Weapons of the Korean Conflict
The Cold War turned decidedly hot on June 25, 1950, when more than 135,000 North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel heading into . The North Koreans blamed the South Koreans saying that they had provoked the attack, though no provocation had occurred. ‘s minimal army was overwhelmed and the invasion a total success. The invasion also surprised the and their allies. Less than a week before North Korean invasion, United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson, had said was as unlikely. However, the North’s invasion changed this and a joint United Nation’s peace keeping force was soon on the ground in . While officially war was never declared by Congress, to the solider on the ground in engaged in the daily combat, whether their presence was as part of a war or a police action likely made little difference. The soldiers were there to fight, some to die. What did make a difference to these soldiers was the weaponry available to them and in which they placed their reliance and trust. The weapons that were used by the troops on the ground were diverse, yet similar. Both the United Nation’s forces as well as the Communist forces used pistols, both revolver and semi-automatic, rifles, machine guns, heavy machine guns, grenades and other similar weapons. However, there were differences in many of the weapons.
Pistols
While many think of the infantry and soldiers carrying only rifles, a variety of different pistols were use in the Korean Conflict. Some, such as the .45 caliber 1911, the Browning 9mm, the Russian Tokarev and the Mauser C96 are some of the more familiar pistols. The American .45 caliber Model 1911 was developed in 1911 and used .45 caliber ammunition. This pistol differed from the traditional pistol in that the ammunition was fed into the gun via a magazine and not a revolving chamber. This meant the weapon held more rounds and could be fired and reloaded quicker. The .45 round was also a heavy round that carried a great deal of stopping power. This weapon, initially introduced and adopted by the
military in 1911, has remained a work horse throughout its history and remains today a popular weapon that is remarkably similar to the original production models. The Browning, the Tokarev and the Mausers also saw wide use and though all used a smaller caliber bullet than the 1911, these weapons held more rounds, though there was a tradeoff on stopping power. In addition to these automatics, several revolvers such as the Nagent 7.62 revolver, the Colt .38 and Colt .357 were also used. Though the Nagent had been replaced by the Tokarev automatic as a result of the Nagent’s unreliable and complicated trigger mechanism, it still saw use in . The Colts had long been a military staple and their use continued in and beyond, remaining popular weapons even today.
Rifles
The primary infantry rifle used by American troops was the M1 Garand; however, there were several different models or variations of this rifle. American troops also use M2 and M3 carbines. The M1 Garand was a large heavy weapon; however, it was the epitome of reliable. It was the first semi-automatic weapon to be used by the military. While the weapon required a trigger pull for each shot, it fired as quickly as the trigger could be pulled. It was accurate to more than 400 yards, but held only 8 .30-06 caliber rounds and the magazine was ejected after the last shot was fired which made for a distinctive sound. However, as reliable as it was, the weapon, with its size and ammunition capacity, had its limitations. The M1 was used in a variety ways. It was used as a general infantry weapon, a sniper rifle and could also be found with specialty sights. In total, more than 4 million of the rifles were manufactured. As many of the North Korean forces were using full automatic weapons, the M2 Carbine was also used in the Conflict. Though this weapon was smaller than the M1 Garand and had a shorter effective range, firing a .30 caliber round, it still possessed tremendous stopping power. It also fired at full automatic and was capable of holding 15 and 30 round magazines. While the Americans use the carbine rifles, the British used primarily the Enfield rifle. It was a .303 caliber bolt action, but the bolt mechanism was perhaps the fastest ever made. While many criticized the rifle, few critics were found on the battlefield where it served the troops quite well. The North Korean troops used a variety of rifles such as Mogin Nagent carbines, Chinese carbines based on the Russian Simonov carbine which fired a 7.62 mm round from a 10 round magazine. There were also a variety of Japanese carbines used as well. These rifles used cartridges that were 7.62 mm and held from 5 to 10 rounds.
Automatic Weapons
While automatic weapons can fire full automatic, they can also generally be fired in a semi-automatic mode meaning one shot per trigger pull. They also generally have a limited number of rounds available via an interchangeable magazine, though frequently more than would be available in the M1 Garand rifle.
