A military and social history of the machine gun shares the stories of the inventors and innovators responsible for its development--including Samuel Colt, Dr. Richard Gatling, and Hiram Maxim--its integration into the military forces of the world, and its impact on tactical warfare. Reprint.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover:
"Extraordinary...Smith engages the reader's emotions."
--San Antonio Express News
The machine gun is a uniquely American invention that, more than any other single invention, revolutionized the way in which war was waged. Machine Gun tells the story of the people responsible for the development of the weapon itself: beginning with Samuel Colt's creation of the first mass-produced, rapid-firing revolver; to Dr. Richard Gatling and his Gatling Gun; and Hiram Maxim, whose Maxim Gun was the first truly automatic weapon.
In this engrossing history, Smith traces the uses of the rapid-fire gun and its slow integration into the weaponry of military forces around the world. First used primarily to 'pacify' native populations, the machine gun was not fully integrated into military tactics until after the unprecedented casualties of World War I and the resultant social upheaval that utterly changed the very nature of tactical warfare. Machine Gun is an enthralling account of the people who invented and promoted the weapon, how it affected the very nature of warfare, and of the society out of which it arose-and which it in turn transformed inexorably.
About the Author:
Anthony Smith is the author of many books and has hosted a number of programs on television, mostly on the BBC, and on the radio. He lives in England.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherSt Martins Pr
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0312934777
- ISBN 13 9780312934774
- BindingMass Market Paperback
- Number of pages320
-
Rating