The Vickers machine gun is a British water-cooled, belt-fed heavy machine gun adopted by the British Army in 1912 and derived from Hiram Maxim's earlier toggle-lock design, remaining the standard British heavy machine gun through both World Wars and into the 1960s. Firing the standard .303 British rifle cartridge from a 250-round fabric belt at a sustained rate that could exceed 500 rounds per minute, the Vickers earned a reputation for extreme reliability, with crews in the First World War in some cases firing large volumes of ammunition through a single gun over a sustained action without a serious stoppage. Operated by a dedicated crew due to its weight and cooling-water requirements, the Vickers provided sustained defensive and barrage fire in First World War trench warfare and continued in British and Commonwealth service, gradually phased out after 1945 though official British withdrawal was not completed until 1968.
Facts
Classification
Service Status Weapon Classwater-cooled machine gun 2 Introduced Year Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Associated With
The Vickers machine gun was a direct, lighter British refinement of Hiram Maxim's original recoil-operated design, adopted in 1912.
Source Wikipedia: Maxim gun
World War I, Wars The Vickers machine gun was the British Army's standard heavy machine gun throughout World War I
Operated By
Source Wikipedia: Vickers Machine Gun
Used In
Source Wikipedia: Vickers Machine Gun
Source Wikipedia: Vickers Machine Gun
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Business Atlas: Vickers, manufactured by there.
Sources
1. Wikidata: Vickers Machine Gun
Wikidata Q754800, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Vickers Machine Gun
WikipediaLead section, first sentence
The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army.
History section, first paragraph, sentence on 1912 British Army adoption
The British Army formally adopted the Vickers gun as its standard machine gun under the name Gun, Machine, Mark I, Vickers, .303-inch on 26 November 1912.
service-status
service = 1912-1968
Caliber attribute (vickers-machine-gun)
Firing the standard .303 British rifle cartridge from a 250-round fabric belt at a sustained rate that could exceed 500 rounds per minute, the Vickers earned a reputation for extreme reliability, with crews in the First World War in some cases firing large volumes of ammunition through a single gun over a sustained action without a serious stoppage.
Used In: Korean War, Wikipedia article text
This problem was addressed using an insulating water jacket cover, introduced in 1918 but still in use during the Korean War.
Used In: World War II, Wikipedia article text
During the Second World War, the naval version was also mounted on power-operated turrets in smaller watercraft, such as Motor Gun Boats and Motor Torpedo Boats.
Operated By: British Army, Wikipedia article text
The British Army formally adopted the Vickers gun as its standard machine gun under the name Gun, Machine, Mark I, Vickers, .303-inch on 26 November 1912.
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