Since the first person picked up a club in order to hit another person with her, humanity has been improving and perfecting it. Dubin was replaced by an ax, spear, bow - the list is very long. In the middle of the list is a machine gun. The first of the machine guns, most likely, was a Maxim machine gun. Before him there were card cases - quick-firing systems of firing with a standard cartridge and charged from the breech. They had a significant drawback: the shooter did the work of rolling back and locking the shutter, cocking the hammer, rotating the handle. The shooter quickly got tired, which is unacceptable in a battle. During the operation of the gamblers, the basic mechanisms for locking the shutter, cocking the drummer, loading and ejecting the spent sleeve were worked out. It only remained to learn how to use the energy of the spent powder gases or the recoil of the barrel to reload the cartridge and cock the striker. This task was brilliantly handled by the American engineer Hiram Stevens Maxim.
He is not just the one who invented the Maxim machine gun, he is the one who discovered a new era of war.
Whatever happens, we have got
The Maxim gun, and they have not
“Be that as it may, Maxim is with us, and not with them.” This line from Healer Bellock’s poem “The Modern Traveler”, written by him in 1898, became an epigraph to the history of wars of the early twentieth century.
In 1893, fifty British guards of the Rhodesian charter company in Africa in 90 minutes out of 4 machine guns shot 5000 attacking Zulus. 3, 000 of them died.
September 2, 1898 in Sudan, 8 thousand British and 18 thousand Egyptian soldiers, armed with 44 Maxim machine guns, defeated the troops of the Sudan, numbering 62 thousand people, armed with bows and spears. 20 thousand people were killed and wounded. The future Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill participated in this battle.
Hiram Stevens Maxim
Hiram Stevens Maxim (accent on the first syllable of a surname) was born in 1840 in America, in the state of Maine. At first he invented an automatic spring trap. Then there are a lot of different things: hair curlers, a menthol inhaler, new designs of dynamo machines, charcoal thread for light bulbs. He worked on the creation of the aircraft, but the power of the steam engine was not enough, and there was no gasoline yet. During his life he has patented 271 inventions.
The controversy over the patent for the invention of the light bulb with Thomas Alva Edison forced Maxim to go to the UK.
In 1881, Maxim moved to England.
In 1882, Maxim met with an American whom he knew from America. He advised to give up chemistry and electricity and do something that would allow Europeans to kill each other with greater efficiency. Maxim listened to the words of his compatriot and in 1883 introduced the world to the first instance of a machine gun.
In 1888, he founded a machine gun factory. In 1896, the plant became the property of Vickers (British Vickers Co). The first Maxim machine gun was with the British in 1891. In England he was called the Vickers. Officially, Maxim's machine gun was in service with Britain under the Vickers Mk-1 brand from 1912 to 1967.
In 1899, Hiram Maxim accepted British citizenship, and in 1901, Queen Victoria knighted Maxim for her services to Britain. Mass executions of the local population in Rhodesia and Sudan were highly praised by the crown.
Hiram Stevens Maxim died on November 24, 1916 in England.
Market promotion of a “product”
Since 1883, Maxim offered his machine gun to the armies of different countries. The banker Nathaniel Rothschild financed the machine gun promotion campaign.
Maxim effectively presented the machine gun to customers, for example, he immersed the machine gun for two days in water, then he got out and shot it without preparation. The weapon did an excellent job. The device of the Maxim machine gun demonstrated high reliability. At the demonstrations, he fired in a row up to 15 thousand rounds without breakdowns and distortions of the mechanism. There is an opinion that due to constant shooting he started having hearing problems.
Machine gun sales were successful, by 1905, Maxim machine guns were bought by 19 armies and 21 fleets from different countries.
Maxim introduced the machine gun to Kaiser Germany. The Germans liked the machine gun and in 1892 they opened their production under license at the German Weapons and Ammunition factory or the DWM concern. In Germany it was called Maschinengewehr-08, abbreviated MG 08. The German version differed from the Russian caliber of the barrel and cartridge. The Germans made machine guns Maxima chambered by a Mauser rifle: 7.92 × 57 mm.
The First World War is sometimes called the "machine-gun war" due to a sharp increase in losses from automatic weapons. In just one day on the Somme, July 1, 1916, the British lost more than 20 thousand people killed. The Germans shot the British mainly from MG 08.
By the beginning of World War II, the MG 08 was considered an obsolete weapon, however, Germany was armed with 42 thousand MG 08 machine guns.
The appearance of the Maxim machine gun in Russia
Maxim first brought a machine gun to a demonstration in Russia in 1887. The machine gun was a caliber of 4.5 Russian lines or 11.43 mm. To measure the caliber in Russia, the Russian line was used - 2.54 mm. Or one 0.1 inch. Weighed a machine gun on a gun carriage with protective armor 400 kg.
