Support Weapons
The big three are back: The BAR, the MP44 and the Bren. The Russians, as usual, don`t get a heavy support weapon. Support weapons are either light machine guns or specialist assault weapons, providing a good compromise between the automatic fire of submachine guns and the accuracy of rifles.
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BAR
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Name: M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle
Country of origin: USA
Available for: American
Calibre: .30-06 (7.62 x 63mm)
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds
Firing mechanism: Full-automatic, gas-operated
Rate of fire: 450 or 650 rounds per minute, selectable
Weight: 8.8kg with empty magazine
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Historical Background
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Designed in 1915-16 by John M. Browning, who also developed the M1911 Colt pistol and .30 and .50 cal machine guns, the Browning Automatic Rifle filled the role of `squad automatic weapon`. Although intended as an assault weapon, the BAR proved to be an effective support weapon and was adopted by the Belgian, Polish and Swedish armies. The BAR underwent some modifications,
including changing the position of the bipod, and later models had a variable fire option, changing from 550 rounds per minute to faster rates of fire.
A typical squad had one BAR gunner, and later in the war the number was increased to two per squad. BAR gunners usually had an assistant to carry more ammunition, and because of the importance of the BAR`s steady firepower, it was often entrusted to the most reliable soldier. Many men preferred to use the BAR without its bipod to save weight.
Despite its effectiveness, the BAR was never as good as the designer hoped. It was way too heavy to be an effective rifle. The weight alone made it a pain to shoulder, and the vibration from firing made it impossible to maintain a steady aim. On the other hand, it was too light to be an effective light machine gun. It was unsteady on its bipod, its 20-round magazine meant it had to be reloaded frequently, the bottom-mounted magazine made it difficult to reload from a prone position, and the barrel couldn`t be changed when it overheated.
Despite these shortcomings, the BAR remained a solid weapon and was kept in service for over 50 years in various armies, while leftovers were sold to other nations.
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Call of Duty 2 notes
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Despite the visual change, including a bipod attached to the weapon model, the BAR is the same heavy weapon it was in COD1, and indeed in most games featuring the BAR. The BAR no longer has a selectable firing mode, so it only fires on COD1`s fast-auto rate, which is slightly slower than the Thompson.
The iron sights have been changed. Rather than the long straight fore-pin of COD1, it now has a more conventional rear-notch/forward hooded pin, which is used in the same way as the Kar98k. The hood helps single out targets while the pin marks the point of impact. The recoil pattern goes upwards and is easy to control, but the muzzle will jerk quickly upwards after the initial shot, making sustained accurate fire difficult.
The BAR is a very powerful automatic weapon, and can kill in 2-3 torso shots or one headshot. Note that the bipod is purely cosmetic, and cannot be deployed in-game.
The reload time of the BAR is quite long, so try to avoid reloading as much as possible until the area is clear.
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MP44
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Name: Sturmgewehr 44
Country of origin: Germany
Available for: German
Calibre: 7.92 x 33mm Kurz
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Firing mechanism: Selective-fire, gas-operated
Rate of fire: 500 rounds per minute
Weight: 5.22kg
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Historical Background
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In the 1930`s, German military authorities questioned the purpose of the standard infantry rifle. It was realised that even the earliest rifles were capable of firing a bullet to distances over 1000m. It was almost impossible for a soldier to see that far, let alone aim and hit something at that distance. This realisation set off the possibility of using a shorter cartridge, reducing effective range, but at the same time reducing weight, allowing the soldier to carry more ammunition. In 1940, the Maschinen Karabiner 42 was developed as a prototype weapon and tested on the Russian Front. It was an effective weapon according to the principles behind it, and many features were taken from it and incorporated into the new rifle in development. The developers eagerly requested Hitler`s permission to produce the weapon. Hitler proved stubborn, and using the very beliefs that the principles proved wrong, Hitler criticised the ineffective range of the new cartridge and denied permission for the weapon to be produced.
This caused a problem for the designers. They had already equipped their factories to mass-produce the weapon, and in fact had already started making them. Without Hitler`s permission, they continued to manufacture the weapon and issued it to troops as the "MP44", disguised as a submachine gun. This in turn pleased Hitler due to exceptional submachine gun production figures. That was until Hitler held a meeting with his generals, who requested more of the "new rifles". After a brief period of anger, the Fuhrer finally accepted the rifle and named it the "Sturmgewehr", the "Storm Rifle" or "Assault Rifle".
Despite this official acceptance, production never caught up with demand. Being made out of steel-stampings and plastics, the Sturmgewehr 44 was a revolutionary weapon, the first of a class of weapons that are now standard in today`s armies.
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Call of Duty 2 notes
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The MP44 hasn`t changed much from COD1 in appearance, but in gameplay, the MP44 has become one of the most potent weapons in the game. Other WW2 shooters have portrayed the MP44 as a highly effective weapon that is superior to everything else. Well, COD2`s MP44 is closer to that effect than the COD1 weapon.
