RAKKASANS
Medium Machine Gun Basic Qualification and Advanced Situational Training Exercises
MAJ BRUCE F. BEYERS
01 October 2004
3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Air Assault Division
“No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. - General George S. Patton, Jr.”
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GATLIN
Invented: 1862
Service Date: 1864
Model Number: GG
Description:
• air cooled, hand-cranked, rotary fed, machinegun
Caliber: .50cal
ROF: 1,000rpm
Scope: late Civil-War and end of 19th Century
Roles:
• Inspired perpetual motion or modern machinegun development.
Shortfalls:
• bulky considered useful only against hoards of uncivilized people
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MAXIMSir Hiram Maxim
Grandfather of the modern machinegun
Invented: 1884
Service Date: 1908
Model Number: MG08
Description:
• water cooled, belt fed, recoil operated machinegun, fired from the closed bolt position
Caliber: 7.9mm x 57mm
ROF: 400rpm
Scope: Germany produced 100,000
during WWI
Roles:• Destroyed the British at the Battle of the Somme
• Ended the 2,400 year shock
effect of horse cavalry
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WWI CASUALTIES
British suffer the greatest loss of manpower in a single day: 60,000 casualties, 19,000 KIA.
9 out of 10 are victim of the MG08 The 2,400 year old shock effect of horse cavalry was once and for all laid to rest at the Somme. German’s were credited with developing a brilliant defense in depth interlaced with machinegun fire
“The German Defensive Role was Magnificent.” GEN(R) Dupuy ROLLUP: KIA
Britain: 908,371
France: 1,357,800
US: 50,585
Germany: 1,808,546
Italy: 462,391
Russia: 1,700,000
BOTTOM LINE: The machinegun had utility on the Battlefield
German Concept. Machineguns fight as sections of at least two.
riflemen are arrayed to protect the machineguns; the highest casualty producing weapon.
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FIREPOWER REPLACES MANPOWER
One Machinegun is the equivalent combat power of 60-80 riflemen or one whole rifle company.
German machineguns are organized into machinegun companies of 16ea machineguns per company as opposed to allies of 2-4 per
Germany continues to produce arms in secrecy, in violation of Versailles treaty
MG08/13 man portable, air-cooled is created
MG34 is produced out of Germany by sub-contract
German Officers are convinced that machineguns are the basis for any modern force
Troop strength for the first time in history becomes secondary to combined arms employment.
BLITZKRIEG IS BORN
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D-DAY
Saving Private Ryan ClipD-Day on the beach
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D-DAY CONTINUED
Allied Casualties were 4,460 on the initial assault, relatively light
Hitler had been outsmarted by GEN Dwight D. Eisenhower
He was convinced that the attack would occur at Pas de Calais
The massive invasion fleet, over 4,000 ships, only served to reinforce in Hitler’s mind that the attack at Normandy was a rouse
Hitler rebuffed by his own miscalculation aims to make the allies pay
His orders are: attrit, counterattack, defeat and then execute a fighting withdrawal to alternate positions to begin the sequence again. In short make the allies pay for every inch of French soil.
German planners developed a superb defense in depth that utilized the massive hedgerows arrayed in a checkerboard fashion across the French farmland to greatest effect. When allied combat power was exhausted he would action his SS Panzer divisions to deliver the Hammer Blow.
The Allies had no concept of what lay before them. The real battle for Europe, “The Bocage” began.
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THE COST OF BAPTISM BY FIRE
The Germans taught us valuable lessons about machinegun employment, defense in depth and combined arms operations in the Bocage.
THE COST WAS
The 29th IN DIV
9,980 Casualties the entire Division
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WWII CASUALTY ROLLUP
United States 571,822 292,100
Britain 475,000 397,762
France 400,000 210,671
Germany 7,250,000 2,850,000
Italy 120,000 77,500
Japan 1,506,000 500,000
Russia 14,012,000 7,500,000
COUNTRY TOTAL KIA
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MG34“Einheitsmaschinengewehr”
Invented: 1932
Service Date: 1934
Model Number: MG34
Description:
• air cooled, belt fed, gas operated, fully automatic and single shot machinegun, fired from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.9mm x 57mm
ROF: 900rpm
Weight: 28lbs
Scope: The most elaborate machinegun ever produced. The Universal machinegun.
Roles:
• Light weight, man portable machine gun employed in either the light or heavy machinegun role.
• Used by the North Vietnamese during Vietnam war
Shortfall: Too long to make and a temperamental gun.
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MG42“Hitler’s Buzz Saw”
Invented: 1937
Service Date: 1942
Model Number: MG42
Description:
• air cooled, belt fed, gas operated machinegun, fired from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.9mm x 57mm
ROF: 1200-1800rpm
Weight: 24lbs
Scope: 342,050 MG42s produced 1942-1944, over 400,000 by wars end.
• 17,500 per month
Roles:
• Light weight, man portable medium machine gun.
Pro Rata:
• most effective weapon ever produced
• Gruner’s roller-lock breach
• versatile; from Africa to Russia
• widely used today
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M60“The Pig”
Invented: 1956
Service Date: 1957
Model Number: M60
Description:
• gas operated, air cooled, belt-fed, automatic machinegun fired from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.62mm x 51mm
ROF: 550rpm
Weight: 23lbs
Scope: spanned the gap between BAR and Browning .30cal
Roles:
• Light weight, man portable medium machine gun.
Shortfalls:
• regression from roller lock
• bolt executes 90’ right hand turn to completely lock into chamber
• reduced rate of fire
• temperamental needed CLP
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M240CFabrique National Herstal (FNH)
Invented: 1984
Service Date: 1987
Model Number: M240C
Description:
• belt fed, air-cooled, gas operated, fully automatic machinegun that fires from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.62mm x 51mm
ROF: 750-950rpm
Weight: 22.2lbs
Scope: Coaxial machinegun for both the M2 BFV ands M3 CFV.
Roles:
• coaxial to larger caliber systems.
Pro Rata:
• right hand belt feed
• reliable and versatile
• Inspired ground mounted versions to replace antiquated M60 MMG.
Coaxial
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M240G
Invented: 1989
Service Date: 1990
Model Number: M240G
Description:
• belt fed, air-cooled, gas operated, fully automatic machinegun that fires from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.62mm x 51mm
ROF: 750-950rpm
Weight: 25.6lbs
Scope: Standard Ranger Regiment MMG. 3ea PLT, 11ea Company, 39ea BN.
Roles:
• ground employed point and area suppression.
• RSOV mounted immediate suppression weapon
• MOUT precision burst weapon
Pro Rata:
• reliable and versatile
• Inspired adoption by the Big Army.
Ground
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M240B
Invented: 1994
Service Date: 1996
Model Number: M240B
Description:
• belt fed, air-cooled, gas operated, fully automatic machinegun that fires from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.62mm x 51mm
ROF: 650-950rpm
Weight: 27.6lbs
Scope: US Army standard MMG.
Bipod
Roles:
• ground employed point and area suppression.
• vehicle mounted immediate suppression weapon
Pro Rata:
• reliable and versatile
• hydraulic butt stock facilitates BOT throughout the firing cycle
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M240D
Invented: 1984
Service Date: 1987
Model Number: M240D
Description:
• belt fed, air-cooled, gas operated, fully automatic machinegun that fires from the open bolt position
Caliber: 7.62mm x 51mm
ROF: 750-950rpm
Weight: 25.7lbs
Scope: standard door gunner system.
Roles:
• RW/AC mounted system.