The military became interested in a machine gun and, at the direction of Emperor Alexander III, acquired several pieces. By the way, Alexander III himself tested the weapon.
In the years 1891-1892, for testing, 5 Maxim machine guns of 4.2 line caliber were manufactured, which corresponded to the cartridge for the Berdan rifle.
The first copies came to the troops from 1887 to 1904. They were on heavy carriages and weighed about 250 kilograms. Machine guns were installed to protect the fortresses and attributed to artillery.
In 1900, the first five machine-gun batteries were formed. But that was not enough.
Arming the Russian army with Maxim machine guns really began before the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. In May 1904, the Tula Arms Plant began making them under the license of the British company Vickers. The caliber of the Maxim machine gun was 7.62 mm. This is the most common rifle in the Russian army of the time for a three-line rifle. From this moment begins the story of the machine gun "Maxim".
Russo-Japanese War of 1905
Machine guns were widely used in the Russian army during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The military appreciated the power of automatic weapons. At the same time, the experience of the war confirmed that machine guns are not the “fourth kind of troops” in addition to infantry, cavalry and artillery, but must support existing troops with fire.
By the beginning of the war with Japan, the Russian army had 1 machine gun for 5, 000 soldiers.
The first modernization of the Maxim machine gun in 1910
In 1910, the gunsmith I.A. Sudakov, Colonel P.P. Tretyakov, senior master I.A. Shepherds at the Tula arms factory made the first modernization of "Maxim". Reduced weight, replaced some bronze parts with steel. Russian officer A.A. Sokolov has developed a compact machine with a metal shield. The weight of the Maxim machine gun with the machine and water in the cooling case was reduced to 70 kg. This greatly facilitated the task.
Technical characteristics of the machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 on the machine Sokolov
Consider the table "Cartridge model 1908 (7.62x53R)":
|
The mass of the "body" of the machine gun, kg |
18.43 |
| The length of the "body" of the machine gun, mm |
1067 |
|
Muzzle velocity, m / s |
865 |
|
Sighting range, m |
2270 |
|
The maximum range of the bullet, m |
5000 |
|
Rate of fire, rounds / min |
600 |
|
Tape capacity |
250 rounds |
|
Curb weight |
7.29 kg |
|
Tape length |
6060 mm |
World War I
Russia entered the First World War, armed with 4.2 thousand Maxim machine guns of the 1910 model. This turned out to be extremely small. During the war, 27 thousand copies were made and delivered to the troops.
Machine guns learned to install on armored cars and armored trains. In the First World War, carts began to be used - light crews on a spring course. Although sometimes their invention is attributed to the First Horse and the Makhnovists. Spring move allowed to fire on the go. However, at every opportunity, the machine gun was removed from the tachanka for firing. Firstly, horses were cherished, and secondly, the tachanka served as an excellent target for artillery. The only machine gun adopted by the Russian army in World War I was the Maxim machine gun.
Civil War
The First World War had not yet ended, as the Civil War began.
The industry of the young Soviet republic did not produce any new weapons. Therefore, the "Maxim" of 1910 remained the main machine gun of the Red Army. From 1918 to 1920, the Tula Plant produced 21, 000 new machine guns and repaired several thousand.
1930 modernization
The modernization of 1930 was carried out by A.A. Tronenkov, P.P. Tretyakov, I.A. Pastukhov, K.N. Rudnev. They increased the stiffness of the casing, installed a 2-fold optical sight, the regular sight was marked out for firing with different types of bullets.
In 1931, a quad-mount anti-aircraft machine gun was developed. The stationary installation of anti-aircraft guns simplified the problem of cooling the trunks, it was carried out according to the scheme with forced circulation of water. For anti-aircraft installations used machine-gun belts of larger capacity, 500 and 1000 rounds. It was installed on armored trains and for the needs of air defense. Anti-aircraft installation hit aerial targets at altitudes of up to 1, 500 meters.
Finnish campaign
The Finnish campaign of 1940 showed great mistakes in the preparation of the command and rank and file of the Red Army, supplying the army, and the state of armament. The war was called "Winter" because the main battles fell on the harsh winter of 1939-1940. "Maxim" improved and adapted to firing in the cold right on the battlefield. A machine gun sank in the snow. It was mounted on sleds and boats to move in deep snow. They put them on the towers of tanks to fire from above and keep up with the advancing infantry.
Many constructive decisions were taken from the Finnish modification of the Maxim machine gun. The Finnish "Maxim" M / 32-33 was finalized by A. Lahti. He had a higher rate of fire - 800 rounds per minute. In addition, the Finnish machine gun had several other advantages, for example, the wide neck of the cooling casing. The neckline allowed snow and ice to fall into the casing instead of water. He copied a tap to drain the water after the battle. Freezing, water could damage the casing.
