My dad's seperation papers listed him as an Automatic Rifleman. Said he loaded, aimed and fired Browning Automatic Rifle in combat. He had a sharpshooter badge with a Rifle under it. I remember him saying that he shot it so much that he learned to squeeze off a single round. He was proud of that. Was there a automatic badge to go under the rifle badge?
No, there was never such a badge although lots of guys like him certainly would have earned one. Closest thing was possibly the combat infantryman's badge. http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/ww2badge.shtml The BAR did not replace any standard infantry squad weapon but instead was an attempt to close the gap in firepower between the individual soldiers M1 and the fast firing but very heavy M1919 medium machine gun. The bar was heavier than an M1 but lighter than the m1919 (the old square bodied, holey barrel machine gun you see in all the war movies). It was also magazine fed from a 20 round detachable box so loading it was no problem, as unlike the m1919, there were no pre-linked belts needed to make it work. Also unlike the m1919, which was usually tripod mounted, the BAR could be brought into action just as fast as a rifle and was often use as a base of fire at the squad level for hasty assault or defense. Recoil was heavy and the rate of fire was relatively low, but it was powerful, reliable, and filled a gap for heavy firepower at the squad level that no other available US weapon of the era could (it was basically equivalent to the M249 SAW of today's infantryman).
