The M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (AKA BAR, or B.A.R.) is an American Light Machine Gun featured in all Medal of Honor games set in World War II. The Browning Automatic Rifle was designed by John Browning who also designed the M1911 and the M1919 30.cal machine gun. The BAR was designed for infantry support and it saw very limited use in World War 1 due to it's late introduction. In World War 2 the BAR was used extensively by allied forces and even after the war the BAR was used in the Korean War and saw limited use in the Vietnam War. In some games the BAR comes equipped with a bipod but it is unusable.
Medal of Honor and Underground[]
The BAR is featured as a weapon in the first 2 Medal of Honors. The BAR is usable in the mission Sabotage the Rjukan Hydro Plant and in Escape from the V2 Rocket Plant in the first Medal of Honor game, and is also available in the mission Panzerknacker Unleashed! in Underground. It is a cross between a rifle, and a light machine gun, as such this weapon blurs the line between the two weapon types, hence, "Automatic, Rifle". It is highly powerful, capable of killing enemies in 1 shot should the player place it right (such as the head), thought it's only flaw is it's relatively low ammo capacity, meaning if the player is not a very accurate shooter, he/she will be reloading often, but on the brighter side though, ammunition is plentiful because of ammo sharing between automatic weapons, making this gun exceptional, able to outclass enemies with rifles at short range, and able to compete SMG users at medium-long range, due to its qualities of an SMG and rifle respectively. It's arguably the best automatic weapon in game, it has a low recoil and a fast rate of fire (although Thompson still fires faster). It's cartridge is very powerful, taking about three hits to kill a Waffen SS Heavy Trooper. It's ammo is incorrectly called SMG ammo.
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Spearhead and Breakthrough[]
The BAR returns to the Medal of Honor series in Allied Assault and its expansion packs. It is usable in the levels "Battle in the Bocage" where the player must rescue scattered 506th paratroopers and it can also be found in "Day of the Tiger" when encountering the tank crew. It can be picked up when one of the tank crew dies, is also in the third mission of Breakthrough and can be used in Spearhead's singleplayer by hacking. Visually is different than the one in the first 2 Medal of Honors, with improved details thanks to better graphics. It is capable of dealing 1-hit kills to the head, and 2 hit kills to the chest and torso, but it has high recoil, and cannot be aimed down the sights. Therefore, this gun is best used going fully automatic at close range, burst-firing at medium range, and semi-auto trigger tapping at long range in order to kill effectively. It is also noted for having a slower rate of fire than most automatic weapons, though it does fire faster than it did in the first 2 games, but even with that said, many players consider it inferior to the German counterpart, the StG-44.
Medal of Honor: Frontline[]
In Frontline, the M1918 B.A.R. is available in the Arnhem Knights level and The Horten's Nest mission. It has lost much of its potential since the previous version, it is powerful enough to take down enemies in just a few hits, but it has its fire selector switched to 350 RPM, instead of the 550 RPM of the first two games. B.A.R., being a high damage rate automatic rifle with a low recoil, is preferable as a medium to long range weapon. Visually is more similar to the one from the first two games. In the start of the mission Into the Breach, an Army Ranger can be seen equipped with a B.A.R with it's bipod unfolded.
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun[]
This is the first weapon (apart from the Fire Extinguisher) which is given to the player aboard the USS California. It can be hard to aim, but is powerful enough to bring down a Zero in just a few hits. The weapon doesn't play much of a role later in the game, except for one soldier in Guadalcanal having it, as it is replaced by Japanese/British weapons in the SOE section of the game. In addition, Rising Sun is the only game in the franchise to feature the BAR in only one single player level.
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault[]
The M1918 BAR is Frank Minoso's weapon of choice, and is used by him in most missions. However, when Minoso is injured, the weapon is inherited by Thomas Conlin, and is his weapon throughout the assault on Tarawa. The weapon is good in medium to close range combat, but it has high recoil and the ammunition is somewhat difficult to find.
Medal of Honor: Infiltrator[]
The BAR can be taken from the blockhouses on all levels except the last one. On ordinary soldiers kills with two shots, and soldiers SS with four. It has an average range. If a BAR has been selected, the player is given 5 grenades.
Medal of Honor: European Assault[]
Singleplayer[]
The BAR is found only in the Battle of the Bulge theater, and can prove very effective against enemy riflemen at close range and enemy submachine gunners at long range due to its automatic firing and high powered cartridge. It seems unusually short and fat compared to some other renditions of the BAR in the Medal of Honor series.
Multiplayer[]
In multiplayer, the BAR is the default weapon for the Heavy Gunner class, and will not be replaced when a player goes onto a weapon upgrade point. It is far superior to all of the submachine guns as it can match them at close range yet easily outclass submachine guns at medium to long ranges. Unlike submachine guns the BAR's ammunition will not be tracer rounds, allowing a player to stay hidden while still firing.
Medal of Honor: Vanguard[]
Singleplayer[]
The BAR is the same as the one in European Assault. It's the default weapon in the first two missions of the Operation: Neptune part of the campaign. It has lower recoil than the last Medal of Honor, rendering the BAR superior at long ranges due to its 3-hit kill ability coupled with the high accuracy. That said, the BAR is ineffective at close range, as the MP40's superior fire rate can allow it to overpower it.
Multiplayer[]
In multiplayer, the BAR can be picked up by any player, but is most commonly located close to the American starting spawn. It's 20 round magazine and automatic fire means it can outclass any player using default weaponry (rifles). The German equivalent is the Stg 44, which has a 30 round magazine yet does less damage, has a slightly longer reload and has more cluttered sights.
Medal of Honor: Heroes and Heroes 2[]
The BAR returns in both games. In Heroes the BAR is the starting weapon in a few levels. The BAR is an excellent weapon for medium-long range engagements, however the only downsight is the 20 round magazine. Allied soldiers rarely can be seen using BARs. The weapon has been retextured and it has new firing sounds.
In Heroes 2 the BAR is a rare weapon to find. It is only avaliable in the last mission as a starting weapon. It has higher damage and range than the StG-44 but it has a low 20 round magazine and lower maximum ammo. In both games' multiplayer it can be choosen as a starting weapon. In both games the BAR's stats are identical.
Medal of Honor: Airborne[]
The BAR is a selectable weapon in Medal of Honor: Airborne. It is very powerful, and can be seen as the American analogue to the German StG-44. However, the BAR's recoil is uncontrollable even in short bursts. Each round is incredibly powerful, but even after the first shot the barrel climbs substantially usually wasting 3 or more rounds of its already small round capacity. The unusually high recoil and resulting muzzle climb, even with the compensator, makes the BAR hard to use for inexperienced players. It fires from a small 20-round box magazine, and its upgrades include the following:
- Compensator: Reduced recoil
- A2 Adjustable sights: Increased accuracy with variable zoom
- Dual magazines: Faster reload
BAR in Medal of Honor: Airborne
Iron sights
US Paratrooper equipped with a BAR.
A dropped BAR on the ground.
BAR in a promotional image.
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond[]
The Browning automatic rifle appears in the story trailer on D-Day.
Trivia[]
- In Rising Sun player can see that the character inserts an empty magazine during the recharging.
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