In Their Words

Lewis Gun

The Lewis gun was developed in 1910 by American inventor Samuel McClean. When the original design was rejected by a military review board, McClean enlisted the aid of Col. Isaac Lewis, who redesigned the weapon and presented another prototype for testing in 1911. During its 1911 test, the gun performed admirably and prompted the army’s Ordnance Department to schedule a formal trial during the summer of 1912. Although the Lewis gun again performed well, members of the Ordnance Department who were on hand for the testing found several perceived faults with the weapon, causing it to be rejected from acceptance.

Despite this setback, Col. Lewis traveled to Europe in 1913 to demonstrate his weapon to the military officials of several European nations. Britain took immediate interest in the weapon, quickly adopting it and chambering it for their standard .303 cartridge. In 1914, Lewis guns were produced full time in England to supply the British military demands for the weapon. Later the gun was also manufactured in the U.S. under British contract. By the end of 1914, Lewis guns had been deployed to France where they earned a reputation of reliability in the harsh conditions of the trenches.

The Lewis gun weighed only 28 pounds with its bi-pod attached, quite light considering the weight of other period machine guns. The weapon was initially chambered for the British .303 cartridge, but a variation hambered for the .30-06 cartridge was also developed. Loaded from a unique pan-shaped magazine positioned on top of the gun, the Lewis fired 600 rounds per minute. It’s light weight, high rate of fire, and durability made it a favorite among U.S troops.

In need of its own automatic weapons, the U.S. military took another look at the Lewis gun with America’s entry into World War I. 350 .303 chambered Lewis guns were purchased and sent overseas with the A.E.F. In France, the doughboys acquired a few more .303 Lewis guns from the British and used them in combat. By 1917, the U.S. Army had procured another 2,500 Lewis guns, this time chambered in .30-06 caliber, but chiefly kept them in stateside training roles. Of the few sent to Europe, many were used to arm aircraft rather than infantry at the front line.

In late August of 1917, the A.E.F. released a statement which largely ended the use of Lewis guns by American troops overseas. “The Hotchkiss machine gun and the Chauchat automatic rifle with voiturettes (horse-drawn carts) have been adopted as the machine gun equipment of the troops now in France. It is considered that this equipment be kept uniform. It is therefore recommended that all of the Lewis guns . . . be turned over to the Aviation Services.” Many doughboys were unhappy with this change in policy and were reluctant to give up their trusted Lewis guns for the heavier Hotchkiss or less reliable Chauchat. American soldiers stationed with British units still enjoyed the use of the Lewis gun, but the weapon was largely ignored by the A.E.F. for the remainder of the war.

From the Collections of the First Division Museum at Cantigny

Images (Click to Enlarge)