The M60 Machine Gun

Kevin Dockery

Nov 2012 · Weapon Book 20 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this ebook

The US M60 General Purpose Machine Gun, known as “the Pig,” was developed in the years after World War II from two revolutionary German designs. Adopted in 1957, the M60 came into its own in the jungles, hamlets, and city streets of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. “Humping the Pig” became common in US military squads, with at least one soldier equipped with an M60 and every squad member carrying ammunition for it. The M60 design transformed infantry tactics as squads took advantage of the immediate volume of fire offered by the design. Although it has now been replaced by the M240 series of weapons in US infantry and mechanized units, the M60 is still in common use with the US armed forces. Meanwhile, its iconic status has been assured by its frequent appearance in many popular films and television shows, from Full Metal Jacket to The A Team. Featuring specially commissioned full-color artwork, this is the full story of the M60, the innovative squad base-of-fire weapon that has equipped the US military from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq.

About the author

Kevin Dockery, a former soldier in the President's Guard under Presidents Nixon and Ford, spent time as a civilian technical specialist in Iraq and Kuwait during Desert Storm. A skilled gunsmith, armorer, and ordnance technician, he has written a number of books, notably on the Navy SEALs and various firearms. Most recently, he was the writer and historian for the History Channel production of The Complete History of the Navy SEALs. Kevin lives in southeastern Michigan. This is his first book for Osprey.