Hotchkiss M1922 machine gun
| M1922 machine gun | |
|---|---|
 A Greek Hotchkiss M1922 chambered for 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer at the Israel Defense Forces History Museum | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1922–1950s |
| Wars | Rif War[1] Constitutionalist Revolution[2] Spanish Civil War[1] Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Greco-Italian War First Indochina War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Manufacturer | Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8.5 kg |
| Length | 1216 mm |
| Barrel length | 600 mm |
| Cartridge | Several, including 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer, 7×57mm Mauser, 7.5×54mm French, .303 British, 7.92×57mm Mauser, 8×50mmR Lebel[3] |
| Action | Gas operated |
| Rate of fire | 450 rounds/minute |
| Feed system | 20 round overhead box magazine, 15 round feed strip |
| Sights | Iron |
The Hotchkiss M1922 was a light machine gun manufactured by Hotchkiss.
It was never adopted in large numbers by the French Army; nevertheless, it was exported to many European and Latin American countries under the names Hotchkiss M1926 or Hotchkiss M1934.
Description
[edit]The Fusil-Mitrailleur (FM) Model 1922 is a classic weapon with a fixed stock, pistol grip, and wooden handguard. It has a non-telescopic folding bipod. Both the cocking handle and ejection port is located on the right side. The FM's caliber varied with the user, being chambered in a wide range of calibres and fed from either 20-round overhead magazines or an extended feed strip (Greek model). Its maximum range is 2,000 meters, and it had a regulator mechanism that would allow the user to adjust the rate of fire.
Use
[edit]The Hotchkiss M1922 was used with great success by the Greek Army during Greco-Italian War during the fight against the Royal Italian Army.[4] It was also used by the Chinese Nationalist Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War to fight against the Japanese Imperial Army and was frequently used in the Spanish Civil War by the Nationalist and in small numbers, the Republicans.[5]
Versions
[edit]There were several versions with different feed systems, calibers and improvements, among which were the Hotchkiss M1924 and M1926, the last of which spawned the Greek EYP Hotchkiss.[6]
Users
[edit]
Brazil - M1922 in 7×57mm Mauser[7]
Czechoslovakia - received 1000 M1924 (vz. 24) in 7.92×57mm Mauser[8]
France - Mitrailleuse légère Hotchkiss type 1934, used in French colonies : Liban and French Indochina[9][better source needed]
Greece - 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer[3], 6000 used[citation needed]
Republic of China - ~3,500 in 7.92×57mm Mauser between 1931-1939[10][3]
Spain - 3,000 Hotchkiss Model 1922 O.C. (Oviedo and A Coruña), in 7×57mm Mauser[11]
Spanish Republic - from Spanish Army and Czechoslovakia[1]
United Kingdom - .303 British, only for evaluation[6]
Turkey - 7.92×57mm Mauser[6]
Viet Minh - used during First Indochina War[12][better source needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Fusil Ametrallador Hotchkiss Mod.1922". historiadelasarmasdefuego.blogspot.com (in Spanish). 13 March 2009.
- ^ Jowett, Philip (28 Jun 2018). Latin American Wars 1900–1941: "Banana Wars," Border Wars & Revolutions. Men-at-Arms 519. Osprey Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 9781472826282.
- ^ a b c "Hotchkiss Model 1922 light machine gun (France)". 2010-10-27. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ^ Athanassiou, Phoebus (2017). Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940-41. Vol. Men-at-Arms 514. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. Weapons and personal equipment. ISBN 978-1-4728-1917-8.
- ^ Heinz, Leonard R. (10 December 2016). "Small Arms of the Spanish Civil War" (PDF). Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ a b c McCollum, Ian (May 24, 2013). "Hotchkiss M1922/24/26". Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (October 4, 2014). "Vintage Saturday: Pipe-Smoking Snakes". Forgotten Weapons.
- ^ "Francouzský kulomet Hotchkiss vz. 24" [French machine gun Hotchkiss vz. 24]. vhu.cz (in Czech). Vojenský historický ústav Praha.
- ^ http://atf40.1fr1.net/t6276-mitrailleuse-legere-hotchkiss-1934 Archived 2019-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shih, Bin (2018). China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
- ^ Howson, Gerald (1999). Arms for Spain: the untold story of the Spanish Civil War. St. Martin's Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0719555565.
- ^ Marina Berthier. La bataille de Na San Indochine : novembre-décembre 1952 (PDF) (Report) (in French). ECPAD Fonds Indochine. p. 8.