| Maschinengewehr (Schwarzlose) M. 7 | |
|---|---|
_(1943-12-01)_8_mm_schweres_Maschinengewehr_261_(i)_-_Mitragliatrice_Schwarzlose_Mod_1912_(Bild).png) A Schwarzlose Model 1907/12 | |
| Type | Medium machine gun |
| Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1908–1948 |
| Used by | See§ Users |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose[3] |
| Designed | 1904[4] |
| Manufacturer | Steyr |
| Produced | 1908[5]–1918 |
| Variants | SeeVariants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Gun & tripod: 41.4 kg (91.27 lb) |
| Length | 945 mm (37.20 in) |
| Barrel length | 530 mm (20.87 in) |
| Cartridge | |
| Action | Toggle-delayed blowback |
| Rate of fire | 400-580 rounds/min (M.7/12) 600-880 rounds/min (MG-16A) |
| Feed system | 250-roundcloth belt |
TheMaschinengewehr (Schwarzlose) M. 7, also known as theSchwarzlose MG, is amedium machine-gun, used as a standard issue firearm in theAustro-Hungarian Army throughoutWorld War I. It was utilized by theDutch,Greek andHungarian armies duringWorld War II. It was routinely issued toItalian colonial troops, alongside theMannlicher M1895 rifle.[6]
The primary producers were theŒWG in Steyr, andFÉG in Budapest.
In 1901 Schwarzlose designed atoggle-delayed pistol, but it went nowhere.[7] However, in 1902 he applied for a patent on a toggle-delayed lock for a machine gun,[8] and another one in 1903[9] for a belt feeding mechanism. Since he had only had the experience of designing handguns before, the design took several more years to finalize.
The Schwarzlose M. 7 was a belt-fed machine gun, usually mounted on atripod, designed by thePrussian firearms designerAndreas Schwarzlose.While itswater-cooled barrel gave it an appearance broadly resembling the family ofMaxim-derived machine-guns (such as the BritishVickers and the GermanMaschinengewehr 08), internally the Schwarzlose was of a much simpler design, which made the weapon comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.Its unusual delayed blowback mechanism contained only a single spring.
The initial variants of theM.7/12 had acyclic rate of about 400 rounds/minute. During World War I this was increased to 580 rounds/minute by using a stronger mainspring.The Schwarzlose was robust and reliable, if used in its intended role as an infantry weapon. It met with less success when it was used in roles it had not been designed for, unlike the highly adaptable Maxim-derived machine guns.[10]
The Schwarzlose enjoyed moderate export success in the years leading up to World War I. Apart from the armies of the Austro-Hungarian empire (8mm caliber) it was adopted by the armies of Greece (6.5mm caliber), the Netherlands (6.5mm caliber) and Sweden (using the6.5×55mm cartridge and designatedkulspruta m/1914).[11] In addition, the British ammunition companyKynoch produced a machine gun based on the Schwarzlose patent in 1907, using the.303 British cartridge.[12] The Netherlands used a modified version, the Schwarzlose M.08, in production from 1918 (2,006 made).
After the First World War the Schwarzlose continued in use with the new nations that emerged from the fragments of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Captured examples of the Schwarzlose saw some sporadic use by Russian and Italian units during the First World War. During World War II the Schwarzlose saw limited action in North Africa as an anti-aircraft weapon in Italian service. It was also the standard MG issued to Italian colonial troops. Besides, captured Schwarzlose machine guns of various types saw service with second line units of theNazi German army, especially during the desperate fighting that took place in the final phases of that conflict.[6]
The Schwarzlose MG M.7 is atoggle-delayed blowback, water-cooled machine gun. The mechanism incorporates a device that oils cartridge cases to ease extraction.[13]
For infantry use, the Schwarzlose was usually employed as a traditional, tripod mounted, heavy machine gun served by a crew of at least three soldiers, one of whom was the commander, usually anNCO, a gunner who carried the weapon, a third soldier who served as an ammunition carrier and loader and he would presumably also carry the tripod although in practice a fourth soldier might be added to the team to carry the tripod. Another less commonly seen method of deployment was the more compact 'backpack mount'. In this configuration the gun was fitted with a backwards folding bipod attached to the front of thewater jacket near the muzzle. The backpack mount itself consisted of a square wooden frame with a metal socket in the center. When the gun was fully deployed the frame was laid on the ground, the gun's central mounting point that usually attached to a tripod now had a small mounting pin attached to it instead which was inserted into the mounting socket in the center of the wooden backpack frame and finally the bipod was folded forward. The Schwarzlose would also have seen service as a fortress weapon in which case it would have been deployed on a variety of heavy and specialized fixed mountings and it also saw some use as a naval weapon aboard ships. During World War I, the Schwarzlose was also pressed into service as ananti-aircraft gun, and, as such, it was deployed using a variety of (often improvised) mountings.
