Human MG bipod?

[Pax Melmacia]

Or is it 'quadropod'?

I remember seeing in an old comic book how a Japanese soldier carried a machine-gun attached to his back with some harness. Supposedly, upon seeing a target the 'carrier' was supposed to hunch over or drop on all fours and his companion behind him would fire the weapon.

Now I thought that something as bizarre as this was not the kind of thing a comic-book writer would dream up, so I'm wondering if such a thing existed.

[Scharf]

I've seen german soldiers human tripod. Picture in some book...maybe someone has it, so could send here.

In those pictures that I have seen, soldier is holding tripod on air, for example AA-shooting. So it is actualy double tripod, or tripod with quadropod or something.

Scharf

[Peter H]

Japanese photo.

Good way to go deaf.

[alf]

It was common practice in most armies for the No,. 2 on the section/squad machine gun to act as a support for the gun if the occasion demanded it. Machines gun's weigh a lot and rambo is just a fictional character. With the change to 5.56 mm ammo etc, the weight has decreased, so that need has decreased somewhat. If my memory serves me right a M60 machine gun weighed 26 pounds, try firing that standing unsupported.

The World at War series from the 1970's show German soldiers using that position in streeting fighting at times.

[Pax Melmacia]

I'm beginning to think that what I saw in that comic book was completely fiction. There's too much risk of blowing the 'carrier's' head off . . .

[Peter H]

The World at War series episode that Alf mentions was the one that had the Rostov street fighting of 1942 in it.

The Japanese use of a prone MG carrier providing a base of the gunner I think is detailed in Norman Mailer's novel The Naked and the Dead published around 1948.Mailer was a veteran of the 1st Cavalry Division.

If I'm correct the techinque is also shown in the 1970 war movie Too Late the Hero.

I'll post a similar topic in our Japan at War section to see if anyone there can help to establish if this method was used.

[phylo_roadking]

Can someone PLEASE alter the title of this thread to "Human MG BIpod"?

"Human MG TRIpod" is conjuring up a mental image I don't wish to entertain...

[Franzl Rider]

Here from ebay a picture of a German MG crew with a MG08/15 in the late 30's or early 40's. This must be very heavy... not only the weight but also on the hearing of the man carrying the MG.

[tod]

Hello!

Perhapes not so uncommon when the need arose?

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6580 ... llaqp6.jpg
http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/5227/russiamt1.jpg
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/1115 ... 5rfll7.jpg
http://forum.axishistory.com/files/mg42_bello_198.jpg

/tod

[mikel]

There is a term in the military called "field expedient."

It means something you think up or utilize that works.

There are many instances of human supported weapon use as well illustrated by the pics.

It is possible to stand up and shoulder fire a '60, but not real accurate. I have done it many times.

More affective from the hip, best from tripod using T&E mechanism.

[Franzl Rider]

Looking at this ebay picture the Germans did not only took to this measure in battle but trained on it to. Here Reichswehr soldiers in training.

[Kim]

Who needs a bipod?
Cheers,
Kim

[Hauptmann Kloss]

Who needs a bipod?
Cheers,
Kim

This is semi-auto conversion most likely. Recoil from full auto MG42 would make him flip on his back .

[Kim]

No,it's full-auto. He was just using short bursts not a belt-full. (And showing off)

[peeved]

Human dual MG 34 mounting (exp. eBay auction).
Markus