History of Montigny Mitrailleuse

Mitrailleuse is a generic French term used to identify a specific battlefield weapon that relies on multiple barrels. Unlike traditional "gatling guns", in which multiple barrels are arranged in sequence in the firing chamber, the mitrailleuse is classified as a "salvo" weapon because all of its barrels are fired at the same time (or nearly at the same time).

As such, their use on the battlefield resembled an artillery gun (a field gun with a line of sight) rather than a mobile, offensive artillery platform, and bore little resemblance to the machine guns we know today.

The earliest mitrailleuse weapons came from Belgium in 1851, the most famous form being the brainchild of Belgian army captain Toussaint-Henry-Joseph Fafschamps. Joseph Montigny of Fontaine-I'Eveque (Brussels) made these first examples, a limited number of which were designed by the Belgian army for the defense of Belgian forts.

This version carries 50 barrels.

In 1863, the Montigny mitrailleuse debuted as an improved 37-tube model and was adopted by the Belgians. Newer guns have a two-wheeled frame with a tow arm for transport and a brass cylinder that houses the barrel assembly.

Loading/reloading is carried out via a preloaded ammunition plate set at the breech end of the weapon. 11mm foil cartridges are used to hold propellant charges and bullets. The total weight of the entire system is 2,000 lbs.

It didn't take long for the French army to show interest in the Belgian invention, adding the gun to their inventory in 1869. As such, the Montigny was part of French operations in the upcoming Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). By this time, the French Army was able to retrieve about 190 guns, 6 of which were assigned to a battery as part of an army division. Their value at short to medium range is considerable, especially when facing enemy cavalry and infantry charges, where dozens of people have been slaughtered under the bullets of these guns. However, like the Gatling guns of the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Montini machine gun was often used as artillery, and in some cases artillery crews attempted to fire salvos with Prussian artillery elements, but with great success at artillery range micro.

The tactical value of the mitrailleuse lies more in supporting infantry and defending positions than in hunting down enemy units from a distance.

Additional mitrailleuse guns were made in France in 1866, with a local French design as the "Reffye Mitrailleuse", although the concept remained the same.

Montigny mitrailleuse Specification

Basic

Year:
1863
Staff:
5
Manufacturing:
Joseph Montigny - Belgium/France
Production:
350 units

Roles

- fire support/attack/damage

- Support/Special Purpose

Dimensions

Length:

5.77 ft (1.76 m)

Weight:

1 ton (907 kg; 2,000 lb)

Performance

None. This is a towed gun.

Performance

Maximum range:

2 miles (3 km)

Armor

37 x 11 mm barrel.

Ammo:

37 x 11mm Ammo Plate.

Changes

Model 1863 - Base

Related stuff

1400 1514 1587 1765 1774 1775 1776 1782 1785 1786 1791 1797 1811 1813 1819 1840 1841 1842 1852 1853 1855 1856 1857 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1873 1874 1875 1877 1878 1885 1886 1888 1889 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Contact  |  Privacy Policy