mrw311 - Anthology

The Gatling Gun and Machine Guns

With the invention of the cartridge and breech loading firearm, the potentiality and efficiency of small arms exploded as new technologies were introduced which not only increased the speed of an individual's ability to reload a firearm, but also introduced means by which weapons could fire with a higher volume of rounds with relative ease. This section takes a closer look at Gatling and machine guns, the two primary weapons used by the British forces in their engagements during the latter half of the 19th century. Whereas the Gatling, like the Hotchkiss revolving cannon, utilized multiple barrels to increase the rate of fire, machine guns, like the Maxim, implemented a revolutionary bolt and feed mechanism that allowed a single barrel to fire rapidly at the expense of increased heat production and parts wear. Many in the British Army became concerned with the increasing amount of manpower needed to maintain and operate these weapons. Whereas a supply train previously filled with shot, powder, and food for the army could supply hundreds of men, fielding a Gatling, Maxim, or Hotchkiss demanded much of the space necessary for soldiers be used for ammunition, parts, and the weapons themselves. The infrastructure of the British Army was forced to adjust to accommodate the increased demands of these types of weapon. Despite this, the Maxim gun in particular became well recognized as a weapon for British imperial conquest as it was noted for being particularly useful in waging psychological warfare. First fielded in the Matabele War, it was shown that just a few Maxims could hold off thousands of warriors and its capacity for death made a fearsome weapon and helped control the African colonies. Many of the nations that would go on to fight in World War I would adopt the Maxim gun and appropriate it for their needs - it's capacity for destruction led to the widespread implementation of trench warfare as the only way to avoid its wide field of fire was to take advantage of its flat trajectory.

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