• mctoasterson@reddthat.com
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    3 months ago

    With the average issue rifle in that conflict being a bolt action with a roughly 5 round internal magazine, this thing must’ve felt like a space age high-speed operator weapon by comparison. I guess the trench style of warfare didn’t really support getting the most out of this particular weapon though, with emphasis on stationary MGs, artillery, gas, etc.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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      3 months ago

      SMGs like this were actually highly valued in trench warfare - not for the long periods of sniping across no-man’s land, but in trench raids and infiltration tactics by specialists. Some wild stuff - semiautomatic pistols modified to fire full auto, knives, maces, armor straight out of the medieval period…

      This prototype SMG in particular didn’t have much future to it, though. Water-cooling is… not very practical for a mobile weapon, lmao. The French Chauchat LMG saw much more utilization in the same period.