Say Hello To My Little Friend…The .50 Caliber ‘Meat Chopper’

During World War II the German MG-42, or Maschinengewehr 42, was the single most feared machine gun during that conflict, just the sound of it being fired in your direction, was enough to make even the most fearless allied soldiers hit and hug the dirt.

But the Americans were not without their own machine guns, probably the most iconic of those, was the American Browning M2 and it was used in both theaters of operation, in Europe and the Pacific.

It was used by the U.S. Army, The U.S. Army Air Corps, the United States Marines and the United States Navy. It was a great anti aircraft weapon as well as an outstanding anti-personnel weapon also. Nothing in the air, or walking on two legs, could stand against this awesome piece of firepower.

The 50 Caliber M2 Browning Machine Gun has been the workhorse of the United States Military since 1933 and is still in use today almost 100 years later.

But during World War Two, someone had the bright idea of fixing four of these machine guns together in a quadmount. This known as the M45 Quadmount, or ‘Quad 50’. It was originally intended for use against aircraft, but would see use against infantry and armour during World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam.

In this video we look at the ‘Quad 50’ which has the appropriate nickname ‘The Meat Chopper’.