Maxim

[Old Tom]

According to a note in my newspaper, today is the anniversary of the death in 1916 of Sir Hiram Maxim. Other than that he was the designer of the first?? machine gun capable of continuous fire, I know little of him; not even that he had a knighthood. I had thought he was American. Did he get his K for allowing Vickers to modify and manufacture his gun?

Old Tom

[Andrew Upton]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Stevens_Maxim

[centurion]

The first continuous fire gun (machine gun) to see action was the Ager Coffee Mill gun a single barreled hand cranked gun fed with steel cartridge cases through a hopper. Saw some action in the American Civil War. This was followed by the Gatling and then more multi barrel guns from Nordenfelt, Gardner, Hotchkiss etc etc. Maxim's achievement was to produce the first automatic machine gun (no cranking necessary).. Maxim or Maxim derived guns were used by every army in WW1

[Old Tom]

Many thanks. So he got his K from Queen Victoria in 1901 having been nauturalised British the year before.

Old Tom

[TonyE]

....... Maxim or Maxim derived guns were used by every army in WW1

Hotchkiss?

Schwarzlose?

Revelli?

Regards

TonyE

[centurion]

The Vickers Terni company manufactured the Vickers under licence in Italy during WW1 - these were supplied to the Italian Army and Navy. The Maxim Mascinengewehr 1904 was fitted in many KuK fortresses. In addition the air corps of both countries used guns derived from Maxims. The Vickers was also the standard forward firing gun on French aircraft (both Army and Navy). So used in every army is correct.

[TonyE]

OK, I accept that if you include air use that is the case, but a Maxim derived MG was not the principal MG of those armies.

However, I would like to see the evidence for your statement that Vickers Terni manufactured the Vickers (using this in the accepted sense of the rifle calibre machine gun). They did make the 1" Vickers for air use and larger guns of course.

Regards

TonyE

[centurion]

OK, I accept that if you include air use that is the case, but a Maxim derived MG was not the principal MG of those armies. I never said it was but the KuK did use some Maxims on the ground. 

However, I would like to see the evidence for your statement that Vickers Terni manufactured the Vickers (using this in the accepted sense of the rifle calibre machine gun). They did make the 1" Vickers for air use and larger guns of course.

Regards

TonyE

They did manufacture the 1 inch of course but I have seen a photo of a rifle calibre gun, Its late so I'll try and locate this tomorrow after work. What text references I have seen suggests that manufacture took place just before Italy entered the war and the Fiat Revelli in time replaced these guns.

[centurion]

OK, I accept that if you include air use that is the case, but a Maxim derived MG was not the principal MG of those armies. I never said it was but the KuK did use some Maxims on the ground. 

However, I would like to see the evidence for your statement that Vickers Terni manufactured the Vickers (using this in the accepted sense of the rifle calibre machine gun). They did make the 1" Vickers for air use and larger guns of course.

Regards

TonyE

They did manufacture the 1 inch of course but I have seen a photo of a rifle calibre gun, Its late so I'll try and locate this tomorrow after work. What text references I have seen suggests that manufacture took place just before Italy entered the war and the Fiat Revelli in time replaced these guns.

[centurion]

Still haven't had time to follow up but the Italian army did order Maxims from Britain in 1900 (or possibly 1901) so I would suspect that later they wanted them made in Italy