 |
U.S. ARMY FIRE ARMS IN BERLIN written by Reinhard von Bronewski edited for English by John Parmenter |
|
Following World War II the US Army entered Berlin equipped with the finest weapons of the time.
Most, discussed here, were hand-carried Infantry weapons. Others were meant to be mounted on aircraft
or wheeled or tracked vehicles. Although several 105 mm howitzer batteries were temporarily stationed in Berlin,
US Army did not permanently assign a Field Artillery unit to Berlin Command / Brigade until 1963.
Except for Armor, heavy weapons were relegated to the 7th Army in West Germany where there were
training areas and ranges (Wildflecken, Hohenfels, Grafenwoehr, Hammelburg, etc.) large enough to accommodate them.
Through time, the US Army introduced new weapons and withdrew old ones from inventory. This article is organized into timeframes: 1945 - 1961 (U.S. weapons in Berlin) Initially, US combat units occupying Berlin beginning in 1945 were armed with WW II small arms, including .45 caliber submachine guns (Maschinenpistolen) M1A1 Thompson and M3A1 "Grease Gun" often carried by Constabulary Troopers and Military Police. Until approximately 1961 the following weapons were employed by US Troops in Berlin: | ||
| Pistol: | M1911A1 .45 caliber | |
| Sub-machinegun: | .45 caliber M3A1 (in use by F40A -Turner Tankers) | |
| Rifle: | M1 Garand .30-06 caliber, 8 round clips (including modified sniper models) | |
| Carbine: | M1, M1A1, M2/M3, .30 caliber, 15 or 30 round magazines | |
| Shot Gun: | 12 gage, pump action | |
| Automatic Rifle: | M1918A1 & A2, -BAR-(Browning Automatic Rifle).30 caliber, 20 round magazines | |
| Medium Machine Gun: | M1917 water cooled "Heavy 30" .30 caliber, (250 round fabric belt), replaced by air cooled guns mids of 1950s | |
| Light Machine Gun: | M1919A4 & A6 air cooled, .30 caliber, (250 round fabric or
metal linked belt) M 37, air-cooled, .30 caliber, Tank machine gun | |
| Heavy Machine Gun: | M2 "Ma Deuce" .50 caliber, 100 round linked belts in steel boxes, mounted on tripods or vehicles | |
| Rocket Launcher, 2.35" | -Bazooka- | |
| Rocket Launcher, 3.5" | -Super Bazooka- | |
| Light Mortar: | M2, 60 mm | |
| Medium Mortar: | M29, 81 mm | |
| Heavy Mortar, 4.2" | "Four Deuce" | |
| Recoilless Rifle: | M40A1, 106 mm (often mounted on jeeps) | |
| Remark: Several of these legendary U.S. weapons were used by Allies and the West Berlin Police Bereitschaftpolizei / BEPO. British Forces in Berlin used U.S. light machine guns mounted on their CENTURION tanks and wheeled FERRET scout vehicles until the mid-1960s when they were replaced by weapon systems made in Britain. French Forces were equipped with U.S. M1919-A4 machine guns and M1 Garand rifles until the early 1960s. | ||
| 1961 - 1970 (U.S. weapons in Berlin) In late summer 1961 (following erection of the Berlin Wall) several new weapons replaced those of World War II & Korean War vintage: | ||
| Pistol: | M1911A1 .45 caliber | |
| Sub-machinegun: | .45 caliber M3A1 (in use by F40A -Turner Tankers) | |
| Rifle: | M14, 7.62 mm NATO semiautomatic/automatic M14 , 7.62mm -AR-, 20 round magazine, Ammunition in 5 rounds clips, cloth bandoleers with 60 rounds each, (see STARS and STRIPES article, 18 June 2005) | |
| Machine gun: | M60 7.62 mm NATO, (General Purpose), metal linked belts of 100 rounds
M2 "Ma Deuce" .50 caliber, 100 round linked belts in steel boxes, mounted on tripods or vehicles | |
| Grenade Launcher: | M79 40 mm "Blooper" | |
| Mortar: | Mortar 81mm Mortar 107 mm | |
| Recoilless Rifle: | M40A1, 106 mm M67 90 mm (replaced 3.5" "Super Bazooka") | |
| 1970 - 1994 (U.S. weapons in Berlin) | ||
| Pistol: | Beretta, 9mm (replaced cal.45 pistol - M1911A1 - in Sept. 1992) | |
| Sub-machinegun: | .45 caliber M3A1 (in use by F40A -Turner Tankers) | |
| Rifle: | M16, M16A1, M16A2, 5.56 mm, 20 or 30 round magazines | |
| Machine guns: | M60, cal. 7.62 mm NATO M73, cal. 7.62 mm Tank machine gun M2 "Ma Deuce" .50 caliber, 100 round linked belts in steel boxes, mounted on tripods or vehicles | |
| Squad Automatic Weapon: ( SAW ) 5.56 mm, 200 rounds metal link belts in plastic
container or M16 rifle magazines. | ||
| Grenade Launcher: | M203, 40 mm -extention to M16 rifle- | |
| Antitank weapons: | ||
| Light: | M72A2 -LAW- | |
| Medium: | M47 -Dragon- M67 RCR , 90mm, (used until 1990) | |
| Heavy: | ATGW -Anti Tank Missle System-, mounted on M151A2 (M825) | |
| Heavy: | M-220 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command-link guided missile system) (mounted on M151M2 and "Humvees" and other vehicles) | |
| Mortar 81mm Mortar 107 mm | ||
| Photo-Show US standard weapons in Berlin |
 |