Madsen Let Maskingevar

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 12:20 Written by Administrator Thursday, 02 July 2009 03:22

The Madsen Let Maskingevar was a light machine gun designed in Denmark in 1896. It was adopted by the Danish Army in the year 1902 and saw action in numerous conflicts of the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, World War II and various other wars around the world. It was exported to more than 34 countries and was used for more than 80 years after the initial design.

Design wise, the Madsen machine gun was rather complicated and used an unconventional operating cycle mechanism. It used a mixed recoil-based locking system with a hinged bolt. The recoil-system was a bit delayed which was responsible for the slow rate of firing of the gun.

The Madsen machine gun was designed to use 7x57mm Mauser rounds. However, there were variants which could also use other cartridge types like 6.5x55 mm, 7.92x57 mm Mauser and 7.62x54 mmR. Weighing about 20 lb, the gun portable and at the same time offered a satisfactory firing rate of 450-rounds per minute. It used a 25, 30 or 40-round detachable box magazine based feed system.

Before the First World War, the Madsen machine gun was used in large numbers by the Imperial Russian Army in the Russo-Japanese War. A variant of the gun chambered for 7.62 mm was also used by the Germans in 1914. Though the gun was comparatively costly to manufacture, many countries preferred to use it for its reliability. Variants of the gun chambered for various calibres were exported to more than 34 different countries. The gun also served in China during the Warlord era.

In between the World Wars, it was deployed by the military forces of Paraguay in the Chaco War against Bolivia. In the initial stages of the war, the Paraguayan army acquired about 400 guns. As the war progressed, more number of guns were bought and deployed.

By the beginning of the Second World War, the Madsen machine gun served as the Norwegian Army’s standard machine gun. However, many in the Norwegian Army didn’t like the gun because of its tendency to get jammed at times. As the war progressed, the German Army captured many of these guns and deployed them with reserve units. The guns were used throughout the war and were officially retired a decade later in 1955.

The Madsen continued to be used until the 1970s by other countries such as Portugal in various colonial conflicts. It was also used as a mounted machine gun on modified Daimler Dingo armoured cars. Even today, the gun is being used in Brazil by some Military Police departments. Most of these guns have been donated by the Brazilian Army for used by the police forces. However, the Madsen gun is being completely phased out of service to be replaced by better and more modern guns.

---

Share this on