Vickers Machine Gun - In The Movies

[@Jay-ln1co]

In 1916, ten British Vickers were tasked at firing at a German position for 24 hours. The guns went through 999,750 rounds of ammo during this time. The gun the fired the most shot 120,000 rounds. In 1963, a class of British Army armorers built a Vickers and over the course of a week put 5 million rounds of ammo through it. Crews rotated every 30 minutes, barrels were changed every hour and a half. After the ordeal, they stripped the gun, checked its parts, and found it was still in serviceable condition.

[@dannyzero692]

That Vickers has seen some shit damn. Kick ass for a week without rest and can still kick more.

[@sakkra93]

IIRC, that was the 100th Machine Gun Company at the Somme, truly, a testament to the Vickers' legendary reliability and ruggedness. We should still use them in certain roles, if you ask me.

[@FunDipFobs]

@@sakkra93 main problem is I assume the majority are in .303 British, aswell as it no longer truly fits in well with modern army tactics (not according to myself🙄) even though we still use trench warfare. However we now have 50 caliber machine guns instead of 30.

[@keithmays8076]

I wonder if the Ukrainian army has some in their museums? I've heard that they've been using lots of old stock that are veritable antiques with great effects.

[@74KU]

@@keithmays8076 They are currently being used in the Ukraine war if you believe all the propaganda from both sides.

[@nath9091]

The benefit of these water cooled machine guns is that despite being heavy from the water they were able to fire near continuously for long periods by replacing the jacket fluid. This made them really good for suppression or extended use without having to carry around spare barrels. The heavy part wasnt their calibre but the ability to provide accurate sustained fire on demand.

[@reynaldoflores4522]

What if that tube runs out of water? The machine-gun would stop firing.

[@nath9091]

@@reynaldoflores4522 you add more liquid and keep on going!

[@youngthaiarfssoldier8732]

Without water, the only thing left to cool is air

[@0159ralph]

The Italian designed MK 75 76 mm naval cannon was a rarity. It was also water cooled, and was the main gun on U.S Perry Class Frigates. It was a giant Vickers that could fire up to 80 rounds a minute.

[@Riceball01]

@@reynaldoflores4522 The water wasn't an integral part of the gun's opetaing mechanism, it was only use to help keep the barrel cook. You could use any water cooled machine gune without water but you would really have to watch your rate of fire (no long sustained bursts) in order to keep the barrel from overheating.

[@samuellubell4557]

If i remember at some point in the 70s the British army ran a test of firing the Vickers for about 7 days straight with an extremely long belt, and changing the water mid firing, it shot the entire belt without any problems what so ever, making it one of, if not the most reliable machine gun ever created

[@thekhoifish0146]

Yep! If I recall correctly the British were either rechambering their Vickers or replacing them with LMGs, so they had to get rid of all their surplus ammo somehow. The story should be on the Vickers’ Wikipedia article

[@BHuang92]

The Vickers was chambered in a whole variety of calibers including 7.62 NATO. There was even a test to see if the Vickers could chop down a tree!!!

[@thewalking4473]

This story is true, and was recorded by the British Military itself. A single Vickers gun was fired for about a week straight, only stopping to change out barrels, and fired well over a million rounds of .303.

[@bigblue6917]

Thanks for the reminder, Samual. I remember reading about that. You cannot help but be impressed.

[@michaelpielorz9283]

And they revealed :english food is more lethal than a vickers gun!!

[@thekhoifish0146]

Bonus points for including not just anime, but also ATLANTIS I also find it hilarious that according to Wikipedia, Brits on the ground during WWI would allegedly fire off a few shots in order to heat the cooling water to make tea in the trenches

[@nandinhocunha440]

I heard that too, they even did in a tank. That's the most British thing

[@heroicaknight4735]

It honestly doesn't sound that ridiculous to me.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

As much as it sounds great in concept, waters that's been inside a water cooled machine gun is not suitable for consumption. Firstly it would be contaminated with all sorts of particulate, ranging from bit of burnt and unburnt cordite powder, and particles of rust, corrosion or paint. Secondly in the trenches, water that was unfit for drinking or cooking was often used in water cooled machine guns along with any other liquid in an emergency up to and including urine.

[@thekhoifish0146]

@@MaxwellAerialPhotography oh yeah the brew definitely would’ve turned out awful. the Wikipedia article doesn’t go into detail on this, but it does mention that the tea supposedly tasted of oil

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

@@MaxwellAerialPhotography During heavy bombardments, it was routine for supplies to be cut off to defended positions for days on end. Men COMMONLY drank much worse than cooling water. I have my Grandfathers cap badge, which includes a couple of crossed Vickers guns and an NZ and the Crown of New Zealand. And I am not sure which returned serviceman told me this story, it probably wasn't my Grandad, but when they were training, and responsible for the maintenance of the gun, they used to have to prove the water was clean, in the inspection. Dirt or rust in the water got you punished, because it meant you were not cleaning it properly.