After World War I the Schwarzlose equipped the armed forces ofCzechoslovakia, where it was adapted (vz. 7/24) and manufactured (vz. 24) as the těžký kulomet vz. 7/24 (heavy machine gun model 7/24) by the Janeček factory (adapted from 8 mm calibre to standard Czechoslovak munition 7,92 Mauser). When Czechoslovakia started buildingfortifications against Nazi Germany in 1935-1938, light fortifications, known as types 36 and 37, were partially armed with the Schwarzlose vz. 7/24.
Apart from its use as a heavy infantry machine gun and as an anti-aircraft weapon, the Schwarzlose saw service with the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppe during World War I as an aircraft machine gun, a role for which it was not entirely suited. The Schwarzlose was used both as a fixed forward firing gun and as a flexible,ring mounted, defensive weapon.[6]
Synchronizing the Schwarzlose for use in fighters turned out to be a difficult engineering challenge. A critical factor in synchronization is the time delay between the trigger movement and the moment when the bullet leaves the barrel, as during this delay the propeller will continue to rotate, moving over an angle that also varies with engine rpm. Because of the relatively long delay time of the Schwarzlose M7/12, the synchronization systems that were developed could be operated safely only in a narrow band of engine rpm. Therefore, the Austro-Hungarian fighters were equipped with large and prominenttachometers in the cockpit. The M16 version of the gun could be synchronized with greater accuracy, but a widened engine rpm restriction still had to be respected, except for aircraft equipped with Daimler synchronization gear. The result was never entirely satisfactory and Austro-Hungarian aircraft thus armed usually carried the Kravics indicator to warn the pilot of a malfunction in thesynchronization gear. The Kravics propeller hit indicator consisted of electric wiring wrapped around the critical area of the propeller blades, connected to a light in the cockpit by a slip ring on the propeller shaft. If the light went out, the pilot knew the propeller had been hit.[14]
Until these synchronization problems had been overcome, it was not uncommon to see the Schwarzlose deployed in a removable forward firing Type-II VK gun container which had been developed by the Luftfahrtruppe's Versuchs Kompanie at Fischamend. The Type-II VK, which received the macabre nickname 'baby coffin' due to its shape, is remarkable in that it was possibly the first example of what today would be called agun pod.[15] It was usually mounted on the centerline of the upper wing of Austro-Hungarian fighters and two-seat combat aircraft during the early phases of World War I and remained in use on two-seat combat aircraft until the end of the war. In its role as an aircraft weapon, the Schwarzlose was initially used unmodified — other than that the distinctive cone shaped flash-hider seen on most of the infantry weapons was removed. The Schwarzlose was further modified for aircraft use, much as the German Empire's ownlMG 08Spandau ordnance had been modified early in 1915, by cutting slots into the water jacket's sheetmetal to facilitate air cooling. In 1916, the water jacket was removed entirely, and the resulting weapon was re-designated as the Schwarzlose MG-16 and MG-16A when fitted with a stronger spring and a blowback enhancer to increase the gun's cyclic rate, which was eventually brought up to 880 rounds per minute in some versions of the MG-16A. As a defensive ring-mounted gun, the Schwarzlose usually retained its normal twin firing handles and trigger button, although some MG-16 aircraft guns were fitted with enlarged pistol-shaped handles and a handgun-style trigger. All ring-mounted defensive guns were equipped with specialized sights and a box for the ammunition belt, which allowed quick and trouble-free reloading. After the end of World War I, the Schwarzlose saw limited use as an aircraft gun with various East European air forces. The best-known post-war operator of the Schwarzlose was probably the Polish air force, who acquired and used significant numbers of surplus Austro-Hungarian aircraft and used them against Soviet forces during thePolish-Soviet War. The Schwarzlose was, however, quickly phased out of service as an aircraft weapon when more suitable equipment became available.[16]
