Hotchkiss M1914
| Hotchkiss M1914 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| general information | |
| Civil name: | Hotchkiss MG |
| Military designation: | Hotchkiss Mitrailleuse Mle 1914 |
| Country of operation: | France , USA , Belgium , Spain , Mexico , Poland , Japan |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Adolf Odkolek from Újezd / Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Manufacturer country: | France |
| Production time: | 1914 to 1930 |
| Model variants: | Mle 1897/1900/1908/1914 |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1390 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 24 kg |
| Barrel length : | 775 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : |
8 × 50 mm R Lebel , 11 × 59 mm R (FR); 7 x 57 mm (E, MEX); 7.92 × 57 mm (PL) |
| Ammunition supply : | Metal strips, ammunition belt |
| Cadence : | 500-600 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | Left |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Hotchkiss M1914 was a French- made machine gun that was used in World War I and World War II .
history
The original design of this weapon came from the Austrian officer and designer Adolf Odkolek von Újezd . Its patents were bought up by the American Benjamin Hotchkiss, founded in 1875 by the French gunsmith Hotchkiss et Cie in St. Denis near Paris. After the death of Benjamin Hotchkiss in 1885, the management of the company was taken over by Laurence V. Benét , the son of the US general and head of army procurement Stephen V. Benét . In collaboration with the engineer Henri A. Mercié , the weapon was developed to be ready for production. An important modification was the addition of radial cooling fins and as the Model 1900 the weapon was incorporated into the equipment of the French army.
Reliability initially left a lot to be desired, but other available models such as the St. Étienne M1907 performed even worse in this regard . Because of this, the model was designated the standard machine gun for the French Army in 1917. It was also used by the American Expeditionary Force in the last two years of the war . Although completely out of date at the time, it remained in service in France until the 1940s. In addition, the Hotchkiss was exported all over the world.
technology
In contrast to the Maxim MG , the Hotchkiss M1914 is air-cooled. Although it managed without a voluminous water cooling system, at 47 kg (with a tripod mount) it was considered a heavy machine gun and was used that way. A major difference lay in the loading mechanism: the Maxim worked as a recoil loader , the Hotchkiss as a gas pressure loader . The latter was later to become the standard for heavy series firearms due to weight reasons.
A technical novelty at that time was the position of the slide when the shot was released. The M1914 was the first zuschießende machine gun, that is, the shutter in front of the shot in the rear position. Only when the trigger is actuated does it snap forward and push a cartridge into the chamber . Self-igniting when the barrel was hot could therefore not occur, as could be the case with firing weapons . The shutter, which was opened between two bursts of fire, allowed air to circulate in the barrel and cool it, which also reduced wear. Hot-shot barrels could easily be changed with a special tool, as no locking mechanism blocked the barrel.
One problem with the weapon lay in the ammunition: the French rifle cartridge in caliber 8 mm Lebel was already out of date by 1900; As ammunition for machine guns it was less suitable due to its strongly conical shape and the cartridge rim. At first, metal strips were used for the ammunition supply , which only worked reliably if handled carefully. Ammunition belts were not initially used because the cartridges were not pulled out to the rear, as in the Maxim MG and MGs by Browning , but were pushed forward by the snap-action mechanism. Only later were belts developed that were suitable for use in the M1914. Although a modern cartridge, the 7.5 × 54 mm , was available in France from 1929 , the Hotchkiss was never converted to it in 1914, but left in its original condition and only replaced by the AA-52 machine gun after the Second World War .
variants
Some Hotchkiss 1914 were converted to the caliber 11 × 59 mm R and used as anti-aircraft machine guns for balloon and airship defense. The reason for this was the availability of the ammunition, which could be equipped with incendiary and tracer projectiles due to the larger projectile diameter and, as the immediate predecessor of the 8 mm Lebel, had very similar case dimensions.
With tripod mount and interchangeable barrel
Metal strips with cartridges: St. Etienne M 1907 / metal strips empty: Hotchkiss M1914
Ammunition supply
American soldiers with MG Hotchkiss, M1914
Web links
- www.firstworldwar.com: Hotchkiss Guns (English)
- Maxim Popenker: Hotchkiss M1914. In: Modern Firearms. modernfirearms.net, accessed on May 14, 2018 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Frank C. Barnes: 11x59mmR French Gras / 11x59mm Vickers . In: Richard A. Mann (Ed.): Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges . Krause Publications, 2012, ISBN 978-1-4402-4642-5 , pp. 394 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).