laststandonzombieisland

Some 110 years ago this month.

Imperial Russian Army pilots and observers training in Kiev, Ukraine, August 1916, with American-made Colt 1895 pattern “potato digger” machine guns, likely made by Marlin-Rockwell.

Contrary to the common trope of being underarmed, the Tsar’s purchasing agents were fond of all things machine gun, with Cossack cavalry carrying Madsen guns in Manchuria in 1904 and the Tula Arsenal putting the Russian version of the water-cooled light Vickers (Maxim) in mass production by 1910– a model that is still in active service today around the world.

As best recalled from “Quiet Flows the Don” by Mikhail Sholokhov, when a young Cossack came to the unit’s attention in 1920:

“I’d like to ask to be transferred to the machine gun team.”

“Are you familiar with a machine gun?”

“I know the systems of Shosha, Bertier, Madsen, Maxim, Gochkis, Bergman, Vickers, Lewis, and Schwarzloze.”