Isaac Newton Lewis confirmed his machine gun design to a number of United States ordnance officers and the Secretary of Warfare by 1912, however obtained no curiosity from the American navy. His navy.
By then a colonel in the USA Military, Lewis retired and took the 4 fashions of his gun to Europe in 1913, simply in time to be probably the most vital weapons of World Warfare 1. The Lewis gun was an open bolt, gas-operated, air-cooled machine gun that was mild sufficient to be carried by a doughboy however packed sufficient punch to mount on new-fangled conflict machines like airplanes and tanks.
A pair of Lewis weapons, one a Birmingham Small Arms Mannequin 1914 chambered in .303 British and a U.S. Savage Mannequin 1917 Lewis gun chambered within the American .30-06, can be found in Rock Island Public sale Firm’s Aug. 25-27 Premier Public sale.
The Belgian Rattlesnake
The Lewis gun earned its nickname, “the Belgian Rattlesnake,” from German troopers confronted with its charge of fireside of 550 rounds per minute. The gun weighed in at 26 lbs. with its bipod, far lower than the M1909 Benet-Mercie that weighed 30 lbs., the Colt Mannequin 1914 machine gun that weighed 93 lbs. with its tripod, and the Vickers that was a hefty 90 lbs. with its tripod and full water jacket for cooling. The Lewis gun weighed barely greater than the Browning Computerized Rifle when it was launched late in World Warfare 1.
The gun’s mobility was an enormous think about its success, having the ability to be used and introduced to fireplace extra simply and shortly than the far heavier Vickers that required a six-man crew. The British would create a machine gun corps throughout the conflict that might strategically deal with the Vickers as artillery.
The Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) manufacturing unit made 145,397 Lewis weapons throughout World Warfare 1 so that every British infantry unit had one by the tip of 1917. Demand for the gun was so excessive that BSA licensed Savage Arms of Utica, N.Y. to fabricate the gun, too. Regardless of its early rejection of the Lewis gun, the USA ultimately obtained 16,000 by Could 1918. Of these, 10,000 have been for plane and the remainder have been assigned to the Marine Corps.
Lewis Gun Inventor
Isaac Newton Lewis was born in 1858 in Pennsylvania earlier than his household moved to Kansas. He began his profession as a trainer earlier than he attended West Level the place he graduated in 1884, eleventh in a category of 37. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant for artillery. He earned his first patent, for the world’s first profitable artillery vary and place finder, in 1888. The US declined the vary finder.
After a number of assignments and a promotion to captain, in 1900 Lewis went to Europe, ordered by Col. Nelson Miles to review manufacture and provide of ordnance by different international locations’ militaries. He reported again and his findings led to new organizational requirements for artillery adopted in 1902.
He served with the Board of Ordnance beforehand and located himself re-assigned there because the board’s recorder. He bought caught up in political controversy and testified to Congress concerning the “out of date insurance policies and worn-out situations” within the Board of Ordnance, getting cross-ways with Brigadier Gen. William Crozier who led the board.
Lewis discovered himself in a “limbo posting” in San Francisco the place it appeared he’d been put out to pasture. Nevertheless, Lewis continued along with his work and created a profitable defensive plan for San Francisco harbor. This success infuriated Crozier additional and Lewis was despatched to Puget Sound, furthering his exile.
“Why is it among the greatest males in navy and authorities positions have the smallest minds?” Lewis wrote.
Lewis continued to invent and write, growing his fame to the purpose he returned to the east coast, and posted on the Coast Artillery College at Fort Monroe, Va. He served as an teacher in electrical energy and energy in addition to an artillery teacher. He took on a number of roles, together with director of the division of enlisted specialists, performing commandant of the college and commander of Fort Monroe. He bore the rank of lieutenant colonel by 1911.
He drew the curiosity of enterprise for his mechanical engineering prowess and was introduced on as a part-time advisor by Computerized Arms Firm in Cleveland, Ohio to develop a light-weight machine gun based mostly on his concepts and any patents the corporate owned.
Lewis Gun Design
Lewis targeted on the sunshine machine gun design of Dr. Samuel N. McClean that had didn’t curiosity navy consumers. By 1910, McClean’s firm was in monetary difficulties and was purchased out by Computerized Arms Firm. An ordnance skilled, presumably Lewis, informed buyers that it wanted to develop an air-cooled gun and that it will obtain no curiosity from the USA navy, which wasn’t contemplating using computerized weapons on the time.
McClean’s design overheated, so Lewis knew the place he needed to go to work. He created a newly designed gun that utilized a few of McClean’s patents. Lewis’ design cooled the barrel via compelled air drawn from the again of the barrel to the entrance, with a big tube over the barrel. The gun drew ammunition from a round pan journal – holding both 47 or 97 rounds — on high of the gun. The Lewis gun had 62 components purportedly for straightforward meeting.
By 1911, Lewis had a gun he was able to unveil and contacted an previous buddy, Gen. Leonard Wooden, the Military Chief of Employees. Fired in entrance of a number of Warfare Division and Military officers, the prototype carried out excellently and earned an official check.
Sadly, the gun didn’t carry out in addition to it had in its casual demonstration. Lewis had continued tinkering with it after its success and made it worse. He shortly made the required modifications and in a second public demonstration, Lewis mounted his gun to an airplane, making it the primary aerial fired machine gun. The weapon obtained super publicity however little curiosity in the USA.
