Boa
Airman
ww1 Browning .50
ww2 Browning .50
Coldwar Browning .50
Modern browning .50
ww2 Browning .50
Coldwar Browning .50
Modern browning .50
Most iconic U.S. military weapon
- Thread starter Thorlifter
- Start date
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Procrastintor
Senior Airman
lol, nice list Boa.
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
i will ask a guy i know. he is pretty close to the 325th guys and did 2 documentries on them.
Procrastintor
Senior Airman
I agree with gjs, his point is flawless.
Jabberwocky
Staff Sergeant
You can cross WW1 off that list.
The first Browning MG in 12.7 x 99 wasn't trialled until 15th October 1918, four days AFTER the armistice.
parsifal
Colonel
hang on, the armistice was 11-11-18 wasnt it? Fighting continued until the very last day as I recall. maybe the M2 wasnt theere for the fight, but the war finishing dates arent right either
Jabberwocky
Staff Sergeant
Oops, you're right, of course.
Anyway, the M2, as we know it, didn't appear until about 1921, so it didn't make an apperance in WW2.
Procrastintor
Senior Airman
You mean WW1 right? WW2 started in 1939, 18 years AFTER 1921.
The .50 cal that was first tested on oct.15,1918 ( not on the battlefield) was very different than what was eventually developed into the M1921 .50 cal.
The round was rimmed and over 400fps slower, the gun was heavier and fired slower than what was to come later. It was 3 years of developement away from acceptance.
The round was rimmed and over 400fps slower, the gun was heavier and fired slower than what was to come later. It was 3 years of developement away from acceptance.
A4K
Colonel
Love that painting Procrastintor! 
stug3
Staff Sergeant
I know a lot of Americans who love their AKs. (I love my SKS)
If we're talkin 19th century, I think the Trapdoor Springfield is almost as iconic as the lever action and SAA.
Boa
Airman
OK Ill refresh my list then...
WW1 Browning .50 Ended it.
WW2 Browning .50
Coldwar Browning .50
Modern Browning .50
Procrastintor
Senior Airman
lol, win!
stug3
Staff Sergeant
Its iconic status grew more from civlian use after introduction of the Colt Detective Special in 1927, which also inspired many a cut-down S&W Model 10, but the snub was carried by many soldiers, airmen and probably more than a few sailors as a convenient answer for ****-hitting-the-fan situations.
Cut down S&W Victory Model
Cut down S&W Victory Model
Last edited:
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
here's the answer to the checkertail P40 with a shark's mouth....the answer is yes...but more no...lol. i emailed the guy who made 2 documentaries on the 325th and knows the group and guys quite well. here's his answer:
Now you have me on a subject I have a lot of knowledge of, much of it was confusing, but I took about 6-months to sort it out. I will therefore make a very long story short.
There was only one P-40 in the whole of the 325th that carried Shark Mouth markings and it was shown in one of the Checkertail Books, with Pilot William R Reed in the cockpit. The name of that aircraft was "LONE TIGER" however it never flew in combat!
William R. Reed was the Nephew of William N. Reed. William N. Reed Commanded the AVG "Flying Tigers" in North Africa and when William R. Reed joined the group his crew painted a P-40 as a tribute to their new Pilot, the nephew of the famous William N. Reed and who was now the 325th Fighter Groups 'Lone Tiger'.
The reason I know it was not used is that I have had extensive correspondence with William R. Reed's friends and family and they have supplied me with pictures showing him with his aircraft "Queen Mary" (a P-40 which he was shot down in and POW). Mary was the name of his wife and he named it after her.
What I found most enjoyable about this was that a few months later another contact sent me some pictures of Zack Taylor (another 325th Pilot) and in them were pictures of William R. Reed and these had never been seen before by his family. It also contained a great portrait of him which showed his nickname (again they never knew it) which was "Wild Bill".
I have gathered so-much information as I have progressed with this project, all just for a hobby, but I sometimes feel like I am slowly becoming an official historian!
Anyway, there was a P-40 with Shark Mouth markings, but it never flew in combat and it was pictured as a Public Relations image which was subsequently used in the Checkertails book. Irritatingly, I found this out AFTER I used it in Part 1 of my Checkertails film
The image painted by Heinz Krebs: Desert Sharks is really nice, but sadly pure fantasy!
Now you have me on a subject I have a lot of knowledge of, much of it was confusing, but I took about 6-months to sort it out. I will therefore make a very long story short.
There was only one P-40 in the whole of the 325th that carried Shark Mouth markings and it was shown in one of the Checkertail Books, with Pilot William R Reed in the cockpit. The name of that aircraft was "LONE TIGER" however it never flew in combat!
William R. Reed was the Nephew of William N. Reed. William N. Reed Commanded the AVG "Flying Tigers" in North Africa and when William R. Reed joined the group his crew painted a P-40 as a tribute to their new Pilot, the nephew of the famous William N. Reed and who was now the 325th Fighter Groups 'Lone Tiger'.
The reason I know it was not used is that I have had extensive correspondence with William R. Reed's friends and family and they have supplied me with pictures showing him with his aircraft "Queen Mary" (a P-40 which he was shot down in and POW). Mary was the name of his wife and he named it after her.
What I found most enjoyable about this was that a few months later another contact sent me some pictures of Zack Taylor (another 325th Pilot) and in them were pictures of William R. Reed and these had never been seen before by his family. It also contained a great portrait of him which showed his nickname (again they never knew it) which was "Wild Bill".
I have gathered so-much information as I have progressed with this project, all just for a hobby, but I sometimes feel like I am slowly becoming an official historian!
Anyway, there was a P-40 with Shark Mouth markings, but it never flew in combat and it was pictured as a Public Relations image which was subsequently used in the Checkertails book. Irritatingly, I found this out AFTER I used it in Part 1 of my Checkertails film
The image painted by Heinz Krebs: Desert Sharks is really nice, but sadly pure fantasy!
Procrastintor
Senior Airman
Wow, so one of the most well known paint schemes for the Warhawk was a one off that never saw combat, derp.
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