Season
Season 1 Episode
- Season 1 From the invention of Gunpowder to the American Rifle
- Season 1 From the Flintlock to the Percussion cap
- Season 1 The Weapons of the Civil War
- Season 1 Post Civil War Weapons and the winning of the West
- Season 1 The Weapons of World War 1
- Season 1 The Weapons of World War 2
- Season 1 Post World War 2 to Today…From the M-14 to the M4 Carbine
Guns: The Evolution of Firearms - Season 1 Episode 6 The Weapons of World War 2
9.00 280 minutes Episode six begins with the development of the Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun and its wide usage in prohibition and depression era America in the lead-up to World War II. The evolution of the BAR into a fully automatic-only weapon, the development of the M1919, and the introduction of the venerable .50 caliber M2 or "ma deuce" machine gun, which even served as a sniper rifle in Vietnam by Carlos Hatchcock, are examined. The development and wartime usage of the classic M1 Garand, the first semi-automatic rifle to serve as standard issue for any army in the world, swallows much of this episode's runtime. Also featured are a plethora of small arms used in the European and Pacific theaters, including lighter automatic rifles such as the .30 caliber M1 carbine; the updated M1A1 carbine with a folding stock designed for use by paratroopers; and the stamped M3 submachine gun, better known as the "grease gun.
