Hotchkiss M1922 machine gun

The Hotchkiss M1922 was a light machine gun manufactured by Hotchkiss.

M1922 machine gun
A Greek Hotchkiss M1922 chambered for 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer at the Israel Defense Forces History Museum
TypeLight machine gun
Place of originFrance
Service history
In service1922–1950s
WarsRif War[1]
Constitutionalist Revolution[2]
Spanish Civil War[1]
Second Sino-Japanese War
World War II
Greco-Italian War
First Indochina War
Production history
DesignerHotchkiss et Cie
ManufacturerHotchkiss et Cie
Specifications
Mass8.5 kg
Length1216 mm
Barrel length600 mm
CartridgeSeveral, including 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer, 7×57mm Mauser, 7.5×54mm French, .303 British, 7.92×57mm Mauser, 8×50mmR Lebel[3]
ActionGas operated
Rate of fire450 rounds/minute
Feed system20 round overhead box magazine, 15-24-30 round feed strip
SightsIron

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

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

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

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 modified Hotchkiss machine gun.[6]

Users
Two Chinese soldiers using a Hotchkiss M1922 machine gun

References
  1. "Fusil Ametrallador Hotchkiss Mod.1922". historiadelasarmasdefuego.blogspot.com (in Spanish). 13 March 2009.
  2. 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.
  3. "Hotchkiss Model 1922 light machine gun (France)". 2010-10-27. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  4. 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.
  5. Heinz, Leonard R. (10 December 2016). "Small Arms of the Spanish Civil War" (PDF). Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  6. McCollum, Ian (May 24, 2013). "Hotchkiss M1922/24/26". Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  7. McCollum, Ian (October 4, 2014). "Vintage Saturday: Pipe-Smoking Snakes". Forgotten Weapons.
  8. "Francouzský kulomet Hotchkiss vz. 24" [French machine gun Hotchkiss vz. 24]. vhu.cz (in Czech). Vojenský historický ústav Praha.
  9. http://atf40.forumculture.net/t6276-mitrailleuse-legere-hotchkiss-1934 Archived 2019-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Shih, Bin (2018). China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
  11. Howson, Gerald (1999). Arms for Spain: the untold story of the Spanish Civil War. St. Martin's Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0719555565.
  12. Marina Berthier. La bataille de Na San Indochine : novembre-décembre 1952 (PDF) (Report) (in French). ECPAD Fonds Indochine. p. 8.
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