Some people say that since the invention of the machine gun, nomads have become able to sing and dance.
Although it is a joke, it has to be said that the emergence of rapid-fire weapons has indeed qualitatively improved the infantry's attack ability.
Invented in 1884, the Maxim machine gun was the first fully automatic machine gun with a rate of fire of 550 to 600 rounds per minute, far exceeding the firing speed of rifles of the same period.
For example, the Martini-Henry rifle, which entered service in 1871, had a rate of fire of only 12 rounds per minute, about 1/50th of that of a Maxim machine gun;
The Maxim machine gun is fed in a 250-release ammunition chain, which ensures the continuous firepower output of the machine gun.
At the beginning of the advent of the Maxim machine gun, the countries did not realize that it would be a weapon that would change the shape of the battlefield, and even the British themselves did not purchase much.
It was not until October 1888, at the instigation of british Army Commander Garned, that the first military order was issued, which totaled 120 units.
(Army Commander Garned)
The first military unit equipped with Maxim machine guns was the British garrison in Singapore, and from 1889 onwards, the local British armed forces began to distribute this weapon to the strongholds, of course, the purpose at that time was not for combat needs, mainly considering that this weapon could play a deterrent effect on the locals.
The First Appearance of the Maxim Machine Gun in Combat did not take place until 1893, five years after the British military procured the weapon.
At the end of the 19th century, at the height of the Invasion of Africa by Western colonists, the British gradually established colonial rule in the part of present-day Zimbabwe.
The locals did not want to be enslaved and began a large-scale revolt.
In southern Africa, the resistance of the Ndebbele people living in zimbabwe today is particularly fierce.
This people is a branch of the Zulu people, who are fierce and warlike and do not want to be enslaved.
In 1893, James, the leader of British southern Africa, decided to teach the Enderberians a lesson and sent an army to the area.
(James)
This force is not a regular army, they are the police force of British South Africa, a paramilitary force established by the British South African Company in 1889.
Most of this police force is locally indigenous, with only a small number of whites from Britain.
James sent a total of more than 700 men, and in addition to rifles, the team was equipped with 5 Maxim machine guns and two cannons, which gave them absolute superiority over the local indigenous forces in the ensuing battle.
The Entebbele people, in their dealings with the British over the years, are no longer the primitive tribes of the past who only know how to fight with large knives and spears, and in various ways they have also been equipped with a large number of modern guns.
At the same time, they were also very aware that it was difficult to defeat the British with firepower superiority in a head-on confrontation, so this time the Enderberians decided to win by night raid.
The location was chosen near the Shanghart River, the only route for the British, where the jungle was dense and suitable for the Entebbele people to hide themselves. The barrier of the river would also make it difficult for the British to escape after being defeated.
Moreover, this time they concentrated the main force, more than 5,000 people, and had an absolute superiority in troop strength.
By all accounts, the Entebbele people missed a line, and the police force in British India was not only equipped with advanced rifles, but also equipped with machine guns that had just been installed for a few years, which made them extremely passive in this night raid.
At 2:00 a.m. on October 25, 1893, just as the British were asleep, the attack began.
(Battle Diagram)
According to the British recollection, the attack caused them a great deal of panic at first, and it was pitch black outside, and they could only see the flash of the muzzle of the Entebbele musket when it was fired, but it was difficult to locate the other side.
At this time, the role of the Maxim machine gun is reflected, the Maxin machine gun has a rate of fire of 550 to 600 rounds per minute, and they attack the enemy by not relying on accurate shooting, as long as they know the approximate location, they can rely on dense fire to eliminate the nearby enemies.
So, although it was pitch black outside, just relying on the little sparks emanating from the muzzle of the gun could guide the Maxim machine gun to find its target.
The battle turned into a one-sided massacre, with the Ndeberais falling like straw under machine-gun fire, according to eyewitness accounts, and by the time they withdrew, they had lost more than 1,500 men.
The Losses of the British were negligible, with a total of 4 British killed and then 6 wounded. In addition, forty or fifty British friendly troops, women, children, etc. were killed, and it is estimated that there were twenty or thirty indigenous soldiers.
It is worth noting that the vast majority of Casualties on the British side were caused by unprepared conditions at the time of the initial attack.
However, without the timely counterattack of the Maxim machine guns, the night battle between the two sides would have been far greater than the losses of the British even if they could repel the incoming enemy.
Once the British were unable to keep the Entebbelees out of the camp, followed by a short melee between the two sides, the Losses of the British would surely rise exponentially.
The Performance of the Maxim machine gun in this battle was impressive, and it began to be increasingly used by the British in the colonial wars thereafter.
As the English poet Heller Belloc said: "Whatever happens, we have Maxim machine guns, and they don't."