I've received many comments about the B.A.R. never being referred to as a "Bar." Though B.A.R was certainly far more common than Bar or Browning Automatic Rifle, soldiers nicknamed and shortened everything. They also came into contact with people from across the country and the world be them Canadians, Australians, Brits etc who had twice as many weird names for things. Here are two wonderful interviews with Korean War vets who refer to the B.A.R. as the "Bar" once in each video, which is fine, I doubt anyone cared. th-cam.com/video/IvBHjKvbfVw/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/I1jcCp4jrSI/w-d-xo.html
Johnny in Highwaymen the Colt Monitor or BAR usually say that it could fire atleast 30 rounds per magazine but it cut short of the ammunition meant up to 20 for the army as because it needed to be bulky weight and even down time needed to reloaded that's why it's a SAW or LSW Light Squad (Support) Weapon, Squad Automatic Weapon or Automatic Rifleman theoretical for it well the BAR is meant for Support with a company of M1 Garands to follow up shots this meant that they could have reign supreme over the battlefield as they could return fire while the both the BAR and M1 Garands could fire atleast faster than the Germans could do the Germans emphasize their tactic around the MG42 but have few or more ways to exploited that's why it has a weakness if the MG42 is taken out
My grandfather carried the BAR in France during WWII. Said he was the skinniest guy in his squad, but had the heaviest gun. He never talked about the war, I shudder about what he went through. Made it home without a scratch, but I know it took a toll on him mentally and psychologically. I miss him terribly.
My uncle was 5FT. 5 In Marine in the Korean War . Guess who got the BAR that's right the smallest guy in the squad platoon and company. 3 years later got to come home. NEVER touched a gun again. Also verified that Marine doctrine was in only three marines out of a squad survived an engagement they all were keeping the BAR's .
I was on .y first Westpac cueise in 1967-68 on the USS Cleveland, an amphib. ship. We picked a marine infentry battalion. I noticed that the men carrying the radios and squad weapons (M 60s), were the smallest men in the platoon. I asked one of the Gunny Sargents why the smalles marines were assigned to carry the the radios ans the M 60s. His response was, "because they.make the smallest targets".
In his book, "Shots Fired in Anger", John B. George said that the BAR was an awful light machine gun but when used properly as an automatic rifle, had no equal at the time. And as an infantry Lieutenant in the Pacific, he ought to know a thing or two.
My father was a "Section Leader in charge of a light machine gun section of 15 men" infantry in the Pacific. He carried a BAR and was passionate about the virtues of that gun, it's reliability and firepower. I put the part in "" because I literally copied it off his separation papers. He was with the 37th, he fought in the Solomons and Philippines.
My Dad was a BAR man in France, Luxembourg and Germany in WW2. He said the FIRST thing a BAR man did was to remove the carrying handle and bipod and throw them in the woods. He said you shot single shot or in 3 round bursts because the first thing the Germans did was go after the automatic weapons.
Factually, that's incorrect! I was told by a WW2 Veteran who fought in Normandy as a BAR gunner and he said I quote: "the German's were petrified of the BAR"! As far as dumping the tripod is bs that was BS bc of many reasons esp in subzero weather there was at time no cover and the gunners had no choice but to shoot laying down! That vet that told you must of picked up the BAR from the battle field which was common it was called, "next man up"! Thanx
@@michaeloliveri2577 Instead of being caustic and confrontational wouldn't it be better to be respectful, especially when it concerns a man who's father served during the Normandy invasion? How about something like this: "Kudos to your father for his service, he has my respect. FWIW, a WWII vet gave me a different take on the subject. He told me the Germans were petrified of the BAR, now that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't try to take out that shooter first, just that they wanted to avoid that particular weapon. Another thing he said was, in his experience, the tripod was left on the BAR because it facilitated better sighting when the gunner was forced to quickly lay down, the frigid weather didn't provide for too much cover. This is just another point of view but I'm sure different people handled situations in the way that best suited them. Just something to consider, it has to bearing on the veracity of your comment"
You did a good job covering the issues with the BAR. The BAR was an *_AUTOMATIC RIFLE_* not a Machine gun. It was never a machine gun and the American Army's attempt to turn it into a Squad Machine Gun - was a mistake. What they should have done - was make more 1919's - which were perfectly good *_belt fed_* light machine guns. The original concept behind the BAR - was that the weapon would be a light enough automatic weapon that could go into the enemy position with the assaulting troops - rather - than staying back and creating a base of fire. When the assault force entered the enemy position - the machine guns supporting the assault would have to cease fire to avoid hitting their own troops. At this point - if the Assaulting unit did not have a light automatic weapon they could take into the enemy position with them - then they would not have an automatic weapon. Another weapon that was designed with this role in mind was the Thompson Sub Machine Gun. As to "Walking Fire" that was just stupid and no one did that. What you did do - was advance by rushes - where part of the unit would provide covering fire while the other part advanced. The advancing unit would go to ground and begin putting fire on the enemy position while the other unit advanced, leap frogging the unit now putting fire on the enemy. Now - you have a flawed definition of a "Light Machine Gun" in which a "Light machine gun' is a magazine fed, rifle caliber weapon. That is an unfortunate definition. All of these weapons were ... less than good. First off - they had 30 round magazines that were only half again as good as the 20 round magazine for the BAR. So ... yeah ... it had another 10 rounds but ... you still had to change magazines a lot. Now - as far as it goes - when it came to someone laying in the dirt and swapping magazines for the gunner whenever it ran out - you could do that fairly well with a BAR. You had to do it more often than for a Bren Gun but ... it really didn't make that much difference. What DID make a real difference - was a belt fed weapon that could have 250 rounds or more in a belt. Here the Germans had their MG-34 and MG-42's - and the Americans had their M1919's. People think that the German guns were better but that's not really as certain as people make it out to be. The Germans idea - was that they had a weapon with a very high rate of fire. One German WWII MG-42 Gunner described the weapons functionality as being like a long range shot gun. You'd fire 3 rounds at a single target - and that gave you a good chance of hitting it. Then - with the barrel heating up because of the high rate of fire - and - the fact that you had a light barrel - the weapon had a Quick Change Barrel what could be swapped out with a spare fairly quickly. The problem with this gun - is that it used to much ammunition - and the Germans were always running out. The Americans Idea - was that you had a heavy barrel that did not heat up as much and a much slower rate of fire. It was still a machine gun and could put out a goodly amount of rounds - but - the Americans felt that they didn't want it to have as high a rate of fire as the MG-42. This had nothing to do with the design. The aircraft version of this machine gun - with the same basic design - had about as high a rate of fire as an MG-42. There were in fact a few Marines who got their hands on some of these Aircraft Guns and modified them, by such as adding a rifle stock - and used it in combat with some success. The reasons that the infantry 1919 didn't have the rate of fire of this aircraft gun - was that the Americans didn't want it to. It would use up to much ammo - and - when that custom gun was used - the people using it had to repeatedly make trips back to restock their ammunition because the gun went through it so fast - the same problem the Germans had. Now another aspect of the German vs. American machine gun was that they had bi-pods and the 1919's had a small tripod. The small tripod , carried by the gunner, could be plopped down where the gunner wanted to establish his firing position - and the Assistant Gunner - who carried the machine guy - would mount the gun and load a belt of ammo. This could all be done very quickly - and once it had been - provided a better mounting point for the machine gun with a better traverse than that of a bipod. The 1919 could of course change it's barrel - it just took a few minutes to do it - whereas the quick change barrels on the British and German Guns could be changed in seconds. Another difference between all these weapons was the number of people needed to support them. The more ammo they could put out - the more ammo carriers they needed. Someone had to carry spare barrels as all but the BAR Teams carried them. You could change the Barrel on a BAR but ... this was a maintenance thing - not something you would do in the field. The BAR, Bren Gun, M1919 and the German Machine guns - all had advantages and disadvantages. None were "better" than the others - they were just different. All of them were used successfully. They just needed troops that understood how the weapon functioned best - and used it for it's advantages - while working to mitigate it's disadvantages. The proper way to use the BAR - was in small fire teams - with 2 or 3 BARs per squad, which with the Squad Leader's Sub Machine Gun gave then Marines 4 automatic weapons and 9 semiautomatic weapons. One advantage of this - was that you had to take out 3 BARs if you were the enemy - whereas for the Germans - they had ONE Squad Machine Gun - and if they lost it - they fell back as it was the primary source of fire power for their squad. Another factor here - is that other than patrols - these weapons were not used by single squads going against each other. In a full on attack - or defense against one - you'd have Platoons, Companies, Battalions or more involved. Here - there were any number of other units that would be involved and each nation had theirs set a little differently. The Americans, for example, had "Weapons" Platoons and Companies where their heavier infantry weapons were - with the unit commander deciding where he wanted these weapons employed at any given time. .
