New York City policemen on an Indian motorcycle, with a Colt 1895 machine gun mounted rather ad-hoc on the sidecar (May 18, 1918). Thanks to Patrick for the photo!
Vintage Saturday: Before SWAT
Semiauto Rifles
Johnson Model 1941 Rifle
Designed in 1936 by Melvin Johnson, the M1941 Johnson Automatic Rifle was a competitor to the M1 Garand, but not introduced in time to actually be adopted din place of the Garand. Instead, Johnson hoped […]
Reproduction
A Note from Rick Smith of SMG Guns
Just wanted to pass along a cool photo and note I got from Rick Smith (the guy making reproduction FG-42 rifles) this morning: Hi All, Can’t say how this came about past it was almost […]
Prototype
RIA: Thompson Model 1923 Autorifle
One of the very early entrants into the United States Ordnance Department’s semiauto rifle trials was the Auto-Ordnance Company, makers of the Thompson submachine gun. For the rifle trials, they designed a .30-06 rifle using […]
This was probably show of power more or less. Interesting that they had legislature to support this ‘excessive-force’. I remember how couple of years back when police forces were going from 8mm to 40cal pistols the wave of public criticism which followed.
Wow, that high mount was probably best for a “potato digger” and I guess they were more worried about returning fire above than ground level. Love the bike, though!!!!
The ad-hoc tripod mounting is here due to the lack of a developed sidecar mount. Had a modified sidecar mount and some rudimentary armor been present, the officer at the gun would not have to stand up to shoot and therefore present himself as an easy target.
“HEAD-SHOT!? NOOOOOOO!”
doesn’t the nypd have manpads? the british police remains, for the most part, unarmed. quite a contrast there isn’t it?
I don’t think they do. I think they may have some .50 bmg weapons for anti-aircraft use. Some local law enforcement does have weapons in .50 bmg for that purpose in the US.
In most of the US law enforcement officers, as individuals for personal use, acquire whatever is available on the market. This would include full autos, grenades, explosives, etc. So I believe that the Federal government strongly discourages manpads from being available on the open market, as many of those that acquire full military grade weapons have a disfavorable view of the federal government.
FWIW, I live in what is consider an urban county. Most of the members of the local machine gun collectors club are retired or current law enforcement officers. They put on one of the biggest gun shows(mass sale) in the area. They also have ‘machine gun shoots’ that are open to the public. The ‘machine gun shoots’ are held on a farm owned by a current(recently retired?) deputy. And this isn’t an area that is big on guns.
The poster on the background is a nice addition: “to make the world a better place to live in” (geussed some words :))
edit: better = decent.
In an old Everyday Science & Mechanics magazine I have, from back in the 1930s, there’s a “filler item” about a police car with a sort of SMG mounted on the hood like a fixed MG on a fighter plane. The idea being to allow reasonably accurate shooting at fleeing felons, I suppose.
Another photo filler in another one (Popular Science from the 1920s)showed a motorcycle with a special sidecar with an armored-glass windscreen, plus one on the motorcycle itself. The idea being to have man in the sidecar with a Thompson to fire on the likes of Dillinger, etc. (Well, it was the Roaring Twenties.)
Either one seems sort of dangerous to bystanders, though, rather like this gadget.
cheers
eon
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9570&d=1267050047
The 20mm Madsen laughs at your puny Potato digger 🙂
http://raigap.livejournal.com/76539.html
Why you want 20mm Madsen on motorcycle, when you can have24mm Tankbüchse linked to bicycle? (Bicycle is sold separately :D)
Or – why use rifle round when you can use artillery shell:
http://topwar.ru/uploads/posts/2012-06/1340080500_image_4f3f5d1a2a412.jpg
i.e. 37mm ChK-M1 cannon on motorcycle, you still want more? No problem:
http://topwar.ru/uploads/posts/2011-04/1303585353_76-mm-motocikletnaya-pushka-kurchevskogo-mpk.jpg
It’s 76,2mm caliber! No, it doesn’t smash motorcycle on which is mounted due to recoilless principle. [small letters]: The producer is not responsible for wounds if you try to fire gun standing behind the gun.
photos sources, respectively:
http://topwar.ru/15502-37-mm-aviadesantnaya-ptp-obrazca-1944-goda-chk-m1.html
http://topwar.ru/4392-strelki-protiv-tankov.html
I see your Harley and raise you one Vespa 150 TAP
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Vespa_img_2351.jpg
Given the historical record of the NYPD’s individual marksmanship skill, that seems like an exceptionally bad idea…
I think that is a parade shot. Just showing off that they have a machinegun and not meant to be fired that way in anger. The parade audience is at top right.
K!P this is the poster in the background:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/perkinsarchive/8902066396/
Ah, good poster identification I wondered what that said.
nice catch!
http://www.gunslot.com/pictures/m1895-colt-browning-machine-gun-side-car-mount-motorcycle
And 10 years earlier, the coppers would have been on horseback. The crazy POMs kept whole divisions of cavalry behind the trenches until 1918 waiting for the chance to sweep all before them. (And actually shipped most of the horse fodder to France!) This lunacy came from the nation whose longbows had wrecked the mounted knights of France at Crecy and Agincourt 500 years previously.
Mind you, even the Wehrmacht used suicidal motorcycle recce in front of its panzers until 1942. A man on a horse/motorbike would be easy pickings for any of your readers.
Also, since I sense that many of your readers are American, it is worth pointing out that the Sioux, Commanche, Apache etc. did not charge into battle on horseback whooping a la Hollywood. No, the successful war bands were mounted infantry a la Nathan Forrest.
Lesson for the NYPD: if the lead starts flying, get down!
I can’t IMAGINE this scene in today’s iteration of the once great city after the twin depredations of the past two POS mayors – Bloomberg & DeBlasio – Perhaps the GOOD folks of NYC will make the current mayor go the way of Judge Crater AND Jimmy Hoffa…and make it a three-fer.
CB in FL
Wouldn’t the past two be Guiliani and Bloomberg? As far as I know de Blasio hasn’t been in long enough to even do anything.
Ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot, be no good in Fallujah.
Cavalry started to make a comeback even on the western front after Cambrai when the stalemate started to rescind, I think they would have been of use in Afghan to combat I.E.D’s amongst other things “not your legs” shame for the horse obviously.
Allegedly, during the July 1863 Draft Riots in NYC, the (of all companies) NYT had ‘Bulldog’ Gattlings on their roof trained on the Irish mobs in the street…at the time the NYT was no friend of immigrants, especially Irish Catholics, whom they considered lower than either Negroes or dogs…and would have happily dispatched a number of them, given an opportunity…that same prejudice extends today to firearm owners, people of faith and conservatives, although the ‘Grey Lady would vigorously and disingenuously deny it…
CB in FL
Even back then, the “thin” blue line was starting to look a little tubby.
And people talk about the militarization of the police as a modern concept!
Ain’t the equipment that is the problem, it is the ati-tude. Then again that has always been the issue.