Weapon of the first world war - machine gun "Lewis"

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

Machine gun history

Everyone, seeing this light machine gun, immediately recognizes it, since very often this particular machine gun is shown in films about the First World War and even the Second World War.

After all, it is not for nothing that it is shown in films, because thanks to its simplicity and reliability, low weight characteristics, high rate of fire, the machine gun quickly won the hearts of the military of many states and at that time was very popular. All modifications of the weapon were successful and only added fame to the machine gun.

Colonel of the US Army Isaac Lewis is considered the designer of the light machine gun. At one time, having received his education at West Point, in 1911 he headed the artillery school at Fort Monroe. Leading the school and engaged in scientific research and development of weapons, he is widely recognized as a specialist in electromechanics and mechanics. Before retirement, Colonel Lewis chose the path of the consultant of the firm "AAS" - Automatic Arms Company.

While working as a consultant, Colonel Lewis continues to develop weapons and is working on his own project of a lightweight machine gun, the mechanisms of which would be set in motion by using the power of powder gases, used ammunition.

The Automatic Arms Company acquires all rights to the original machine gun designed by Dr. Semuel McClean. It is with this machine gun that the history of the Lews light machine gun begins. Colonel Lewis was very interested in this machine gun, and he uses many technical and design solutions to create his own machine gun. The AAS company transfers to Lewis the control stake and leadership over the mass production of the machine gun and its distribution for the company's right to produce his machine gun.

Machine gun device

Just a couple of years later, Lewis designed a machine gun with a disc magazine and an air-cooled barrel. The mechanics of the machine gun worked in automatic mode thanks to the technical solution for the removal of powder gases. After the shot, the powder gases came out through the barrel holes and, with their pressure, shifted the piston to its original state, returning, the piston cocked the return spring. Also, the rod rack moved the shutter, removing the lugs from the groove of the bolt box. The further stroke of the bolt and piston pushed out the shot sleeve, which, as a result of this movement, was thrown aside by the reflector. The bolt protrusion, acting on the feeder, opened the store, and the next cartridge was fed to the receiving window.

After the mechanisms returned to their original state, the return spring, unwinding, quickly shifted the shutter with the stem forward. At the same time, the bolt picked up the cartridge and sent it to the chamber. The suppressor moved to the right and was held by the next projection of the store. The rod rack began to move along the bolt slot, the bolt turned, and the lugs entered the grooves, the drummer, breaking the capsule, fired another shot.

The main problem of automatic weapons is the strong heating of the barrel during intense fire. Lewis developed his own air cooling system. He placed the barrel of his machine gun in a radiator made of aluminum and closed it with a cylindrical casing.

When firing from a machine gun, powder gases coming out of the barrel holes at a decent speed were drawn into the casing with ordinary air, and it ventilated the aluminum radiator, taking heat with it. But even this decision was not a panacea, bursts of more than 25 shots still overheated the machine gun, and we had to take short breaks when firing. The disk-shaped magazine had a capacity of 47 ammunition, which a light machine gun fired in 6 seconds. The magazine was easy to change, and that amount of cartridges in the magazine was considered sufficient.

The road to recognition

While serving in the US Armed Forces, Lewis applied for his military inventions many times, but did not find a response from the command. As in any other country, inventions are not popular with the military command, and therefore Lewis decided to approach the problem from the other side.

He asks his friend, Captain Chandler, the commander of the reconnaissance air corps, to test the machine gun in the air. Chandler recruits Lieutenant Milling, a pilot of the Wright biplane, to test the aircraft.

Lewis reports to a group of officers and the press about the tests of the machine gun in the air.

In early June 1912, the biplane successfully tests the machine gun. But although the press gave positive reviews about the Lewis machine gun and the command made it possible to perform official tests, the machine gun is not accepted, since the US artillery department had previously approved the use of the French Bene-Mercier machine gun in the army. He was inferior in many respects to the Lewis machine gun and had the usual awkward cartridge belts. After that, Lewis leaves the army and moves to Europe.