[@Ponen77]

Its interesting to see the large amounts of maxims being used in Ukraine, I liked seeing the dual mounted maxims with a red dot sight mounted between them. Here in India we of course inherited a lot of British firearms, many like the .303 Enfield and Sten guns continued to be seen in service with police till about the last decade where they have been gradually replaced. We have of course Vickers machine guns but these days they are all in storage, the last I heard of a vickers was from a friend who mentioned he noticed the Manipur police had a vickers mounted on a suzuki gypsy during a police parade. Lots of interesting firearms in my neck of the woods, recently my friend came across a large stack of Arisakas in the Nagaland police armoury, they still had their chrysanthemum seals so all probably captured during the Japanese Burma campaign.

[@patriotenfield3276]

Vickers were first and lastly used by Indian army during the First Indo Pak war of 1947-48. also a Large number of Maxims were given to the Bangladeshi Mukti Bahini (they also have captured a lot from West pakistani army arsenals ) during the Liberation war. Indian army and forces mostly replaced all Vickers and 7.62*51mm Browning M1919 (on tanks ) with 7.62*51mm FN MAG and 7.62*54mm PKM . also as heavy machine gun we have NSV/-T , KPV and limited number of Browning M2 .50cal machine gun . plus we have also captured a put on use, a Large number of DshK from pakistani army, terrorists and rebels alike. Edit :- Vickers and not Maxims. sorry for the mistake .

[@philiprufus4427]

Not surprising, some British troops during World War 1 were armed with the Arisaka Rifle. Japan in those days was an allie. The Brits also used the Canadian Ross rifle, and the Lee Metford was occasionally used. In short, when lacking Lee Enfields, they used what they deemed the best available. Also there is a saying I have heard used from british vets of all arms,over 50 odd years - 'your kit is was as good as the cheapest quote son' . Interesting some Indian police still using the Arisaka. The influence of the old Indian army and police is still obvious to this day in India and Pakistan.

[@Ponen77]

@@philiprufus4427 As far as I know the arisakas were never issued to the Nagaland police, they were just stored in the armoury, we suspect from the condition and modifications/replacements of the stocks the rifles that they were most probably surrendered/captured from the post war Naga insurgents and freedom fighters.

[@agentolshki4265]

Go to the mark Felton channel on yt, he has a number of videos on vintage arms being used in Ukraine and other theatres of conflict. A really good semi amateur documentary channel.

[@minxythemerciless]

In the interdiction role, it was put onto a much heavier tripod and had a mortar site attached to use with an aiming post. The same setup was later used with the M60 for ranges beyond 1,000 metres.

[@kiwigrunt330]

It was the same tripod. The current L7A2 / MAG58 in sustained fire role works the same way, with the C2 mortar sight.

[@Spagettiisbetterthenpizza]

@@kiwigrunt330 i know it works as a sniper too i put scopes on vickers all the time it is a good sniper

[@handlesarefeckinstupid]

You mean volley fire role? Hell even rifles had them in WW1 and before. Very useful during trench warfare and area denial.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Vickers is indeed gun build to last, with some units still fully operable today, over 100 years after they were build. Reliablility of this gun is just amazing, with probably best example form august 1916 when section of 10 Vickers fired for 12 hours stight, useing 1.000.000 rounds without any serious manufanctions ( tho they ate a lot spare barrels and apparently all water in the area ) Tho you have to rember, it was also a really expensive gun. In ww1 each costed about 1000 pounds wich in today's money is like 20k+, maybe even 25k usd.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

C&Rsenal has a really great segment in their Vickers video where they read a passage written by an American serving in the British Army, he discusses how the opposing Vickers and MG08 crews would fire back and forth at each other in patterns that resembled songs and how they would sort of agreed upon breaks for meals only to resume afterwards. Fascinating and surreal how wars can be conducted.

[@BHuang92]

Fun Fact: The redesign of the Maxim machine gun by Vickers meant that the cocking action was reversed from forward on the Maxim to rear cocking. However that action when firing would result the cocking lever pounding on the knuckles of the user so operators then were instructed to grip the Vickers in a particular way so that their knuckles would not be pounded.

[@patriotenfield3276]

but the Browning m1917 was the odd one out of the Family.

[@Predator42ID]

@@patriotenfield3276 The Browning M1917 used a completely different design than the Maxim.

[@haroldjedrzejczyk9449]

@@Predator42ID Correct. The Browning M1917/A1 also used a superior belt/pawl feeding system.

[@nicholashodges201]

​@@haroldjedrzejczyk9449the Browning was superior in almost every way. Superior enough that the only changes the US has made were air cooling and upping the caliber.

