Machine Guns : An Illustrated History of Their Impact

The machine gun-often called the killing machine-revolutionized modern ground combat, brought an end to the traditional infantry and cavalry charge, and changed the battlefields of war forever. This volume in the Weapons and Warfare series describes the history of machine guns from the mid-19th century to the present, following both the evolution of small arms technology and the impact of machine guns on the battlefield, on military strategy, and on human society. This book discusses subjects ranging from the forerunners of mechanical and automatic guns, to the unusual history of the Civil War-era Gatling gun (the first practical machine gun, not used by the Union army because Gatling was a Southerner), to the machine guns developed for the world wars and those for present day use. Readers will see how the advent of the machine gun revolutionized ground combat-and how in some instances, technology outran tactics and doctrines, with disastrous consequences. * Provides technical details on all significant models of machine guns from their introduction in the late 1800s to the present * Includes a comprehensive reference section that lists the machine guns in chronological order and provides an illustration and a description of the weapons system, including characteristics, number made, and other pertinent information