During World War I, the British adopted the US-designed Lewis gun as an infantry weapon, realizing that its light weight and the fact that it could be fired both prone and on the move made it ideal for supporting advances and defending captured trenches. Later adopted by an array of countries from the Netherlands to Japan, the Lewis successfully served as the primary or secondary armament in armoured fighting vehicles and in both ground-based anti-aircraft and aircraft-mounted roles. Although it was superseded by the Bren in British service in 1937, the outbreak of World War II meant that thousands returned to active service, and it played a key role as far afield as Libya, with the Long-Range Desert Group, and the Philippines, with the US Marine Corps. Written by an authority on this iconic light machine gun, this is the fascinating story of the innovative and influential Lewis gun, from the trenches of World War I to the Libyan desert and Pacific islands of World War II and beyond.
During World War I, the British adopted the US-designed Lewis gun as an infantry weapon, realizing that its light weight and the fact that it could be fired both prone and on the move made it ideal for supporting advances and defending captured trenches. Later adopted by an array of countries from the Netherlands to Japan, the Lewis successfully served as the primary or secondary armament in armoured fighting vehicles and in both ground-based anti-aircraft and aircraft-mounted roles. Although it was superseded by the Bren in British service in 1937, the outbreak of World War II meant that thousands returned to active service, and it played a key role as far afield as Libya, with the Long-Range Desert Group, and the Philippines, with the US Marine Corps. Written by an authority on this iconic light machine gun, this is the fascinating story of the innovative and influential Lewis gun, from the trenches of World War I to the Libyan desert and Pacific islands of World War II and beyond.
Introduction /Development: The first light machine gun /Use: Bringing firepower out of the trenches /Impact: Two world wars and a tactical revolution /Conclusion /Bibliography /Index
Effective and highly portable, the lightweight and deadly Lewis gun provided crucial fire support to British – and German – infantry sections during World War I and continued to serve in a host of roles into World War II and beyond. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and drawing upon the latest research, this is the fascinating story of one of World War I’s most iconic weapons.
Neil Grant is from a military family and grew up on a succession
of army bases. Neil has a degree in archaeology, and presently
works for English Heritage. He is the author of The Bren Gun, also
for Osprey Publishing.
Peter Dennis was born in 1950. Inspired by contemporary magazines
such as Look and Learn he studied illustration at Liverpool Art
College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books,
predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles.
A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.
Peter completed the battlescene illustrations for this book.
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