[@mathewkelly9968]

If you want sustained fire over all other considerations this is the weapon for you . You can even do sustained indirect fire barrages with it

[@mbryson2899]

As nicely depicted in Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon."

[@konst80hum]

For the record please note the beautiful photography of the Doctor Zhivago clip. The field with the line of red poppies was simply poetic.

[@petehall889]

My August 1916 fluted jacket Vickers on its 1916 dated tripod is the last gun in my collection I would ever sell. Such a superbly designed weapon with a really great history!

[@SamO-ik2cm]

Great to see Breaker Morant getting a mention. Outstanding movie and it can be viewed on youtube.

[@jinngeechia9715]

Glad you included The Wild Geese. A great big stars mercenary adventure film with Roger Moore, Richard Burton and Richard Harris.

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

Interesting fact about Jadotvillle: it wasn't some guy bravely standing completely exposed on the back of a jeep in real life. They had an armoured car.

[@padraigpearse1551]

I love these videos because of the sheer variety of films you use. Gives me plenty of new ones to watch

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Glad to expose some new ones for ya

[@jonathanstempleton7864]

Bonus points for including Blackadder. Have a thumbs up 👍

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

Aussie Captain : "The entire front is criss-crossed like that" Aussie Sargent : "Well, what's the answer then Sir?" Tanya the Evil : " *Namesake Grin* "

[@rolfagten857]

"Play Dirty"" (1969) is one of my favorite war movies. A 10 for this!

[@themancantfindaname7589]

2:26 chuck norris is so badass he invented auto fire when aim

[@patriotenfield3276]

He is Chuck Norris for a Reason, and Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee for a reason.

[@leewaffe3]

Well done and spot on Johnny! Fun fact taken from Peter Jackson's "They Shall not grow old" (2018). With the vickers being water cooled, soldiers in the trenches during WW1 would fire their vickers at times to boil the water and use it for brewing tea XD It tasted awful of course but they never minded given the circumstances they had to live with and not knowing if that day or the next day woud be their last. btw thank you for the excellent blackadder scenes. Spot on and love your work Johnny!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Excellent very British info added sir! They Shall not grow old is a masterpiece

[@martyn420]

In 'With a Machine Gun to Cambrai', George Coppard (an actual soldier of the MGC) refutes the myth that hot water from the Vickers gun cooling jacket was used to make tea. The results would be undrinkable and the water in the condenser can is essential for topping up the cooling jacket. In reality, water for the gun was scarce in combat conditions and needlessly emptying the gun under enemy fire would be a disciplinary matter. Depictions of Vickers guns firing continuously without the condenser hose and can are wide of the mark.

[@leewaffe3]

@@martyn420 thank you for that input, I had figured that was one such method, not a common method but perhaps one soilder's account in the trenches giving that this was from first hand accounts of surviving veterans recorded by the BBC for the Imperial war museum's archives. In the trenche's one of this generation or even the previous generation of beings can only imagine what those men settled with or improvised to make life somewhat more bearable to live day to day in those years of the war.

[@haroldjedrzejczyk9449]

Drinking the highly-contaminated water from any water-cooled MG's barrel jacket would be almost as deadly as charging into fire from one...🤮☠️

[@gratefulguy4130]

Mmmm arsenic tea.. 🫖 ☕️

[@rubie_gubie]

Vickers has always been one of my favorites so this video is a treat

[@airmackeeee6792]

Another great video Johnny! I'm glad you highlighted Breaker Morant. I've found not many people in the US know about this Aussie classic. Great use of Black Adder Goes Forth. It had one of the most surprising and memorable series endings ever! I loved Passchendaele. That final battle scene is BRUTAL! I'm not sure if there is enough material available, but would you consider doing a vid on the pepperbox pistol? I know it makes an appearance in the 1990s Irish/English historical production "The Hanging Gale." Apologies if I've asked before about this weapon.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I think I might be able to do that. I touched on pepperbox derringers in a previous video and it's certainly an interesting subject. I'll see what I can come up with down the line.

[@colleenrooschuz5631]

During the mid 60's we used the Vickers in the South African army. I have never, ever seen it fired without the water hoses attached and the water tank. In almost all these videos there is no sign of this .

[@brothercaptainwarhammer]

The Vickers is, in my Opinion, one of the Best Machine Guns that Serves Numerous Wars, along side its Cousin, the Maxim, Spade Gripped Machine Guns have a Special Place in my Heart, and The Vickers is among those Placed in a Pedestal, such an Awesome Weapon! Truly an Amazing Product of British Ingenuity, and Engineering! Ans yes, we must not Forget those that Fought, and Died in the Wars of Past, in order for all of us to Have a Future (Though Current Times are Trying Times, its Better than Having a Future thats obviously gonna be Dark and Sad), especially those the Fought Hard, Bled, and Died for it... Peace to the Fallen, my their Sacrifice be not Forgotten, but Remember for Generations, in the Annals of History! Keep up the Amazingly Informative, and Excellent work Johnny! Keep the Good Shit Coming, my Friend!

