Machine Gun
In 1865 the French officer Reffye invented a machine gun with a total of 25 fixed barrels, which fired 125 to 150 missiles a minute. It was soon made obsolete by newer and quicker-firing models. In 1883 the American Maxim invented the automatic machine gun. Although there were earlier versions, the modern machine gun and machine pistol were developed by Hotchkiss in 1914. His main aim was to make a gun, which would give heavy fire over a limited area. The whole weapon was automatic and cartridges were made up into belts, which fitted one of the apertures of the machine gun. The gun was based on an American model invented by Gatling, which could fire 100 missiles a minute. The idea of a rapid-firing weapon dates back to the days of the first firearms such as rifles and revolvers. Gatling’s machine gun was used in 1865 during the American Civil War. There were other models by Montigny, Feldi, Nobel, Maxim, Gardner, Colt, Hotchkiss and Skoda. The machine gun has evolved through a variety of forms, but that used by the world’s fighting forces today is a single-barreled automatic weapon. This machine, known as the multiple cannon (1450), is one of the earliest ancestors of the machine gun. Hand-held multi-barreled gun dating from 1755. It represents an attempt to produce a more powerful firearm. It had to be rested on a wall before it could be fired. James Puckle patented this repeating weapon in 1718.
It is closer to the machine gun than the two weapons shown above. One cylinder fired round bullets and another square ones, which were actually thought to be more effective against the enemy! Once fighter planes were fitted with machine guns aerial warfare took on a new dimension. In early World War I aeroplanes the gunner had to fire across the propeller, which was therefore fitted with a deflector to prevent it from being damaged. Later the firing of the machine gun was synchronized with the propeller. The development of the machine gun continued and military staffs tried to adopt the best model. Wartime experience proved that two or three men armed with an effective machine gun could halt a massive enemy attack. The picture shows a Maxim machine gun, adopted by the German army in 1908. The Maxim gun marked a new era in the evolution of the weapon. The gun is manned by two soldiers who are holding off an enemy attack. American Bell P39 or Aircobra. This is a World War II fighter plane with a
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