Caliber .50 M2 Browning Machine Gun Training Manual General Motors GMC May 1943

Description

Caliber .50 M2 Browning Machine Gun - How The Gun Works Training Manual General Motors GMC May 1943. Fine clean complete condition - see my photos. It is a genuine 1943 publication, not a reprint. All the other books were signed by the original owner Lt. James F Clarke, that is the soldier who used it during the war.
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun is a heavy machine gun designed toward the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. The M2 uses the much larger and much more powerful .50 BMG (12.7 mm) cartridge, which was developed alongside and takes its name from the gun itself (BMG standing for Browning machine gun). It has been referred to as "Ma Deuce", in reference to its M2 nomenclature. The design has had many specific designations; the official US military designation for the current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications, and low-flying aircraft.
The Browning .50 caliber machine gun has been used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States from the 1930s to the present. It was heavily used during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Soviet–Afghan War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan in the 2000s and 2010s. It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries and has been used by many other countries as well. The M2 has been in use longer than any other firearm in U.S. inventory except the .45 ACP M1911 pistol, also designed by John Browning.
Great provenance:
James F. Clarke
DATE OF BIRTH: June 26, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH:
New York
HOME OF RECORD:
Bronx, New York
AWARDS BY DATE OF ACTION:1 of 1
Distinguished Service Cross
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War II
Service: Army
Battalion: 1st Battalion
Division: 82d Airborne Division
GENERAL ORDERS:
Headquarters, XVIII Airborne Corps, General Orders No. 19 (March 14, 1945)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) James F. Clarke (ASN: 0-1294267), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, in action against enemy forces on 14 June 1944, in Normandy, France. Second Lieutenant Clarke was commanding the advance rifle platoon of Company B, 1st Battalion, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in an attack against the enemy situated on high ground north of Le Bonneville, France. The advance elements were held up by fire from an enemy machine gun, nested in an emplacement on the high ground to the front. Setting an example of courage and initiative, Lieutenant Clarke raced for the enemy gun. He wiped it out with grenades, and in the performance of this brave action, lost his life. His intrepidity set an example for others to follow. This courageous action was a determining factor in the successful accomplishment of the battalion mission. Second Lieutenant Clarke's fearless leadership, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 82d Airborne Division, and the United States Army.