[@scottessery100]

4:35 fun fact... the character was a german fighting for the diggers hence the long knowing glance

[@2009Berghof]

At the title, you can look closely and note that the ammo belt of the two Vickers has those UK blue wooden bullet blanks, likely made by Radway Green. These were made specifically for the .303 BREN guns. I used the same Radway blanks (made in 1968) for years in my Vickers, and the exact same blank adaptor shown here. At WWII re-enactments, they are the loudest small arms blank on the field. The only ones nearly as loud as real ammunition!

[@wolf_7479]

10:27 It should be noted that the Japanese had two license build copies of the Vickers (or well the Vickers Class E to be specific), the Type 97 fixed (not to be confused with the 97 tank machine gun) you mentioned in the same .303 round the British used and the Type 89 fixed (not to be confused with the 89 flexible which is based on the Type 11) in 7.7 Japanese with the latter being used by the Army air force and the former by the Navy.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

thanks for adding this!

[@patriotenfield3276]

thanks for correcting me. 🙂

[@gregtestagent]

I thought maybe he would mention “The Wild Bunch” (1969) since he’s mentioning the Browning M1917, and the use of machine guns in the Mexican revolution. It’s a huge plot device for the movie, and is used heavily in the film’s climax.

[@robertcooper411]

Just about the bloodiest shoot out ever. Sam Peckinpah (director) was a master of his craft.

[@richardsawyer5428]

George Coppard talked about indirect fire in his book "With a machine gun to Canbrai" now, sadly out of print I believe.

[@jamesturner9651]

Just before bed and a Johnny video is uploaded. Guess I'm not sleeping for a few minutes lol

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Wanting to give you sweet dreams of machine guns

[@jamesturner9651]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq the perfect dreams! Lmao

[@jamesturner9651]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I love the fact you added Archer clips. 10/10

[@jamesturner9651]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq also enjoying the WW1 material coming up every now and then. Been back on my WW1 kick and trying to brush up more on it.

[@airmackeeee6792]

Just count sheep... or bullets! 😉🤣

[@MrMe345]

Something of note RE: the Vickers at Jadotville, although some were fitted to Land Rovers and Jeeps as seen in the film, some of their most effective use was in 1940 built Ford Mk. VI armoured cars. These were made by the Irish Army during WWII for airfield defence and were the only cars light enough for air transport at the time of the ONUC mission. Comdt. Quinlan would use earth works to effectively point the two Fords in his command upwards creating a classic AA crossfire using their Vickers guns to deny low altitude approaches to the Fouga jet, ruining it's accuracy. Pointing the vehicles into the air jke this is origin of the idea of flipping the Landy on its side on the film 😊

[@0159ralph]

Snoopy had a couple of Vickers mounted on his doghouse during those dogfights with the red boron over France during the Greatwar.

[@arnijulian6241]

Hi Johnny! Some fellas are still using Maxims chambered in 7.62 in Ukraine against the Russians funnily. i could resist bubbling when I saw the pictures, 1 fella made a twin mount for to maxims on a motor. The great grandpa of machine guns still fires on the battle fields even today 138 years since it's inception. Hiram Maxim a Dual nationality British American inventor born 1840 USA Maine & died in London in 1916. Vickers & son was Vickers, son & Maxim till Maxim passed. Vickers is the Englishmen that funded him to make his 1882 patent for a machine gun a reality. I could say more but I think I would bore & you said plenty enough to cover it Johnny as you highlighted it role well enough & the death it brought.

[@patriotenfield3276]

well that is not surprising. Maxim sold his designs (or somebody sure did ) to Russia / Russian empire back in the days of Tsar. they made a variant called Maxim PM M1910 , which was the backbone of every Eastern Europe and Eurasian army prior to the end of WW2 , where it was significantly replaced with SG-43, SGM, DP series machine gun, RPD and eventually the PKM.

[@arnijulian6241]

@@patriotenfield3276 Not surprising they have maxims, but it is surprisingthat they are still using them at all.

[@patriotenfield3276]

@@arnijulian6241 Oh the Rebels of the DNR and LPR uses them too. plus many of these Maxims in current use are actually made in 1940s and available in huge numbers in Ukrainian stock (pre 2014 war ) . these Guns are cheap, reliable easy to maintain because they have spare parts available or can be salvaged from other machine guns .also 7.62*54mm Ammunition is widely available in that region. so why to waste extra money when you can use some local stuff to kill? also this has become a war of attrition on both sides. so much so that they have went great lengths to kill each other. also if South Asian forces like in India , Nepal , Bhutan, Myanmar Afghanistan and Pakistan are still using Lee Enfields , Brens , Sterlings , Stens, Webley's and even Martini Henry (tatmadaw police), then why not.

