Light Machine Gunner
Overview & Game Play
Although their weight and complexity made them uncommon, the light machine gunner is in many ways the dominant soldier in an infantry battle. One well-placed machine gun can suppress enemy activity in a crucial area, and any enemy foolish enough to walk into it with be torn to shreds with in a hail of bullets.
Where the submachine gunner is strongest at short range and the rifleman at long, the deployed light machine gunner is decent at long range and decimates any other infantry at medium range. Being deployed leaves you vulnerable, but as long as the enemy isn't so far you can't spot them or so close you can't hit them without undeploying, the stability and rate of fire you have will allow you to tear apart any infantry that walks in front of you. Although it can be used while standing in a pinch, the weapon's horrible recoil while not deployed makes the LMG a support weapon: Close-quarters fighting should be left to submachine gunners.
While the light machine gunner is powerful enough on its own, it really shines when it's working as a part of a team. The LMG guzzles ammo, so riflemen are indispensable if you don't want to keep respawning for more. Also, since deploying kills your situational awareness, trusting your fellow soldiers to keep the area secure allows you to focus on where you're shooting.
In addition to their main weapon, machine gunners also have a pistol and a combat knife.
Equipment
British
The Bren Mk.I Light Machinegun was initially a joint design, the name coming from the BRno-ENfield cooperative effort. It is considered by many to be the finest light machine gun ever produced. By June 1940, more than 30,000 Brens were in service with British and Commonwealth soldiers.
They were stable, ultra reliable, and effective well past 600 yards.
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| British Light Machine Gunner |
| Equipment |
| Bren Mk II Light Machine Gun |
| Webley .455 |
| Combat Knife |
French
The Châtellerault, as the FM 24/29 was commonly named, was a design based on the venerable Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) from WWI. This weapon was commonly found in service with infantry and armored units and, with a larger magazine, was used extensively along the Maginot Line and in fixed defensive positions.
It was durable and hard-hitting, making it popular with the front-line troops.
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| French Light Machine Gunner |
| Equipment |
| Fusil-mitrailleur mle 1924/29 |
| Pistolet automatique mle 1935S |
| Combat Knife |
German
The MG34 was developed as a novel multi-purpose machinegun system which could serve as anything from a drum-fed, light, portable squad automatic support weapon to a heavy, tripod-mounted, belt-fed machine gun with only minor modifications. It was an overwhelming success, the only drawback being its complicated manufacture and high cost. Its high rate of fire gave it a distinctive sound that proved demoralizing to enemy soldiers in the area.
When drum fed, it was well suited to the assault role and could easily be carried by a single soldier, even in difficult terrain.
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| German Light Machine Gunner |
| Equipment |
| Maschinengewehr 34 |
| Pistole 08 |
| Combat Knife |
American
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| American Automatic Rifleman |
| Equipment |
| M1917A2 Browning Automatic Rifle |
| M1911 Colt Pistol |
| Combat Knife |
