Tactical Principles for the Employment of Machine-Gun Sections

Already by the end of the 19th century, the machine gun had emerged as the most important new development in warfare of the age, and the British army, as this 1911 official publication attests, was well aware that the weapon would transform the conduct of war. The book is a translation of articles written in German by the Austro-Hungarian School of Musketry and appearing in a military journal the previous year. What the War Office translators call 'useful instruction' as employed by a potential enemy power - with whom Britain would find itself at war within three years - covers the handling and deployment of machine guns; the duties of a machine gun commander; concealment and other topics. The book is illustrated with many detailed maps and diagrams. An invaluable read.