The Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade
- Thread starter cyclone
- Start date
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
This may seem an odd request, but since I do own a Vickers, I would love to find a Canadien Motor Machine gun corps badge for the collection. Can anyone point out a dealer? None in Tucson! LOL
I hope Major Nette is not aware of the horrific state of machine gunnery in the Infantry as it stands right now. We (The PPCLI) heeded his advice for a time and rebuilt the MG platoons and ran proper proffessional Machine gun courses including HMG and GPMG and later C6. And we honed and refined the skills, including indirect fire. Then came the late 1990's.
We nearly abandonned the venerable .50 BMG and completely lost the ability to fire C6 in the indirect role much earlier when we disbanded MG platoons. Now we have a course called Infantry Platoon Support Weapons Qualification (IPSWQ) where there is a couple weeks of watered down rifle coaching, 2 days training with the Inglis Browning pistol, about a week with the 60mm mortat and about a week with the C6 in the sustained fire (tripod and sight) role. Students graduate almost able to mark and record direct fire targets to a dismal standard under maximum supervision by instructors who were also trained to the same pathetic standard.
I despair as some of us older guys try to repair the damage. But try and explain anything to a Corps that hasn't excercised the defense since 1998. Anyway, I just issued out "THE RISE, FALL, & REBITH OF THE EMMA GEES PTS 1&2" to my leadership students in the hopes a retired Major can teach them in a few pages what the Infantry has thrown away twice in a half a century.
We nearly abandonned the venerable .50 BMG and completely lost the ability to fire C6 in the indirect role much earlier when we disbanded MG platoons. Now we have a course called Infantry Platoon Support Weapons Qualification (IPSWQ) where there is a couple weeks of watered down rifle coaching, 2 days training with the Inglis Browning pistol, about a week with the 60mm mortat and about a week with the C6 in the sustained fire (tripod and sight) role. Students graduate almost able to mark and record direct fire targets to a dismal standard under maximum supervision by instructors who were also trained to the same pathetic standard.
I despair as some of us older guys try to repair the damage. But try and explain anything to a Corps that hasn't excercised the defense since 1998. Anyway, I just issued out "THE RISE, FALL, & REBITH OF THE EMMA GEES PTS 1&2" to my leadership students in the hopes a retired Major can teach them in a few pages what the Infantry has thrown away twice in a half a century.
The .50 BMG course has been reborn or should I say stillborn. It is a 2 week half-arsed effort in which driils are meant for pintle mount one man operation or so the gunner in an RG 31 can press the re-#### button. Bolt-2 and belt-2 stoppages are gone. instead #### it again and if it still fails tag it for the weapons techs. Because our quick change barrels remove the ability to headspace and time, and our techs don't fully understand the function of the breech lock, our soldiers write the .50 off as unreliable. I need a glass of scotch.
Sorry not my photo, thats a direct link to archive.org. I also provided a link to the page with details of the photo.
Its only 10 MB, you can save to your desktop and view in another program that will display at a more suitable fit.
Its only 10 MB, you can save to your desktop and view in another program that will display at a more suitable fit.
Lefty, the predicted fire is still taught for the GPMG at Tactical wing Brecon over here but thats the only place its used. The lads on the ground tend not to bother despite it being a current skill.
Support weapons GPMG (SF),Milan, 81mm mortar etc used to be taught at instructor level at Netheravon in my day, then the instructors newly qualified would run cadres in Bn to train rifle troops for support company. I was Recce pln with CVR (W) in Support for a while and our gunnery cadre was run at the RAC training centre in Catterick, such a long time ago!
Support weapons GPMG (SF),Milan, 81mm mortar etc used to be taught at instructor level at Netheravon in my day, then the instructors newly qualified would run cadres in Bn to train rifle troops for support company. I was Recce pln with CVR (W) in Support for a while and our gunnery cadre was run at the RAC training centre in Catterick, such a long time ago!
There was a MG post guarding Venn passage in WWII, manned at first by the Canadian Scottish militia unit if I recall correctly.
I did a Wiki page on forts there
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Point
Also some good reading here
http://books.google.ca/books?id=culEo9RFagAC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=barrett+point+prince+rupert&source=bl&ots=WJCHGwXyij&sig=duCWgRgE-NZJFgWJ1uorUevYkNg&hl=en&ei=87u9TIv_CoK0lQffqsjpBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=barrett%20point%20prince%20rupert&f=false
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
I believe the first VC awarded in WW1 was to a Vickers Machine gunner.
Now it seems interesting that the .50 Browning designed in 1917 is still being made. They have yet to find a better design, though there was an abortive attempt years ago. Failed miserably because the sides of the reciever would spread open. Story about that, when we were still supplying tanks to Israel they came with the "New .50" The Israelis promptly dumped them and fitted Brownings.
Now it seems interesting that the .50 Browning designed in 1917 is still being made. They have yet to find a better design, though there was an abortive attempt years ago. Failed miserably because the sides of the reciever would spread open. Story about that, when we were still supplying tanks to Israel they came with the "New .50" The Israelis promptly dumped them and fitted Brownings.
