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- The machine-gun was possibly the most valuable weapon in defining the fighting of WWI. Its massive firepower devastated infantry formations and virtually eradicated the use of cavalry. It was one of the weapons that forced both sides into deeply dug defensive positions on the Western Front, leading to four years of virtually static warfare.
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May 26, 2024 · Rapid-firing, devastatingly effective, and widely-deployed, machine guns transformed combat and came to symbolize the mechanized slaughter of the Western Front. This article will explore the history, deployment, and impact of these fearsome weapons in The Great War.
May 20, 2021 · These machine guns all played a significant role in World War I and contributed to the massive death tolls and casualty numbers that the war is remembered for. It also gained mass use among most of the main nations involved in the events of World War I.
From its bare roots beginnings to the evolution of this iconic weapon that is still in use today, this infographic takes a look at how the machine gun came about, how it managed to almost single handedly change the outcome of WWI and subsequently change the art of war as we know it.
- Overview
- Technology of war in 1914
The planning and conduct of war in 1914 were crucially influenced by the invention of new weapons and the improvement of existing types since the Franco-German War of 1870–71. The chief developments of the intervening period had been the machine gun and the rapid-fire field artillery gun. The modern machine gun, which had been developed in the 1880s and ’90s, was a reliable belt-fed gun capable of sustained rates of extremely rapid fire; it could fire 600 bullets per minute with a range of more than 1,000 yards (900 metres). In the realm of field artillery, the period leading up to the war saw the introduction of improved breech-loading mechanisms and brakes. Without a brake or recoil mechanism, a gun lurched out of position during firing and had to be re-aimed after each round. The new improvements were epitomized in the French 75-millimetre field gun; it remained motionless during firing, and it was not necessary to readjust the aim in order to bring sustained fire on a target.
Machine guns and rapid-firing artillery, when used in combination with trenches and barbed-wire emplacements, gave a decided advantage to the defense, since these weapons’ rapid and sustained firepower could decimate a frontal assault by either infantry or cavalry.
The planning and conduct of war in 1914 were crucially influenced by the invention of new weapons and the improvement of existing types since the Franco-German War of 1870–71. The chief developments of the intervening period had been the machine gun and the rapid-fire field artillery gun. The modern machine gun, which had been developed in the 1880s and ’90s, was a reliable belt-fed gun capable of sustained rates of extremely rapid fire; it could fire 600 bullets per minute with a range of more than 1,000 yards (900 metres). In the realm of field artillery, the period leading up to the war saw the introduction of improved breech-loading mechanisms and brakes. Without a brake or recoil mechanism, a gun lurched out of position during firing and had to be re-aimed after each round. The new improvements were epitomized in the French 75-millimetre field gun; it remained motionless during firing, and it was not necessary to readjust the aim in order to bring sustained fire on a target.
Machine guns and rapid-firing artillery, when used in combination with trenches and barbed-wire emplacements, gave a decided advantage to the defense, since these weapons’ rapid and sustained firepower could decimate a frontal assault by either infantry or cavalry.
Successful employment of machine guns by both sides in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 hastened its procurement throughout Europe. The USA remained largely aloof from these developments and, after going to war in 1917, were obliged to rely chiefly upon British and French designs to equip its machine gunners.
Apr 14, 2011 · The machine gun is a potent symbol of the First World War’s Western Front. It takes little reading, however, to discover that its reputation as the arbiter of battle in France and Flanders is unjustified. We know that at least 60% of casualties incurred there were caused by artillery munitions.
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 demonstrated the impact of the machine gun and revealed two important lessons: First, that use of the machine gun in the defense resulted in the...
