The Social History Of The Machine Gun

This book is a very important text for any student of the development of the machine gun, and contains details of the history of this weapon from its inception to the mid-ppoint of the First World War. The evolution of the machine gun is detailed, followed by examples of the use of the wepon in war, and particularly in the Russo-Japanese War. Tactics are examined in detail, both from the historical point of view and tactics of the First World War, an important part of the book. Training is covered, particularly from the British Army side, and the relevant chapter has much of great value in it. Perhaps the most important part of the book however is the examination of the machine guns of the armies then at war. There is in addition a complete chapter on machine guns in the German Army, which is of specific importance to any study of the tactics on the western front. The book is illustrated with a series of good photographs and a number of line drawings of both early and current machine guns, and there is also a large scale drawing of the Vickers gun.

The machine gun—often called the killing machine—revolutionized modern ground combat, brought an end to the traditional infantry and cavalry charge, and changed the battlefields of war forever. This volume in the Weapons and Warfare series describes the history of machine guns from the mid-19th century to the present, following both the evolution of small arms technology and the impact of machine guns on the battlefield, on military strategy, and on human society. This book discusses subjects ranging from the forerunners of mechanical and automatic guns, to the unusual history of the Civil War-era Gatling gun (the first practical machine gun, not used by the Union army because Gatling was a Southerner), to the machine guns developed for the world wars and those for present day use. Readers will see how the advent of the machine gun revolutionized ground combat—and how in some instances, technology outran tactics and doctrines, with disastrous consequences.

Dr. Richard Gatling invented the world’s first practical machine gun in 1862. Between that weapon and subsequent improved designs, the world’s armies had roughly 50 years to adopt the machine gun and perfect its employment before it helped wreak the carnage of World War I. However, for some reason or combination of reasons, none of the armies of the day saw fit to do so. This thesis explores the potential explanations behind this phenomenon by using the Russo-Japanese War as a case study. The Russo-Japanese War should have demonstrated to the world how the machine gun fundamentally altered the conduct of land warfare, especially since the major world powers all sent military observers to report on the war’s events. This thesis will show, however, that because of a complex combination of the prevalent military tactical culture, bureaucratic pragmatism and logistical concerns, the five major protagonist armies of World War I generally failed to apply the lessons they learned about machine-gun employment from the Russo-Japanese War and as a result were completely surprised by the weapon’s impact on the battlefield ten years later.

This is a very important book which should interest all who wish to know more about one of the most devastating weapons of 20th century warfare: the machine gun. Although mainly concerned with the role of the weapon during the Great War, Lt. Col. Hutchinson devotes space to explaining how the machine gun evolved from ancient times. There are chapters, too, on the Gatling Gun, the prototype machine gun much favoured in 19th century colonial wars, and on Hiram Maxim, the cheerfully amoral inventor who can plausibly be called the father of the modern machine gun. In discussing the role of the machine gun on the western front, the author does not hide the early advantage enjoyed by the Germans who had far more of the weapons per head than the British. Nor does he attempt to hide the horrendous toll taken by the German machine gunners on what may have been the weapon s bloodiest and most successful day: the decimation of the British advance on July 1st, 1916, the first day of the battle of the Somme. But Hutchinson shows how the British learned from their errors and caught up with the Germans in using the gun and devising new tactics for it. Nor does the author neglect the use of the gun in other theatres : Italy, the Balkans and the Middle East. A well-written, sober and informative account, packed with detail and fascinating information. With fifteen photographs and many maps.