WesWorld

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Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk

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Originally posted by Vukovlad
Ok, I love to see citations were the Bren is claimed to be a HMG, you do realize that a HMG is not an AT gun?

Never heard of the Bren being a HMG, I think Howard was alluding to it's multiple uses made it functionally a GPMG, not a mere MMG.

As for HMGs as AT weapons, there are a number of cases where ATR rounds were used for later HMGs. My understanding was that a number of HMGs were considered acceptable in the anti-armor role...but only really in the 1920s-early 30s. After that they were recognized as limited in that role.

The original German 13.2mm ATR was developed into a 13.2mm HMG, but as I recall never went into service...that armistice thing I think. The 14.5mm Russian was originally an ATR round. The 13.2mm Hotchkiss was a new round for AA but could be used on light armor. A quick check of wiki for a backing quote on the M2 yields this :

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Using a round originally designed by Winchester, the .50 BMG round was designed as a response to the German 13 mm anti-tank rifle of World War I and employed in a redesigned and scaled-up M1917 Browning .30 cal. machine gun. It was quickly adapted to the anti-aircraft role. It was also selected for the ground role and adopted by the U.S. as the Model 1921. The latter served during the 1920s as an anti-aircraft and anti-armor gun.

Anyhow, I think you'll find that like many categories, the terms blur and shift over time.

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A general purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concept is a multi-purpose weapon, a machine gun intended to fill the role of either a light machine gun or medium machine gun, while at the same time being man-portable. However, performance in either role may be inferior to a weapon specifically designed for that role. In modern practice, they are air-cooled medium machine guns firing rifle cartridges such as the 7.62x51mm NATO. They are generally operated from a stationary prone position from either a bipod or tripod, or mounted on a vehicle, as they are usually too powerful and heavy to be fired effectively on foot from an unsupported standing position or on the move.

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Originally posted by Brockpaine
As I understand it, a LMG is basically a glorified automatic rifle, box fed, and light enough that the MGunner can carry some ammo, too. And again AFAIK, the MMG is never supposed to be fired by a single person, and usually from a bipod or tripod. A HMG is best on a vehicle or AA mount.

Right...?

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Originally posted by Brockpaine
Hrm... then Bulgaria only has light MGs. I need some medium and heavy...

That Russian MG might work for the heavy, and I'm thinking some Solothurn Model 31s for the medium...?