Lewis Gun

Lewis' history of weapons

American Isaac Newton Lewis (1858-1931) served in the U.S. Army and used his talents to invent whenever possible.

In 1911, he improved upon Samuel Maclean's original machine gun design and began aggressively marketing the type that would later be referred to simply as the "Lewis Gun," "Lewis Automatic Rifle," or "Lewis Automatic." The weapon proved to be a portable air-cooled system with multi-purpose capabilities. It was used as a fixed defense weapon, air machine gun, and infantry-grade light machine gun (LMG) throughout its career.

The Lewis gun was in service during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), with limited service during the Korean War (1950-1953). Interestingly, the American gun did not initially interest the American authorities when it debuted, forcing Lewis to bring the development to Europe, where he first sold it to the Belgian army and then produced it locally. Since then, French and British interests have placed tens of thousands of Lewis orders, forcing the US to finally invest in Lewis guns after the US was committed to World War I, which they did.

Mass production eventually settled in the UK, where it was manufactured at Birmingham Small Arms Ltd (BSA) in Birmingham, UK. The Lewis gun became one of the many weapons that were widely used in both world wars.

The Lewis gun was adopted by the Belgian Army in 1913, followed by the British Army. In the summer of 1914, World War I was sparked by the assassination of the presumptive heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, forcing a long-standing alliance to go to war with a state power committed to fighting it. The German Empire was linked to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) through the collective term "Central Powers". Opposing them was the Triple Entente, led by Britain, France and Russia. In July 1914, Britain swore an oath to aid Belgium in the event of war.

Germany's intention was to conquer Belgium on the way to Paris, France.

As a long-lived weapon, the Lewis gun has seen several notable variants throughout its lifespan. The Mark 1 model was released by the British Army on 15 October 1915 and proved to be in initial production form.

These magazines come with a 47-round Count Pan magazine and have a range of up to 2,000 yards. Overall length is 50.5 inches and empty weight is 26 lbs.

The Mark 2 was developed as an airborne version of the land-based Mark 1 and was introduced on 10 November 1915. The Mark 2 had the cooling cap removed and a spade handle added to the rear of the receiver (lost the wooden stock).

Early versions still used the 47-round magazine until November 1916, when the 97-round magazine was also introduced for the aircraft modification.

The Mark 2* was introduced on May 13, 1918, late in the war (war armistice ended in November). Based on the Mark 2's design and modified from the weapon's existing inventory, the Mark 2* gains a higher rate of fire, resulting in improved hit rates in dogfights. This includes the use of larger gas ports for pneumatic action.

The name Mark 3 is nothing more than the new Mark 2* gun.

Lewis guns came in various forms during the interwar period. During World War II, they were put into service again. The war began with the German invasion of Poland in 1939, prompting France and Britain to declare war on the Axis powers against Italy, Japan, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

German tactics again dominated Belgium and its neighbors on the way to Paris, France, culminating in the summer of 1940. In 1942, the British Navy led the development of the Lewis SS (also known as the Lewis Mark XI SS) gun in an attempt to convert the Lewis gun into a more conventional infantry light machine gun to be fired from the shoulder.

Existing stock discontinued Retrofit new standards include the loss of the cooling box and radiator (if fitted), the addition of a fore grip (and handguards), the installation of a muzzle compensator, and the use of a traditional rifle-style butt.

As early as 1940, American gun manufacturer Savage Arms Corporation began producing Lewis guns. 30-06 Springfield, this form was recognised by the British as a "Savage Lewis" gun to avoid being with the existing stock of .303 British machine guns. A red 2-inch wide strap is also painted on these UK models to make their chambers clear to unsuspecting users. Early forms included a wooden stock, but these later gave way to cheaper metal skeleton arrangements.

The original sighting device was also repaired, while later models were of the adjustable type with a range of up to 400 yards. The handle is a shovel type. The British Navy procured some of these forms throughout the year, which were later passed on to the British Home Guard.

In the postwar years, the Lewis gun continued to serve when the Mark 4 was introduced on August 16, 1946. The Mark 4 includes the existing Mark 3 gun, modified for easier mass production standards.

Earlier Mark 1 guns were originally intended to be updated to Mark 4 standard under the Mark 1* designation, but no one is believed to have seen the light of day, as the Mark 1 itself, officially classified as "obsolete" by British authorities, became. Ironically, the announcement came on the same day the Mark 4 was introduced in 1946.

Since then, the Lewis gun has been largely abandoned and did not serve in any army on the front line until 1953. Production spanned from 1913 to 1942, with use as early as 1914.

Although officially retired, the Lewis gun appeared in more modern conflicts, such as during the Arab-Israeli War (1948-1949), Trouble (Northern Ireland, 1960-1998) and the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995).

Lewis guns have been used in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Estonia, Finland, France, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Mexico, Netherlands, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway. The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Empire (and later the Soviet Union), Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Yugoslavia. Both the German Empire of World War I and the Nazi German regime of World War II used presumably captured ammunition and stored it for local 7.92mm cartridges.

Captured Lewis guns in service in Germany received the designation MG 137(e).

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes