Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun

Lore & Background

Production began at the Hotchkiss factory in Saint-Denis, Paris, but in 1914, with the invading German army threatening the city, the French military authorities ordered the factory moved to Lyon. The following year, the British government invited Hotchkiss to set up a factory in Coventry, which by the end of the war had manufactured over 40,000 M1909s. The U.S. version was made by Springfield Armory and Colt's Manufacturing Company, with total production for the United States being 670—a significant number for the size of the contemporary U.S. Army. The M1909's adoption coincided with the withdrawal of the .30-06 manually operated Gatling guns from the U.S. Army's arsenals.

The weapon was gas-operated and air-cooled, with a maximum range of 3800 m and a weight of 12 kg (27 lb). Initial models were fed by a 30-round feed strip, but later models could be either strip-fed or belt-fed. The U.S. types had a bipod, while some others used a small tripod that could be moved with the weapon, differing from larger, heavier tripods of the period. The French adopted it as the Hotchkiss M1909 (Mle 1909) firing the 8 mm Lebel, but it was not issued as an infantry weapon. The 700 examples manufactured in the US were used in the fortresses at Verdun in a defensive capacity, on some fighter aircraft, and in Mark V* tanks acquired from Great Britain. A variant for the .303 round was produced in Britain as the Hotchkiss Mark I and issued to some cavalry regiments; the MkI* variant, with the wooden stock replaced by a pistol grip, was widely used in British tanks during World War I.

U.S. forces used the Benét–Mercié at the Battle of Masaya in 1912, in the 1915 Haitian Campaign, the 1916 Battle of Guayacanas, the Battle of Columbus in 1916 (where four guns fired 20,000 rounds total in the engagement), the subsequent Pancho Villa Expedition in Mexico of 1916–17, and initially in France. On American guns, firing pins and extractors broke frequently, and some members of the U.S. press derisively called the M1909 the 'daylight gun' because of the difficulty in replacing broken parts at night and jams caused when a loading strip was inserted upside down in darkness. Major Julian Hatcher was assigned to look into the issue after Columbus and found almost all the issues were due to inadequate training. U.S. troops during the Villa Expedition received additional training and the M1909 was considered an effective weapon. During service in the Villa Expedition in 1916, the M1909 was fitted with the Model 1908 Warner & Swasey Musket Sight to aid in long-range firing. U.S. production had already ceased before World War I, and only a small number were available to the U.S. military, though the U.S. Navy still used them in that period.

Reader's Guide

The Hotchkiss M1909 Benét–Mercié machine gun holds significance as an early light machine gun adopted by multiple major powers before and during World War I. Its design, originating from Adolf Odkolek von Újezd and refined by Benét and Mercié, introduced gas operation and air cooling in a portable package weighing 12 kg. The weapon saw service with France, Britain, and the United States, as well as other countries including Belgium, Sweden, and Mexico. It was used in diverse roles: by French forces in fortresses at Verdun, on fighter aircraft, and in Mark V* tanks; by British cavalry regiments and in tanks; and by U.S. forces in campaigns from the 1912 Battle of Masaya through the Pancho Villa Expedition and into France. The Australian Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, Imperial Camel Corps, and Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry used it in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. Despite initial reliability issues with American guns—broken firing pins and extractors, and the 'daylight gun' nickname—these were largely attributed to inadequate training, and after additional instruction the weapon was considered effective. Production figures highlight its impact: the British Coventry factory made over 40,000 by the war's end, while U.S. production of 670 was modest but significant for the era. The M1909's legacy includes its use into World War II by France and Britain, and its adoption by the Irish National Army in armored cars during the Irish Civil War and by the South Persia Rifles.

Did You Know?

• The design originated from Austrian nobleman Adolf Odkolek von Újezd, who sold the rights to Hotchkiss in 1893.
• At the Battle of Columbus in 1916, four M1909 guns fired 20,000 rounds total in the engagement.
• U.S. troops derisively called the M1909 the 'daylight gun' due to difficulty replacing broken parts at night.