[@arnijulian6241]

@@patriotenfield3276 Agreed it works but it's a bit odd to see something used by my Great Great grand father day still in use. I can't help but chuckle.

[@old-worldghost3451]

"A near six-thousand warriors, we stopped em on the run, The bravest of the brave could never match the Maxim Gun" - "Battle of Bembezi" John Edmond.

[@Tragon-p8m]

Also featured in the WW1 air war movie Aces High ( 1976) that featured an odd combo of a top mounted Lewis spade-grip and a cowling mounted Vickers.

[@Themaxwithnoname]

The Wind That Shakes The Barley, though briefly shown in this particular video, is excellent.

[@Catmandan42069]

I been waiting for this for a while

[@jackstecker5796]

I forget which battle it was in WW1, but a British machine gun battalion, (consider that, entire battalion of machine gunners) threw something like 4 millions rounds over a couple days in indirect fire. I actually talked to a seriously old school guy, who gave me range charts, and taught me how to use a magnetic compass to deliver indirect machine gun fire out about 3 miles. If you lay the compass on the top of the top cover, the steel draws the compass needle. The bubble in the compass gives you the vertical angle, the range chart gives you elevation, and you adjust for windage using T&E (traverse and elevation) on the tripod. All of a sudden, 3 miles away, it starts raining .303 rounds. For a couple days. From about 500 guns. The prospect of it raining full power rifle rounds for several days, continuously, would scare the shit out of me.

[@rdjhardy]

10:55 shows the Vickers 'slap' which was the machine gunner's way of traversing during sustained fire.

[@regard.pduplessis2109]

back at it again with a awesome video

[@Highice007]

Great vid as always. You even showed bits from the greatest mercanary movie ever made. The Wild Geese.

[@djolley61]

One of the reasons there was so much slaughter during World War One is that they were basically using the same infantry tactics as during the Napoleonic Wars. These tactics were actually shown to be outmoded during the American Civil War, with the advent of the rifled musket using the Minie ball. Firearms became deadly out to 1000 yards. The range and rate of fire of machine guns and rifles only made the situation worse during WWI. The British and French generals kept thinking if they could just mass enough troops in one place they could break through. Tens of thousands killed in a few days was the result.

[@minuteman4199]

The Germans thought the same thing. That's how they were stopped in 1914.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Not fully true. Armies (both entante and central powers ) realised fairly qickly that infantry tactics and drills form pre war were insufficient. However it took them over 3 years of traial and & error (often very costly one ), and many, many tactical and technical innovattions to finaly discover means of breaking stalemate of trench warfare.

[@haroldjedrzejczyk9449]

@@ComissarYarrick What broke the stalemate of trench warfare was the development of tracked armored vehicles, aka: tanks. First by the British and French in 1915/16 and finally in 1917, (too late and very few produced), by the Germans...

[@antilliachannel]

This is a by and large entirely incorrect myth that needs to die. Nobody entered WW1 using Napoleonic tactics; hell, both France and Germany had already engaged each other in a more modern conflict than the American Civil War in 1870, and Britain had been developing modernised tactics through colonial conflicts for decades by this point.

[@tomhenry897]

British used tanks Germans used storm troops Basic infantry stayed the same

[@LB0355]

I loved that train scene in Sherlock Holmes 2 with the fake lipstick bullet. Such a fantastic series.

[@MarsFKA]

And a Maxim gun with a rate of fire three times faster than the real thing. Ahhh, Hollywood!

[@Elephantine999]

Another interesting production. Thanks! :)

[@MarsFKA]

6:34 Talks about indirect fire. My father was a tank commander in the New Zealand Division in Italy, 1943/45. He told me about how the Vickers was often used at night to target some transport/access point, like an intersection ahead of the line. They would fire a few shots into the target at random intervals, not expecting to hit anyone but just to make life inconvenient for Germans in that area. He said, one night, his own position received incoming fire, but from behind! They hid in and under the tanks and got on the radio to find out who was doing the shooting. The shooting stopped and next morning a machine gun Battalion officer showed up to apologise. He said they were supposed to be using Mark 6 ammunition, but accidentally used Mark 5, which had a lower performance.

[@rdjhardy]

Great video again, Sir.

[@mijoges6288]

welp i just binged all of your vids from the past year. time to start making my way further down the timeline

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Right on man thanks for watching. More to come.