A mainstay of the American forces was the Browning BAR or Browning Automatic Rifle. This gas operated, full automatic weapon fired .30-06 cartridges from a 20 round magazine. The weapon also had a bipod for increased stability and a flash suppressor which allowed the shooter to retain his night vision when firing the weapon in low light situations. The combination of the BAR’s reliability and firepower made this a very popular weapon in the Korean Conflict. The American forces also used a .45 caliber full automatic weapon, the M3A1, also known as the “Grease Gun.” This weapon was not much to look at, but its compact size, reliability and ease of use made it a popular weapon. It was less expensive and easier to manufacture than the equally popular Thompson machine gun. Its size made it perfect for use in tanks – in fact; it is still used today in tanks. The Thompson, or Tommy gun, was a fully automatic .45 caliber short barrel machine gun that fired from 20, 30 or 50 round magazines. The weapon fired at near 700 rounds per minute, giving the gun incredible stopping power. The Australian Owen Machine Carbine was a popular weapon in . It was durable and quite rugged. Its 9mm ammunition and 33 round magazine made it a solid weapon. The British made Sten machine gun also saw wide spread use, firing a 9mm round from a 32 round magazine, though the magazine was frequently loaded with only 30 rounds to ease magazine spring tension. Another automatic weapon that saw use in the Korean Conflict was the Soviet made PPsh41 “Burp” gun. This weapon fired a 7.62mm round from a 35 round magazine. It was a light weapon and less than three feet in length and was extremely effective in the conflict. While its design was the epitome of simplicity, it was quite effective and a popular choice for troops on the move. In addition to these automatic weapons, the several Russian Tokarev and Chinese automatic weapons similar to the Browning BAR also saw use.
Machine Guns
The machine guns that were used in the Korean Conflict generally differed from the automatic rifles in that they were stationary when they were fired, or were at least not fired from the hip or shoulder and were also larger weapons. Frequently there would be teams of two or more men that operated the machine guns. These weapons were also sometimes water or air cooled and fired ammunition from belts or higher capacity magazines than the automatic weapons the troops carried.
The American forces favored the .30 caliber M1919A4 which was a water cooled weapon using a 250 round belt. It could be fired at over 500 rounds per minute. While it was quite heavy at 41 pounds, it was lighter than its predecessor and offered a tremendous rate of fire. Other American machine guns were the M1917A1 and the M1919A6, both being .30 caliber weapons. Both of these were water cooled and their high rate of fire made them effective and popular weapons as they were able to provide such effective coverage from their operation. Other popular machine guns that saw use in the Korean Conflict were the British made Bren which was capable of being operated by a single individual. It fired .303 caliber cartridge from a high capacity magazine. The Japanese used a machine gun similar to the Bren, known as the Japanese Type 96 6.5mm Light machinegun which fired a 6.5 mm cartridge and could also be operated by a single individual. Several variations of the Russian Ruchnoy Pulemyot Light machine gun saw use. These machine guns could only fire in full automatic mode and the ammunition was fed into the weapon through a horizontal top mounted pan that held just under 50 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. One of the truly remarkable machine guns used in the Korean Conflict was the M2 Heavy Barrel .50 caliber Browning. This machine gun was tripod mounted and quite heavy, weighing in at more than 125 pounds. The weapon fired a .50 caliber round from a 110 belt. This weapon was a force to be reckoned with as it fired at a rate of more than 500 rounds per minute. This weapon is still in use today and there are not signs that it will soon be removed from service.
Other Weapons
In addition to rifles, machine guns and pistols, there were also grenades, mortars, recoilless rifles and bazookas used in the Korean Conflict by the troops on the ground. The grenades, small self contained explosive devises, weighed several pounds each and held an explosive charge. The charge would be engaged, typically be removing a safety pin or engaging a triggering mechanism. The grenade would then be thrown toward the enemy where it would explode. The casing of the grenade would be blown apart, thus creating shrapnel that could be deadly to those around the blast area. There were also several varieties of rifle mounted grenade launchers that saw use. Grenades were affixed to the launchers and fired toward the target. The concept was the same, but as the grenades were propelled from the rocket, they had an increased range over grenades which were simply thrown by the troops. Mortars were similar devises, but were propelled toward the enemy by being launched from a tube. The mortar would explode and the shrapnel would be used against the enemy. The tubes mortars were fired from could be calibrated thereby aiming the mortar. Recoilless rifles and bazooka were shoulder operated weapons that fired a propelled projectile toward the enemy, generally a tank or fortified position. As the gas from the projectile’s exhaust was blown out of the rear of the weapon, there was minimal recoil. These weapons generally took at least two men to operate – one to load and one to fire.
These are a few of the weapons that were used by the infantry troops in the Korean Conflict. There are a number of excellent resources that can be found online by doing a search for Korean War Weapons or Korean Conflict Weapons.
