The Lewis
Machine Gun

The two most prominent American inventions used throughout the First World War that come to my mind during this seating were both highly visible along the Western Front and dominated the tactical thinking on both sides: barbed wire and the Lewis Gun. The attached article appeared in a British magazine at the end of the war and listed many interesting comments about the Lewis Gun:

“The Lewis gun was, in the circumstances, a weapon of very considerable value. It helped the British infantry to hold back masses of the enemy in the opening phase of the war, and became one of the most important instruments of attack and defense during the long period of trench warfare.”

“The light Lewis gun became the favourite weapon of the British airman, against the Parabellum gun of German pilots and fighting observers.”

Click here if you wish to read about
the American inventor of the Lewis Gun.