Albania[24]
Austria-Hungary[6]
Austria[6]
Bulgaria[6]
Brazil − During the Constitutionalist revolution a number were imported from Czechoslosvakia by Governor Flores da Cunha of Rio Grande do Sul; these were later issued to theMilitary Brigade during theCampanha da Legalidade[25]
China[26]
Colombia − Used in theColombia–Peru War in 1933.[27]
Czechoslovakia[28]
Finland − SwedishKulspruta m/1914 used bySwedish Volunteer Corps (SFK) duringWinter War, a total of 70 guns used.[24]
Germany[6] − Adopted as thes.MG 7/12(ö).
Greece[6]
Hungary[29][20]
Italy − Received at least 900 from Austria-Hungary as reparations following the conclusion of WWI. Some were converted to 6.5mm Carcano. During WWII, they were issued to the1st Army,4th Army, and aerial defense units.[30][31]
Japan − 6.5mm Arisaka version was used byImperial Japanese Navy during Inter-War Era. It was equipped onFusō-class battleship andKongō-class battlecruiser.[32]
Netherlands[6][19][33]
Ottoman Empire[34]
Poland
Romania[6] − Model 1907/12 in 8mm.[35] Converted to7.62×54mmR, metal belt feeding and fitted with a larger water jacket.[36] Around 1,000 of these machine guns were converted to7.92×57mm Mauser byFN Herstal[37] and remained in service duringWorld War II with the border guards and marines, and occasionally as anti-aircraft guns[38] (although a different source said that these converted saw little to no use during the war, and were brought to the United States after 1968[37]).
Russian Empire[39]
Serbia[6]
Spain[40]
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs − Used in theAustro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia, later passed on to theKingdom of Yugoslavia.
Sweden — Adopted as theKulspruta m/1914 in 6.5×55mm cartridge.[6]
Yugoslavia − Model 1907/12 (adopted as theMitraljez 7,92 mm M.07/12S), chambered in8mm Mauser.[41]
Yugoslav Partisans − Used inWorld War II.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Based on "Flying Guns: World War I" and "Flying Guns: World War II" by Anthony G Williams and Emmanuel Gustin.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)в течение осени и зимы 1915 года… своих винтовок царской армии уже недоставало. Многие солдаты, в частности, весь наш полк, имели на вооружении трофейные австрийские винтовки, благо патронов к ним было больше, чем к нашим. По той же причине наряду с пулемётами "Максим" сплошь и рядом в царской армии можно было встретить австрийский "Шварцлозе". [During the autumn and winter of 1915 ... the Tsarist Army lacked its own rifles. Many soldiers, in particular, our entire regiment, were armed with captured Austrian rifles, since there were more cartridges for them than for ours. For the same reason, along with the Maxim machine guns, one could often meet the Austrian Schwarzlose in the Tsarist army.]
| Sidearms |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifles |
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| Hand grenades | ||||||
| Machine guns |
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| Helmets | ||||||
| Other equipment | ||||||
| Lever delayed |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Roller delayed | ||
| Gas delayed | ||
| Hesitation locked | ||
| Flywheel delayed | ||
| Radial delayed | ||
| Screw/Turnbolt delayed | ||
| Toggle delayed | ||
| Vector delayed | ||