13 French Arm Protector for Hotchkiss Machine Gunner 1914 Model

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The vast majority of the machine guns that appeared on the battlefields of WWI had water-cooled barrels designed in a way that a substantial part of their length passed through the cooler. Relatively few designs of the time had an air-cooled barrel, the surface of which was usually provided with a set ofribs, increasing the external surface area. None of the machine guns of the time had a quick-change barrel, which in some situations during combat operations required handling a weapon whose barrel could not cool sufficiently.

Air-cooled machine guns St. Etienne M 1907 T and Hotchkiss M 1914 in 8 mm Lebel calibre were the backbone of the infantry armament of the French Army. Handling the weapon, heated by gunfire, was not easy. To facilitate it, the accessories included leather gloves with palms insulated with ring mesh and a leather shoulder guard, the central part of which had a ring-shaped mesh attached.

The shape of the shoulder protector consisted of two circular sections with sewn straps on the ends, so that the shooter had the protector attached crosswise across the chest. Carrying a Hotchkiss M 1914 machine gun weighing 24.3 kg was not very comfortable, let alone when the barrel was hot from prolonged firing. In addition to insulation, the protector helped to partially distribute the load on the shooter’s shoulder and, last but not least, protected his uniform from soiling.

The French army did not have time to say goodbye to the Hotchkiss Ml 1914 machine guns before the occupation of the country in May 1940, so the protectors, as well as other accessories, were still used during World War II.