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| © 2012 Soldiers Memorial |
Caliber: 8mm
Length: 1,390 mm
Weight: 53 lbs, 11 oz
Rate of Fire: 500 round/min
References:
- Manufactured by the Hotchkiss Munitions Company in 1914. Though Hotchkiss was based in France, its founder, Benjamin Hotchkiss, was American. Hotchkiss left the U.S. for France during the Civil War because of the American military's resistance to funding new types of weaponry.
- This particular weapon was used mainly by the militaries of France and the United States, serving as France's primary machine gun during World War II. The Hotchkiss M1914 was also used extensively by the Japanese military during the Russo-Japanese War.
- Had just 32 removable parts, making it easy for soldiers to take the gun apart and perform maintenance.
- Though it was innovative for its time, it was incredibly heavy- weighing in at more than 50 lbs and making the transfer and setup of the weapon difficult for troops on the move.
- Used until the early 1940s by the French military because of its dependability.
- Duffy, Michael. "Encyclopedia - Hotchkiss Guns." FirstWorldWar.com: A Multimedia History of World War One. August 22, 2009. http://www.firstworldwar.com/atoz/mgun_hotchkiss.htm (accessed February 22, 2012).
- Hogg, Ian V. The Complete Machine-Gun. New York: Exeter Books, 1979.
