![]() Then it gets compared to the Bren which really is not a fair comparison. It makes it seem like a Light MG rather than an Automatic rifle. I really like the early version the BAR, There is something about adding the bipod to it that I just don’t like. Yes a Lewis or MG05/15 could be carried by an individual but they really are squad level guns and not very maneuverable and need a team to support. I would imagine it at least had to settle a small amount of nervousness. Can you imagine going into battle with a BAR and a 1911 in WWI knowing that you carried that amount of firepower. This is my favorite form of the BAR! I have fired a 1918A2 standing without bipod and its just an awesome piece of equipment. We have a number of photos of just such and original BAR, and I want to post them for folks to have as a reference to compare to the other versions of the gun available (both military and commercial). Finding original M1918 BARs today that both survive and were not converted to the updated pattern is fairly rare, which brings me to the point of today’s post. It is this A2 variant that saw such extensive US use in WWII and Korea. Among other things, this led to modification of the BAR to include a bipod and replace the original fullauto/semiauto selector mechanism with one that was only full auto, but with the option of a low or high rate of fire – under the designation M1918A2. This assault fire concept didn’t work out so well in practice, and after WWI new tactics were developed. At any rate, the BAR was not equipped with a bipod, and the belts of magazine pouches included a metal cup on the right hip to hold the butt of a BAR to help steady it for this from-the-hip assault fire. The tactical role of the light machine gun was really not yet understood by military brass, although troops in the field was developing tactics on their own to exploit the capabilities of these relatively new weapons. In its original form, the BAR was intended to use in “walking fire”, shot from the hip to suppress enemy forces while advancing (the same role as the Chauchat machine rifle). In fact, per an agreement made with John Browning during development, the first American unit in France to receive the BAR was the 79th Infantry Division, whose numbers included Browning’s own son, 2nd Lt. The gun was originally developed in 1917 and first fielded in the closing days of World War I, in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, was a staple of American infantry forces through WWII and the Korean War, and has an outstanding reputation today.
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