By Rob Langham
Regulars
Nicknamed ‘the Belgian Rattlesnake’ this American-designed machine gun became a staple support weapon in the British arsenal in the Great War. Rob Langham profiles the multi-role arm that provided incredible mobile firepower.
ISAAC NEWTON LEWIS IN 1913.
(TOPFOTO)
During the Great War’s early battles, it became clear that artillery and the machine gun would dominate the field. The latter did much to prevent battlefield manoeuvre, enforcing the stalemate of trench warfare. Machine guns became so prolific that they remain an enduring legacy of the conflict, with popular depictions showing the gallant many rising ‘over the top’ into a devastating rat-a-tat-tat.