[@DarkLordDiablos]

You cut out the punchline from the Blackadder clip in that the amount of land was the patch on the table not a scaled down model. 🤣

[@bigblue6917]

During August 1916 the British Army wanted to manoeuvre troops near the front line. In order to make sure these manoeuvers were not interfered with by the Germans the 100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps was ordered to fire towards the German lines using its ten machine guns. The guns delivered sustained fire for twelve hours using 100 barrels and over one million rounds. None of the guns broke down and the few stoppages they had were quickly dealt with. As was said by Ian V. Hogg in his book Weapons & War Machines, "It was this absolute foolproof reliability which endeared the Vickers to every British soldier who ever fired one. It never broke down; it just kept on firing and came back for more."

[@MrzorkV]

My Uncle Harry who fought in WW1 could write his name his Vickers. He said they could fire for 7 days and night continuously due to Water cooling.

[@geordiedog1749]

Nice touch at the end.

[@Firefocus-fz2we]

6:24 That anime has quite a few other historical weapons showcased

[@tommykaung5882]

5:17 Wait, SAO Gun Gale Online has Vickers? I didn't remember that scene.

[@paleoph6168]

1:22 Can you upload some scenes from 55 Days at Peking?

[@rogerauger7766]

Johnny, I am a new subsciber to your channel. Very informative. Keep up the good work man. :)

[@nicolasmignot1517]

8:43 look at the guy with the Luger, I didn't expected to see a trigger disciple from a 1930 movie.

[@juergen_von_strangle]

That first line from Blackadder is too good

[@euanmilne5302]

there's a story about a squad of vickers machine gunners, using about 6 or so machine guns provided never-ending cover fire for 12 hours, changing barrels often but never jamming or breaking down

[@timsytanker]

And of course there was the .50 cal Vickers, a real beast!

[@philsc6028]

this is great tips for some good old movies

[@richardclarke3924]

Johnny, great video as usual. Just a thought but would it be worth publishing a list of the films used, I often find a couple of gems in your list and would be good to have a point of reference. Lee Enfield mk 5 please.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Hey Richard. Thanks for the feedback. All movies are listed in the top right corner while the video plays and a full list is in the video description. Hope that helps.

[@SenorTucano]

3:06 outstanding to see the Vickers gun scene from ‘The Wild Geese’

[@ESFAndy011]

God, Innocent Voices is *such* a good movie, thank you for shedding light into it.

[@rexbarron4873]

0:12.........foreground gun is of WW2 manufacture.

[@Will-sq3ip]

It always shock me in fear whenever I see a gatling gun and Maxim and Vickers machine guns in movies. Aside from the sound of rapid-firing, they are a grim reminder of the rise of mechanized warfare.

[@patriotenfield3276]

other facts :- This machine gun was the first medium machine gun in service of Indian army which soon saw action in the immediate 1947-48 First Indo Pak war ,where it also saw action both as a MMG and anti aircraft role. nevertheless the opposing Pakistani Army also used the same Vickers. India also was using M1919 GPMG as tank mounted machine gun. Both armies replaced them with FN MAG and PKM for the IA while Rheinmetall MG3 for the PA. This machine gun also saw service with the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh liberation war ( 3rd Indo Pak war is a war within this war ) and with Sri Lankan army as well as communist insurgents during the 1971 JVP insurrection. also SADF (South African Defense Forces) were using this gun as late as in the 80s owing to it's reliability , easy to maintain and cheap to procure, before being replaced by FN MAG and PKM and eventually by my favorite Vektor SS-77 Machine gun. it was also used by both IRA and the loyalist ulsters during the Troubles .

[@isgodreal1337]

South Africa used Soviet weapons? How much?

[@patriotenfield3276]

@@isgodreal1337 how much you ask? Just look at the entire Rhodesian Bush war , The Angolan bush war , Mozambique Civil war and The South African Border war. South African and Rhodesian forces (Later many ex Rhodesians will join the SADF ) captured a large number of Soviet equipment from MPLA , SWAPO ,ZANU-PF , ZAPU,FRELIMO Cubans ,Libyans, and even Soviet ships . a large number of them were AK-47/AKM , (Still in Service) Type 56 , (assumed still in service) SKS PPSH-41 SG-43/SGM DP-27 DshK-M (used extensively by the Rhodesians) PK/PKM (still in Service with airborne troops ) RPG-2 RPG-7 (still in Service with SANDF) 9K32 Strela-2 (in reserves) AT-3 Sagger 9K31 Strela 1 (still in service with Special forces ) KPV/ ZPU system (used extensively by the Rhodesians ) BM-21 (inspired to create the Valkiri and Bateleur 127mm ) M-46 130mm Howitzer (used till the end of the war ) D-74 122mm Howitzer (all destroyed) ZU-23-2 (in service as the Bosvark AA gun) Zastava m55 (used by Rhodesians extensively)

[@isgodreal1337]

@@patriotenfield3276 ahhh captured! This explains my question. Very in depth and informative comment

[@nucleja]

amazing video and some great reccomendations!

