Hotchkiss machine gun explained

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.

Variants

At 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

Notes and References

1. Book: An Instructor. Complete Guide to the Hotchkiss Machine Gun. 29 March 2012. Andrews UK Limited. 978-1-78151-265-4. 11–.
2. Web site: Hotchkiss 37mm autocannon on a field mount, early... - Armies of a Genteel Age. Armies of a Genteel Age. en. 2018-11-12.
3. Book: Ezell, Edward Clinton. Personal firepower. Bantam Books. 1988. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. 1036801376. registration. 47-49.