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Band of Brothers
M1 Garand
Standard issue rifle of the US military during WW2, Many of Easy Company soldiers are shown carrying the M1 as there standard fire arm. Most notable is Major Richard (Dick) Winters and Carwood Lipton (During the Battle of the Bulge) and Joesph Liebgott
M1A1 Carbine
Originally issued to non-combat personnel or those who needed a compact weapon, the M1 Carbine was never meant to be a front-line weapon, never the less it was ideal for Airborne troops for it's small frame and it's compactness. The M1A1 Paratrooper Carbine is shown extensively throughout the series most notably in the hands of Donald Malarkey, Carwood Lipton, Warren "Skip" Muck and Alex Penkala.
M1A1 Thompson Sub Machine Gun
Also known as the "Tommy" gun the Thompson was the standard issue Sub Machine Gun for US Forces in WW2. As such many of Easy Company's officer's and NCO's are shown carrying the Thompson as their standard weapon. Notable figures include Ronald Speirs, Harry Welsh, Lynn "Buck" Compton, William "Wild Bill" Guarnere to name a few.
M9 Bazooka
The M9 Bazooka was the standard Anti-Tank rocket for the US military during WW2, excellent against bunkers and buildings its effectiveness against the more heavily armored German tanks is debatable. General Eisenhower remarked that the atom bomb, jeep, C-47 Sky Train and the Bazooka were the four weapons that won the war. The Bazooka was copied by the Germans as the "Panzerschreck". Generally operated by a two man crew (One Gunner, One Loader) crews quickly figured out that they needed to hit tanks from either the side or it's under carriage, as shown in the episode "Carentan" (The episode also shows how the Bazooka rounds would simply deflect off the heavily armored vehicles). The Bazooka makes notable appearances in the series being used by Charles E. "Chuck" Grant in the episode "Replacements" taking out a German Machine Gun and by Harry Welsh in the episode "Carentan" disabling a German Stug IV.
Colt M1911 .45 Caliber Pistol
The M1911A1 was the standard side arm of American Forces during WW2, Issued to Officers, NCO's and those in positions were a rifle or carbine was not desirable the pistol quickly became a favored item among Allied Troops, for it's stopping power. The M1911A1 is seen in various episodes most notably in "Points" being used by Ronald Spiers threatening both the doctor and the soldier who shot Chuck Grant.
M3 Grease Gun
The M3 Grease Gun was the cheap inexpensive replacement for the Thompson Sub Machine Gun; It is only shown in the hands of Roy Cobb in the episode "Cross Roads".
M1919A4/A6 .30 Caliber Machine Gun
The Standard Machine Gun during WW2, Korea and into Vietnam. The .30 Caliber Machine gun is shown extensively in the hands of Easy company being used in both the defensive and offensive roles. It is also shown being mounted on jeeps.
Browning Automatic Rifle
Mauser Karabiner 98k Rifle
Standard Rifle for the German Military in WW2
Luger P08 pistol
MP40
Maschinengewehr 42 (MG-42
Adopted by Germany in 1942, in an effort to reduce the machining time and cost inherent in the production of the MG-34, the MG-42 is perhaps the deadliest machinegun used during the war. With a fire rate of 1200 rounds per minute, individual shots are mostly non-discernable. The demoralizing and pschycological effect of its very sound prompted the U.S. to make a training film for troops who would encounter it.
Unlike the MG-34, the MG-42 has a receiver made from a series of stampings, instead of the finely machined components encountered in the MG-34.
The gun is fed from a 50-round belt just as with the MG-34. These belts can be linked together for upwards of 250 continuous rounds from one can, with any number of cans in tow given the situation or position.
The gun is chambered in the 7.92X57 Mauser cartridge, the same cartridge used in the well known K98k infantry rifles, and ammunition is interchangeable, although machinegun ammunition was often slightly more powerful in order to avoid jams and run the guns mechanism more reliably.
It can be used with a fold-up bipod, or with the more complicated Lafette tripod, which could have scope-optics and remote control firing capabilities.
Its downfalls were its high rate of fire, which exhausted ammunition supplies very quickly, and this was very apparent on the Russian front, where the weather often delayed much needed supplies.
It's most effective use (as with most machineguns) was not in sweeping fire but in concentrated direct fire using the shortest burst possible, and directing these bursts over the intended area.
The MG-42 was often seen mounted on an anti-aircraft tripod for use against low altitude aircraft, and as co-axial guns on a number of different types of armoured vehicles.
In the mini-series, the MG-42 is seen multiple times, being fired from window openings in towns, and in stand-offs with the German armoured vehicles in the advance into France. Most notably, the mini-series did not fail to demonstrate or imply the demoralizing effect of the gun on U.S. troops, and this is a notable achievement for the film-makers, who added this realistic view, which before, had never been seen in such vivid detail in any previous war-film, barring of course, documentaries with actual war-time footage.