.30-caliber AN/M2 Browning Machine Gun

Quick introduction. Describe the utility of the weapon within the confines of War Thunder.

Ammunition Available

 * Also known as the "Flexible .30", the M-1919 A-4 is able to fire both the 30.06 as well as the NATO 7.62x51mm or the civilian .308 round of the same size; each caliber has its own barrel type specially chambered for the type of ammo being used and having the necessary spacers required for shooting the shorter .308 round. Cyclic firing rate does not change.
 * The M-1919 can be fired in both a link and belt configuration with no changes to the weapon. The "Disintegrating Link" is more reliable for general use, as the nylon belts can be subject to the same rough handling resulting in the odd round falling out and leaving a gap, therefore generating the immediate need to "stroke" the operating handle with each failure-to-feed in order to chamber a fresh round.  Misaligned rounds will generally not even chamber nor ever cause a jam under the hood.  Otherwise, it is a very reliable and rugged weapon upon which I have depended as well as used defending boat crews in Vietnam.  (First trained by the US Marine Corps to use the BAR, I would much prefer the more sustainable output of the M-1919 BMG in spite of the extra weight and tripod, but the 30-06 cal. Browning Automatic Rifle is indeed a formidable weapon under any circumstances.)
 * It should be noted that the disintegrating links of the M-1919 are quite different from the DLs of the M-60, which has a small metal tension spring that fits into the extraction groove for easy alignment and will not work in the M-1919; the M-1919 link has two different size bullet loops, the smaller one is obviously made for the tip and the larger is fitted with the center loop of the previous round for holding the base and the linked belt together. Typically they fit into metal ammo cans with a 200 round capacity.  The cans can rest on the ground when using the infantry tripod or they can be fit into the "can rack" on an Israeli-made pintle head for a German MG-42 tripod, specially converted for their stand-up bunker uses.
 * The links are an easier system to load by hand than can the belt as the round may not be as firmly seated in the nylon sewn belt as it would be when machine press loaded to MilSpecs. Hand loaders for groups of 10 may be used for links, the belt has a number of hand-loading devices, none of which are cheap to purchase nowadays.
 * A great number of them were loaned to Israel and after the advent of the M-60 were returned to the US and rebuilt as Semi-Automatic Rifles and sold to civilians for as little as $1200.oo - but not any longer, their demand has outstripped the supply and the prices have doubled or tripled by now. Good luck!

Found on
The M-1919 A-4 BMG is primarily an infantry weapon that found wide usage by the US Navy in the rivers of South Vietnam on landing craft and other small boats of the Brown Water Navy.

The M-1919 A-6 configuration is a shorter barrel weapon with a set of bipods attached to the barrel; it has a long flash hider for jungle use and an unusual shoulder stock that attaches to the main spring housing and can hold a 100 round box of .30-06 rounds on the left side of the receiver port. It's heavy as hell but I watched the little 85 pound Vietnamese pick them up and run with them when needed. Good jungle fighters!

The other M-1919 variations can be found in the wings of aircraft earlier in the century and in the front of the turrets of the Sherman Tanks as well as other armored vehicles in WW-II, Korea and Vietnam where they were mounted on a monopod (think "Rat Patrol") in the center of the MP jeep for the rear-seat guy to use so he wouldn't get lonely with just a radio to talk with.

Operational History
More history to sperg out about.