French soldiers with a Chauchat Light Machine Gun, Western Front, WW1, 1918 (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 months ago by PugJesus@lemmy.world to c/historyporn@lemmy.world

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[-] Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net 8 points 3 months ago

You're all nerding out over the weaponry; I am nerding out over that absolutely beautiful chernozem (soil). That thing has at least 60 cm of topsoil! Hubba hubba hubba!

[-] wallybeavis@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

That open sided mag had to be great in the muddy trenches. Who designed this thing?!?! - and who approved this thing for use?!?!?

[-] PugJesus@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

It was a great idea - let the troops check how much ammo remained in the mag. Shame about the whole "Real world conditions" thing.

[-] setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The American Model 1915 was a pretty good quick redesign I think.

Trade the magazine window for a witness hole, go from a moon mag to more conventional box mag, move the vertical grip forward.

[-] FireTower@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

Who designed this thing?!?!

Unironically Louis Chauchat. If memory serves the mags didn't work in testing when they tried to close them. And they needed machine guns now more than they needed good ones after they would have lost.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Those mags can't have fired for but a couple of seconds with so little ammo.

[-] setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

One is meant to just hold down the trigger until it's empty. The Chauchet was one of the first of what we would know as a light machinegun. Mobility in order to support advances was the designated role.

In a world of bolt action rifles, the ability to lay down controlled bursts was a big firepower multiplier.

The 20 round magazine would be acceptable for the period. Same capacity as what the M1918A2 BAR was issued with in WW2 and Korea, and only slightly less than the many light machineguns with 30 round magazines that were used for decades after (and in some cases into the current day.)