when the threat of a new war rose, u.s. army ordnance realized they did not have a squad light machine gun that could be moved around easily. they tried to use the m1918 bar as a light machine gun when the m1918a2 was brought into service with the u.s. army on 30 june 1938. the bar was given as the only automatic gun for a squad of eight soldiers. all men were trained how to use the bar in case the gunner(s) were killed or injured. at the start of the war, most bar teams were two or three people. these were a gunner and one or two assistants who carried extra magazines for the gun. by 1944, some units' bar teams were just one person, with the other people in the squad carrying ammunition.