The iron sight is similar to the COD1 sights. The MP44 still has a rear notch and front hooded pin. The COD2 pin is much sharper, however, which makes it easier to locate the point of impact. The recoil is steady, raising the muzzle slightly upwards. The MP44 can kill in one headshot, and 2-3 torso shots.
The big issue amongst players is that the MP44 has practically no recoil. This isn`t entirely true, as it does have a reasonable amount of recoil, but it does not kick like a wild beast as it does in COD1. Instead, the recoil is much softer and more controllable, comparable to the MP40. In fact, it feels like the MP44 has less recoil than the MP40. Whether it does or not doesn`t really matter, as most players will readily pick up the MP44 instead of the MP40 due to its power and accuracy. The only disadvantage of using the MP44 as an assault weapon is that it lacks smoke grenades.
Note that as an assault weapon, the MP44 has a relatively fast reload speed, especially whe compared to the slow BAR and Bren reload times.
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Bren
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Name: Bren Mark III
Country of origin: Great Britain
Available for: British
Calibre: .303 British
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Firing mechanism: Full-automatic, gas-operated
Rate of fire: 500 rounds per minute
Weight: 8.68kg
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Historical Background
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Looking for a replacement for the revolutionary Lewis gun in the 1930`s, the British had several options, including the Madsen, which was discarded due to its complex mechanism, and the Vickers-Berthier, which seemed the most obvious choice since it was already in service with the Indian Army. However, a Czech design was discovered, and after intensive firing tests, was adopted by the British Army as the Bren, gaining its name from its original factory in Brno and its new factory in Enfield.
The Bren had a few remarkable features: a quick-release barrel with a carrying handle, preventing the barrel from overheating and the changer from burning himself, a relatively simple mechanism and very few moving parts. It was an immediate success, proving to be accurate, powerful and reliable. For this, there were a few problems. The rimmed .303 cartridge had to be inserted a certain way to prevent jamming, and 28 rounds were often loaded instead of 30 to prevent this. The top-mounted magazine also meant the sights had to be offset to the left, causing difficulties to left-handed firers. The magazine itself was sensitive to damage as well, leading to more jamming issues.
Other than that, the Bren was a robust weapon, rarely breaking any other parts. After the war, the Bren was converted for the 7.62mm NATO round, which incidentally cured the rimmed jamming problems, and remained in service as the L4A1 until late in the 20th century.
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Call of Duty 2 notes
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Of the three support weapons, the Bren has probably changed the least, if at all. The weapon model looks the same, only a little thinner. The iron sights are still in the same configuration, although enlarged like the other iron sights. The weapon handles the same, has the same role, and overall is still the Bren that we know from COD1.
The iron sight consists of a rear aperture sight with a front brack and pin. The sharp centre pin marks the point of impact. Because of the top-mounted magazine, the sights are offset to the left, which obstructs a fair bit of vision to the right. Like COD1, the Bren recoils heavily when fired from the hip, but when fired from the shoulder the weapon has very controllable recoil, with the muzzle moving slightly upwards, but usually returning to its initial
position before the next shot.
Because of its low recoil, the Bren can be fired for a prolonged period of time without going out of control, something that was exclusive to it in COD1 but is now also done by the MP44.
The Bren, like the BAR, has a rather long reload time, and longer when the weapon is completely emptied, so be wary of wasting ammunition in an engagement, as the weapon cannot be reloaded in time to continue the firefight without getting killed.
The Bren is generally unpopular in COD2 due to the fact that the British team now get the accurate and powerful Garand rifle and the fast and accurate Thompson submachine gun.
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General Support Tactics
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While COD1`s support weapons were generally quite distinctive between themselves, COD2`s support weapons now have very similar roles. The BAR, MP44 and Bren are all accurate weapons, making them good for long-range engagements, and have fast automatic fire, making them good for close-range actions as well. Of course, they are outshot by rifles and submachine guns in their respective ranges, but their all-rounder capability makes the support weapons very useful.
While they are good for defensive purposes, most players who use support weapons use them as a heavy assault weapon, which they perform very well as, the MP44 most of all as it was designed for that purpose. The BAR is popular in close combat, but due to its weight and 20-round magazine, it is probably not the best weapon for leading an assault. Furthermore, as the support weapons lack smoke grenades, they cannot provide their own concealment.
Support weapons, like submachine guns, are effectively fired using short bursts to maintain maximum accuracy, and long bursts for closer ranges. Due to longer reload times, it is important to avoid wasting ammunition. Unlike submachine guns, support weapons are capable of killing with one headshot, and with superb first-shot accuracy, support weapons can be used like semi-automatic rifles to pick off heads and helmets with a guaranteed kill.
For all their strengths, support weapons have a couple of weaknesses. The major disadvantage is that they have a slower movement speed than submachine guns and rifles, reducing their effectiveness as assault weapons and making redeployment painfully slow. Their reload times are generally slower than SMGs and rifles, and they lack smoke grenades to cover movement.
Nonetheless, the support weapon category provides players with weapons that can do a bit of everything and stand toe-to-toe with specialist weapons.
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