Military Snapshot - Prepping a Frozen 'Ma Duece' in the Ardennes

The original .50-caliber machine gun was developed by John Browning in 1918. An improved version was adopted in 1933 as the Browning M2 water-cooled machine gun. The legendary M2, with nicknames like the "Faithful 50" and "Ma Duece," is an automatic, belt-fed, recoil-operated, air-cooled, crew-operated machine gun. This versatile and reliable gun had many uses and proved to be a valuable defensive weapon during the Battle of the Bulge. In this photo, a soldier preps ammo for his visibly frozen .50 cal. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army, from Voices of the Bulge: Untold Stories from Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge by Michael Collins and Martin King.