An interesting machine gun photo

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Everyone,

I have this photo postcard of a group of machine gun instructors from the First World War period but I could not identify the machine gun in the foreground. I don't like to simply post a photo or item asking for an identification without first exhausting all of my sources of research. I finally found the information so I am posting it for you to see.

The weapon is an Automatic Machine Rifle Cal. .30 M1909, a light Hotchkiss Gun known as the Benet-Mercie (spelled with an accent over the last "e", I don't know how to do that). It was superseded by the BAR or Browning Automatic Rifle.

Regards

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Here is a closeup. The clip has been removed in the photo.

Now that I have posted this closeup I see that it is the same size as the original. Oops, oh well I guess it is pretty clear as it is.

Edited August 20, 2009 by Brian Wolfe

[Guest Rick Research]

Hold down alt key and hit keypad numbers 0233 - é.

Quite an odd looking gun!

[Brian Wolfe]

Hold down alt key and hit keypad numbers 0233 - é.

Quite an odd looking gun!

Thanks Rick.

I'm going to print the post regarding forum language so I have all of these tools at hand.

Regards

Brian

[Mervyn Mitton]

The stock does have a weird shape and seems to attach under the base of the weapon - perhaps it had an alternative stock for other uses ?

[Cutaway]

The stock does have a weird shape and seems to attach under the base of the weapon - perhaps it had an alternative stock for other uses ?

The Japanese Type 11 is somewhat based on the Benet-Mercie with similar ergonomics:

[leigh kitchen]

The Hotchkiss was used mainly by cavalry units during WWI, & also by the Tank Corps & had it's own qualification badge of "HG" withn a laurel wreath as opposed to the Machine Guns MG or the Lewis Gun (later Light Machne Gun) LG.

The man seated front left - Scottish Horse? I can't make out the insignia in the photo.

Edited August 31, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[MG1918]

Great image of the .303 hotchkiss (infantry version). There is a second version, still .303 that is ''portative'' with an L butt. Used by armoured tropopps if having to pop out of a burning tank. The wooden stock version is rather rare so hold onto one if you are lucky enough to possess.

Mark

[MG1918]

Forgot to say that despite its odd shape in single round mode the INF version was allegedly as accurate as a rifle in that period. The infantry version shown in the photo that is. The portative version with small folding tripod fixed in the middle was unstable and best used for MG purposes.

For the collectors the best place to find an INF wooden butt hotchkiss is Australia as when the BEF declared the hotchiss obsolete due to the widespread issue of lewis and vickers, most British hotchkiss were dispateched to the Australian Light Horse units. Presumably at the end of WWI those units took them back home. I do not know for sure.

Mark

[MG1918]

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Mark,

Thanks for that information, and seeing one actually in use as in your photo above is great.

Regards

Brian

[MG1918]

If you have any Belgian contacts the .303 hotchkiss (both versions) was extensively used by their Army.

I can only confirm this after a recent museum visit and saw 10 wooden stocked examples on a rack!!!!

Mark