Lewis .303 | |
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General Historical Information | |
Place of origin | USA |
Designer | Colonel Isaac Newton Lewis Samuel McClean |
Manufacturer | The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) |
Produced In | 1913–1942 |
Type | Machinegun |
Effective range | 800 m |
Rate of Fire | 550 rpm |
Magazine | 97 round Pan magazine |
Ammunition | .303 British |
General Ingame Information | |
Debut in FHSW | Debut in FH mod |
Used by | Great Britain Finland Netherlands |
Used in vehicles | Willys MB SAS Willys MB PT |
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During World War I, the British adopted the US-designed Lewis gun as an infantry weapon, realizing that its light weight and the fact that it could be fired both prone and on the move made it ideal for supporting advances and defending captured trenches. It was reliable and surprisingly enduring design and was copied by the Japanese Imperial Navy which made the Type 92 used in aircraft such as the B5N. Weighing in at 28 lb (12.7 kg), it was only half the weight of Vickers the preceded it. This was particularly important when used on the aircraft in the WW1 era.
In the Fall of France, a large part of the British Army's equipment was lost and mothballed stocks of Lewis guns in both .303 and .30-06 were re-introduced into service by the British. In addition to their reserve weapon role in the UK, they also saw front-line use with Commonwealth forces in the early years of the Pacific campaign against the Japanese. The Lewis gun also used as an anti-aircraft weapon during World War II; in this role it was credited by the British for bringing down more low-flying enemy aircraft than any other AA weapon.
The Lewis gun was the standard light machine gun of the Dutch army since the 1920s. The army had it rechambered in Dutch 6.5mm which was loaded in 97 round magazines. Besides Lewis guns the Dutch army had Vickers, MG08, and Schwarzlose heavy machine guns. The Lewis gun was not adopted by the army of the Dutch East Indies.
As a heavy machinegun it can be found or deployed as a stationary weapon, it is too heavy to shot it when handheld. It is also found on some vehicles.
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