Пулемет Максима: История и Развитие

The Maxim gun is a recoil operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian Martin Gilbert, and was heavily used by colonial powers during the "Scramble for Africa". Afterwards, Maxim guns also saw extensive usage by different armies during the Russo Japanese War, the First and Second World Wars, as well as in contemporary conflicts. The Maxim gun was greatly influential in the development of machine guns, and it has multiple variants and derivatives.

The Maxim gun featured one of the earliest recoil operated firing systems in history. Energy from recoil acting on the breech block is used to eject each spent cartridge and insert the next one. Maxim's earliest designs used a 360 degree rotating cam to reverse the movement of the block, but this was later simplified to a toggle lock. This made it vastly more efficient and less labor intensive than previous rapid firing guns, such as the manually cranked Mitrailleuse, Gatling, Gardner, or Nordenfelt. The Maxim gun was water cooled, allowing it to sustain its rate of fire far longer than air cooled guns. The extra weight and complexity this added, however, made it heavier and less flexible in use. Trials demonstrated that the Maxim could fire 600 rounds per minute. Compared to modern machine guns, the Maxim was heavy, bulky, and awkward. A lone soldier could fire the weapon, but it was usually operated by a team of men, usually 4 to 6. Apart from the gunner, other crew were needed to speed reload, spot targets, and carry and ready ammunition and water. Several men were needed to move or mount the heavy weapon.

In 1884, Maxim began to develop his machine gun in Hatton Garden, London. In November of that year, he founded the Maxim Gun Company with financing from Albert Vickers [la], son of steel entrepreneur Edward Vickers. The first prototype was demonstrated to invited guests in October 1884.

In 1895, the Imperial Japanese Army purchased a number of Maxims and tested them during the 1895 invasion of Taiwan but later decided to standardize on the Hotchkiss machine gun. The Imperial Russian Army likewise purchased 58 Maxim machine guns in 1899 and contracted with Vickers in 1902 to manufacture the design in Russia, although manufacturing did not start until 1910. During the Russo Japanese War of 1904–1905, the Russian Army employed the Maxim in combat and placed a rush order for another 450 units from overseas suppliers, which were mostly delivered to front line troops before the end of the war. designed by Trevor Dawson and J. Ramsay of Vickers. The first 50 guns and tripods were made by Vickers, Sons & Maxim in the U. K. chambered for .30 03. Colt's Manufacturing Company was selected to produce it domestically, but challenges with schematics and specifications delayed its introduction. By the time Colt began production in 1908 (which was also the last year orders were placed for the guns), a total of 90 M1904s were made by Vickers. Colt made their machine guns for the new .30 06 caliber, and the ones made by Vickers were re chambered for the new round. A total of 287 M1904 Maxims were manufactured. The U. S. procured other machine guns after M1904 production ended, including the M1909 Benét–Mercié, the Colt–Vickers M1915, and the Browning M1917. M1904 Maxims were issued to infantry companies and cavalry. Each company had four guns with associated tripods, ammunition, and 20 mules to transport the heavy guns. The M1904 was deployed in operations in the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, and Central and South America, but never saw much combat use. During World War I, it remained in the U. S. for training.

The Maxim, in the form of the PM M1910 chambered in 7.62×54mmR, has been used by both sides of the Russo Ukrainian War of 2022. Many Maxim guns were retrofitted to suit the nature of modern warfare, including its installation on technicals and the mounting of red dot sights. At least one documented Maxim gun used by the Ukrainian Ground Forces in the Battle of Bakhmut still had its original iron wheels with no visible modifications. A Ukrainian soldier told BBC News in March 2023: "It only works when there is a massive attack going on then it really works. So we use it every week".