used not just. The normal method of carry was. The. corporal is lightly equipped, carrying only water. Body armour would not be a standard. Canadian soldiers in the 2. Century. The following conversation was recorded. James Smith: Around 1. In other words closer. Frontal attacks using. Hopefully. Marshall will jump in here as he taught me all. Section 2. i/c and Section Commander. As for Ammo, a. rifleman with C1 was supposed to carry 5x. If you had 1. 95. Pattern Webbing you had. C2 gunners carried 6. I. speak from experience as small guys with big. C2. And from Sergeant. Steve Marshall (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada). Up till 1. 97. 9 we did. James Smith stated. The section was organized. Rifle Group. Comdr- Sgt FNC1 1. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC1 1. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC1 1. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC1 1. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC1 1. C2 Group. Sect 2. M/Cpl FNC1 1. 80 rounds 7. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC2 2. Rifleman- Cpl /Pte FNC2 2. In reality we had. MCpls as section commanders and a senior. Corporal as a 2 i/c. The Sergeants were usually. Platoon Warrant Officer position, and. Warrant Officers were CSMs . We always seemed to. Warrant Officers and NCOs. Locate the position, win the fire. One. fired as the other moved a short distance. This. was done as a section, as a group or just as a. Also we were not restricted on which. The one in the best. The Section. Commander would lead it if possible. When I went to. Aldershot in 1. TQ3 I used these drills. Section Attack and they failed me. The attack was flawless but they. I. did that in battle with new recruits I would get. My reply was that they would. They gave me another. I reorganized in the classic Rifle. C2 group, did the advance, got bumped and. Kudos here to. all the guys on course with me as they made so. But then we were all hot to trot. Master Corporals. From Chris Pook, a. Calgary Highlanders: In Gagetown in 1. Marshall described with the 3 man. In fact as I. recall it our Directing Staff informed us that. WHEN we could react to enemy. The PPCLI. instructors were forever on us for oiling our. FNs too heavily. The RCR instructors would then. We couldn't make up. RCR generally trained in wet conditions. PPCLI trained in dusty conditions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories |