By 1900, the Maxim gun had practically become synonymous with machine gun with most military planners.

Yet, what is also notable is that both nations had Americans to thank.

After his death in 1885, Hotchkiss et Cie continued under the direction of another American, Laurence Benet.

A U.S. Army machine gun team is captured in this photo. They are operating a Hotchkiss m1914 standard machine gun at a firing range in France during May 1918. The four man team recently arrived in Europe to support the British and French Army during World War I. You can see the gun’s tripod and ammo feed strips.

A U.S. Army machine gun team operates a Hotchkiss MG on the range near Froissy, Oise, France, in May 1918. Image: Army Heritage and Education Center

It was the first true attempt to create a gas-actuated machine gun.

As a result, Odkolek lost out on what would have been a near fortune!

It proved to be only moderately reliable its primary issue being that it was prone to overheating.

In this photo, Polish soldiers drive three Haley Davidson motorcycles down a dusty road. Each of the bikes has a flatbed style sidecar with a Hotchkiss machine gun model 1914 mounted to it. While the Hotchkiss modèle 1914 was used by the French, other allied countries also employed it. This photo was taken during the Interwar years.

A platoon of motorcyclists on Harley-Davidson JD-1200 motorcycles with mounted Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine guns mounted on sidecars, circa 1932. Image: National Digital Archives of Poland

As with Brownings Model 1895 machine gun, the weapon was air-cooled rather than water-cooled like the Maxim design.

Benet attempted to address the issue in the subsequent Mle 1900, which employed steel cooling fins.

The first attempt to improve upon the Hotchkiss Mle 1897/1900 was the Puteaux, which was developed in 1905.

Polish troops with Hotchkiss machine gun and Berthier carbine 1916

In 1934, Polish soldiers man a Hotchkiss machine gun chambered in 7.92×57 Mauser. One of the soldiers is holding a Berthier Model 1916 carbine. Image: National Digital Archives of Poland

It was heavy, unreliable and did little to address the overheating issues.

The Puteaux was eventually relegated to use in Frances frontier forts.

It was a complicated machine gun, but it was a truly French designed, which satisfied Paris.

This is a photo of the author’s MLE 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun in a static display. It shows the barrel, receiver, trigger, feeding mechanism, sights and more. It is mounted on a tripod.

The Hotchkiss Mle 1914 was not a perfect firearm, but it was one of the first successful gas-operated designs. It remained in use throughout the end of the Second World War. Image: Author’s collection

In the muddy conditions, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

The weapon was later supplied to French allies while many were sent to the French Foreign Legion.

By 1916 it had become the main frontline machine gun of the French Army.

This image shows how the Hotchkiss metal feed strip loads ammunition into the gun. The photo shows how the Lebel cartridges are loaded into the strip and then fed into the weapon.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Mle 1914 was that it was fed from metal strip clips. However, this probably helped to lower the rate of fire and keep the barrel from overheating. Image: Author’s collection

It proved to be a reliable, albeit heavy and bulky machine gun.

Not all of its quirks had been fully addressed, however.

That proved to be harder to accomplish in combat than the designers might have expected.

The author provided this photo showing the Hotchkiss mounted on a U.S. Model 1916 tripod. The U.S. tripod allowed for a near 360˚ rotation of the gun, but it was extremely heavy. It is unclear as to how many M1916 tripods were actually in service with the French. Image: Author’s Collection

The U.S. Model 1916 tripod allowed for a near 360˚ rotation of the Mle 1914 machine gun, but it was extremely heavy. It is unclear as to how many M1916 tripods were used. Image: Author’s collection

But that was probably a good thing.

In sustained fire in the trenches the barrel could glow red-hot despite the cooling fins.

Twelve divisions of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France were also equipped with the weapon.

This is a detail photo of the pistol grip and trigger of the machine gun. The line of nearly identical Hotchkiss designs bucked some of the conventional wisdom starting with the Model 1897. This final form by Hotchkiss Armament was both different and easy to operate.

The Hotchkiss Mle 1914 was unique in that instead of spade grips, it employed a pistol-style trigger grip. Elevation of the weapon could be easily adjusted near the pistol grip. Image: Author’s collection

Approximately 2,500 were manufactured, and it remains unclear how many were actually sent to France.

Conclusion

The combat history of the Hotchkiss series of machine guns is mixed.

It was fairly easy to maintain, but heavy.

Shown in this image are a group of Belgian soldiers on a firing range training with Hotchkiss machine guns in 8mm Lebel. In addition to being in active service with the French Army, the Americans, Belgians and other Allied countries used the crew served weapon.

Belgian troops train with the Hotchkiss machine gun in an Army school during 1917. The weapon was one of two standard machine guns adopted by the Belgians during The Great War. Image: NARA

It didnt require a bulky water jacket, but it could quickly overheat.

Its greatest legacy is that it was arguably the first successful and lasting alternative to the Maxim.

This photo shows two Polish soldiers practice setting up a Model of 1914 gas-actuated Hotchkiss machine gun chambered in 7.92 Mauser in 1931. In a few short years, these soldiers would employ the gun to defend against the invasion by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Polish troops practice setting up a 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun chambered in 7.92 Mauser, circa 1931. Image: National Digital Archives of Poland

A military photographer captured the scene of U.S. soldiers that mounted a Hotchkiss machine gun to an upturned wagon wheel to improvise an anti-aircraft gun. The photo was taken near Ménil-la-Tour, France, south of Luxembourg on February 17, 1918. The uniformed soldiers were part of Battery E, Sixth Field Artillery.

These soldiers mounted a Hotchkiss machine gun to an upturned wagon wheel to improvise an anti-aircraft gun. The photo was taken near Ménil-la-Tour, France on February 17, 1918. Image: NARA

This photo captures five Spanish soldiers training with the machine gun Hotchkiss in the fall of 1942. The gun remained in service around the world for many years after its initial manufacture by the French Arms company.

During autumn 1942 military maneuvers in Spain, these Spanish infantry soldiers train with a Hotchkiss heavy machine gun. Image: National Digital Archives of Poland

This unique photo is from an international skiiing competition. It shows army troops from various countries shooting the Hotchkiss as part of a relay race.

Shooting a Hotchkiss was part of the 5 x 2 km relay race during an international military skiing competition near Słonim in modern-day Belarus. Image: National Digital Archives of Poland

Shown are two U.S. Marines manning a Japanese Type 3 heavy machine gun during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The Type 3 was based on the French Hotchkiss Model 1914 machine gun chambered for the 6.5x50 Arisaka cartridge. Japan licensed the design and made a number of variations of the crew served firearm.

After their own gun was knocked out onIwo Jima, these Marines took over a captured Japanese Type 3 machine gun and gave the enemy a taste of its own medicine. Image: Sgt. J.T. Dreyfuss/USMC

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