The Belgians were interested in a light machine gun with a disc-shaped magazine. After successful demonstrations and tests, Lewis signs an agreement with the Belgians that creates a new company, Armes Automatic Lewis, to manufacture Lewis machine guns. But it soon becomes clear that only the British company "BSA" will be able to produce this machine gun, with which they conclude an agreement on the production of the main components of the machine gun.

With the help of BSA, Lewis is demonstrating the use of a machine gun from the air. The biplane is specially equipped with an additional seat for the machine gunner. At the end of November 1913, a machine gun used from the air hits a target from a height of 120 meters. More than half of the disc successfully hit the target.

After demonstrating the capabilities of the machine gun, the BSA company receives small trial orders from the military of Russia, Belgium and England. Despite the significant heating of the barrel during intensive shooting, the machine gun is rated positively by experts. Belgium in 1913 adopts a machine gun for service with its army.

Although the Air Force of England showed interest in the machine gun, they showed traditional English caution and were in no hurry to order a machine gun. Therefore, the first parties were received by Belgium and Russia. Anticipating a war in Europe, BSA decides to increase production capacity and orders a batch of machine tools in the United States.

Just before the start of the war, in mid-1914, England first orders a batch of 10 pieces and after a couple of weeks about 50 more machine guns. After the outbreak of hostilities, the company received an order for 200 units of machine guns.

But after the Belgian military units, armed with infantry models of the Lewis machine gun, successfully repelled the attacks of superior German forces, the demand for the machine gun grew exponentially.

The BSA company could not cope with such a flow of orders, and then they ordered 12 thousand machine guns from the American company Savage Arms Company. At the end of 1915, the plant in Birmingham finally began operating, which was able to produce about 300 machine guns per week.

Machine gun modifications

The first modification concerned the aircraft machine gun. It replaced the butt with a handle of the "Maxim" type. The next modernized the barrel of the machine gun, however, this only affected the radiator casing, which interfered with firing. Due to the good blowing of the machine gun at a height, the cover is removed from the aircraft machine gun. Bag-like containers are added to catch the shot casings that damaged the aircraft skin when ejected.

Also, by 1916, the magazine capacity was increased for the convenience of firing in the air, the disk magazine became more massive and contained 97 ammunition. The store itself was equipped with a handle for quick one-handed replacement.

In 1916, taking into account various improvements, BSA began production of an upgraded version of the Lewis Mk. II.

Around the same time, a mounting device was created in England for installing a machine gun on an aircraft. "Carriage Fortera" was made in the form of an arched rail, where the machine gun moved to the back-down position. These carriages were equipped with the English "RAF SE.5a".

In Russia, a carriage also appears for attaching a machine gun to an aircraft; it was distinguished by the fact that the backward move was made on a hinge.

Since 1915, the machine gun has become the de facto standard for military aircraft.

During operation, it turned out that the machine gun acquired a number of other drawbacks, such as freezing of the lubricant at low temperatures, mandatory cleaning of the barrel after shooting 600 ammunition was required, during air battles, it was often forgotten about the overheating of the machine gun, this led to a rapid breakdown of the weapon.

In 17, the Lewis naval machine gun was completed, which led to the serial production of the Lewis Mk. III machine gun. This modification reduced the mass of the machine gun and increased the rate of fire. The third Lewis became the most common weapon for arming combat aircraft and remained so until the outbreak of World War II.

The United States and Russia used 7.62 mm ammunition to fire the machine gun, while Italy, France and Japan used 0.383 7.7 mm ammunition.

Since the rate of fire of the machine gun increased to 850 rounds per minute, without improving the design solutions, breakdowns and machine gun failures increased greatly, and overcoming high altitudes by aircraft increased the unsolved problem of lubricant freezing.

The machine gun quickly lost its attractiveness and by the end of the thirties was considered an obsolete weapon.

But in spite of everything, the machine gun was very often used on the fronts of the Second World War. German troops often used this machine gun in their units, although they had newer weapons.