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The Maxim Gun in Russia: The Early Years
By David M. Fortier[FirearmsNews] Very few inventions have had the impact on warfare as the Maxim gun. In a relatively short amount of time Hiram Maxim’s famous machine gun design not only became a staple of armies around the world but it helped change the face of modern warfare. Its distinctive tat-tat-tat-tat-tat brought an end to 19th Century tactics, and proved time and time again out-of-touch staff officers, ineptly led conscripts, courage and élan were no match for interlocking machine gun fire. Perhaps the greatest cinematic tribute to the effectiveness of the Maxim machine gun is the 37-second scene in Lewis Milestone’s 1930 film “All Quiet on the Western Front”. For 37 seconds the viewer is given a barbed wire view as multiple German MG 08 machine guns, with their distinctive staccato chattering on without end, effortlessly cuts down an endless stream of courageous French infantry. In reality, the carnage was much worse than what could be shown on the silver screen. The Maxim gun, and quick-firing field artillery, forced even the bravest of the brave to burrow deep into the earth to escape their wrath. Maxim guns were fielded by both sides during the Great War and one notable early adopter was Imperial Russia. By the time the Guns of August sounded, Russia had considerable practical experience with the Maxim, and perhaps some of the best gun crews in the world. Russian gun crews had been stacking bodies ten years earlier while most of Europe was still trying to figure out what exactly to do with the new contraption. The Maxim gun would go on to live a long life in Russia, and served through many wars both large and small. To begin our look at this famous design’s life in Russia though, we must begin our journey on the other side of the Atlantic, in rural Maine, the home of its inventor, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim. Posted by: badanov 2021-09-03 |
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