By 1939 the Infantryman had access to a diverse range of weapons. In early years of the twentieth century the ordinary foot soldier had been equipped with a foot a bolt action rifle, or had been part of a team manning a machine gun, which were invariably large and heavy pieces. During World War II, however, the infantry received new weapons that combined firepower with light weight. Weapons such as the light machine gun, and automatic rifle began to eclipse the bolt-action rifle.