I was on an amphibious assault ship....Marines wouldn't let me have a BAR; but I got checked out in the air cooled 30...so happy with that....drove a Higgins boat and made runs to the beach during an assault.love that 1919!!!!
The first time I saw a BAR was not in a movie but a TV show - in the TV show "Combat" one of the main characters, Pvt. Kirby, carries a BAR with a bipod, I remember being really really impressed with it when I was a kid, the way it looked, the way it sounded
The one movie you forgot was The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen. When I saw that movie I fell in love with the BAR. 62 years later i am still trying to get my hands on one
The B.A.R. was featured prominently in the great 1960s TV series "Combat!" There was even an early episode outlining how one of the series' regular characters, Kirby, became the squad's B.A.R. man after the previous one had been killed in action.
You couldn't change the barrel of a BAR so continuous fire was impossible. My dad said that you'd rather have a true light machine gun if you were facing a banzi charge.
The BAR has always been my favorite Allied weapon of WW2. I think its only drawback is its 20 round magazine. It would have done really well with a 30 round magazine.
The Poles had a nice upgraded model from FN Belgium called the Wz.28. I agree with you though, but the soldiers from what I've read liked them. German and Japanese squads didn't really have an equivalent. They had a dedicated LMG and rifleman like the US but not automatic riflemen. Not until the STG came out anyways. So it must have been good to have that edge over the Axis.
no-one mentioned the sharp corners on the butt, in the prone position it would cut into the clavicle something fierce In Marine ITR , so when I got to (helicopters) the M-60 was so much more welcome.
No expert here but after watching several vids it seems the BAR's most unnoticed attribute is reliability. Further when the BAR was correctly combined with more mobile carbines, grease guns and Garands it was very effective. But combined arms have always been more effective than singular attacks.
The B A R was not a very effective weapon, It was too heavy and had too small a magazine capacity. The Czech designed Bren Light Machine Gun was far superior with a 30 round magazine and a barrel that could be changed in seconds for the sustained fire role.
In its day, the weapon was referred to as "B" "A" "R," never "bar." One goes to a bar for a beer, but relies on a "B" "A" "R" for fire support at the squad and fire team level.
Its another example of making work with what you got. Def not the best lmg for suppressing fire even on the allied side but you form your tactics around what you got and you make it work. That's the human element.
The BAR shows up in Kellys Hero's, particualrly in the attack on the town when its seen firing from inside the building with the shutters at the German HQ.
Find me a scene in Band of Brothers where a BAR is being fired. I have watched it a ton. There are scenes with BARs in it. But they are never firing. I always thought it was weird for such a big WWII series.
BAR's weren't in the Airborne's TO&E. Glider infantry used them, but not Paratroopers, "officially" anyway. Airborne squads were light infantry establishing their base of fire around the M1919A4 and A6 machineguns, much like the Germans did with their squads. Now there were some exceptions of guys acquiring BAR's and jumping with them, or somehow getting their hands on them after landing. A lot of pictures I tend to see of Airborne using BAR's are mostly Glider troops and not Paratroopers, or Paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division after their jump into Germany during Operation Varsity in March of '45.
@@gonuts4donuts yeah but in the scene where they ambush the Germans training on the MG42 at night, they set up a BAR but it never shoots. Makes me wonder if it was just a dummy weapon and non functional.
In the attack on Foy there’s a quick cut when they’re trying to get the snipers in the upstairs of one of the buildings as they move in. Maybe 1 or 2 seconds of BAR fire. As far as I know that’s the only time they show it in action.
I have to say, and this is just my experience, but... throughout my 46 years and the thousands upon thousands of rounds I've fired through them... in all that time I've never heard anyone call a B.A.R. (Bee-ayh-Are) a Bar... like where you get a beer. But that's cool with me.
B-A-R would be the more common way to say it. BAR would be the more natural way to read it and perfectly acceptable in my opinion but others would say it isn't for reasons of fussiness.
The narrator used the word "squadron" several times throughout this piece. That's an incorrect word to use in reference to the infantry unit table of organization. The word you want is squad. In the USMC, a squad was made up of fire teams. In the army, there were no fire teams--they were only referred to as squads.. And three to four squads made a platoon, while three to four platoons made a company. Otherwise, a pretty good short doc film.
Now i am no gun expert by any means but what I perceived if the BAR barrel is shorten a little and the magazine upgraded to 30 rounds wouln't that become assault rifle in ww2 like the germans Stg 44 and subsequently improved firepower? however if there is some engineering explain of why it wouldn't work please let me know
Definitely a wierd weapon in the way it was used, in effect it was more of an assault rifle than a machinegun. I honestly think if it had seen more combat in ww1 we would have a whole different definition of the term assault rifle
The way I heard it was; the gangsters used it because in a firefight, you're opponent wasn't safe behind a car. Think about that. A car from the 20's 30's or 40's, not todays cars.
A few pictures to illustrate things As mentioned in the Video - the proper way to use the BAR was to strip off things such as the bipod that had been put in the M1918A2 to try and turn it into a Machine Gun. Here is a BAR Man in action with out a bipod and carrying a large number of magazines. i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/72/a6/ca72a6963bfa1f8ac4a35e669ceed586.jpg Here is an Assistant BAR Man upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/US_Marine_charges_through_Japanese_machine_gun_fire_on_Okinawa.jpg You will notice that while he has BAR Magazine pouches on him, he is carrying an M-1 Garand. The Ammunition for his own weapon is in a sling about his neck. And ... lastly ... for anyone thinking a 1919 couldn't be fired from the hip on the move - here is a sequence containing a Mercenary doing just that one day in Africa. *_NOTE THERE ARE DEAD BODIES IN THIS VIDEO_* th-cam.com/video/uWBcBEk9T5g/w-d-xo.html .
My neighbor used a BAR In the Philippines in 1944/45, and he said he was surprised he was given it (5’7”, very skinny, quiet religious man from Utah.) he was asked if he knew about squad ammunition bearers, and when he replied “yes”, they said “Well you’re it.” He said that on a good day he would carry between 50-60 pounds of ammo, grenades, and water. He was sent before his squad to clear out any Japanese that were off of the nearby path before his squad advanced. He turns 96 in February 2022. Awesome man.
It seems the people who took the most shots at them live the longest...Maybe we all need to be shot at by a Machine gun while trying to fight it to live longer.
There's a couple things that don't add up with this story. First, the cartridge belts worn by BAR gunners had either 6 or 8 pockets for the 20-rnd magazines. An ammunition "bearer" is not the same as a BAR gunner. I can't think of anytime where a single soldier or Marine carried an additional "50-60" pounds of ammunition for the BAR. Second, the BAR gunner was a support member of the rifle team, they wouldn't send them out in front of the squad because its the very nature of it being an automatic rifle that the squad is counting on for suppressing fire.
@@jeffburnham6611 he would carry ammo for the WHOLE squad. Garand clips, Thompson mags, etc. He would also carry water for the squad. And he wouldn’t be sent necessarily ahead, but he and a spotter would be out off the trail while the rest of the squad was on the trail.
@@masterbuilderproductions Still doesn't add up. A rifleman was an ammunition bearer. You never make a squad member with an already heavy weapon and it's ammunition an ammo bearer for the whole squad.
One thing that movies tent not to cover is how quickly a BAR magazine is emptied. You had to reload it constantly in battle. In the movies they tend to spray it for quite a while before reloading
I think it is fair to say, that this is true for every firearm that Hollywood gets their hands on. A C7 even on semi empties itself pretty quickly. Hollywood magazines: How many rounds does that thing hold? Answer: Yes.
The BAR had two fire modes, well realistically they are speeds. One setting is 600rpm and the other is about 400rpm. Not saying this means the magazine doesn't empty out quickly.
my grandfather was part of the Brazilian expeditionary force in Italy during the WW2 and was a B.A.R operator, I realy love his badasses pictures holding this beautiful weapon
@@Guilherme-ps3tw So, story you might like. A few years ago I had a new co-worker that was Brasilian, her family had moved to the US in her late teens. She wasn't really aware of the Smoking Snakes so I told her the whole story and she really enjoyed it. I ended up making an avatar for her, I took the Smoking Snake logo, gave it sunglasses and replaced the word "Brasil" with "Lide Com Isso", which if I remember correctly translates to "Deal With It." She got a real kick out of it!
A friend of my dads fought in ww2 as a bar operator in the battle of the bulge. He told my dad a story once. BARman was in a foxhole at night, and his partner jumped in the foxhole without letting him know. BARman turned and unloaded the entire 20 round magazine in a few seconds, hitting only the wall of the foxhole next to his partner. He said that neither of them slept that night afterward.
Another proof of how brilliant John Browning was. The BAR isn't the ultimate Assault Rifle or light machine gun but it was a step in it's development. I was an Armorer in the Marines from 1966 to 1970 & was lucky enough to play with this peace of history. Semper Fi .
