Guns The Evolution of Firearms

The Weapons of World War 1 (1x5)

: 08, 2013

Episode five focuses largely on the U.S. weapons of World War I, a war in which American soldiers would first face the devastating Maxim machine gun, a weapon that used recoil to eject the spent casing and load the next round. Other machine guns highlighted are the crew-served German MG08, the .303 British Vickers gun, the Lewis gun with a 47-round drum magazine, the gas-operated Hotchkiss machine gun, and the Chauchat. Episode five also looks at the machine guns produced by John Moses Browning, including the M1917 and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Infiantry weapons highlighted include the American 1903 Springfield and P-14 (or American Enfield), the M1897 Winchester shotgun, the German G98, the British Lee-Enfield, and the French Lebel 1886 and Berthier models. On the handgun front, this episode highlights the development of the 1911 semiautomatic handgun, which would remain in military service for nearly 80 years (and is making a comeback with a recent Marine Corps purchase of railed Colt 1911 pistols), and .45 caliber revolvers from Smith & Wesson and Colt.