BAR M1918A2 - Did The 101st/82nd Airborne Jump With These?

Hello guys, I'm just curious, were the 101st or the 82nd Airborne given any BAR's for the jump? I know they were given the M1 Garand, Thompson and M1A1 Carbines, even the .30 cal Browning M1919 LMG's. I just want to know if anyone from the 101st/82nd were actually issued any BAR's? I watched Band of Brothers last night again and I saw in two episodes some 101st had the BAR as their weapon. One is from episode Crossroads, when Winters lead the assault on the other side of the dike. One paratrooper had the BAR with bipod extended. Another scene is from episode The Breaking Point, there's a 101st BAR rifleman suppressing the sniper and the Germans with the BAR. Also I saw another BAR rifleman near Winters in the forest. I also saw from a book (I'll look the name up now) a picture of the 82nd paratrooper posing with a BAR with another trooper armed with a Carbine. Anyways I just hope to know if any of you have any information on whether or not the paratroopers were given the BAR's, or did they pick these up from... the Glider troopers? Any info would be appreciated thanks !!

 

The 'official' US Airborne TO&E's did not include BARs in the equipment establishment for the parachute regiments. However, the glider troops have some and, it is very likely that parachute units could have aquired some "unofficially" as this sort of thing happened on a regular basis once these units entered combat.

 

I believe I've seen Varsity photographs of 17th airborne troopers with BAR'S.

 

The 30 calibre lmg was specifically designed for use by the parachute regiments for D-Day.
The idea was to provide the parachute infantry with a more powerful weapon. Clearly the 30 calibre mmg was too heavy for use as a squad weapon.

In the end, the lmg was heavier than the BAR but the added firepower more than offset that.

When the parachute regiments returned to Britain, they were issued the BAR however many lmg's were held on to and used in the next parachute drop in Holland.

And so, in the Normandy campaign parachute units had no BAR's but Glider troops had BAR's.
After Normandy, all airborne troops had BAR's and some parachute troops used the LMG as an unofficial 'side arm'

For more detail read "Rendezvous with Destiny". The cover photo shows a LMG.

 

panzer all the way! sherman had horrible armor so most of the time it got dominated by the panzer

 

While not exactly on topic, with the exception of the occasional battle versus one of the rare German tank aces, the Western Allies using the Sherman usually gave better than they got in tank on tank actions.
The Sherman may not have the gun or armor of a Tiger but, it had the advantage of reliability, quick on-target times meaning it usually got the first shot in, and generally was used in far better orgainzed and numerically significant units than the Germans did late war.
It would seem the Germans developed a penchant for sending small numbers of tanks into action at a number of points rather than massing at a single critical location. Likely, another bad lesson learned from fighting in the East. In the West sending a handful of tanks...and it doesn't matter what kind, Tigers and Panthers included, up against US or British units was a sure way to get your clock cleaned.
When you add the German tendencies, again learned fighting the Russians, of going into action with little or no reconniassance, poor coordination of the small columns typically sent forward, and no means of getting supporting fire from artillery or other assets the Germans simply were outmatched tactically, operationally and, strategically in Western Europe.

 

thanks for the update gardner

 

yeah, parachuting with a 4 ft BAR is too hard to accomplish.

 

Hey Caparzou....

The 101st had them but, the only time I have seen them with them is when they have been on the ground for extended periods of time usually, not dropping into an LZ.

However, what you were seeing in BoB...was not B.A.R.'s. Those are the M-1919A6's they were issued. These were issued with a bi-pod and a shoulder stock for light infantry usage which is all-in-all what airborne paratroopers are "light infantry " once on the ground they don't usually bring to bear everything that the regular "Heavy" Infantrymen can. They have the light field stuff, .30 cal. LMG, .50 MG, 60mm mortars, M1 Bazookas...etc.... However, the Heavy Infantrymen has (4) Field Artillery Bn.'s, TD Bn.'s, Tk. Bn.'s....etc...they have the REALLY heavy stuff to bring in at a moments notice, these are the things that the "Light" Infantry aren't able to call up at a moments notice.

So, they give the airborne boys these basically something to make up for the lack of B.A.R. firepower per squad.

Hope this helps,
MARNE

 

i have heard that sometimes paratroopers would sometimes take BARs when they would find them, but a BAR is really not a "paratrooping" weapon