The Hotchkiss machine gun was any of a line of products developed and sold by Hotchkiss et Cie, (full name Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie), established by United States gunsmith Benjamin B. Hotchkiss.[1] Hotchkiss moved to France and set up a factory, first at Viviez near Rodez in 1867, then at Saint-Denis near Paris in 1875 manufacturing arms used by the French in the Franco-Prussian War.
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Variants
editAt the turn of the twentieth century, the company introduced the gas-actuated Hotchkiss machine gun, a sturdy and reliable weapon which was widely used during World War I and thereafter by the French Army. Weapons manufactured in the Hotchkiss machine gun line include:
- Hotchkiss 1897 machine gun
- Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun, light machine gun also known as the "Hotchkiss Mark I" in British service and the "Benét–Mercié" in American service.
- Hotchkiss Mle 1914, medium machine gun
- Hotchkiss 37mm, autocannon based on the M1897-M1914 model[2]
- Hotchkiss M1922, light machine gun
- Hotchkiss M1929, heavy machine gun
- 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft gun, autocannon but sometimes referred to as a machine gun
- Hotchkiss Type Universal submachine gun
The Hotchkiss design was also used on foreign productions:
- The Japanese Type 3 heavy machine gun[3]
- The Type 11 light machine gun[3]
- The Type 92 heavy machine gun[3]
- The Italian Breda Model 1931 machine gun
- The Polish Ckm wz. 25 Hotchkiss
- The EYP Hotchkiss, a Greek modification used in World War II
References
edit- ^ An Instructor (29 March 2012). Complete Guide to the Hotchkiss Machine Gun. Andrews UK Limited. pp. 11–. ISBN 978-1-78151-265-4.
- ^ "Hotchkiss 37mm autocannon on a field mount, early... - Armies of a Genteel Age". Armies of a Genteel Age. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ^ a b c Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Personal firepower. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. Bantam Books. pp. 47-49. OCLC 1036801376.