The M1895 was being quickly outpaced in the lead-up to World War 1 (1914-1918) and was generally seen as obsolete by the time war arrived in Europe during the summer of 1914. The weapon was modernized by the Canadians in 1915 to produce the M1915 variant. This model added cooling fins to counter barrel overheating and a new, lighter-weight tripod was developed for increased portability. Engineers also designed a new cable-based cocking system which allowed for charging of the weapon at its rear. The M1915 was used by Canadian and Imperial Russian forces in World War 1 and was adopted (as the M1917) by the US Army. The United States entered the conflict in 1917 and ended up procuring some 4,800 M1915 guns in all with about 1,500 being delivered to the Navy. Marlin Arms Company was given a production charge (reformed as "Marlin-Rockwell" in 1916) for the M1915. Canadian use of the M1915 was eventually given up in favor of the more popular Vickers water-cooled machine gun by war's end, though reports from the Front concerning the Browning design generally found it a good and reliable platform.
In 1916, the United States Navy headed a revised M1895 variant through the Model 1916, this intended as an aircraft machine gun and produced by Marlin. The variant incorporated an all-new, straight-line piston apparatus instead of the original's complicated lever arm action. The internals appropriately required revision to accommodate the new action though the weapon remained largely faithful to the original offering - some of its components being compatible with the earlier mark. It also proved a vastly lighter weapon than the original Colt-Browning offering and served well in the aircraft machine gun role where it could be successfully synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
Following the Model of 1916 was the Model 1917 (also by Marlin), another aircraft-mounted variant to be coupled to a synchronizer. This version introduced an all-new hydropneumatic action over the straight-line piston arrangement and production peaked at around 13,230 units. The first guns were seen in July of 1917.
In June of 1918, the M1917 was modified further, though now intended for use as a vehicle/tank machine gun. An aluminum radiator was added for maximum cooling (weight was not as high of a concern for vehicle-mounted guns) and a pistol grip was integrated into the design. This variant arrived rather late in the war for the Armistice was officially signed in November to end the conflict. By this time, only 428 M1918 examples were completed though manufacture of the mark continued into 1919 to which a further 2,580 units were added into circulation. A light machine gun form, intended for the platoon level as a support fire weapon, was entertained but not exercised.
Concerning all variants, aircraft machine gun production totaled 38,000 units with 1,470 of the vehicle/tank machine gun line. While the United States officially gave up use of Colt-Browning/Marlin machine guns during the interwar years, the British were handed stocks of the antiquated Marlins from America in 1941 when there proved a severe small arms shortage for the country during the early years of World War 2. These machine guns served as second-line weapons and often mounted aboard British merchant vessels for self-defense measures where their repeat-fire capabilities and reliable action was better than nothing. The Poles fielded M1895s in the final defense of Warsaw during the 1939 German/Soviet invasion.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.