WWI and the AEF

[Pete]

In this particular message I'll admit in advance I'm at the outer limits of my ordnance knowledge, so I'll concede that I may be wrong. U.S. Army Ordnance had thown its weight behind the Benet-Mercie Machine Rifle, Caliber .30 U. S. Model of 1909 firing the .30-06 cartridge. The Lewis gun was probably a competitor to that weapon, which was why the chief of ordnance probably had an intense dislike for the inventor.

(Benet had commanded Benicia Arsenal near San Francisco, and his son Stephen Vincent Benet wrote the epic poem "John Brown's Body.")

The ordnance officer Julian Hatcher wrote in his book Hatcher's Notes how he had been sent in 1916 to the Texas border of Mexico to sort out the reliability problems with the Benet-Mercie MG. He said the issue was that the guys sent to the newly-formed MG units were the misfits, neer-do-wells and alcoholics all the other units wanted to get rid of. So what else is new? Plus ca change.