@@cdjhyoung The armourers job on the movie set is probably no different than our armouer on the police department. They make sure that the weapon is in good order and can be operated safely. In the army they were called weapon technicians. Simply put they are mechanics for firearms. If something has a serious malfunction or failure the armourer can repair the weapon and the work can be certified so that the firearm can be put back in service without sending it to the manufacturer.
@@kellybreen5526 Thanks for the information. I was most interested in the military application of the term. In my parlance, the armorer would be the weapons 'mechanic' for the unit.
Sand Pebbles was my first ‘contact’ with BARs and also with the concept of the ‘BAR Team’. Plus it’s Steve McQueen so it’s just super cool. Great video as usual. I’d say “keep it up” but you’re clearly doing that:)
I was a Marine in the early to mid-'60s. We were not issued BARs, but fired them for familiarization at ITR, Camp Geiger. One of the reason that they were so heavy is because of the buffer in the stock, which greatly reduced recoil. It was relatively "gentle" when fired from the shoulder. We also practiced disassembly and reassembly of the weapon. Later, when I was an AR man in 3rd platoon, G co, 2/2, FMF, I carried an M-14 with a selector switch. About the movies: It took but a few rounds through a BAR to get the barrel too hot to touch. After firing, if it was done using the bipod, you reached UNDER the rifle and picked it up by the forearm. If you picked it up by the top, you got a blister from the web of your hand to the edge of your palm. We called it a "BAR hand." In some movies, I've noticed scenes where the BARman emptied several mags at enemies, and had a squad meeting immediately afterward. The BARman is kneeling, with the barrel of the rifle against the right side of his neck. Had it been a REAL scene, he'd have had a BAR neck. To change the rate of fire on a BAR, there was a rotating cap with holes of various diameters at the end of the gas cylinder. To change the rate of fire you had to rotate that cap; the larger the hole that lined up with port of the gas cylinder, the slower the rate of fire.. The BAR did not have a bayonet lug.
My grandfather was a marine in the early 60s and he was still issued M1s until his unit not long before he got out, got issued M14s. He told me stories of shooting the BAR. Dont remeber if he said issued or not since I dont know when the BAR was replaced by the M60 in Marine service
My first platoon commander was a Marine Gunner who was at Guam, Iwo Jima and the Chosin Reservoir. He said that the bar gunner, when using suppressing fire on an objective, would turn the BAR on it's side and let the natural ability of the muzzle to rise to sweep rounds evenly across the target.
@@ethanmcfarland8240 He was in the 3rd Marine Division for the invasion of Guam and Iwo Jima. Between the wars, the USMC shrunk like the rest of the US military and he got assigned to the 1st Marine Division and that's how he got to Korea.
While my father was training stateside during WW2 he learned mountain climbing Assault at Seneca Rock West Virginia, one of the guys in his company froze up high on the rock and had to be helped down. My father wondered if the guy would freeze up in combat but this GI was issued B A R and proved to be fearless and formidable during bitter house to house fighting in German Saarland.When my father was wounded along with many of his company by a machine gun and rifle fire on a rail yard in Fraulatern they retreated into a switch house . During the night when the enemy would attempt to slip into their perimeter J...........k ‘s BAR would open up and drive them back . Daddy said that J...........k was the last man fighting that night and that he was a brave warrior.
Im glad you covered this. After reading up on stories of GIs who used the BAR, I've come to realize it doesn't deserve the bad rep it seems to have garnered in modern times. It was actually a pretty amazing weapon. It's a poor LMG but as you suggest, troops made use of it in different ways by lightening it. Almost all of the BARs I've seen in historical photos do not have the bulky bipod. Also I have heard that the Germans would try to kill the BAR gunner first when engaging American squads. That tells you something about the BAR's effectiveness.
According to Ian McCollum, the best variants of the BAR were not American: Polish wz.28 and Belgian FN model D, which featured gas-block mounted bipods and actual pistol grips. As seen on C&Rsenal and Forgotten Weapons collaboration series, the BAR was designed rather quickly, without much thought given to quick field stripping. You basically had to disassemble the whole gun to get it field stripped. US units in WWI had their BAR's taken away for fear of Germans capturing some and were instead given French Chauchats chambered in .30-06. These "american" Chauchats were badly manufactured, leading to unreliability and thus unpopularity with the weapon, compounded by its very wonky ergonomics.
John Pershing made that decision as he did not want the BAR going into combat in small numbers, fearing that the Germans would capture some, reverse engineer them, and place them into production. Difficult to believe but true.
With all due respect for McCollum and C&Rsenal, don't garner your opinions of design, manufacturing, and use on their historical efforts. It is but a piece of information seen through the lens of time and their interpretation of what they read in books written by those who read other books. Much of the information from these TH-cam sources is opinion and out of context (and often not accurate as many of our opinions are). That the firearm was designed as it was by J. Browning in the teens of the last century is astounding. What firearms are "best" is a non-contextual discussion since tactics and strategies usually decide the outcome of armed conflict. I appreciate their efforts and enjoy watching their programs. Thanks again.
My grandfather was a BAR gunner on Okinawa with the 1st Marines, only a company over from 'The Pacific' show 'characters'. He was an absolute crack shot, but since he was also the biggest man in his unit (Oklahoma/Kansas farm boy, but only 5'10), he was given the BAR. He had a pistol grip made and installed on the LST while sailing over which made it more controllable.
My father was issued the B.A.R in the marines 1950 he mentioned how heavy it was . He also was 5 ft 10 and wasn't a big guy . He shot exspert during boot camp training . His company just arrived in Korea when the war was over . They were there during the prisoner exchange then off to Japan to finish his tour. He also mentioned going to Nagasaki and Hiroshima he said both citties had been completely rebuilt by the time he had arrived .
@@kevinmcfadin2141 i had the pleasure of shooting two magazines through one in Las Vegas, at a hefty cost. It was worth it to see what these guys had to put up with. Cheers sir!
We used to live in Okinawa during the late 90's. Beautiful place now but horrible back in the day. Used to find 30-06 brass from WWII while scuba diving. They still find unexploded ordnance on occasion. You just don't go tromping around in the woods.
@@wes326 , I use to work with a guy who during his time in US Marine corps was stationed on Okinawa during the 1980s, while exploring one of the caves, he found the rusted remains of a Japanese bolt action rifle, and was able to take it home with him, I got to hold it when I visited his house, TRULY an amazing piece of history, as well as the Smith and Wesson 1917 revolver his great grandfather carried during ww1.
I fired the BAR during Infantry Training at Camp Geiger. It was not a hard weapon to control; it has a buffer group in the stock to absorb mush of the recoil. The M-14 on full auto, however, is another story.
I remember listening to a Vet (I believe talking about the battle of Sugar Loaf Hill) who recounted the BAR after a guy was moving to fill in the dead BAR gunner’s position, he remarked along the lines of ‘I said I hoped he knew how to use it’ As in, using it in single shots instead of automatic so the BAR fire blended in with M1 fire since Japanese positions would target BAR Gunners.
One of the few drawbacks of the BAR was how quickly it consumed ammo. The gunner and his assistants had to lug a huge amount of heavy magazines with them into battle.
Had the honor of talking a few times with a Veteran from WW2 Europe . He spoke on and on about the courage of the ammo runners for a BAR holding the Germans up . Thing was that after his death I found out that he was the BAR man the runners supplied . It was said that he was at the vacation resort named Bastogne . Miss him .
I met Old School people who carried that weapon as their weapon, and they all say good things about it with the only bad thing they had to say was it was limited to a 20 round magazine. The accuracy of this weapon was without question great.
The B. A. R. Terrified enemy soldiers immediately, and they avoided those areas of the battlefield where B. A. R. Automatic rifleman were located. The Viet Cong hated them.
Check out the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles" with legendary actor and Marine Veteran, Steve McQueen. The B.A.R. has two major scenes, the boom river battle, and during the rescue of US citizens.
Oh, yeah, I remember that now. Steve McQueen toting that BAR around that Chinese "villa" in the last scene. That's that I always imagined how the badass Navy of before World War II looked like. During the Boom River battle, you can see old Steve firing the BAR on it's side to allow the tendency of the muzzle to rise to sweep rounds across the target. My sainted mother took me and my younger brother to see this movie at the drive-in after it came out because one of the women who she worked with told her it was a good movie. Maybe for adults, but not for children. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@reynaldoflores4522 I guess my memory fails me. It was a long time ago. All I remember about Little John was that whenever Lt. Hanley needed to go somewhere, it was Little John who drove the jeep.
@@johnh.tuomala4379 COMBAT! - the TV show - is available to watch on You Tube. Gives a chance to relive and refresh your memory of their story lines. Kirby was the of shifty character that could speak fluent French - a very useful skill. Big John was the poor bloke that got to drag the BAR around with him.
Dad carried a BAR from D-day +1 frim France, Belgium and to Germany. They had one per squad. Yes, they ditched the bi-pod immediately. Usually 3-4 sec bursts were all you could do. But...in a fire-fight, the German's would listen to find out where the BAR was and then go for it first. He didn't enjoy that. He was the largest guy in the squad so he got the unfortunate job of lugging it around.
