Search results
By 1914, all the major combatants had furnished their armies with machine guns on similar scales of issue. Russia, Germany and Britain used guns based on the Maxim system, while France and Austria-Hungary used indigenous designs – the Model 1907 “St Etienne” and the Schwarzlose respectively.
Jul 18, 2022 · The invention of a military firearm that could produce rapid, repeating fire had been sought for nearly 900 years. This guide comprises digital resources and print materials related to the history of the machine gun.
Aircraft were already in use for scouting and on 1 April, the French pilot Roland Garros became the first to shoot down an enemy aircraft by using a machine-gun that shot forward through the propeller blades.
- 2 August 1914-11 November 1918
- Allied victory
The machine gun was still seen as a point defence weapon and was issued two to a battalion. It merely enhanced the fire of the infantryman, who was far more mobile.
Jun 29, 2013 · Now, apparently, the machine-gun, which was the German weapon for holding on to thirteen provinces of France, is to be the virtuous, defensive machine-gun, and the tank, which was the means by which these lives were saved, is to be placed under the censure and obloquy of all just and righteous men. 28
Sep 10, 2024 · machine gun, automatic weapon of small calibre that is capable of sustained rapid fire. Most machine guns are belt-fed weapons that fire from 500 to 1,000 rounds per minute and will continue to fire as long as the trigger is held back or until the supply of ammunition is exhausted.
Machine guns are used against infantry, low-flying aircraft, small boats and lightly/unarmored land vehicles, and can provide suppressive fire (either directly or indirectly) or enforce area denial over a sector of land with grazing fire.
