Two Chauchat LMG Crew, 123e Regiment of Infantry, French Infantry 1917-1918--two figures--RETIRED--LAST ONE!!
$90.00

John Jenkins Designs - RETIRED COLLECTION

Item Number: GWF-27

The Chauchat, named after its main contributor Colonel Louis Chauchat, was the standard machine rifle or light machine gun of the French Army during World War I (1914–18).  Its official designation was "Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG" (in English: "Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG").  It was mass manufactured during World War I by two reconverted civilian plants: "Gladiator" and "Sidarme".  Beginning in June 1916, it was placed into regular service with French infantry where the troops called it the FM Chauchat.  The Chauchat machine rifle in 8mm Lebel was also extensively used in 1917-1918 by the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F) where it was officially designated as the "Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat)".  The armies of eight other nations, notably: Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia, also used the Chauchat machine rifle in fairly large numbers during and after World War I.

A total of 262,000 Chauchat machine rifles were manufactured between December 1915 and November 1918, including 244,000 chambered for the 8mm Lebel service cartridge, making it the most widely-manufactured automatic weapon of World War I

The Chauchat machine rifle was one of the first light, automatic rifle caliber weapons designed to be carried and fired by a single operator and an assistant without a heavy tripod or a team of gunners.  It set a precedent for several subsequent 20th century firearm projects, being a portable yet full power automatic weapon built inexpensively and in very large numbers.  The Chauchat combined a pistol grip, an in-line stock, a detachable magazine, and a selective fire capability in a compact package of manageable weight (20 pounds) for a single soldier.  Furthermore, it could be routinely fired from the hip and while walking (marching fire).

RETIRED.

(80)

LAST ONE!!