Employment of Heavy Machine Guns in the Attack - 1944

"In the popular mind, the heavy machine gun is usually thought of as a supremely effective defensive weapon. This unique film shows various infantry tactics that can be used to make it a potent part of offensive operations as well.
The featured weapon in this US Army World War 2 training film is the Browning M-1917 water-cooled .30 caliber "heavy" machine gun, perhaps selected with the idea that if the big Browning could be lugged forward in an offensive maneuver, anything could be. (There is a good reason why those machine gunners are big, strong fellows) The film covers all aspects of offensive machine gun tactics through live action and illustrations, including enfilade and defilade fire, moving and placing your weapon in relation to the line of advance and using a machine gun for indirect fire support. You'll also get a look at how a heavy machine gun platoon was organized and the different ways the Browning could be set up for different missions.
Zeno
Zeno's Warbird Videos zenoswarbirdvid.... See this video full screen, plus a lot more, on our "German and American Automatic Weapons in World War 2" DVD. bit.ly/N3JHxa Visit our aviation DVD store at www.zenosflight... for the World's largest selection of World War 2 & vintage jet aircraft aviation videos

[@EddieLeal]

I'm retired military and love these old instructional films. Thank you for posting.

[@brianp7268]

I am active military, and its always shocking how informative the older videos are compared to today. A private who joined watching this would learn a bunch, even if half is out-dated and not practiced. I wonder if they will bring back these types of videos in the next large scale war lol

[@EddieLeal]

@@brianp7268 Thank you for your service Brian! And yes, there's always a possibility. 😉😁

[@ooo-vk6jr]

The amount of ammo these guys have is unreal.

[@simonyip5978]

When water was poured in front of the firing position to reduce the dust cloud, in snow covered terrain, the Germans would have a similar problem with the snow in front of the MG being disturbed or sometimes melted. The Germans tried to place their MG-34/42 sustained fire HMG mounts or LMG bipods on wooden boards, to prevent the mount from sinking into the snow, and white cloths and sheets. Similar methods are probably used by any troops that regularly fight in snow covered landscapes.

[@zakarycampbell105]

What a beautiful machine. Something about supporting fire make me tingle

[@danielburgess7785]

Browning Heavy was a .50 caliber, the M1919A6 was a medium gun of 30.06 caliber, the BAR was identified as a squad weapon and it fired the 30.06 cartridge.

[@1truthbegettingtold275]

The water cooled variant allowed for more sustained fire from a fixed position making it provide heavier fire power while the air cooled one was more mobile and used to move quickly. Both used the same rounds but the design and use of each one is different.

[@danielburgess7785]

.50 != 3.06

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

My dad was a weapons platoon Sargent. I wish he was still around so I could ask how you do all this and manage the mortars at the same time.

[@1truthbegettingtold275]

@MakeMeThinkAgain so if the machine gunners have the bearing and the range to the enemy from their location, if the mortar team is close by say 200 meters or even right next to, they have the bearing and the range right there from where the sight is zeroed. This runs a risk of friendly fire if your mortars are 200 meters or 300 behind you, any wrong estimation or communication of range the mortar will land short. So any mortaman should send it farther and bring in the range if spotters call it.

[@olliefoxx7165]

@@1truthbegettingtold275 Doesn't the angle of the mortar determine the distance to the target. For example, an almost 90 degree (I know not straight up but a steep angle) would love the shell high covering a smaller amount of ground. Are there adjustments on mortar shells that control the propulsion or power being used to launch the shell?

[@deeparks3112]

@@olliefoxx7165 A year late but here is the answer to your question; Each mortar round comes with eight small powder charges. In determining the distance to the target not only is the elevation of the tube considered but what "charge" each round will be fired at. The charges can be removed by tearing off the number of charges you don't want. A mortar team is given orders by their leader that include the azimuth (direction to target), elevation of the tube and powder charge to be used.

[@olliefoxx7165]

@@deeparks3112 I really appreciate the info. No one has ever explained it in detail. Heck, I've never had it explained at all. The only videos I've seen of mortars show the guts dropping the mortar shell down the tube. I've never seen them adjusting the charge or propellant. Thanks again for the info. Very interesting.

[@deeparks3112]

@@olliefoxx7165 I will add this then. Something has to be done with all of those excess powder charges after a fire mission. The mortar teams either just burned them or used them to heat their rations. In any case they are a fire hazard, so must be destroyed.

[@speedking439]

I love this,they are attacked by a heinkel bomber around 4:30 and return fire and shoot down a bi-plane at 5:00.

[@Victoriusdj]

Warthunder?

[@FjalarIsMe]

It's a Bf110 destroyer btw.

