[Fleetugsailor]

Can anyone tell me when the US started using disintgrating links on the 1919? TIA.

 

[L999here]

....cloth belts vs. steel links

Can anyone tell me when the US started using disintgrating links on the 1919? TIA.

From the WW2 manuals.....last date of Aug 1944......cloth belts were still in use and no mention is made of steel links. Upon further research,it is possible that 1919 steel links were used before the end of the war but can't confirm that. Both cloth belts and steel links were used in Korea. The Isrieli's used both in the '67 war and again in the '73 conflict. There were a few units that(National Guard) still had 1919's....by 1965 all front line units had the M-60. My info may be a bit off....didn't carry anything but a .45 in 26 yrs. of USAF service. Correct me if I'm a bit off,guys.....

 

[Abwehr]

Links

This is from my poor memory, but I think the majority of ground guns used the belts, and the aircraft guns used links. After the war started, the .30 cal guns in aircraft were mostly replaced with the .50 cal, so not many .30 cal were in use as the war progressed.

The belts caused a lot of problems for aircraft because the belts had no where to go and the links could be dropped from the planes. I wonder how many folks on the ground got these dropped on their heads, LOL?

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

My dad was in the Missouri NG in the 60's. They were issued M1919's. He says he never saw any links for them, belts only.

 

[Taber10]

L999here: When did the USAF (not US Army Air Corps) issue .45s? Most of my career we had .38 revolvers, then went to the 9mm. I would have to guess that the Air Corps had the .45, but then, that was "Army" not USAF.
Just curious. I was qualified on the .45 during a tour that the Army provided our logistics support, but only for that assignment.

Taber

 

[L999here]

USAF .45's

L999here: When did the USAF (not US Army Air Corps) issue .45s? Most of my career we had .38 revolvers, then went to the 9mm. I would have to guess that the Air Corps had the .45, but then, that was "Army" not USAF.
Just curious. I was qualified on the .45 during a tour that the Army provided our logistics support, but only for that assignment.

Taber

....Taber....I was a 'red hat'.... CATM firearms instructor... and because the OSI and pilots had .45's I had to remain proficient in and teach the .45. Most other troops who carried handguns had the .38 mod.15 S&W. The 9MM came into most units of the Security Police and pilots during the 1987-88 time frame. So at one point in time I had to remain proficient in three (3) hand guns....along with the M16,M60,M203,and the .50 BMG. Tough job....some one had to do this....LOL...

 

[FN74]

http://www.fototime.com/1F2B221F3D70B84/standard.jpg

I know its a 50, but it was taken in late 44.

Most of all the other pictures I've come across show belts.

 

[Armorer]

I was the Armorer for my National Guard unit in the early 1960's (about 1964 to 1968). We had the 1919A6 not the A4. I never saw a cloth belt. We only used links. They took the brownings away in about 1967 and gave us M60s. Then they took the M60s away and gave us back the A6s. Turned out we were not high priority enough. About six months later we got the M60s again.

 

[Fleetugsailor]

Thannx guys. nt

Thanx guys.

 

[Colorado1919]

This is from TM9-1205, dated 7 august 1944.

"are web or link belt feed...."
Somebody must have used links in WWII.