This
problem had been made the subject of special study by him for several
years, and had led to the conclusion that some form of machine gun
must be adopted to take the place of artillery from 1500 yards down.
This in turn led to the study of machine guns. The different forms in
use in the different armies of the world had been considered, and it
was found that there was none in any service properly mounted for the
particular use desired. All of them required the service of animals as
pack-mules, or for draft, while the very conditions of the problem
required a gun to be so mounted that the use of animals could be
dispensed with.
The Maxim gun has been reduced in weight to about 60 pounds, and is
furnished with a tripod weighing about the same; but this is too
heavy, and the supply of ammunition at once becomes a critical
question. The Colt's automatic rapid-fire gun has been reduced to 40
pounds, with a tripod of equal weight, but here again the same
difficulty presents itself. The soldier is capable of carrying only a
limited amount of weight; and with his already too heavy pack, his
three days' rations, together with the heat, fatigue and excitement of
battle, it did not appear possible for any tripod-mounted gun to be
effectively used.
Pages:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95