Famous Firearms | British Lee–Enfield Rifle

Although the Gatling Gun which was forerunner of the machine gun was used by Union forces during the American Civil War, most infantry attacks were against muzzle loaded rifles and artillery. That was bad enough, but fast-forward 50 years and infantry weapons had been developed that massively increased rate of fire and accuracy. What hadn’t changed a great deal, was the tactics to deal with the new warfare. Generals grounded in the days of a bygone age struggled to find ways to combat these new modern weapons.

The British Lee–Enfield rifle typified this new wave of devastating firepower. Introduced in 1895, this 10-round bolt-action rifle was one of the finest infantry weapons of World War I. With the ability to fire 20-30 aimed rounds per minute by a trained rifleman, German soldiers sometimes mistakenly thought that they had faced a machine gun when in fact it had been scores of these rapid firing rifles. Guns such as the Lee–Enfield now provided a mobile and powerful presence on the battlefield.

Watch the complete documentary here –    • Battle of the Somme | The Great War |...  

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