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 | |
| Type | Light machine gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1922-1950's |
| Wars | Rif War[1] Constitutionalist Revolution[2] Spanish Civil War[1] World War Two First Indochina War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Manufacturer | Hotchkiss et Cie |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8.5 kg |
| Length | 1216 mm |
| Barrel length | 600 mm |
| Cartridge | Several, including 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer, 7×57mm Mauser, 7.5×54mm French, .303 British, 7.92×57mm Mauser, 8×50mmR Lebel[3] |
| Action | Gas operated |
| Rate of fire | 450 rounds/minute |
| Feed system | 20 round overhead box magazine, 15-24-30 round feed strip |
| Sights | Iron |
Description
It had a regulator that could adjust the rate of fire and was chambered in a wide range of calibres and fed from either 20 round overhead magazines or 15/24/30 round feed strip.
Hotchkiss M1922 was used with great success by Greek army during Greco-Italian War.[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
Brazil - M1922 in 7×57mm Mauser[7]
Czechoslovakia - received 1000 M1924 (vz. 24) in 7.92×57mm Mauser[8].svg.png.webp)
France - Mitrailleuse légère Hotchkiss type 1934, used in French colonies : Liban and French Indochina[9]
Greece - 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer,[3] 6000 used
Republic of China - ~3,500 in 7.92×57mm Mauser between 1931-39[10][3].svg.png.webp)
Spain - 3,000 Hotchkiss Model 1922 O.C. (Oviedo and A Coruña), in 7×57mm Mauser[11].svg.png.webp)
Spanish Republic - from Spanish Army and Czechoslovakia[1]
United Kingdom - .303 British, only for evaluation[6]
Turkey - 7.92×57mm Mauser[6].svg.png.webp)
Viet Minh - used during First Indochina War[12]
References
- "Fusil Ametrallador Hotchkiss Mod.1922". historiadelasarmasdefuego.blogspot.com (in Spanish). 13 March 2009.
- 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.
- "Hotchkiss Model 1922 light machine gun (France)". 2010-10-27. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- Athanassiou, Phoebus (2017). Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940-41. Men-at-Arms 514. p. Weapons and personal equipment. ISBN 978-1-4728-1917-8.
- Small Arms of the Spanish Civil War
- McCollum, Ian (May 24, 2013). "Hotchkiss M1922/24/26". Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- McCollum, Ian (October 4, 2014). "Vintage Saturday: Pipe-Smoking Snakes". Forgotten Weapons.
- "Francouzský kulomet Hotchkiss vz. 24" [French machine gun Hotchkiss vz. 24]. vhu.cz (in Czech). Vojenský historický ústav Praha.
- http://atf40.forumculture.net/t6276-mitrailleuse-legere-hotchkiss-1934 Archived 2019-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Shih, Bin (2018). China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
- Howson, Gerald (1999). Arms for Spain : the untold story of the Spanish Civil War. St. Martin's Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0719555565.
- Marina Berthier. La bataille de Na San Indochine : novembre-décembre 1952 (PDF) (Report) (in French). ECPAD Fonds Indochine. p. 8.