[@doddery99]

The First accounts of Defilade fire came from the vickers and we still use full defilade fire today I’ve done it once or twice very interesting concept

[@RichardCummins-ni4em]

A line by Hilaire Belloc. "Whatever happens we have got, the Maxim gun and they have not".

[@Dragonfist12185]

How about something of the First World War German A7V, or the french Renault FT tanks?

[@pingwenhung8327]

The best way to Identify a WW1 Heavy Machine Gun "Literally a Huge Water jacket to cool the barrel off"

[@officercat7907]

Love the video! Just quick side note, you showed RDR 1 and according to IMFDB, that's actually a Browning M1917.

[@Matias-dr3ys]

maxim machine guns were used alot in finland during WW2 and you can see some in all movie versions of the finnish war novel "unknown soldier"

[@MrReded69]

Yeah I recently watched Tali-Ihantala(2007) and The Unknown Soldier. I can't help thinking about how many more Soviets the Finns could have killed in both The Winter War and The Continuation War if they had the lighter Vickers M1912 or Browning M1919s.

[@toysoldiernostalgia]

Wow thanks so much for this. I just started a YT-channel mainly about 1960´s and 70´s toy soldiers. I used to play with them a lot as a kid back in the 70´s. So I´m filming a video today about the Matchbox 1/32 sets (british infantry). There´s a lot of inaccuracies in most och the Airfix and Matchbox sets. But I figure it was harder to find info back then than it is these days. Also they where just as much toys as models and I don´t think there was enough time to do extensive research. So I was thinking movies probably was used as a source for weapons, equipement and uniforms. So that´s how a happened upon your channel. Superfun and so much info. Is it ok if I link your channel in my description for this video?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Of course! Sounds like a cool channel I'll check it out 👍👍

[@toysoldiernostalgia]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq it´s very small at the moment but I only started it about 5 weeks ago. It´s groing faster then I thought it would though. I think my viewers will love your channel. So that´s why I want to link to it.

[@loyalpiper]

You've once again pleasantly surprised me

[@bobmetcalfe9640]

1. Nice to see in NZ film in there thanks. 2. I didn't know about the muzzle booster thanks again. 3. There should be a KZbin video out there where someone shows that flanking fire is far more effective than that from straight ahead. He just puts up a whole lot of baloons in rows and shoots at them. Very interesting, because I Think that's why - among other reasons - trenches were zigzagged a fair bit.

[@MrReded69]

Dan Snow and his father did a show about the Somme where they used balloons and lazer simulator systems to demonstrate the firing patterns and how best to survive them.

[@steveperry1344]

at the american legion post in reading, ma. they have a deactivated maxim type gun on a tripod sitting outside the door. i always thought that was kinda cool.

[@Kruppt808]

You got that from Vickers, Working Essex County, page 98 right? yah i read that one too.....

[@isgodreal1337]

2:25 how can he fire the gun?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Total movie magic in that scene lol

[@isgodreal1337]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq Yeah! And that doesn't even begin to answer my question... how is it firing? They converted it to use an electrical trigger activated offscreen?? We'll never know.

[@patriotenfield3276]

Chuck Norris Supernatural powers .

[@prestonsimms632]

2:26 He is firing it without even pressing down the fire or I might be wrong idk

[@panzerivausfg4062]

It may seem odd but it's my favourite looking water cooled MG out there...I really like the design and the firepower!

[@mikeywilkinsjr3769]

Do the M1919 30 cal machine gun next

[@MrReded69]

What? You didn't see enough of them as they anachronistically co-starred in that Lawrence of Arabia scene? LOL😃

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

The thing with all these Water Cooled Machine Guns - is that they had phenomenal amounts of ammunition they could fire because they didn't over heat - the way Air Cooled guns will. The hose coming off the water jacket took steam evaporated off the gun barrel and put it into a water can. The water in the can would condense the steam into water. When the gun began to get low on water - they could just take the water from the can and put it back in the gun. The Gunners were highly trained and could use their guns like Artillery - using the controls on their mounts to control the flight of the bullets - they could fire over some intervening obstacles - keeping a rain of bullets on a general area. The problem with these guns - is that they were very heavy, their mounts were heavy and the water and all the ammunition they could fire was heavy. So - they worked really well in static defensive positions but were difficult to advance with. Air Cooled weapons were much lighter and more easily used offensively. They would carry several barrels and could change them in a couple of minutes - even if they didn't have Quick Change Barrels. If they did - they could change barrels in a few seconds. Magazine fed Light Machine Guns were much easier to advance with but lacked the sustained rate of fire of the belt fed weapons. .

[@admiral_t]

can you do more overviews about tanks like the Tiger or the T34 in the movies? that would be great!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Absolutely. Those both are massive projects so might take me awhile though but on my list!

