A group of civilians in an Italian town pose with American soldiers.


Group picture

American soldiers from the 2nd Armored Division inspect a submachine gun they have taken from a captured German soldier, sitting on the jeep, in the area of Notre-Dame-de-Cenilly, 18 Kms SW of Saint Lô, France  



Inspect captured weapon

Forcemen of 5-2, First Special Service Force, with an M41 Johnson light machine gun, Anzio beachhead, Italy, ca. 20-27 April 1944.

L-R): Canadian Pvts. W.P. Lelievre and L.E. Roussy

(U.S./Canadian First Special Service Forces (FSSF)
 read more here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Special_Service_Force

The Johnson Model 41 LMG had a 21-inch barrel, 42-inch overall length and a trim 12.5-lb. weight. The LMG functioned by delayed recoil and featured a nearly straight-line design to minimize muzzle climb. The Johnson fire selector was on the left - up for safe, back for full-auto and forward for semi-auto. On full-automatic, the gun fired from an open bolt allowing cooling, but, flip to semi-auto and the gun fired from a closed bolt so there was no loss of accuracy from the action slamming forward to fire.
 The single column magazine held twenty .30-06 cartridges. A spring steel gate held them in until the magazine was inserted in the well on the left side of the gun. Insertion lifted the magazine’s gate, allowing the cartridges to push into the gun and up against the feed lips. The magazine well was long enough to let the shooter load five more cartridges through the trade-mark loading gate on the right.
 Read more here - http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=3073

(Photo source - Library and Archives Canada - 3378973)

(Colourised by Jecinci)
taken from fb