A Brief History of U.S. Infantry Machine Guns

Machine guns have made a significant impact on the battlefield ever since they were invented. The sustained rate of fire … Continued

By | Published Aug 20, 2018 6:34 PM

Cpl. Fred Henderson (Max Martini) and Pvt. Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) crewing a Browning M1919A4 machine gun in Saving Private Ryan.
Cpl. Fred Henderson (Max Martini) and Pvt. Stanley Mellish (Adam Goldberg) crewing a Browning M1919A4 machine gun in Saving Private Ryan. IMFDB.org

Machine guns have made a significant impact on the battlefield ever since they were invented. The sustained rate of fire forever changed the way wars were fought and escalated the horrors of war to new heights.

The development of automatic arms in the United States began with the Gatling Gun in the Civil War era and progressed with a series of stumbles through the Great Wars and beyond. Here is an abridged history of U.S. machine guns:

U.S. Infantry Machine Gun History: Part 1

US Army soldiers operating the M1914 Hotchkiss gun in France, 1918.
Read the History of U.S. Infantry Machine Gun from the Old West—World War I. Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Infantry Machine Gun History: Part 2

A U.S. Marine firing a Browning M1917
Read the History of U.S. Infantry Machine Gun from World War II and Korean War. Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Infantry Machine Gun History: Part 3

A mounted M60E4 crewed by a Seabee
Read the History of U.S. Infantry Machine Gun from Vietnam War — Present. Wikimedia Commons

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