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Jul 18, 2022 · Hotchkiss machine guns and auto-cannons produced in the United States, France, Japan, Italy and Poland were used by nearly all combatants during World War II and beyond. Other iconic guns of World War II include the British Bren Gun, the American Johnson light machine gun, the German FG-42, and the Soviet Degtyaryov light machine gun (DP series LMGs) and DShK 1938 heavy machine gun.
- Digital Resources
U.S. Army troops practice slogging through a cypress...
- Print Resources
Published, printed materials on the design, history and use...
- Introduction
Germany produced the MG-34 and MG-42. Modern versions of the...
- Using The Library of Congress
The invention of a military firearm that could produce...
- Military Science
Military Science - Introduction - The Machine Gun: Its...
- Military History
Military History - Introduction - The Machine Gun: Its...
- Digital Resources
These helped solve some of the problems of food transportation and led to the development of some of the powdered and condensed foods still in use today. Radar. During the war's early years, Britain essentially passed all microwave radar development over to Canada. Canadian scientists developed the Plan Position Indicator, still in use today.
The scientific and technological legacies of World War II became a double-edged sword that helped usher in a modern way of living for postwar Americans, while also launching the conflicts of the Cold War. When looking at wartime technology that gained commercial value after World War II, it is impossible to ignore the small, palm-sized device ...
- Malloryk
- MG34
- Bren Light Machine Gun
- Vickers
- Thompson
- Sten Gun
- Beretta 1938
- MP40
- Ppsh-41
- Mp43
The German MG34 was an efficient and manoeuvrable gun that could be mounted on a bipod or tripod depending upon the situation. It was capable of automatic (up to 900 rpm) and single-round shooting and can be seen as the world’s first general purpose machine gun.
The British Bren light machine gun (500 rpm) was based on a Czech design and introduced in 1938. Over 30,000 Bren guns were produced by 1940 and they proved to be accurate, reliable and easy to carry. The Bren was supported by a bipod and offered automatic and single-round shooting.
The British Vickers (450-500 rpm) machine guns were, along with American M1919s, the most reliable of the war across all environmental contexts. The Vickers range was a remnant of World War Oneand models were still being used by the Royal Marines during the 1970s. Handheld sub-machine guns became integral to urban conflict conducted at close quarte...
True sub-machine guns were brought to prominence by the Germans in 1918 with the MP18, which was later developed into the MP34 and the Americans introduced the Thompson soon after. Arriving after the end of World War One, Thompsons were used by the police from 1921. Ironically, the ‘Tommy Gun’ then became synonymous with gangsters in the USA. In th...
In the longer term the Thompson was too expensive to import in sufficient numbers for the British, who designed their own sub-machine gun. The Sten (550 rpm) was crude and susceptible to fracture if dropped, but cheap and efficient. Over 2,000,000 were produced from 1942 and they also proved to be a key weapon for resistance fighters across Europe....
The Italian Beretta 1938 (600 rpm) sub-machine guns are similarly iconic to the American Thompsons. Although factory produced, a great deal of attention to detail was afforded to their assembly and their ergonomic handling, reliability and attractive finish made them prized possession.
The German MP38 was revolutionary in that it marked the birth of mass production in sub-machine guns. In stark contrast to the Berettas, plastic replaced wood and simple die-cast and sheet-stamping production was followed by basic finishing. The MP38 was soon developed into the MP40 (500 rpm), in which guise it was produced in great numbers using l...
The Soviet PPSh-41 (900 rpm) was essential to the Red Army and crucial to driving the Germans back from Stalingrad during and after that fateful battle. Following a typical Soviet approach, this gun was simply designed to facilitate mass production and over 5,000,000 were produced from 1942. They were used to equip entire battalions and were ideall...
The German MP43, renamed by Hitler in 1944 as the StG44, was developed to combine the accuracy of a rifle with the power of a machine gun and was the world’s first assault rifle. This meant it could be used both at distance and close range and variations on this model such as the AK47 became ubiquitous in the warfare of future decades.
Jun 6, 2024 · A water-cooled heavy machine gun chambered for the 7.92x57 mm cartridge, the wz.30 was capable of laying down sustained bursts of fire in a way that air-cooled light machine guns simply could not.
Jul 3, 2024 · U.S. Army troops practice slogging through a cypress swamp.... the troops fire machine guns, shoot from trees, and swim in an assault across the river. As the troops hit the shore, smoke screens are seen and explosions hit the water. Other shots show a machine-gun team on shore, followed by scenes of the troops swimming with bamboo poles as floats.
Feb 20, 2019 · On Feb. 24, 1942, Savage contracted with the Ordnance Dept. to manufacture the new model at a cost of $36.47 per gun. Auto-Ordnance’s contract price for the M1 Thompson was $42.94 each. The M1A1 ...