[@MyFabian94]

They show He-111s from the inside, A Ju-88A with forward firing underbelly Gun Pods firing from the inside, Bf110s flying from the outside and What seems to be a crashing Grumman F3F.

[@scottleft3672]

cos we need blood...jah..?

[@TheRogueWolf]

You know you're delivering effective machine gun fire when you blast your target back an entire generation of technology.

[@CaspianWint]

I love these old training films, but it is worthwhile pointing out "issues".....those gunners, even at a slow rate, were going through literally a ton of ammo. In fairness, they did have one ammo bearer per gun group, carrying a liner of ammo in each hand. 400 rounds, which would get eaten up in about 2 minutes. The jeep could not have followed them through most of that terrain depicted. Other than that, awesome! Good gun drills, I.A's dealt with quickly and properly, and they all had their helmet chin straps fastened!

[@Doubleantone]

My dad was on one of these when a German attack came. He said the Germans were coming over the hill and he was happy he had a machine gun. Poor Germans.

[@KorgKapperi]

poor you

[@rescuepetsrule6842]

Good film! The men had to learn a lot, and then remember to use it all when being shelled. They did so much more than just point guns and squeeze a trigger- I hope people can see that Infantry, what we Marines call Grunts, had to be lead by some pretty capable men.

[@gobblox38]

I love these old videos, too bad the army does not make them anymore. All we got was some shitty AFN crap that was more like a private playing around with editing software rather than putting out something useful.

[@amandahammond2691]

To be fair, it probably *was* some private playing around with editing software rather than putting out something useful.

[@Bradgilliswhammyman]

I"m sure the military has official training videos for modern equipment, but those are probably classified.

[@casfrencken7240]

gobblox38 i totaly agree

[@SkylosSobaka]

Imagine having communications via courier, and not having to worry about accurate and devastating air support at any second...

[@SkylosSobaka]

+General Thunder that is what I mean. There were no drones. They could effectively operate without worrying about being shot up by drone.

[@jason127x99]

David Ihnen yep this shit wouldn't fly now. RPG team would take out the heavy gunners.

[@tpgnRambo]

@@jason127x99 I'm pretty sure they still use this today, or at least a similar tactic. I think the platoons in the American Military that perform this role may be called FSW platoons (fire support weapons) and in the Australian Army they are called DFSW (Direct Fire Support Weapons).

[@ZenosWarbirds]

This film was produced & titled during World War 2. Too late to change that now. ;)

[@Climpus]

'Oblique' - love the pronunciation (I'm British).

[@johndoppleguard]

Outstanding video!! Yea love me some ol skool training vids! C.A.F.

[@FairladyS130]

British were masters of indirect fire and used it extensively in WW2.

[@lindablouin5530]

absolutely,,,and General Montgomery was a master at not fighting until had 4 times the men and material as the enemy,,,until then ,he wouldnt fight

[@reddyforlenny9389]

@@lindablouin5530 yeh cuz running in the enemy outnumbered and under-equiped is such a good idea...

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

@@lindablouin5530 3 times which is just text book even the Germans had 3 times the number of the Dutch when they invaded the Netherlands in 1940 and both sides suffered the same casualties around 10000 each. So the outcome was a foregone conclusion, especially when they analysed that the French were in a hopeless position. Nobody could predict that 1 year later USSR and the USA would be fighting on the side of the UK.

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

@@lindablouin5530 That's smart. You only fight when you can win 100%.

[@abes.4040]

I heard this video is still used to train troops in Afghanistan. They're having issues finding bush and roses to camouflage their positions.

[@WCOG053]

Kind of difficult with air cooled weapons only. Bring back the M1917!

[@TheGrenadier97]

Amazing video and very useful for gamers, but a quick note: this "rush" at 14:00 is obviously dangerous; an uncovered rush is heaven-to-take for the enemy. They should have mentioned here covering methods for the moving machine guns in the open, like suppressing fire by othwer MG sections or smoke screens from infantry grenades or mortar bombs. Curiously, they bascially did this only six minutes later.

[@Desi-qw9fc]

"Oh-blyke"

[@jjbuena84]

This video helps me winning Modern Warfare 2

[@bafongue1]

Great video thank you!!

[@deeparks3112]

Yep! If the enemy spots your MG position you should jump up among the resulting mortar attack and run to the alternate MG position... I think not.

[@mcqueenfanman]

If the Germans captured this film they'd think every GI has a jeep.

[@ShaDOWDoG667]

you see the thing is its true.

[@Treblaine]

They practically did. Realise that ALL commercial car production stopped in the US to focus entirely on military production, there was no shortage of jeeps, trucks and every manner of vehicle for mechanised warfare.

[@REALjohnmosesbrowning]

Every GI basically did. They were about as cheap as they came.

