Johnson LMG

History of Johnson LMG

The Johnson Model 1941 Light Machine Gun (LMG) is a product of the Cranston Arms Company of Providence, Rhode Island and is classified as a Light Support Weapon. The Model 1941 was created from the work of Melvin Johnson, Jr., who served as a reservist in the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

Johnson popularized both the semi-automatic rifle design (to compete with the M1 Garand) and the light machine gun form - the latter borrowed heavily from the rifle, including the short recoil and rotating bolt system. Work on weapons was extended from 1936 to 1938.

The weapon is for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge and the cartridge is fed from a 25-round detachable magazine located on the left side of the receiver. The magazines are arranged in a single stack and have a very slim but long profile.

In addition, the weapon supports reloading by inserting the magazine from the right side of the receiver with a single round or standard US five-round magazine (loader). This feature stems from a military requirement to provide belts to LMGs.

Total weight is 13 lbs, overall length is 42 inches, barrel length is 22 inches. The rate of fire can be adjusted by the tension of the buffer spring - theoretically from 200 to 900 rounds per minute. The short recoil mode of operation makes the Johnson LMG one of the few LMGs to actually use this action in its design.

The machine gun also includes single-shot and fully automatic fire capabilities, operating closed and open bolts, respectively.

By 1940, the design was more or less complete, and production began that same year and continued until 1945 - the last year of World War II. However, these guns were built to a high standard, which meant they were a pretty poor choice for wartime mass production, where expediency in stockpiles was critical.

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) tested the weapon, but the exercise did not lead to the official adoption of the system, which sent the weapon to foreign markets, to which the Dutch have placed the only major order. The Johnson LMG was designed to supply East Holland troops in response to the invasion of the nearby Japanese Empire.

However, the Japanese were advancing towards Dutch territory, and future orders were cancelled because their arrival was too late to be available. Only through limited wartime use by Army Rangers and other special operations groups could the Johnson LMG last until the end of the conflict (and go into production).

It was also used with the Philippine Army and select armed forces of Canada and the United Kingdom during the Japanese occupation of the country.

At the heart of the Johnson Model 1941 was a powerful but complex and expensive hand-held machine gun designed to provide infantrymen with a simpler alternative to the WWI-era M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), while offering everything keep this. A 30-06 cartridge was used. Some reports point to weak design (resulting in breakage) and routine action blocking when the gun is depressed in battlefield conditions. The main production model is the M1941, which can be identified by its wooden stock and a foldable bipod under the nose.

The replacement model became the M1944, which brought a dual-tube shoulder rest (instead of wooden) and a cylindrical monopod (instead of the original bipod).

Which examples of Johnson LMGs still in circulation after the surrender of Japan remained in service until the 1960s.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

VARIANTS