Pro Rata:
• interchangeable feed right or left
• reliable and versatile
• dual handled dove tailed trigger depress
Door
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AMMO7.62mm x 51mm NATO
M80 Ball M61 AP M62 Tracer M82 BLK M118 LR M276 Dim
Bullet Weight: 147 143 145 NA 173 145
Muzzle Velocity: 2,750fts 2,723fts 2,680fts NA 2,580fts 2,750fts
Role: personnel armor observation training precision Infra-Red
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WORLDS BEST MMG GUNNERS
Daily sustainment Training:
Range Card, Crew Drill, etc
Quarterly Collective LFX
Annual Gunner’s Competition
Three-man crew
Evolutionary capabilities: $$$
M936, indirect fire kits, etc BRITISH: Excellent Crew Drill training and employment training
Extremely limited in CLS V unable to Live Fire validate training
GERMANY: Good weapon MG3 but, the military is not the priority
FRANCE: Indifferent to machinegun training or military in general
RAKKASANS
PRELIMINARY GUNNERY (5 days)WEEK 1
Characteristics and Capabilities
Weapon Ballistics
Perform Immediate Action (POPP)
Alternate Firing Techniques
Conduct Boresight zero of both M240B barrels (ironsights) using the LBS
Conduct Boresight zero of the M145 MGO using the LBS
Conduct Boresight Zero of the AN/PEQ-2A using the LBS
Crew Drill
T&E manipulation utilizing the worm board
Range Card
Gunner’s Examination
04-07 October 2004
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BASIC GUNNERY (3 days)WEEK 2
Zero Primary Barrel Primary Gunner
Zero Spare Barrel Primary Gunner
Zero M145 MGO Primary Gunner
Basic 10M Qualification (Iron) Primary Gunner Table I
Basic 10M Qualification (M145) Primary Gunner Table I
Basic 10M Qualification (Iron) Assistant Gunner Table I
Basic 10M Qualification (M145) Assistant Gunner Table I
Transition Qualification (Iron) Primary Gunner Table II
Transition Qualification (M145) Primary Gunner Table II
Transition Qualification (Iron) Assistant Gunner Table II
Transition Qualification (M145) Assistant Gunner Table II
Night Transition Qualification (PEQ-2A) ALL Table III
12-14 October 2004
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ADVANCED MMG STX TNG (4 days)WEEK 3
15-18 October 2004
Fire and Adjust Exercise
Crew Drill LFX
Crew Stress Fire LFX
Section Support by Fire LFX
Section Assault Course LFX
Gunners Examination #2
RAKKASANS
COMPONENT OF END ITEMS AND BII
ITEM QTY REMARKSM240B 1ea End ItemPrimary barrel 1eaNumber 1 blade 1eaNumber 2 blade 1ea additional authorized item unit purchaseSpare barrel 1eaNumber 1 blade 1ea additional authorized item unit purchaseNumber 2 blade 1eaAmmunition adapter 1eaRod, cleaning sectional 5eaRod, eyelet swabbing 1eaReamer, large 1ea Reamer, small 1eaCombination tool 1eaScraper tool 1eaSight adjustment tool 1ea additional authorized item unit purchaseSpare barrel bag 1eaM122 Tripod 1eaT&E 1eaPintle w/brass deflector 1eaAN/PEQ-2A 1ea.050mm Allen head 1eaM145 MGO 1ea
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MAINTENANCE TOOLS
Combination Scraper Extractor Tool Reamer, Large and Small
Scraper ToolAmmunition Adapter
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TYPE QTY ISSUE____________
BDUs (T-shirt, belt, socks, boots) 2 set (top and bottom)KPOT 1 eachLBV 1 completeBlack gloves w/inserts 1 pairRucksack w/seasonal packing list 1 eachNOD/NVG (AN/PVS-7A/B/D) or PVS 14 1 eachMotorola and or AN/PRC-128 1 per crewWeapon (M240B, M4) 1 per crewM122 w/pintle/T&E/AG gear 1 per crew
- sight adjustment tool 1 per crew- reamer, large and small 1 per crew- spare barrel 1 per crew- scraper tool 1 per crew- combination tool 1 per crew
M24/M22 Binoculars 1 per crewM49/M50 Spotter Scope 1 per crewAN/GVS-5 LSR RNG Finder 1 per crewM145 MGO 1 per crewAN/PEQ-2A 1 per crew
UNIFORM
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Daily CTT: Range Card, Assembly/Disassembly, Immediate Action: POPP, functions check, gunner’s examinations, etc.
Weekly Crew Drill Training and T&E manipulation drills Monthly BFX Quarterly Collective Training and LFXs Bi-Annual Qualification Annual battalion MMG competitions
SUSTAINMENT TNG
RAKKASANS
• FM 3.22-68 JAN 03• FM 3.22-9 OCT 03• FM 23-10 AUG 94• STP 21-1-SMCT• Call Handbook No 03-22 SEP 03
• “German Machineguns;” Daniel D. Musgrave and Smith H. Oliver, Creative Printing, 1971.
• “The First world War;” John Keegan, Random House, 1998.
• “The Encyclopedia of Military History From 5,000BC to Present;” Generals (R) Ernest and Trevor Dupuy, 1993
REFERENCES
RAKKASANS
• Dr. Martin L. Flacker, M.D., F.A.C.S. Ballistics
wound ballistics consultant, FSU
• Mr. Ron Ives, Alliant Techsystems Corp. Bullets [email protected]
CREDITS