One situation which may have damage Lewis’ probabilities of gaining a contract was his character battle with the Board of Ordnance’s Crozier who referred to as the gun “Lewis’ navy mower.” Lewis pledged to not take any royalties from the USA authorities on the sale of the gun however heard nothing.
Promoted to full colonel in 1913, Lewis was fed up and set his retirement date with plans to sail to Europe along with his prototypes. “I used to be a military officer for almost 37 years and devoted myself to my nation’s service … all I bought was slapped with rejections by ignorant hacks,” he informed buddies.
Lewis Gun in Europe
The Lewis gun shortly drew curiosity from Belgium and Lewis arrange a manufacturing unit in Liege, however when the British expressed curiosity, he moved manufacturing to the Birmingham Small Arms manufacturing unit. Weapons have been beginning to roll off the meeting line because the opening salvos of World Warfare 1 have been being fired. BSA had bother assembly manufacturing numbers and shortly expanded the manufacturing unit because it was making the Lewis gun for Belgium, France, and Russia, too. By early 1916, greater than 40,000 Lewis weapons have been in use by French, British, and Belgian troops.
The gun was effectively considered by troops however ordnance officers in World Warfare 1 have been not sure if it was a light-weight machine gun or an computerized rifle because it may serve in each roles. Nonetheless, its significance was by no means questioned, described in a British ordnance report as “…most interesting weapon for frontline trench strafing, each offensively and defensively.”
Lewis Gun in World Warfare 1
The Battle of the Somme erupted on July 1, 1916. When it ended Nov. 18, 1916, a 3rd of the three million males who fought within the battle have been lifeless or wounded. The Lewis gun performed an out-sized position within the battle. British ordnance consultants estimated the Lewis gun’s charge of fireside exceeded 15 million rounds each 24 hours throughout the battle that raged for 140 days. By the tip of 1916, the British fired greater than 7 billion rounds of ammunition via their Lewis weapons.
The US ordered 350 Lewis weapons for Gen. John J. Pershing’s pursuit of Pancho Villa. When the USA declared conflict, it had lower than 1,000 rapid-fire weapons in its arsenal. The Marines adopted the gun and educated vigorously with them solely to be handed unreliable French Chauchats once they arrived in Europe.
Regardless of the Military’s misgivings over the Lewis gun, it will definitely ordered 2,500 from Savage. The Lewis gun additionally turned fashionable as an airplane-mounted weapon with the tube faraway from over the barrel and the wooden inventory changed by spade grips.
Lewis was true to his phrase and declined to take cash from the USA authorities for his gun. He returned $1.2 million in royalties to the U.S. Treasury. In March 1918, the performing Secretary of Warfare, Benedict Crowell wrote to Lewis: “I can not let these lengthy negotiations be concluded with out expressing to you my private and official thanks to your gracious motion in allowing the federal government to retain from royalties to be paid on the Lewis patents all of your pursuits in these funds for weapons delivered after January 1, 1918. It’s exceedingly gratifying to look at the high quality spirit of sacrifice patriotism manifested within the folks of this nation, a notable occasion of which is your motion on this matter.”
Lewis Gun Later and Legacy
The U.S. Marines continued to make use of their Lewis weapons in small actions within the Nineteen Twenties and 30s like Haiti, Nicaragua, and China. The American BAR and the British Bren would ultimately change the Lewis gun. A second-string gun for U.S. forces in World Warfare 2, the Lewis gun nonetheless discovered use mounted on touchdown ships. The British pulled the Lewis gun from mothballs in 1940 after Dunkirk when the nation was determined for weapons. They have been issued to the Residence Guard.
Even after use in two world wars, the Lewis gun even noticed restricted motion within the Korean Warfare. There isn’t a doubt the Lewis gun served beautifully in World Warfare 1 and in assist throughout later actions and World Warfare 2.
A British publication, “The Full Lewis Gunner,” printed in 1918 laid out the significance of the Lewis gun:
“A Lewis gun within the arms of fine gunners will work as a lot destruction as 50 common riflemen. The rat-tat-tat of a Lewis gun has an excellent ethical impact. Towards a machine gun a person stands little probability, and human flesh won’t face it. A machine gun has horrible killing powers. A Lewis gun provides a most quantity of fireside from a minimal of entrance.”
Lewis Gun for Sale
Leaving the disinterest of the USA, Isaac Newton Lewis took his full auto namesake to Europe on the eve of conflict and located prepared consumers for an air-cooled weapon that would change a battlefield with its excessive charge of fireside and mobility. Rock Island Public sale Firm will provide two Lewis weapons in its Aug. 25-27 Premier Public sale, a Birmingham Small Arms Mannequin 1914 chambered in British .303 caliber and a U.S. Savage Arms Mannequin 1917 chambered within the American navy’s .30-06, offering a chance for collectors of navy weapons to amass a “Belgian rattlesnake” from both the nation that embraced it, or the nation that dismissed it.
Sources:
The Lewis Gun, by J. David Truby
The Lewis Gun was a New Kind of Killing Machine, by Paul Huard, Medium.com
Lewis Light Machine Gun, Royal Armouries
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