Dad said that his squad ‘s BAR man thru his bipod over a hedgerow in France and when his Sargent discovered it gone he made him double back and retrieve it . I don’t know if he ditched it later or not but things got so hot when they entered Germany I doubt that it would have been an issue .
Not a movie, but an American TV series I came across on TH-cam just before Covid lockdown (so ended up watching the whole series, b&w and colour), called “COMBAT”. Plenty of BAR action where the guy almost always fires it on its side 🇺🇸🤷🏻♂️
I too watched COMBAT! religiously as a kid with my WW2 veteran father. "Saving Private Ryan" is like one big COMBAT! episode, the similarities are quite remarkable.
On this one, my dad said when you went through the rifle range with this weapon, you would do it at a walk with pop up targets. Since you had to fire at the targets in rapid secession, you had to lean back while firing the weapon. If you did not, since it recoiled forward, you would end up running in the course as it pulled you forward.
The BAR figured in "The Sand Pebbles", seen in the naval landing party where the USN has to sling arms and return to their gunboat, then in the hands of the mutineers during the siege of the San Pablo, then again with Steve McQueen setting up a BAR position at the start of the San Pablo's final battle, and finally, it was a major player with Richard Crenna and Steve McQueen during the climactic battle at the end. In Band of Brothers they correctly eliminated the BAR from Easy Company in Normandy - the original TO&E for a parachute rifle company did not include the BAR, but some were apparently "acquired" by some paratroopers before D-Day. The BAR does correctly appear in Easy company for the Holland drop, as he T)&E was modified in the summer of 1944 to add the BAR to the parachute rifle company. Ut was the USMC that about 1945 adopted the organization of three fire teams in each rifle squad, each built around a BAR gunner. The multiple squad BARs show up in John Wayne's "The Sands Of Iwo Jima" (where the BAR is commonly seen)
my Father had one in korea 51-52. Loved it. said the carbine didn't have enough punch. Heavier and the ammo weighed a lot more but no problem. the weapon of choice in the INFANTRY
My dad fought in North Africa and Italy in WW2. Everyone on the squad loved the BAR, but nobody wanted it right next to them. They drew enemy fire like flies to....poop. Plus, like lilaolf said, they burned through ammo. Not as much as the MG39s the Germans used, but enough that everyone carried extra ammo for it.
In 1962 while serving with an Air Police Squadron in France, our squadron trained on the BAR during a night fire exercise. I was impressed with its accuracy, but the weight was an issue for regular security use. The M2 Carbine was the standard issue for sentry guard duty. It was fully auto with a 30 round clip and the weight was light enough for an 8 hour guard shift.
Damn, l lived outside an Air Force Base in France at that time, my dad was a pilot. I was young, but l remember the security on the base, it was tight, my dad said you guys were the real deal.
I think it brilliant that the Garand rifle and the B.A.R. used the same ammo. One a superb infantry semi-auto rifle, the other a light machine gun used in the same unit as the Garand to give a rifle squad that much more firepower and provide extra cover when needed.
Maybe apocryphal, but I was told that it was unofficial Army practice to assign the scrawniest man in a platoon the BAR, because hauling it around would "develop" him. One old veteran, WW2, told me that they learned to "lose" the bipod because, at a distance, it identified the BAR man and put him at the top of a snipers' "to do list."
In 1946, my dad was deployed to Tokyo, Japan as part of the occupational forces, Army infantry. In 1950, when Korea was about to be over -run by the Korean Communists, he was immediately rushed to Pusan, Korea to hold the perimeter. In the rush, his glasses were broken so the Army handed him a BAR and and placed him in the line. At the time he was paper pusher at The Tokyo PX and kept laughing as he told me how his combat experience started. He survived all the way to the Yalu river and "the gauntlet" and was sent home in 1952 after his 3rd combat wound, bringing my Japanese mother and me with him to Winter Park, Florida. Thank you Dad, America, and John Browning !
My dad was in the Army Engineer Corp in the Pacific from 1942-1945 and I enlisted in October 1966...when I came home the first thing he asked me was "Did you get to fire the BAR"?...He said it was a terrific weapon. I guess he felt it was so good we should have still been using it. He never asked me about my M-14 or M-16. He also asked if I got to use the Browning .50 caliber and yes, we've been using that forever. They're still around.
I've received many comments about the B.A.R. never being referred to as a "Bar." Though B.A.R was certainly far more common than Bar or Browning Automatic Rifle, soldiers nicknamed and shortened everything. They also came into contact with people from across the country and the world be them Canadians, Australians, Brits etc who had twice as many weird names for things.
Here are two wonderful interviews with Korean War vets who refer to the B.A.R. as the "Bar" once in each video, which is fine, I doubt anyone cared.
th-cam.com/video/IvBHjKvbfVw/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/I1jcCp4jrSI/w-d-xo.html
Smoking snakes!
B.A.R. not Bar. Even the Koreans during the korean war called it B.A.R. or A.R. not Bar nor Arrr.
JSDFでは、ベテランの先輩たちは BAR または ビーエーアール と言ってました🙋
no footage of Kelly's Heros with this gun using bi-pod
Johnny in Highwaymen the Colt Monitor or BAR usually say that it could fire atleast 30 rounds per magazine but it cut short of the ammunition meant up to 20 for the army as because it needed to be bulky weight and even down time needed to reloaded that's why it's a SAW or LSW Light Squad (Support) Weapon, Squad Automatic Weapon or Automatic Rifleman theoretical for it well the BAR is meant for Support with a company of M1 Garands to follow up shots this meant that they could have reign supreme over the battlefield as they could return fire while the both the BAR and M1 Garands could fire atleast faster than the Germans could do the Germans emphasize their tactic around the MG42 but have few or more ways to exploited that's why it has a weakness if the MG42 is taken out
My grandfather carried the BAR in France during WWII. Said he was the skinniest guy in his squad, but had the heaviest gun. He never talked about the war, I shudder about what he went through. Made it home without a scratch, but I know it took a toll on him mentally and psychologically. I miss him terribly.
My uncle was 5FT. 5 In Marine in the Korean War . Guess who got the BAR that's right the smallest guy in the squad platoon and company. 3 years later got to come home. NEVER touched a gun again. Also verified that Marine doctrine was in only three marines out of a squad survived an engagement they all were keeping the BAR's .
I was on .y first Westpac cueise in 1967-68 on the USS Cleveland, an amphib. ship. We picked a marine infentry battalion. I noticed that the men carrying the radios and squad weapons (M 60s), were the smallest men in the platoon. I asked one of the Gunny Sargents why the smalles marines were assigned to carry the the radios ans the M 60s. His response was, "because they.make the smallest targets".
In his book, "Shots Fired in Anger", John B. George said that the BAR was an awful light machine gun but when used properly as an automatic rifle, had no equal at the time. And as an infantry Lieutenant in the Pacific, he ought to know a thing or two.
My father was a "Section Leader in charge of a light machine gun section of 15 men" infantry in the Pacific. He carried a BAR and was passionate about the virtues of that gun, it's reliability and firepower. I put the part in "" because I literally copied it off his separation papers. He was with the 37th, he fought in the Solomons and Philippines.
@@beckyfrogers that's really cool!
My Dad was a BAR man in France, Luxembourg and Germany in WW2. He said the FIRST thing a BAR man did was to remove the carrying handle and bipod and throw them in the woods. He said you shot single shot or in 3 round bursts because the first thing the Germans did was go after the automatic weapons.
Factually, that's incorrect! I was told by a WW2 Veteran who fought in Normandy as a BAR gunner and he said I quote: "the German's were petrified of the BAR"!
As far as dumping the tripod is bs that was BS bc of many reasons esp in subzero weather there was at time no cover and the gunners had no choice but to shoot laying down! That vet that told you must of picked up the BAR from the battle field which was common it was called, "next man up"! Thanx
@@michaeloliveri2577 "that's incorrect,I WAS TOLD" do your own research.or people will see this and assume your just taking someone's word for it.
There are many pictures and videos from ww2 showing the Carrying Handles and Bipods removed
Why is your account more believable than James one which was told to him by his father?
@@michaeloliveri2577 Instead of being caustic and confrontational wouldn't it be better to be respectful, especially when it concerns a man who's father served during the Normandy invasion? How about something like this: "Kudos to your father for his service, he has my respect. FWIW, a WWII vet gave me a different take on the subject. He told me the Germans were petrified of the BAR, now that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't try to take out that shooter first, just that they wanted to avoid that particular weapon. Another thing he said was, in his experience, the tripod was left on the BAR because it facilitated better sighting when the gunner was forced to quickly lay down, the frigid weather didn't provide for too much cover. This is just another point of view but I'm sure different people handled situations in the way that best suited them. Just something to consider, it has to bearing on the veracity of your comment"
I like that the two fire settings mean you can empty the 20 round mag in .75 seconds, or .85 seconds.