[@ShaDOWDoG667]

+Treblaine not entirely some 134 cars were produced during the war.

[@Treblaine]

Latmover Wow. Hope they made them count.

[@chuckvan1568]

It's interesting to see these old videos. Note that the gunner got the attacking airplane at 5:01 as I knew he would. Hah.

[@scottleft3672]

RIIIIGHT.

[@conorclimo8534]

A .30 SLAP round would make this gun powerful.

[@ianian8022]

It's easy when you know how!

[@ZenosWarbirds]

Like what you see? Your DVD purchases at our store make this channel possible. www.zenosflightshop.com See this video full screen, plus a lot more, on our "German and American Automatic Weapons in World War 2" DVD. bit.ly/N3JHxa We need your support! Zeno

[@MELLYBOY58]

We need these boys in Dover ✌✌🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@tomasinacovell4293]

Why didn't the water-cooled barrels have any fins around the jacket, or removable fins?

[@ThommyofThenn]

2:24 sorry what is that word he says? Oblaque? Edit: he is apparently saying "oblique" but pronouncing it differently.

[@rhythmray7429]

just a quick question is elevated firing still in use today?

[@williamt.sherman9841]

if you are trained for it and can use it in combat. British Army and USMC still practice indirect fire with Heavy Weapons. don't know about others.

[@bernardes5204]

O tiro realizado sobre tropa com metralhadora ainda é utilizado, porém sempre haverá o risco da tropa amiga ser atingida.

[@sasaivanovic2751]

00:40 -what ya doing mate? -nothing, bored, killing some Germans with my mate

[@natekaufman1982]

Americans don't say mate. We say buddy.

[@andrewbluesbrother1841]

Germans looking better if the are kill 😎

[@Frexican54]

why does he pronounce oblique like that?

[@Xandros999]

+Walter Johnson 1. It's 70 years ago. 2. He's an american. Some would probably say it the same today. 3. It's the logical pronunciation based on spelling.

[@drpsionic]

The spoke strange in them days. Pronunciation has changed a lot.

[@Polypropellor]

I work with people who read scripts...it's the way they read it. Not everyone is familiar with all the words. I hear the strangest pronunciations and sometimes I'm the only one in the crew who thinks they are mispronouncing. Perhaps I'm the oddball. So, who is to say "O-blike" is wrong? I pronounce it "Oh-Bleek"

[@keyweststeve3509]

BECAUSE THIS IS THE ARMY MISTER! There's the right way, the wrong way, and the Army way and in in the Army it is pronounced OBLYKE do you read me Private??!! NOW FALL IN!!!

[@bestwishes5060]

Wow... incomplete instruction... training is so much better today. I suppose this video gave a introduction to deployment.

[@ZenosWarbirds]

I'm sure there were more films in the series. Unfortunately, most of the training films like this were not preserved. There was no organized effort to archive them. They were considered obsolete after WW2, so "why bother?" Zeno

[@ShaDOWDoG667]

0331 for life

[@MasterTaters]

+ShaDOWDoG667 sorry

[@Fabzil]

In theory, you fire all the time xD

[@davidharris2519]

is that hugh Beaumont as the narrator aka ward cleaver

[@tomrisar5492]

I was expecting this to be about a .50

[@bandit5747]

.50 Cals are usually fixed placements, and aren't able to be carried. Thats why theyre always on vehicles.

[@hykowolf4591]

What zone?

[@bethbeerens4562]

I was told that my Grandpa is in this video

[@Mercmad]

You have a similar surname to some of my Ancestors, Prussians from Rockwinkle in Germany. A lot of my relatives are known as Brennan ,since WW1 as having a Germanic name wasn't a hot idea.

[@adrianniemiec8669]

1944 , and we are still using same technology to Soviet heavy machine guns ?

[@ThommyofThenn]

Isn't the Browning .30 regarded more as a medium MG today? Or is it considered a heavy when employed in its tripod configuration?

[@woodsghost9088]

Depends how you classify things. If you classify by caliber, a .30 cal is usually thought of as a Medium MG. If you classify by the weight of the total weapon system and crew needed, the system is over 100 lbs (gun+equipment+ammo), and it's a Heavy MG.

[@eagleeye6691]

Very briefly : In the absence and presence of sufficient inventory of water to be thrown in front of the Heavy Machine Guns we can place a cover under the Heavy Machine Gun nozzle and installed this cover with two stones , for this cover we can use a thick nylon Or any similar materials that well known for its lightweights and strong resilience like the linoleum beside its ability not to keep the dust to ensure a quick clean up under the Heavy Machine Gun nozzle and installed this cover with two stones ..Of course the film is talking about the European theater of operations which its known of being a rich sources of potable water and non-potable water so this is not a problem in itself But the physical and logistic headache begins when you are compelled on perseverance carrying it and move constantly from place to place Besides carrying other equipment and weapons, ammunition and other materials for personal subsistence and that would be an additional physical burden on the soldiers of the assault or the storm unit Or which has been fighting a moving war ( some sort of war of movement but in smaller scale Depending on the nature of the combat operation ) or not had been organized in fixed-line of defense or that are not connected to other combat units ..