Before the Great Patriotic War
In 1939, "Maxim" was recognized obsolete and removed from service, replacing the Degtyarev DS-39 machine gun.
The reasons for the decision were the heavy weight and complexity of the operation of the machine gun. To cool the barrel requires 4 liters of water. If a solution for the winter was found, then in the summer the water had to be carried along with the cartridges. “Water to the wounded and machine guns” - this call of the defenders of the Brest Fortress was voiced in 1941, but this truth was already understood in 1939. If the casing was damaged, it was simply a violation of its sealing, the machine gun failed. It is impossible to seal the casing with special grease and asbestos thread during the battle.
The weight of the "Maxim" did not allow the pedestrian machine-gun crew to move at the speed of an average infantryman. A change of position under enemy fire actually meant the death of the shooter.
The profile and dimensions of the Maxim machine gun and the calculation of two people unmasked the machine gun. At the beginning of the 20th century, the shield still protected him from calculation, but by the 40s it was no longer there. Artillery easily suppressed such targets.
Sokolov’s machine tool had wheels, but they were unsuitable for moving a machine gun over really rough terrain. "Maxim" was carried on hand. In the mountains it was even difficult to install it simply horizontally. For the operation of the machine gun in the mountains used homemade tripods.
1941 modernization
With the outbreak of World War II, the Tula Arms Plant resumed production of Maxim machine guns. DS-39 did not live up to expectations.
In 1941, the engineers of the Tula plant modernized the machine gun for the last time. The task was to reduce the cost and technologically simplify the design. Combat practice has shown that the firing range is usually less than 1, 500 meters. At this distance, the ballistics of the light and heavy bullets did not have significant differences and one sight can be used (for a heavy bullet). The mount for the optical sight was dismantled from the machine gun, since they were still not enough in the troops.
At the end of 1941, the Tula arms and Podolsky mechanical plants were evacuated to the Urals, to the city of Zlatoust. During the war years, until 1945, about 55, 000 Maxim machine guns were produced at the new factory.
In 1942, the Izhevsk Motorcycle Plant began to produce Maxim machine guns. During the war years, 82, 000 machine guns were fired in Izhevsk.
Officially, the last time the Maxim machine gun was used by the Soviet border guards in 1969 during battles with the Chinese on Damansky Island.
Machine gun cost
When the emperor of China heard about the creation of a machine gun, he immediately sent his dignitary to Maxim. The messenger met with the inventor, looked at the work of the machine gun and asked only one question:
- How much is shooting from this miracle of engineering?
“134 pounds per minute, ” the designer replied.
- For China, this machine gun fires too fast! - Having thought, the messenger said.
Another fact is curious. The machine gun "Maxim" is as follows: to make one instance, you need to perform 2448 operations on 368 parts. And this is within 700 business hours.
In 1904, the cost of the Maxim machine gun was 942 rubles and £ 80 of a license fee to Vickers for each machine gun. It was about 1700 rubles or 1.35 kg of gold.
In 1939, the cost of one copy was 2635 rubles or 440 grams of gold.
Technical side
The machine gun "Maxim" is quite complicated. It consists of almost 400 parts. Each of which performs an irreplaceable function. Books and manuals have been written about the design of the Maxim machine gun. However, experts note that practice is more important than theory.
Therefore, in this article, only the general principle of the Maxim machine gun is given.
The instance worked due to the recoil of the barrel. The barrel stroke is short, 26 mm.
At the time of the bullet's departure, the barrel moves back and pushes the shutter of the Maxim machine gun. He moves back and forth in a closed box frame. An external handle is mechanically connected to the shutter. During firing, she sways at the speed of shots. This is dangerous for machine-gun calculation, but allows you to distort the shutter in the event of a jam jam or skew mechanism.
The shutter travel backward starts due to the recoil of the barrel from the shot. Moving back, the shutter pulls the return spring. Having reached the extreme point, the shutter changes direction and moves forward under the action of the return spring. A larva glides up and down the shutter, which, during the backward shutter, simultaneously snatches the empty sleeve from the barrel bore and the cartridge from the tape, then begins to move down. During the forward shutter, the larva in the lower position sends the cartridge into the barrel and locks it, and pushes the empty sleeve through the sleeve tube.
The backward movement of the shutter transfers the machine gun belt one step and cock the spring of the striker, preparing the machine gun for the next shot.
If the trigger lever was pressed at this moment, then when the larva reaches the point of locking the barrel with a cartridge, the firing pin fires and strikes the capsule. The cycle repeats again.