[@frankdrevinpolicesquad2930]

Love the Black Adder references

[@whiteknightcat]

I, for one, appreciate the clips from Blackadder!

[@indigohammer5732]

I have read that UK Forces took one down to the Falklands in 1982 and employed it in a sustained fire role in ranges over one Mile. It's probably lies. It was declared obsolete in 1968 and .303 Ball wouldn't be common in the supply chain. It's a nice thought though.

[@MrReded69]

Yeah and the near Arctic weather would have made deploying a water cooled weapon more trouble than it was worth, even if was just a post war test. The Brits already had enough experience with using the gun in freezing weather in both world wars and korea. And though using anti-freeze in the water jacket worked, it didn't make it any lighter!! Especially its 45 pound Mk IV tripod! The L7 GPMG/MAG 58 mounted on its L4A1 tripod replaced the Vickers as the heavy fire support MG back in the '60s. Funny note: in the 3rd Parachute Battalion(3 Para) the section that crewed these guns were referred to as The Music Section. Apparently because they replaced the battalion's musicians on the traditional Table of Organization chart.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

My grandfather, John Burnham lied about his age and joined the CEF in 1915. He was tall for his age and on his attestation papers it reads "Apparent age, 19". He was a Lewis gunner in the 72nd Bn, later a Vickers gunner and joined up again in WW2 but never made it overseas owing to wounds received in the first war. In WW2 he was a Vickers instructor in Vernon Camp.

[@charleslagamo6426]

Just want to ask can you still use it without the water cooler hope someone's answer

[@mansourbellahel-hajj5378]

You know I watched the Pacific episode 1 and 2 during the battle of Guadalcanal and to my knowledge they used the Vickers machine gun now Machine Guns tend to be overheated due to usage so they equipped the machine gunners with Gloves similar to the Cooking Gloves so that they can hold it while moving and fire correct me if I am wrong.

[@patriotenfield3276]

I think you mistook the M1917 Browning water cooled for the Vickers. That gun was way too lighter than Vickers or any other Maxim machine gun. so much so that only a single sturdy soldier can (by improvising) carry it out and fire by Hip . It was the odd one out among the water cooled machine guns , because instead of hand crank based cocking system, it was a linear lever based cocking mechanism. no reverse or forward cranking . one pull and up you go. oh wait , load the belt first , our M1917and M1919 are closed bolt system machine guns, once the belt is loaded in with the first bullet into the feed tray, then put the cover , check the latch , cock the lever and off you go till the last bullet goes out, then the bolt will be locked back ( you have to load again and cock the gun, instead of the gunbeing autococked) .

[@mansourbellahel-hajj5378]

@@patriotenfield3276 thank for correcting but Man they do look similar but yes your right the US version is lighter.

[@patriotenfield3276]

@@mansourbellahel-hajj5378 they indeed to an amateur eyes. but get acquainted with them and you will see how different and odd one out the Browning is. It only uses a water cooling jacket .and that's it. the closed bolt linear lever based cocking system proves lighter , superior , futuristic and more reliable than the hand cranking of the maxim derived designs. John Browning indeed was a brilliant mind.

[@mansourbellahel-hajj5378]

@@patriotenfield3276 and because of that we saw from him the BAR

[@MrReded69]

@@patriotenfield3276 Actually the Vickers M1912 and the Browning M1917 were about the same weight. Though the swinging operating lever would have made firing it from the hip harder. Unless you're Gary Cooper in Lives Of A Bengal Lancer! In that movie he managed to lift one and its 45 pound mount and fire it! Classic Hollywood!

[@paulgrant7949]

Good stuff Johnny! Very interesting, especially with respect to the use by the Japanese in respect to Zero! You get extra points from me, for the use of clips from "Blackadder Goes Forth!" Brilliant series! Keep up the great work champion! 🍺😉👍🇦🇺

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Blackadder was a goldmine for this video :)

[@lordseelenfresserdemonking1168]

I would love to get my hands on a couple of those

[@evancrum6811]

excellent as always

[@MikeWhiskyTango]

I saw one of these fired against targets in 1983 at a firepower demo. The targets were uniforms filled with meat from the mess-hall. Holy crap... the mince meat.

[@simunpusec1078]

can u do about DP-27?

[@maddyg3208]

At 4:34 the reason that one Aussie soldier ("Dingo") looks slyly at the other ("Kaiser") when the instructor says "the enemy" is because Dingo was always going on about Kaiser's German background

[@silverbladeTE]

Also used in the grim post-apocalypse British classic film: "No Blade Of Grass"

[@elcamino817]

Next the "Browning M2HB .50cal" plz!

[@IQsveen]

Great content as always! Have you seen most of the movies you're talking about?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I try to watch them all but usually I've only seen about 80% of them.