BBA091
King & Country
Another of John M. Browning’s masterpieces, the ‘Model 1919’ was originally developed as a general purpose machine gun for the U.S. Cavalry, for use in its tanks and armoured cars or, in the ‘ground role’ mounted on a tripod.
The U.S. Infantry liked the weapon so much that during WWⅡ they introduced both a rifle-style butt in addition to the more familiar pistol grip. The heavy barrel was air-cooled using a perforated jacket. The gun’s tripod mount could be adjusted allowing the gunner to utilise both the ‘sitting’ and ‘lying prone’ positions.
This 2-man team are in the prone position with the gun’s ‘Number 2’ feeding the ammunition belt into the M1919 with his M1 Garand lying next to him.
This group of GIs are armed with a broad selection of weapons and ready to repulse the surprise German attack, which erupted on the morning of 16 December 1944 in the area of Belgium known as... ‘The Ardennes’.