You did a good job covering the issues with the BAR.
The BAR was an *_AUTOMATIC RIFLE_* not a Machine gun. It was never a machine gun and the American Army's attempt to turn it into a Squad Machine Gun - was a mistake. What they should have done - was make more 1919's - which were perfectly good *_belt fed_* light machine guns.
The original concept behind the BAR - was that the weapon would be a light enough automatic weapon that could go into the enemy position with the assaulting troops - rather - than staying back and creating a base of fire.
When the assault force entered the enemy position - the machine guns supporting the assault would have to cease fire to avoid hitting their own troops. At this point - if the Assaulting unit did not have a light automatic weapon they could take into the enemy position with them - then they would not have an automatic weapon.
Another weapon that was designed with this role in mind was the Thompson Sub Machine Gun.
As to "Walking Fire" that was just stupid and no one did that. What you did do - was advance by rushes - where part of the unit would provide covering fire while the other part advanced. The advancing unit would go to ground and begin putting fire on the enemy position while the other unit advanced, leap frogging the unit now putting fire on the enemy.
Now - you have a flawed definition of a "Light Machine Gun" in which a "Light machine gun' is a magazine fed, rifle caliber weapon. That is an unfortunate definition. All of these weapons were ... less than good. First off - they had 30 round magazines that were only half again as good as the 20 round magazine for the BAR. So ... yeah ... it had another 10 rounds but ... you still had to change magazines a lot.
Now - as far as it goes - when it came to someone laying in the dirt and swapping magazines for the gunner whenever it ran out - you could do that fairly well with a BAR. You had to do it more often than for a Bren Gun but ... it really didn't make that much difference. What DID make a real difference - was a belt fed weapon that could have 250 rounds or more in a belt. Here the Germans had their MG-34 and MG-42's - and the Americans had their M1919's.
People think that the German guns were better but that's not really as certain as people make it out to be.
The Germans idea - was that they had a weapon with a very high rate of fire. One German WWII MG-42 Gunner described the weapons functionality as being like a long range shot gun. You'd fire 3 rounds at a single target - and that gave you a good chance of hitting it. Then - with the barrel heating up because of the high rate of fire - and - the fact that you had a light barrel - the weapon had a Quick Change Barrel what could be swapped out with a spare fairly quickly. The problem with this gun - is that it used to much ammunition - and the Germans were always running out.
The Americans Idea - was that you had a heavy barrel that did not heat up as much and a much slower rate of fire. It was still a machine gun and could put out a goodly amount of rounds - but - the Americans felt that they didn't want it to have as high a rate of fire as the MG-42. This had nothing to do with the design. The aircraft version of this machine gun - with the same basic design - had about as high a rate of fire as an MG-42. There were in fact a few Marines who got their hands on some of these Aircraft Guns and modified them, by such as adding a rifle stock - and used it in combat with some success. The reasons that the infantry 1919 didn't have the rate of fire of this aircraft gun - was that the Americans didn't want it to. It would use up to much ammo - and - when that custom gun was used - the people using it had to repeatedly make trips back to restock their ammunition because the gun went through it so fast - the same problem the Germans had.
Now another aspect of the German vs. American machine gun was that they had bi-pods and the 1919's had a small tripod. The small tripod , carried by the gunner, could be plopped down where the gunner wanted to establish his firing position - and the Assistant Gunner - who carried the machine guy - would mount the gun and load a belt of ammo. This could all be done very quickly - and once it had been - provided a better mounting point for the machine gun with a better traverse than that of a bipod.
The 1919 could of course change it's barrel - it just took a few minutes to do it - whereas the quick change barrels on the British and German Guns could be changed in seconds.
Another difference between all these weapons was the number of people needed to support them. The more ammo they could put out - the more ammo carriers they needed. Someone had to carry spare barrels as all but the BAR Teams carried them. You could change the Barrel on a BAR but ... this was a maintenance thing - not something you would do in the field.
The BAR, Bren Gun, M1919 and the German Machine guns - all had advantages and disadvantages. None were "better" than the others - they were just different. All of them were used successfully. They just needed troops that understood how the weapon functioned best - and used it for it's advantages - while working to mitigate it's disadvantages.
The proper way to use the BAR - was in small fire teams - with 2 or 3 BARs per squad, which with the Squad Leader's Sub Machine Gun gave then Marines 4 automatic weapons and 9 semiautomatic weapons. One advantage of this - was that you had to take out 3 BARs if you were the enemy - whereas for the Germans - they had ONE Squad Machine Gun - and if they lost it - they fell back as it was the primary source of fire power for their squad.
Another factor here - is that other than patrols - these weapons were not used by single squads going against each other. In a full on attack - or defense against one - you'd have Platoons, Companies, Battalions or more involved. Here - there were any number of other units that would be involved and each nation had theirs set a little differently. The Americans, for example, had "Weapons" Platoons and Companies where their heavier infantry weapons were - with the unit commander deciding where he wanted these weapons employed at any given time.
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I was on an amphibious assault ship....Marines wouldn't let me have a BAR; but I got checked out in the air cooled 30...so happy with that....drove a Higgins boat and made runs to the beach during an assault.love that 1919!!!!
The first time I saw a BAR was not in a movie but a TV show - in the TV show "Combat" one of the main characters, Pvt. Kirby, carries a BAR with a bipod, I remember being really really impressed with it when I was a kid, the way it looked, the way it sounded
I love that show. And Kirby has always been my favourite character.
The one movie you forgot was The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen. When I saw that movie I fell in love with the BAR. 62 years later i am still trying to get my hands on one
john moses browning was a man way ahead of his time. his skill in arms manufacturing never will be equaled in my day.
The B.A.R. was featured prominently in the great 1960s TV series "Combat!" There was even an early episode outlining how one of the series' regular characters, Kirby, became the squad's B.A.R. man after the previous one had been killed in action.
This rifle was a formidable weapon.
BAR was Kirby's weapon in 'Combat!' - check that 60's series out.
You couldn't change the barrel of a BAR so continuous fire was impossible. My dad said that you'd rather have a true light machine gun if you were facing a banzi charge.
Thanks Johnnie I ALWAYS hav been a fan of the B.A.R. Thank u
The BAR has always been my favorite Allied weapon of WW2. I think its only drawback is its 20 round magazine. It would have done really well with a 30 round magazine.
It was good when it was designed but by ww2 it was outdated in some ways and could have been replaced with something more adequate.
The Poles had a nice upgraded model from FN Belgium called the Wz.28. I agree with you though, but the soldiers from what I've read liked them. German and Japanese squads didn't really have an equivalent. They had a dedicated LMG and rifleman like the US but not automatic riflemen. Not until the STG came out anyways. So it must have been good to have that edge over the Axis.
@@CC-8891 the British bren was probably better for the lmg role. I assume the BAR was serviceable and reliable and able to do the job.
They could have done better with 50 or 100 round drums. Like a Lewis gun.
@@reynaldoflores4522 would have made it a very heavy and unwieldy weapon. But, 30 round magazines would have been better.
No mention of it's awesome use in The Sand Pebbles starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and Richard Crenna
no-one mentioned the sharp corners on the butt, in the prone position it would cut into the clavicle something fierce In Marine ITR , so when I got to (helicopters) the M-60 was so much more welcome.
No expert here but after watching several vids it seems the BAR's most unnoticed attribute is reliability.
Further when the BAR was correctly combined with more mobile carbines, grease guns and Garands it was very effective. But combined arms have always been more effective than singular attacks.
The B A R was not a very effective weapon, It was too heavy and had too small a magazine capacity. The Czech designed Bren Light Machine Gun was far superior with a 30 round magazine and a barrel that could be changed in seconds for the sustained fire role.
One of the most iconic portrayals of the BAR in film was in The Sand Pebbles.
Hey Johnny, another, rather obscure, movie that features the BAR is, 'The Sand Pebbles' w/Steve McQueen.
Steve McQueen used one to great effect in "Stand Pebbles"
I absolutely love the BAR
We still had couple BARs in our Special Forces BN arms room up through the 90s.
In its day, the weapon was referred to as "B" "A" "R," never "bar." One goes to a bar for a beer, but relies on a "B" "A" "R" for fire support at the squad and fire team level.
Nobody wielded a BAR like Caje in Combat!
Heavy bastards, that’s what my grandpa said. He also said I hate those weapon because I’m short and can’t run fast with a 50lb gun(it’s sarcasm).
Its another example of making work with what you got. Def not the best lmg for suppressing fire even on the allied side but you form your tactics around what you got and you make it work. That's the human element.
The B.A.R or as I like to call it: the full auto Garand
Steve McQueen in “Sand Pebbles” (Navy gunboats in China during the 1920s)
My favorite ww2 gun, looks badass.
The BAR shows up in Kellys Hero's, particualrly in the attack on the town when its seen firing from inside the building with the shutters at the German HQ.
