General Facts and Overview
The machine gun was invented by Hiram Maxim in 1884 in Great Britain. These guns weighed between 30kg and 60kg and could shoot up to 600 rounds per minute. It was invented because there was a need for a fast firing and efficient gun. However, with the gun came many problems such as overheating and lack of munitions as well as the constant jamming . To fix these problems they started building machine guns with built in water cooing jackets to prevent overheating and soldiers were trained to conserve and find ammunition in any way they could.
The World War 1 machine guns only worked for a few reasons and without them the machine gun might have never existed. The first reason these guns worked is because the recoil of the first shot loaded the next round into firing position. The second reason these guns worked is the water cooling jackets that they were equipped with.
The machine gun was invented by Hiram Maxim in 1884 in Great Britain. These guns weighed between 30kg and 60kg and could shoot up to 600 rounds per minute. It was invented because there was a need for a fast firing and efficient gun. However, with the gun came many problems such as overheating and lack of munitions as well as the constant jamming . To fix these problems they started building machine guns with built in water cooing jackets to prevent overheating and soldiers were trained to conserve and find ammunition in any way they could.
The World War 1 machine guns only worked for a few reasons and without them the machine gun might have never existed. The first reason these guns worked is because the recoil of the first shot loaded the next round into firing position. The second reason these guns worked is the water cooling jackets that they were equipped with.
As the war developed machine guns were adapted for use on tanks on broken ground and in 1918 one manned portable machine guns were invented. This innovation was very important because with these guns trench warfare was more offensive then a defensive strategy. Also, machine guns were eventually mounted on airplanes, the main reason militaries did this was to get an edge in dogfights but also at a much smaller extent they were put on to shoot down at the enemy on the ground. The innovation of the machine gun also made it much easier to shoot down airplanes and zeppelin from the ground.
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(Left) This is the site of the Battle of The Somme. Historical evidence shows that there were machine guns used in the fighting here. |
Impact and Consequences of the Machine Gun
The main consequence of the machine gun in World War 1 is the death of nearly 2 million troops and the wounding of 4.2 million soldiers. Plus, since it's creation, Over 1,000 people per year are killed by automatic weapons. It's impact on World War 1 was huge, it was responsible for 20% of all deaths in the 21st century. Soldiers near the front lines are the ones most effected because they are the closed to the gun and because of its short range, the machine gun can't do very much damage beyond the front lines. Civilians near the front lines are probably safe because machine gun ammunition is very scarce because they use it very quickly, so machine gunners probably won't waste their ammo on civilians. |
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Upgraded and Enhanced Modern Day Versions of the Machine Gun
Modern day machine guns play a major part in war, just like they did in World War 1. In fact, 90% of all soldiers in the U.S. military are equipped with an automatic weapon. Today, the average machine gun weighs about 3.5kg loaded and fires a 5.56mm round. Modern day machine guns are obviously more effective then the original design created by Hiram Maxim, but without Maxim's design modern day machine guns would not be as advanced and might not even exist at all.
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Modern day machine guns shoot an average of 1500 rounds per minute, this and the portability that this class of weapon has developed have made the machine gun the choice weapon of most soldiers and ultimately the most deadly of all weapons. The most used machine gun today is the AR-15. Although the U.S. military does not give details of their issued weapons, the AR-15 is the most popular civilian owned machine gun. The AR-15 is similar to the M-16 that was used in the Vietnam War. Although the M-16 is currently inactive, in the Vietnam War alone it was issued to over 3.69 million soldiers that were bravely fighting in The Vietnam War. Over the years machine guns have gotten lighter, faster and stronger from the original version in WWI. Today, machine guns are normally used in the military and are equipped with most soldiers and are owned by some citizens. |
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(Right) This was the site of The Battle of Hill 881 (Vietnam War) The M-16 was used by most of the soldiers involved. |
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Webpage designed by: Jose Rack
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