ErnieNoakes Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 I believe that the BEF (1914) were equipped with Maxim machine guns. Can anyone supply details of this weapon, or suggest sites where information is available please. Regards, Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWmaximgun.htm www2.arnes.si/~ljmuzejnz/amitralj.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_machine_gun www.kimdutoit.com/dr/weblog.php www.douglashenderson.com/100guns/100gunsmachinegun.htm www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_maxim.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDick Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 According to Stephen Bull's 'The British Army in World War One' the Maxim MG was officially replaced by the Vickers in November 1912, but many of the former were still in service with the BEF in 1914. (And one might assume that more came back into service to cover the shortage of HMGs, albeit temporarily, in 1914-15?) Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 This picture is of the Machine Gun Section 5th Bn Kings Liverpool Regt taken at Surbiton Surrey 18 Oct 1914 They are equipped with the Maxim. According to Skennerton at the outbreak of WW1 the Germans had 50,000 maxim guns to hand or on order. The British had 109 Vickers Machine Guns in the Army's hands only 2 with the Royal Navy and 1846 old Maxims. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 27 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 27 July , 2004 Thanks for the general information, is it possible to be more specific? What I'm interested in is the model that the British Army were issued with. Especially if I can obtain a photograph of it. Regards, Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 27 July , 2004 Share Posted 27 July , 2004 Hopefully heres one in action!! #~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~~#~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 28 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2004 HarrybettsMCDCM I've just tried to email you but it's come back as undeliverable. Can you please send the attachment to me so that I can open it? Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 28 July , 2004 Share Posted 28 July , 2004 Gents, when you refer to Maxims, do you mean US produced guns or guns made at Crayford, Kent by Vickers Sons & Maxim Ltd? Would both be termed just Maxims? The way I read it, Vickers were quick to modify the Maxim design, so when does a Maxim become a Vickers? Phil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 28 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2004 m13pqb Maxim supplied machine guns to the British Army from 1889. The army adopted the Vickers made gun and started to introduce it in 1912, as you say the Vickers gun is basically a modified Maxim, but they are different. I believe the Vickers was lighter than the Maxim. I would also be interested to know which Regiments had Vickers and who had still got Maxims in 1st Ypres. Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 28 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 28 July , 2004 HarrybettsMCDCM Thanks Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 28 July , 2004 Share Posted 28 July , 2004 as you say the Vickers gun is basically a modified Maxim, but they are different. I believe the Vickers was lighter than the Maxim. That is correct. The main change was the inversion of the lock mechanism that extracts the next bullet from the feedbelt, inserts the current bullet into the firing chamber and ejects the empty cartridge. This reduced the size, and therefore the weight, of the heavy receiving block. A lighter water jacket was also used on the Vickers. These changes meant that the Vickers was just over half the weight of the Maxim. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoch beard Posted 29 July , 2004 Share Posted 29 July , 2004 hello ernie,was it a maxim your great uncle carried 3/4 of a mile? enoch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 29 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 29 July , 2004 enoch, I honestly don't know, when I first joined the forum last year I asked this question. Chris Baker said Vickers, but others said no South Staffs didn't have Vickers at the time it must have been a Maxim. But if the army started using Vickers in 1912, I don't know, Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 30 July , 2004 Share Posted 30 July , 2004 Hopefully heres one in action!! This isn't a Maxim, it is in fact a US Browning MG. The British Army went to war in 1914 with the Maxim Gun as illustrated below; the only unit to my knowledge issued with Vickers MGs were the London Scottish, who had bought them privately. Below is a Maxim as used by 1st Cheshires at Audregnies on 24th August 1914 and now in the Mons museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 30 July , 2004 Share Posted 30 July , 2004 Below is a photo of the same type of weapon as being used by the MG section of the Sussex Yeomanry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 30 July , 2004 Share Posted 30 July , 2004 Below is a Vickers Machine Gun, so you can compare the visible difference between the too weapons. In my experience, British units did not get these until 1915. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 30 July , 2004 Share Posted 30 July , 2004 Here's the other thread that discusses the Vickers vs Maxim machine guns http://1914-1918.org/forum/index.php?showt...5&hl=vickers+mg Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 31 July , 2004 Share Posted 31 July , 2004 A better photo of the 5th Bn Kings MG Section 1914 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 31 July , 2004 Share Posted 31 July , 2004 Here are some links to some articles. I have included the M1917 Browning as it has found its way into this discussion. http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/machineguns.htm http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_maxim.htm http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_vickers.htm http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_browning.htm Interestingly, the piece on the Vickers implies that because it was introduced as the standard issue m/g in 1912, it was the main m/g in service from the start of the war, whereas we know that the majority of units were still issued with Maxims - and not enough of them by a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErnieNoakes Posted 31 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2004 What can I say, except that next time I'll ask for the moon as well. Thank you to every one. Ernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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