You missed one of the best, The Sand Pebbles, the final scene with Steve McQueen
So it was basically an MG34 without belt feed... hold the trigger more than 3 seconds and it's empty while the MG34 is still spitting lead...
The most famous users of the BAR were Bonnie & Clyde
Was just gonna say that. He also cut it down and made it shorter.
Clyde Barrow's favorite weapon!
Nice video. Keep it up.
Find me a scene in Band of Brothers where a BAR is being fired. I have watched it a ton. There are scenes with BARs in it. But they are never firing. I always thought it was weird for such a big WWII series.
BAR's weren't in the Airborne's TO&E. Glider infantry used them, but not Paratroopers, "officially" anyway. Airborne squads were light infantry establishing their base of fire around the M1919A4 and A6 machineguns, much like the Germans did with their squads. Now there were some exceptions of guys acquiring BAR's and jumping with them, or somehow getting their hands on them after landing. A lot of pictures I tend to see of Airborne using BAR's are mostly Glider troops and not Paratroopers, or Paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division after their jump into Germany during Operation Varsity in March of '45.
@@gonuts4donuts yeah but in the scene where they ambush the Germans training on the MG42 at night, they set up a BAR but it never shoots. Makes me wonder if it was just a dummy weapon and non functional.
In the attack on Foy there’s a quick cut when they’re trying to get the snipers in the upstairs of one of the buildings as they move in. Maybe 1 or 2 seconds of BAR fire. As far as I know that’s the only time they show it in action.
To heavy for an automatic rifle, too light in ammo capacity for a LMG. Kind of a misfit weapon.
Problem with being a rushed weapon and experimental weapon from WW1.
I have to say, and this is just my experience, but... throughout my 46 years and the thousands upon thousands of rounds I've fired through them... in all that time I've never heard anyone call a B.A.R. (Bee-ayh-Are) a Bar... like where you get a beer.
But that's cool with me.
love the humble honest feedback thank you!
You have to wonder about what if it was lighter and everyone got one. That would be a lots of bullets going down range.
first
Thanks Johnny ur the best
my dad carried one in world war 2. kirby from combat used the same weapon.
I've yet to see a movie or TV show that shows the metal cup that was made so that you could fire one from the hip...
Me too. Doubt there is one.
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I just saw a video of a young lady on the C&Rsenal TH-cam channel use one. Very interesting...👴
There is a modernized version of the BAR called the HCAR:
th-cam.com/video/HD31v5Rziag/w-d-xo.html
Historians always say the Germans made the first assault rifle the StG 44 . But I think B.A.R is the first to do that job
Are you SURE it was called the "Bar"--I've spoken to numerous WWII vets, including my dad, and Everyone called it the B,A,R,
B-A-R would be the more common way to say it. BAR would be the more natural way to read it and perfectly acceptable in my opinion but others would say it isn't for reasons of fussiness.
The narrator used the word "squadron" several times throughout this piece. That's an incorrect word to use in reference to the infantry unit table of organization. The word you want is squad. In the USMC, a squad was made up of fire teams. In the army, there were no fire teams--they were only referred to as squads.. And three to four squads made a platoon, while three to four platoons made a company. Otherwise, a pretty good short doc film.
It's a fair thing to point out. A bad habit of mine really.
No Steve McQueen Sand Pebbles footage?
Now i am no gun expert by any means
but what I perceived if the BAR barrel is shorten a little and the magazine upgraded to 30 rounds
wouln't that become assault rifle in ww2 like the germans Stg 44 and subsequently improved firepower?
however if there is some engineering explain of why it wouldn't work please let me know
That would make it more of a battle rifle. Assault rifles use smaller, intermediate rounds instead of full-power rifle rounds.
Definitely a wierd weapon in the way it was used, in effect it was more of an assault rifle than a machinegun.
I honestly think if it had seen more combat in ww1 we would have a whole different definition of the term assault rifle
3 Germans walk into a bar, they’ve now 6 feet under
Used in uncommon valor by Patrick swayze
The way I heard it was; the gangsters used it because in a firefight, you're opponent wasn't safe behind a car. Think about that. A car from the 20's 30's or 40's, not todays cars.
A few pictures to illustrate things
As mentioned in the Video - the proper way to use the BAR was to strip off things such as the bipod that had been put in the M1918A2 to try and turn it into a Machine Gun.
Here is a BAR Man in action with out a bipod and carrying a large number of magazines.
i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/72/a6/ca72a6963bfa1f8ac4a35e669ceed586.jpg
Here is an Assistant BAR Man
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/US_Marine_charges_through_Japanese_machine_gun_fire_on_Okinawa.jpg
You will notice that while he has BAR Magazine pouches on him, he is carrying an M-1 Garand. The Ammunition for his own weapon is in a sling about his neck.
And ... lastly ... for anyone thinking a 1919 couldn't be fired from the hip on the move - here is a sequence containing a Mercenary doing just that one day in Africa.
*_NOTE THERE ARE DEAD BODIES IN THIS VIDEO_*
th-cam.com/video/uWBcBEk9T5g/w-d-xo.html
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My neighbor used a BAR In the Philippines in 1944/45, and he said he was surprised he was given it (5’7”, very skinny, quiet religious man from Utah.) he was asked if he knew about squad ammunition bearers, and when he replied “yes”, they said “Well you’re it.” He said that on a good day he would carry between 50-60 pounds of ammo, grenades, and water. He was sent before his squad to clear out any Japanese that were off of the nearby path before his squad advanced. He turns 96 in February 2022. Awesome man.
Thank you for sharing that story.
It seems the people who took the most shots at them live the longest...Maybe we all need to be shot at by a Machine gun while trying to fight it to live longer.
There's a couple things that don't add up with this story. First, the cartridge belts worn by BAR gunners had either 6 or 8 pockets for the 20-rnd magazines. An ammunition "bearer" is not the same as a BAR gunner. I can't think of anytime where a single soldier or Marine carried an additional "50-60" pounds of ammunition for the BAR. Second, the BAR gunner was a support member of the rifle team, they wouldn't send them out in front of the squad because its the very nature of it being an automatic rifle that the squad is counting on for suppressing fire.
@@jeffburnham6611 he would carry ammo for the WHOLE squad. Garand clips, Thompson mags, etc. He would also carry water for the squad. And he wouldn’t be sent necessarily ahead, but he and a spotter would be out off the trail while the rest of the squad was on the trail.
@@masterbuilderproductions Still doesn't add up. A rifleman was an ammunition bearer. You never make a squad member with an already heavy weapon and it's ammunition an ammo bearer for the whole squad.
One thing that movies tent not to cover is how quickly a BAR magazine is emptied. You had to reload it constantly in battle. In the movies they tend to spray it for quite a while before reloading
I think it is fair to say, that this is true for every firearm that Hollywood gets their hands on. A C7 even on semi empties itself pretty quickly.
Hollywood magazines:
How many rounds does that thing hold?
Answer:
Yes.
The BAR had two fire modes, well realistically they are speeds. One setting is 600rpm and the other is about 400rpm. Not saying this means the magazine doesn't empty out quickly.
Works great in nazi-zombies, though.
Yes and in the westerns, in the movie " Open Range " I saw his revolver fire 16 times in one firing sequence, damn I want one. Llol
@@TheBucketBrigade 20 rounds at 600 rpm is 2 seconds lol
"A Japanese an Italian and a German soldier... all walk into a B.A.R."
"and they got wasted"
@@jerrysmooth24 you beat me to the punch line!
Three Nazis walk into a B.A.R. The fourth one ducked at just the Reich time. 😁👍
All three are then carried out.
Early 1970s marching chant: " I don't want a B.A.R.,
I just want a candy bar".
my grandfather was part of the Brazilian expeditionary force in Italy during the WW2 and was a B.A.R operator, I realy love his badasses pictures holding this beautiful weapon
A "Smoking Snake"? That's awesome! My thanks to him for his service in an often overlooked, but very difficult theater of the war in Europe.
@@Tekisasubakani yes man! thanks for the recognition!!!
@@Guilherme-ps3tw So, story you might like. A few years ago I had a new co-worker that was Brasilian, her family had moved to the US in her late teens. She wasn't really aware of the Smoking Snakes so I told her the whole story and she really enjoyed it. I ended up making an avatar for her, I took the Smoking Snake logo, gave it sunglasses and replaced the word "Brasil" with "Lide Com Isso", which if I remember correctly translates to "Deal With It." She got a real kick out of it!
Bro love your grandad did that but honestly your profile pic be on fleek
Sabaton did a song about them.
A friend of my dads fought in ww2 as a bar operator in the battle of the bulge. He told my dad a story once. BARman was in a foxhole at night, and his partner jumped in the foxhole without letting him know. BARman turned and unloaded the entire 20 round magazine in a few seconds, hitting only the wall of the foxhole next to his partner. He said that neither of them slept that night afterward.
