He hammered away at the strafing and bombing Japanese aircraft.
Wounded multiple times, Finn remained at his post until he was ordered to seek medical attention.
With that, America joined in combat in World War II with a burst of anti-aircraft fire.
TheJunkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomberbecame a symbol of the Blitzkrieg and an icon of tactical air operations in WWII. Image: Author’s collection
The Japanese admitted to losing 29 aircraft over Pearl Harbor, many of them falling to American AA gunners.
John Brownings Miracle
Fortunately, the U.S. had the Browning .50 caliber machine gun.
Browning commented: One drop of genius in a barrel of sweat wrought the miracle.
US troops set up an improvised beach defense and AA position at Pearl Harbor including a .50 calMG that was taken from an aircraftand adapted for anti-aircraft use. Image: NARA
The improved Browning, designated M2, was first deployed during 1933.
Consequently the Elevator Adapter, AA, Caliber .50 M1 was introduced.
This was a simple, relatively light, AA extension for the standard M3 tripod.
This Browning M2 water-cooled AA machine gun is located in one of the gun tubs of the USS Chateau Thierry in January 1942. Image: NARA
The murderous, concentrated firepower of the Maxson M45 turret earned the M16 the nickname: The Meat Chopper.
American AA units had to defend the bridge against the intense Luftwaffe attacks hell-bent to destroy it.
During the next three weeks, the American AA gunners defending Remagen bridge did their job with incredible tenacity.
Marines in the Solomon Islands stand by their water-cooled Browning M2 in a jungle gun pit. Note the 200-round “tombstone” ammunition can. Image: NARA
The path to victory in Germany was wide open.
Men of the 352nd Bomb Squadron adapted a twin .50 caliber AN/M2 combination from the tail of B-17 for use in the defense of their base at Biskra, Algeria. Image: NARA
A Coast Guard gunner shows off the massive M2 AA mount, complete with handlebars and a water-recycling unit for the Browning M2 MG. Image: NARA
The Browning .50 caliber M2 heavy barrel MG, set up on the M1 Elevator Cradle AA extension for the M3 tripod. Normandy, July 1944. Image: NARA
Many US combat vehicles carried the Browning M2 heavy barrel MG, and one of the big gun’s prime uses was for defense against low-flying aircraft. Image: Author’s collection
“Nose art” displayed on the barrel of an AA gun of the 1st Infantry Division in Belgium during the winter of 1945. The mount is a M2 AA tripod. Image: NARA
On March 7, 1945, US Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) defended the Ludendorff Railway bridge across the Rhine inflicting more than 30% losses on Luftwaffe aircraft. Image: NARA
The M45 Quadmount could be fired all at once, but normal procedure was to alternate fire between the upper and lower pair. Image: NARA
USAAF troops record their first victory over a low-flying Japanese bomber, on Saipan during the late summer of 1944. Image: NARA
