Stumbled across these interesting photos today, taken for LIFE magazine in November 1938. They offer high quality shots of pre/early-WW2 US Army weaponry.

And in addition to the weapons themselves, they make for good examples of the US Army's WW1-style equipment still in use during the pre/early-WW2 era, including Brodie helmets, puttees, wooden ammo cans, cloth ammunition belts, etc.

M1 Garand - Note the different muzzle end and front sight. This is an early "gas trap" model. In late 1939, the Garand's design was modified to replace the gas trap system in favor of the more familiar gas port system. All new production Garands from mid-1940 onward were built with the gas port system, and the vast majority of 50,000ish early Garands had their gas trap systems refitted with the new gas port system.





M1903 Springfield




M1918A1 Browning Automatic Rifle


M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle


M1919A4 Browning Medium Machine Gun - Note the slotted barrel jacket, whereas most WW2 and postwar M1919s had round holes in the barrel shrouds. In late 1938, it was determined that barrel jackets with round holes cooled just as well as slots, but were easier to fabricate and were stronger.



M1917A1 Browning Heavy Machine Gun - Two of the gunners have holstered M1911 pistols.


M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun - Similar early slotted barrel jacket. It's also fitted with a T3 3.25x prismatic optical sight, which was later standardized as the M1, but fell out of use as the war progressed.

Two comments:

To me the sights on the 1919a4 look different than I've seen.

I wonder why the 1919A4 is classified as a medium machine gun versus the 1917A1? Is it because the 1919 barrel is air cooled while the 1917 is water cooled?

Thanks; neat photos I’ve never seen before.

It was interesting to see how spiffed up everyone was for the demonstrations with neatly pressed uniforms and highly polished shoes.

My father told about loading fabric machine gun belts by hand after Pearl Harbor and he detested the puttees and “soup bowl” helmets. It also looks like the helmets weren’t very compatible with ladder-type weapon sights.

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:
I wonder why the 1919A4 is classified as a medium machine gun versus the 1917A1? Is it because the 1919 barrel is air cooled while the 1917 is water cooled?

Weight and portability is the main factor. The M1919 is significantly lighter (~30 lbs. vs. ~100 lbs.) and more easily transported/repositioned, with a simpler and more rapidly-deployable tripod (and later an even handier bipod system on the M1919A6).

The flip side is that the heavier M1917 is capable of longer bouts of sustained fire, due to the water cooling system, and is more stable/accurate, thanks to its weight and the overbuilt tripod system.

Excellent Gallery.

Thank you for sharing.

Cool.

I am currently reading An Army At Dawn about North Africa so these pics complement that well.

Fully automatic 30-06?? Yeah that would pack a punch.

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Great pics! Those training instructors in the next-to-last pic are working hard, aren't they? *s*

Thank you cool pics.Guy with finger in ear cracks me up
He would have a shit fit around a 5 inch 38 or a three inch 70

Great photos!
Check out the 2 GIs in the background of the first M2 photo: Hurry up and wait!
I have always wanted to try out the BAR.
Nice piece of walnut on the Garand.

Nice pics.

Some observations from a WWII nut and collector like, I believe Rogue is.

Puttees like WWI no leggings yet.

"Flush nut" rear sight on the Garand that needed a tool to adjust. Like Rogue said the gas trap went to a gas port the flush nut rear sight went to the lock bar rear sight.

M1918A2 BAR. Noticed a different "end cap" on the muzzle. Not the typical WWII longer flash "suppressor".

M1919A4 M.G. I don't see that there rear sight is any different than others I have seen, including my own M1919. The top cover latch directly in front of it is different though. Also, it has the "safety bar" on the right side of the receiver as well.

Super pics and cool stuff all around!!

Cool gallery, Rogue, thanks for posting. Of note to me is the 16" chromed M1905 bayonet in the first few pics. This predates the change to a 10" blade a few years later with the M1 bayonet. Many M1905's were cut down, had the new tips sharpened into either a clip point (like my 1943 UFH), or a Bowie point and parkerized. These were designated M1905E1's.

Great Photos.
Thanks for posting them.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
Cool.

I am currently reading An Army At Dawn about North Africa so these pics complement that well.

Fully automatic 30-06?? Yeah that would pack a punch.

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I've shot a royal typewriter BAR and a FN mod D (modified BAR)

takes a bit to get used to the open bolt,(lot of mass traveling forward when you pull the trigger) but overall very good shooting rifles

never shot them for accuracy, but fun to run a few mags thru them when I had the chance

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
Cool.

I am currently reading An Army At Dawn about North Africa so these pics complement that well.

Fully automatic 30-06?? Yeah that would pack a punch.

------------------------------

I've shot a royal typewriter BAR and a FN mod D (modified BAR)

takes a bit to get used to the open bolt,(lot of mass traveling forward when you pull the trigger) but overall very good shooting rifles

never shot them for accuracy, but fun to run a few mags thru them when I had the chance

Ditto.

Last summer I got to shoot a BAR and it was quite interesting. Also shot an original Sturmgewehr 44, MG42 and PPS 43 at the same go-round.

GREAT pics, Rogue. You always find the best!