Another proof of how brilliant John Browning was. The BAR isn't the ultimate Assault Rifle or light machine gun but it was a step in it's development. I was an Armorer in the Marines from 1966 to 1970 & was lucky enough to play with this peace of history. Semper Fi
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Ubique!
Good man Semper Fi
I'd really like to know what an armorer does. Could you help inform me of those duties?
@@cdjhyoung The armourers job on the movie set is probably no different than our armouer on the police department. They make sure that the weapon is in good order and can be operated safely. In the army they were called weapon technicians. Simply put they are mechanics for firearms.
If something has a serious malfunction or failure the armourer can repair the weapon and the work can be certified so that the firearm can be put back in service without sending it to the manufacturer.
@@kellybreen5526 Thanks for the information. I was most interested in the military application of the term. In my parlance, the armorer would be the weapons 'mechanic' for the unit.
Sand Pebbles was my first ‘contact’ with BARs and also with the concept of the ‘BAR Team’. Plus it’s Steve McQueen so it’s just super cool.
Great video as usual. I’d say “keep it up” but you’re clearly doing that:)
In "Hell is for Heroes" (1962) James Coburn also wears one.
@@rolfagten857 Another very cool fellow.
@@geordiedog1749 McQueen played a cool sarge indeed!
@@rolfagten857 I must watch it again. It’s a great film.
I don't remember him with a BAR in that movie, only an M1. Now I have to rewatch. It's one of my favorite books and movies.
I was a Marine in the early to mid-'60s. We were not issued BARs, but fired them for familiarization at ITR, Camp Geiger. One of the reason that they were so heavy is because of the buffer in the stock, which greatly reduced recoil. It was relatively "gentle" when fired from the shoulder. We also practiced disassembly and reassembly of the weapon. Later, when I was an AR man in 3rd platoon, G co, 2/2, FMF, I carried an M-14 with a selector switch.
About the movies: It took but a few rounds through a BAR to get the barrel too hot to touch. After firing, if it was done using the bipod, you reached UNDER the rifle and picked it up by the forearm. If you picked it up by the top, you got a blister from the web of your hand to the edge of your palm. We called it a "BAR hand." In some movies, I've noticed scenes where the BARman emptied several mags at enemies, and had a squad meeting immediately afterward. The BARman is kneeling, with the barrel of the rifle against the right side of his neck. Had it been a REAL scene, he'd have had a BAR neck.
To change the rate of fire on a BAR, there was a rotating cap with holes of various diameters at the end of the gas cylinder. To change the rate of fire you had to rotate that cap; the larger the hole that lined up with port of the gas cylinder, the slower the rate of fire..
The BAR did not have a bayonet lug.
Ok that was an awsome explanation thanks!
My grandfather was a marine in the early 60s and he was still issued M1s until his unit not long before he got out, got issued M14s. He told me stories of shooting the BAR. Dont remeber if he said issued or not since I dont know when the BAR was replaced by the M60 in Marine service
My first platoon commander was a Marine Gunner who was at Guam, Iwo Jima and the Chosin Reservoir. He said that the bar gunner, when using suppressing fire on an objective, would turn the BAR on it's side and let the natural ability of the muzzle to rise to sweep rounds evenly across the target.
I DO THE SAME THING WHEN I PEE...
I'm not entirely sure that's how recoil works, sounds like a war "story" to me.
@@marco8414 Tell me that you have never fired a rifle or handgun before without telling me you have never fired a rifle or handgun before. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
how the hell did he particapate in all three of those battles
@@ethanmcfarland8240 He was in the 3rd Marine Division for the invasion of Guam and Iwo Jima. Between the wars, the USMC shrunk like the rest of the US military and he got assigned to the 1st Marine Division and that's how he got to Korea.
While my father was training stateside during WW2 he learned mountain climbing Assault at Seneca Rock West Virginia, one of the guys in his company froze up high on the rock and had to be helped down. My father wondered if the guy would freeze up in combat but this GI was issued B A R and proved to be fearless and formidable during bitter house to house fighting in German Saarland.When my father was wounded along with many of his company by a machine gun and rifle fire on a rail yard in Fraulatern they retreated into a switch house . During the night when the enemy would attempt to slip into their perimeter J...........k ‘s BAR would open up and drive them back . Daddy said that J...........k was the last man fighting that night and that he was a brave warrior.
Im glad you covered this. After reading up on stories of GIs who used the BAR, I've come to realize it doesn't deserve the bad rep it seems to have garnered in modern times. It was actually a pretty amazing weapon. It's a poor LMG but as you suggest, troops made use of it in different ways by lightening it. Almost all of the BARs I've seen in historical photos do not have the bulky bipod. Also I have heard that the Germans would try to kill the BAR gunner first when engaging American squads. That tells you something about the BAR's effectiveness.
The fact that it took only a 20 round magazine is a very serious drawback though...
I don’t think Ian of Forgot weapons helped in his early vids he slammed the BAR but I think he’s come around to it
@@panzerivausfg4062 not at the time it was made
You should look on TH-cam for an American TV series called “COMBAT”. Plenty of BAR action where the guy tends to fire it always on its side 🤷🏻♂️
@不過我拒絕 だが断る It's an automatic rifle, sometimes referred as LMG.
It would be useful to have more rounds for supressing fire
According to Ian McCollum, the best variants of the BAR were not American: Polish wz.28 and Belgian FN model D, which featured gas-block mounted bipods and actual pistol grips.
As seen on C&Rsenal and Forgotten Weapons collaboration series, the BAR was designed rather quickly, without much thought given to quick field stripping. You basically had to disassemble the whole gun to get it field stripped. US units in WWI had their BAR's taken away for fear of Germans capturing some and were instead given French Chauchats chambered in .30-06. These "american" Chauchats were badly manufactured, leading to unreliability and thus unpopularity with the weapon, compounded by its very wonky ergonomics.
John Pershing made that decision as he did not want the BAR going into combat in small numbers, fearing that the Germans would capture some, reverse engineer them, and place them into production. Difficult to believe but true.
With all due respect for McCollum and C&Rsenal, don't garner your opinions of design, manufacturing, and use on their historical efforts. It is but a piece of information seen through the lens of time and their interpretation of what they read in books written by those who read other books. Much of the information from these TH-cam sources is opinion and out of context (and often not accurate as many of our opinions are). That the firearm was designed as it was by J. Browning in the teens of the last century is astounding. What firearms are "best" is a non-contextual discussion since tactics and strategies usually decide the outcome of armed conflict. I appreciate their efforts and enjoy watching their programs. Thanks again.
The word of our Lord, Gun Jesus, amen
My grandfather was a BAR gunner on Okinawa with the 1st Marines, only a company over from 'The Pacific' show 'characters'. He was an absolute crack shot, but since he was also the biggest man in his unit (Oklahoma/Kansas farm boy, but only 5'10), he was given the BAR. He had a pistol grip made and installed on the LST while sailing over which made it more controllable.
My father was issued the B.A.R in the marines 1950 he mentioned how heavy it was . He also was 5 ft 10 and wasn't a big guy . He shot exspert during boot camp training . His company just arrived in Korea when the war was over . They were there during the prisoner exchange then off to Japan to finish his tour. He also mentioned going to Nagasaki and Hiroshima he said both citties had been completely rebuilt by the time he had arrived .
@@kevinmcfadin2141 i had the pleasure of shooting two magazines through one in Las Vegas, at a hefty cost. It was worth it to see what these guys had to put up with. Cheers sir!
We used to live in Okinawa during the late 90's. Beautiful place now but horrible back in the day. Used to find 30-06 brass from WWII while scuba diving. They still find unexploded ordnance on occasion. You just don't go tromping around in the woods.
@@wes326 , I use to work with a guy who during his time in US Marine corps was stationed on Okinawa during the 1980s, while exploring one of the caves, he found the rusted remains of a Japanese bolt action rifle, and was able to take it home with him, I got to hold it when I visited his house, TRULY an amazing piece of history, as well as the Smith and Wesson 1917 revolver his great grandfather carried during ww1.
I fired the BAR during Infantry Training at Camp Geiger. It was not a hard weapon to control; it has a buffer group in the stock to absorb mush of the recoil. The M-14 on full auto, however, is another story.
I remember listening to a Vet (I believe talking about the battle of Sugar Loaf Hill) who recounted the BAR after a guy was moving to fill in the dead BAR gunner’s position, he remarked along the lines of ‘I said I hoped he knew how to use it’ As in, using it in single shots instead of automatic so the BAR fire blended in with M1 fire since Japanese positions would target BAR Gunners.
One of the few drawbacks of the BAR was how quickly it consumed ammo.
The gunner and his assistants had to lug a huge amount of heavy magazines with them into battle.
It drives me nuts that in modern movies they have WW2 a soldiers handling their weapons like their 21st century soldiers.
