2003 Iraq War

40 mm automatic grenade launcher in the 2003 Iraq War

DVIDS records document U.S. forces using Mk 19 40 mm automatic grenade launchers for combat fire support, vehicle-mounted convoy security, and in-theater training during the Iraq War.

Weapon profile40 mm automatic grenade launcher
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleFire SupportFrontline Assault
40 mm automatic grenade launcher, 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, Infantry Weapons - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: Seabee fires MK-19 grenade launcher image

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. soldiers used a MK-19 automatic grenade launcher during a March 26, 2008 firefight in Jisr Diyala.

Sources: Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals

The launcher was used as crew-served fire support after enemy fighters fired RPGs at U.S. positions.

Sources: Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals

Mk 19 launchers were present in Iraq for live-fire training at Camp Fallujah and Mosul before the Jisr Diyala combat-use record.

Sources: turret, Special Forces Soldier on MK-19 Range

Mk 19 launchers were also documented in Baghdad-area weapons-clearing and convoy-security contexts in 2008-2009.

Sources: Ace High Soldiers refresh weapons safety skills, Support Soldiers keep supply lines safe

Timeline

40 mm automatic grenade launcher In 2003 Iraq War

  1. MK-19 fired near Camp Fallujah

    DVIDS imagery shows Marines from Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 5 firing a MK-19 automatic grenade launcher at a range near Camp Fallujah, Iraq.

    Sources: turret

  2. Mosul Operation Iraqi Freedom training

    A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier fired a MK-19 grenade launcher at an area target during a training exercise in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Mosul.

    Sources: Special Forces Soldier on MK-19 Range

  3. MK-19 used in Jisr Diyala firefight

    U.S. soldiers in Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, employed a MK-19 automatic grenade launcher during a firefight in Jisr Diyala after fighters fired RPGs at their positions.

    Sources: Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals

  4. MK-19 clearing procedures northwest of Baghdad

    Soldiers from Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment practiced weapons-clearing procedures on a MK-19 at Joint Security Station Sheik Amer, northwest of Baghdad.

    Sources: Ace High Soldiers refresh weapons safety skills

  5. MK-19 documented on Baghdad convoy-security vehicle

    DVIDS reporting from Baghdad identified a Company D, 949th Brigade Support Battalion gunner using both a MK-19 40 mm grenade launcher and an M2 .50 caliber machine gun on an armored security vehicle.

    Sources: Support Soldiers keep supply lines safe

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

DVIDS reporting from Jisr Diyala documents U.S. soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, using a MK-19 automatic grenade launcher during a March 26, 2008 firefight. The report says Capt. Brian Gilbert ordered Sgt. 1st Class Billy Brown's platoon to employ its MK-19 and M203 grenade launchers after fighters began firing rocket-propelled grenades at the soldiers' positions.

The same account identifies Spc. Jordan Roedl as Brown's gunner and describes the MK-19 firing into enemy fighting positions before the fight ended. It places the unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom service with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

Sources: Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals

Timeline

DVIDS imagery shows Mk 19-type launchers in Iraq before and after the March 2008 firefight. Marines from Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 5 fired a MK-19 automatic grenade launcher at a range near Camp Fallujah on June 13, 2006, and a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier fired a MK-19 during a Mosul training exercise in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on August 19, 2007.

After the Jisr Diyala combat-use record, DVIDS documented soldiers practicing MK-19 clearing procedures northwest of Baghdad in September 2008 and a Baghdad convoy-security gunner assigned to an armored security vehicle with both a MK-19 40 mm grenade launcher and an M2 .50 caliber machine gun in January 2009.

Sources: turret, Special Forces Soldier on MK-19 Range, Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals, Ace High Soldiers refresh weapons safety skills, Support Soldiers keep supply lines safe

Role in theater

The documented Iraq records show the Mk 19 as a crew-served support weapon rather than an independently maneuvering system. In Jisr Diyala, it was mounted with Brown's platoon and used after the enemy shifted to RPG fire; in Baghdad, it formed part of an armored security vehicle's convoy overwatch armament.

The Iraq evidence also separates combat use from training and readiness records. Fallujah and Mosul imagery documents live-fire training in Iraq, the Jisr Diyala story documents battlefield employment, and the 2008-2009 Baghdad records document weapons clearing and convoy-security fielding during the later occupation and counterinsurgency period.

Sources: Soldiers turn ambush around on criminals, Support Soldiers keep supply lines safe, turret, Special Forces Soldier on MK-19 Range, Ace High Soldiers refresh weapons safety skills

Related Weapons by Role

Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G365.56 mm assault rifleThe Heckler & Koch G36 is a German 5.56 mm assault rifle built around a reinforced-polymer receiver, indirect gas operation, a rotating bolt head, folding stock, and modular rifle, carbine, compact, and export configurations. Its cataloged conflict record spans Mexican police firing during the 2014 Iguala operation, German support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq, and Saudi-licensed rifles diverted from Hadi-aligned forces into militant hands in Yemen.
2 more weapons
Back to 40 mm automatic grenade launcherBrowse 2003 Iraq War

Sources