Chapter IX: Machine Guns in the Armies of the World (3)

has 6 groups of Maxim and Hotchkiss guns, which have been recently subdivided into 2 sections. Two new sections were raised in September 1908.

The 14 sections are attached to the infantry brigades.

Pack transport has been adopted.

SWITZERLAND

There are 4 companies, each having 8 guns, which are subdivided into sections of 2 guns each.

The detachments are mounted and the guns are allotted to the cavalry.

The Maxim is the gun adopted by the Swiss Army, and in the Regulations three kinds of machine-gun fire are recognised, viz.:

(1) _Salvoes, for range-finding._--The 2 guns of a section fire short salvoes of 20 to 25 rounds alternately to get the right range.

(2) _Quick fire._--This is the normal method, and consists in firing about 100 rounds at a time.

(3) _Rapid fire by individual guns._--Each gun fires as rapidly as possible; used only as a last resort, or against a specially favourable target.

The section (2 guns) is regarded as the unit, and the spirit of the Regulations is that the machine guns are particularly for use with cavalry, and must possess to the full the mobility and dash of that arm.

Dismounted action for the cavalry is not favourably regarded, and the machine guns are expected to relieve the cavalry of this duty.

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the approximate allotment of Machine Guns for the

DEFENCE OF PORT ARTHUR]

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Lieutenant A. E. Phillips, in the _Journal U.S.A. Cavalry Association_, July 1909.

[2] The Germans consider its fire value equal to 120 rifles.

[3] Balck’s _Modern European Tactics_.

[4] These are still in use in the Territorial Army.

[5] _Journal of U.S.A. Cavalry Association_, July 1909.

[6] United States Official Report of Russo-Japanese War.

[7] See pages 12 and 13.

[8] See Chap. VII., “Cavalry Training.”

[9] _Cavalry Training_, 1907, p. 226.

[10] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I.

[11] _Cavalry Training_, 1907.

[12] _France Militaire_, April 15th, 1905.

[13] _Cavalry Training_, 1907, p. 218.

[14] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I. chap. vii. p. 133.

[15] _Cavalry Training_, 1907, chap. vii. p. 229.

[16] Captain F. Culmann in _R.U.S.I. Journal_, August, 1909.

[17] _Infantry Training_, 1905, p. 116.

[18] The Austrian regulations say 1,000 yards.

[19] Captain von Beckmann.

[20] _Times History of the War in South Africa._

[21] A Japanese machine gun fired 25,000 rounds in one day in Manchuria.--AUTHOR.

[22] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I. p. 119.

[23] _Mitrailleuses à l’Etranger_, par Lieut. M.

[24] _The Great Siege_, by W. Norregaard.

[25] Captain Niessel in _Enseignements techniques de la guerre Russo-Japonaise_.

[26] Captain von Beckmann.

[27] Von Ullrich.

[28] _The Great Siege_, by W. Norregaard.

[29] Von Ullrich, War Correspondent of _Gazette de Cologne_.

[30] British Officer’s Report, Russo-Japanese War.

[31] _Ibid._

[32] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 83.

[33] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 83.

[34] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 85.

[35] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 84.

[36] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 86.

[37] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, pp. 87-9.

[38] Between 400 and 500 is the usual rate of fire.--AUTHOR.

[39] See _Handbook for ·303 Machine Guns_, pp. 88-9.

[40] See map; the Japanese name for this work is Ban-ru-san Nishi Hodai.

[41] See _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 153.

[42] _The Great Siege_, by W. Norregaard.

[43] _Ibid._

[44] _The Great Siege_, by W. Norregaard.

[45] Von Ullrich.

[46] _The Great Siege_, by W. Norregaard.

[47] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 140.

[48] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., p. 141.

[49] A great many machine guns were added to the forts from the fleet early in June.--AUTHOR.

[50] _Small Wars, their Principles and Practice._

[51] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909.

[52] _Small Wars, their Principles and Practice_, p. 441.

[53] Official Report.

[54] Official History of operations in Somaliland.

[55] Major Gough’s Official Report.

[56] Official History of the operations in Somaliland.

[57] From Staff Diary of 1st Brigade.

[58] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, p. 173.

[59] Callwell’s _Small Wars, their Principles and Practice_.

[60] _Field Service Regulations_, Part I., 1909, Sect. 157.

[61] This system was adopted; see paragraph _re_ Organisation, p. 189.

[62] Section 7.

[63] Section 77, Para. 4.

[64] Section 150, Para. 5.

[65] Section 150, Para. (iv).

[66] Section 149, Para. (v).

[67] They should fire with their own companies if it can be arranged that they complete the various parts of the range practice on approximately the same date.

[68] The Hotchkiss loses accuracy after 600 rounds, and becomes red-hot after 14,000 rounds.

[69] U.S.A. Official Reports on Russo-Japanese War.

[70] _Revue d’Infanterie_, March, 1908.

[71] Officer’s report, U.S.A., Russo-Japanese War.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

Pg 57: ‘moral action’ replaced by ‘morale action’.
Pg 70: ‘should aways’ replaced by ‘should always’.
Pg 114: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 119: ‘M. Ulrich’ replaced by ‘M. Ullrich’.
Pg 125: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 133: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 152: ‘same fate befel’ replaced by ‘same fate befell’.
Pg 173: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 183: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 220: ‘moral effect’ replaced by ‘morale effect’.
Pg 222: ‘he held in’ replaced by ‘be held in’.
Pg 258: ‘the moral “knock-out”’ replaced by ‘the morale “knock-out”’.