Called the "Belgian Rattlesnake" by its enemies, this early machine gun
earned a formidable reputation in the trenches of World War I.
The result of over twenty years of research, this is the most
complete account ever published of the life and times of Colonel Isaac
Newton Lewis and his crowning achievement, the Lewis Automatic Machine
Gun. The Lewis became a favorite tool of the British and Canadian
"machine gun killer" teams of World War I, but U.S. "doughboys" and
Marines were issued the French Chauchat, instead. This gave rise to a
bitter controversy, which became one of the most sensational issues of
the decade. The Lewis was the principal "free" or flexible Allied
aircraft machine gun of World War I, manufactured by B.S.A. in England,
Savage in the U.S.A., and Darne in France. After World War I several
versions of the Lewis were manufactured in Holland and by two Naval
Arsenals in Japan. Japanese Naval and Air forces remained committed to
the Lewis throughout World War II.
Two complete chapters are
devoted to the accessories designed and issued expressly for use with
the Lewis, one for general and ground gun devices, and one covering the
special needs of Air Service guns.
The Belgian Rattlesnake