Had the honor of talking a few times with a Veteran from WW2 Europe . He spoke on and on about the courage of the ammo runners for a BAR holding the Germans up . Thing was that after his death I found out that he was the BAR man the runners supplied . It was said that he was at the vacation resort named Bastogne . Miss him .
I met Old School people who carried that weapon as their weapon, and they all say good things about it with the only bad thing they had to say was it was limited to a 20 round magazine. The accuracy of this weapon was without question great.
The B. A. R. Terrified enemy soldiers immediately, and they avoided those areas of the battlefield where B. A. R. Automatic rifleman were located.
The Viet Cong hated them.
5 German soldiers walk into a BAR
It was a Browning experience 😅
Iowa lot to travel. If they had the BAR would have run out of ammunition before it shot all of them
Browning
Check out the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles" with legendary actor and Marine Veteran, Steve McQueen. The B.A.R. has two major scenes, the boom river battle, and during the rescue of US citizens.
And, Steve McQueen actually qualified with the B.A.R. Marines.
Oh, yeah, I remember that now. Steve McQueen toting that BAR around that Chinese "villa" in the last scene. That's that I always imagined how the badass Navy of before World War II looked like. During the Boom River battle, you can see old Steve firing the BAR on it's side to allow the tendency of the muzzle to rise to sweep rounds across the target.
My sainted mother took me and my younger brother to see this movie at the drive-in after it came out because one of the women who she worked with told her it was a good movie. Maybe for adults, but not for children. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Made " famous "in the television series Combat . Jack Hogan as Kirby and his weapon of choice the B A R .
I was still waiting for Kirby to show up in the video.
Did you ever notice that Kirby was the biggest guy in the squad?
@@johnh.tuomala4379 You are mistaken. Pvt. Little John was the tallest!
@@reynaldoflores4522 I guess my memory fails me. It was a long time ago. All I remember about Little John was that whenever Lt. Hanley needed to go somewhere, it was Little John who drove the jeep.
@@johnh.tuomala4379 COMBAT! - the TV show - is available to watch on You Tube. Gives a chance to relive and refresh your memory of their story lines. Kirby was the of shifty character that could speak fluent French - a very useful skill. Big John was the poor bloke that got to drag the BAR around with him.
"Dad why is my sister name Rose"
"Because your mom loves Roses"
"Thanks Dad"
"No Problem BAR"
You missed a good BAR clip. The late Steve McQueen uses one in The Sand Pebbles.
Barry
This is the one I was waiting for.
Dad carried a BAR from D-day +1 frim France, Belgium and to Germany. They had one per squad. Yes, they ditched the bi-pod immediately. Usually 3-4 sec bursts were all you could do. But...in a fire-fight, the German's would listen to find out where the BAR was and then go for it first. He didn't enjoy that. He was the largest guy in the squad so he got the unfortunate job of lugging it around.
Thanks for sharing this! I hope he made it out okay?
Dad said that his squad ‘s BAR man thru his bipod over a hedgerow in France and when his Sargent discovered it gone he made him double back and retrieve it . I don’t know if he ditched it later or not but things got so hot when they entered Germany I doubt that it would have been an issue .
Not a movie, but an American TV series I came across on TH-cam just before Covid lockdown (so ended up watching the whole series, b&w and colour), called “COMBAT”.
Plenty of BAR action where the guy almost always fires it on its side 🇺🇸🤷🏻♂️
Watched it first hand as a kid in the 60's. Don't know what I would make of it now. Rat Patrol was a must watch back then also.
I too watched COMBAT! religiously as a kid with my WW2 veteran father. "Saving Private Ryan" is like one big COMBAT! episode, the similarities are quite remarkable.
@@johnknapp952 Give it a go, you’ll find every episode for free right here on TH-cam
@@johnknapp952 I’ve not seen it yet but Rat Patrol is on TH-cam also 👍🏻
That procession of nuns walking nonchalantly while the soldier unloading the Bren at the enemy.
Hahaha....yeah, that was in The Longest Day (1962).
Every Dad's Army fan knows that nuns are really Nazi parachutists!
@@HO-bndk Hahaha.....aka Fallschirmjäger
Talk about putting your faith in God LOL
Very sporting of the Jerries to hold their fire while the sisters were crossing the street.
comparing the BAR and Bren makes more sense than comparing the Bren and Mg 34
fact, the first German during World War II was killed with a B.A.R rifle during the defense of the Polish post office in Gdańsk
On this one, my dad said when you went through the rifle range with this weapon, you would do it at a walk with pop up targets. Since you had to fire at the targets in rapid secession, you had to lean back while firing the weapon. If you did not, since it recoiled forward, you would end up running in the course as it pulled you forward.
The BAR figured in "The Sand Pebbles", seen in the naval landing party where the USN has to sling arms and return to their gunboat, then in the hands of the mutineers during the siege of the San Pablo, then again with Steve McQueen setting up a BAR position at the start of the San Pablo's final battle, and finally, it was a major player with Richard Crenna and Steve McQueen during the climactic battle at the end. In Band of Brothers they correctly eliminated the BAR from Easy Company in Normandy - the original TO&E for a parachute rifle company did not include the BAR, but some were apparently "acquired" by some paratroopers before D-Day. The BAR does correctly appear in Easy company for the Holland drop, as he T)&E was modified in the summer of 1944 to add the BAR to the parachute rifle company. Ut was the USMC that about 1945 adopted the organization of three fire teams in each rifle squad, each built around a BAR gunner. The multiple squad BARs show up in John Wayne's "The Sands Of Iwo Jima" (where the BAR is commonly seen)
Glad to see some battle order poster representation in here when showing the rifle squad layouts
my Father had one in korea 51-52. Loved it. said the carbine didn't have enough punch. Heavier and the ammo weighed a lot more but no problem. the weapon of choice in the INFANTRY
My dad earned the right to carry the BAR into Normandy. 115R. 29ID he shot x-pert with the M-1 Carbine at Ft. Polk in 1944.
The BAR is such a badass gun. I mean just imaging walking and running into this while in combat.
Would it be possible to see a video the Ju87 Stuka. If you don’t want to it’s ok.
Heavy piece of steel
Hard to manuver while fast aiming for sure but still would choose for accuracy
Produced in Poland, a significantly modified BAR named RKM wz 28 was a standard equipment of the Polish Army in 1939.
My dad fought in North Africa and Italy in WW2. Everyone on the squad loved the BAR, but nobody wanted it right next to them. They drew enemy fire like flies to....poop. Plus, like lilaolf said, they burned through ammo. Not as much as the MG39s the Germans used, but enough that everyone carried extra ammo for it.
In 1962 while serving with an Air Police Squadron in France, our squadron trained on the BAR during a night fire exercise. I was impressed with its accuracy, but the weight was an issue for regular security use. The M2 Carbine was the standard issue for sentry guard duty. It was fully auto with a 30 round clip and the weight was light enough for an 8 hour guard shift.
Damn, l lived outside an Air Force Base in France at that time, my dad was a pilot. I was young, but l remember the security on the base, it was tight, my dad said you guys were the real deal.
Well selected clips. But for me, the definitive BAR scenes are in "The Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen.
Nice man and about auto rife and logic gun
I think it brilliant that the Garand rifle and the B.A.R. used the same ammo. One a superb infantry semi-auto rifle, the other a light machine gun used in the same unit as the Garand to give a rifle squad that much more firepower and provide extra cover when needed.
The 1917 and 1919 machine guns also used the same (30-06) ammo.
Maybe apocryphal, but I was told that it was unofficial Army practice to assign the scrawniest man in a platoon the BAR, because hauling it around would "develop" him. One old veteran, WW2, told me that they learned to "lose" the bipod because, at a distance, it identified the BAR man and put him at the top of a snipers' "to do list."
In 1946, my dad was deployed to Tokyo, Japan as part of the occupational forces, Army infantry. In 1950, when Korea was about to be over -run by the Korean Communists, he was immediately rushed to Pusan, Korea to hold the perimeter. In the rush, his glasses were broken so the Army handed him a BAR and and placed him in the line. At the time he was paper pusher at The Tokyo PX and kept laughing as he told me how his combat experience started. He survived all the way to the Yalu river and "the gauntlet" and was sent home in 1952 after his 3rd combat wound, bringing my Japanese mother and me with him to Winter Park, Florida. Thank you Dad, America, and John Browning !
How old are you homie?
@@daniellap.stewart6839 I'll be 72 in a few months.
My dad was in the Army Engineer Corp in the Pacific from 1942-1945 and I enlisted in October 1966...when I came home the first thing he asked me was "Did you get to fire the BAR"?...He said it was a terrific weapon. I guess he felt it was so good we should have still been using it. He never asked me about my M-14 or M-16. He also asked if I got to use the Browning .50 caliber and yes, we've been using that forever. They're still around.
@@jaybodenstein609 i would think the m14 was a better weapon than the BAR no? slightly less powerful but 30 rd magazine plus much lighter fully auto.