[@chuckvan1568]

Eagle Eye What...?

[@eagleeye6691]

Chuck Van I was talking about cooling the machine gun barrel , the english language is not my native language ..

[@chuckvan1568]

+Eagle Eye Understood.

[@ianian8022]

I thought that meant gas!

[@jcng5]

They dont teach indirect fire anymore

[@augnkn93043]

JC JC They don’t use heavy water cooled machine guns any more. The British army uses mortars to do the same job.

[@camelthegamer7165]

JC JC Kinda pointless now that every major military on Earth has dedicated sniper specialists.

[@williamt.sherman9841]

@@camelthegamer7165 snipers don't take over the role of heavy machine guns. For one thing they don't shoot indirect fire from defilade which machine guns can. The main reason is that fire power levels have increased, the nature of infantry combat is less static making a dedicated heavy weapons company unnessiary. USMC still train for this though. Snipers has nothing to do with it though.

[@rEsonansDx]

Shouldn't it be "deployment"?

[@problemsulfer]

who's the enemy?

[@lindablouin5530]

muslims,blacks and russians are today

[@what_the_fuck731]

@@lindablouin5530wha

[@rEsonansDx]

lol okay :D

[@apoc3037]

Dont they get rekt by mortars?

[@johnowen8726]

It all seems so sterile. I mean textbook and by the numbers, which is the desired result. All this becomes second nature and you just do it. Hollering at the troops to shoot, move and communicate.

[@scottleft3672]

relax...no nazis were injured in the making of this film.

[@zakarycampbell105]

scott left that one fell right on his helmet I bet that was shitty

[@kksan]

Can anyone tell me how they made the part towards the end of the video where couple Germans are shot dead? If it's special effect, how did they make it in the 30s/40s ? Please don't tell me it's real Germans...

[@Xandros999]

+kerrykira I think it's just small explosives set in the ground, wired to an electrical detonator.

[@martinjuulandersen9694]

Draft dodgers...

[@Mercmad]

@@martinjuulandersen9694 No such thing in WW2, but there were conscientious objectors.

[@Mercmad]

Ok, they weren't real Germans, but the German hob nailed boots indicate damn good ward robe management for the film makers. ahem....

[@danbanks7930]

I feel asleep what happened??

[@MasterTaters]

+dan banks The enemy were defeated

[@gobblox38]

War's over, we won, turns out you're the big hero and there will be a parade in your honor. Ballsack Teebaghard is in charge of confetti

[@Lockbar]

LOL, that did make me laugh. (now get back to work)

[@what_the_fuck731]

You fell asleep

[@haywoodjablomeagain4697]

Oblike?

[@1truthbegettingtold275]

Oblique... This is frontal fire - - - - | this is oblique fire /| and this is enfilade flanking fire - - - - - ===

[@pauliucs]

useless waste of bullets

[@ot810]

Look up after ww2 was over and see all the things that they through off of ships, there logic was it cost more to ship it back then to make more. Tanks, trucks, ammo by the crate, after Vietnam the pushed hueys off.

[@jason127x99]

Borghesi tanck it's more cover fire than anything else. I guess it depends on how you look at it.

[@memadmax69]

Germans came up with this long before 1944...

[@tropixMw2]

same with every other country this is just a newer version of an old video

[@MrChickennugget360]

this is not new doctrine in 1944 most of this is WW1 era tactics used in WW2

[@kutter_ttl6786]

And English archers knew about these tactics back in the 12-13th century when they used it against the French during the 100 years war. Every army knew about this (including the US).

[@FairladyS130]

What, the Germans with their air cooled WW2 MG's? They would be changing barrels too often to keep up with the water cooled guns.

[@jason127x99]

R Greenup unless they control their fire. Only took 3 to 5 seconds to change barrels.

[@chestermicek]

This film is total propaganda; the gunners are sitting down behind the gun with no sandbags, concrete, or thick logs in front of them. They are not even in a fox hole. You'd have to be a jerk to believe this film.

[@389383]

Because this is about a moving offense and not a static defense.

[@majungasaurusaaaa]

They're on the offensive.

[@Mercmad]

It's a training movie, not a historical drama.

[@williamt.sherman9841]

You are an idiot. They are literally teaching how to shoot from reverse hill positions using indirect fire. This is a training film not a propaganda film you idiot.