The Madsen Machine Gun

1 The Madsen [6 June 1918] Gun. 2 THE MADSEN GUN. Lord BERESFORD had the following Question on the Paper— To ask His Majesty’s Government— 1. Whether information can be given relative to the Danish Madsen ma- chine-gun. 2. Whether the Danish Madsen gun weighs only 15 lbs. as compared with, the Lewis gun of 28% lbs., the Hotch- kiss gun of 28 lbs., and the Vickers gun 68 lbs., including mountings. 3. Whether the Danish Madsen gun is superior in every respect to the Le- wis and Hotchiss guns now in use. 4. Whether (except for aircraft) the Lewis and Hotchkiss guns are no longer in use with any Army other than the British, and if it is a fact that these guns have been super- seded even in the countries of their origin, v i z., America and France. 5. Whether the Danish Madsen gun was tested in 1915 at the Machine Gun School in France, and strongly recom- mended. 6. Whether the Commandei’-in-Chief has asked for 2,000 Danish Madsen guns to be immediately ordered for issue to the troops. 7. Whether the official report of the H.M.S. »Excellent,« Whale Island, is not strongly in favour of the Danish Madsen gun. 8. Whether the newest model of the Danish Madsen gun was tested by the Small Arms Committee at the School of Musketi'y, Hythe, in Ja- nuary, 1918, with the most satisfac- tory results. 9. Whether the Danish Madsen gun was tested in May, 1918, before a very- great number of machine-gun experts of the Army, and whether these experts have reported on the gun, unanimously, and strongly recom- mending it. 10. Whether the Ministry öf Munitions has had the Danish Madsen gun thoi’oughly tested, and recommended it to be introduced into the Service. 11. Whether the present Prime Minister, when Minister of Munitions, ordered 5,000 Danish Madsen guns to be manufactured for the Army. 12. If it can be stated why this Danish Madsen gun, which has been proved superior in all respects and admir- ably suited for Infantry, Cavalry, Aircraft, and other Arms, has not yet been taken into the British Ser- vice; and to move a Resolution. The noble and gallant Lord said: My . Lords, I have rather a considerable string of questions on the Paper. I have to apologise for that fact, but I find that in technical matters, unless you place on the Paper all yo.u. want to know, it is very hard for the Government to answer you. The subject that I wish to bring before your Lordships’ House is one of vital impor- tance. In my opinion if the gun which I am going to describe is not adopted, it may end in defeat for our forces, and it will most certainly end in the prolongation of the war. The gun in question is named the Danish Madsen gun. It was invented in 1905, and has been through various stages of alteration and improvement until now its accuracy and manufacture are such that no fault whatever can be found with it. Perhaps your Lordships will allow me to state my qualifications for attempting on this occasion to be a machine-gun expert. Some thirty years ago I was so impressed with the value of the machine-gun that I invented the galloping machine-gun for the Cavalry. That gun was invented by me to solve certain difficulties such as Cavalry being sent on to ridges, bridges, and cross- roads to hold them. In many cases they could not hold those places when the enemy’s Infantry came up, but with six of these guns they could hold the positions, if once they got them, until their own Infantry came ,up. Cavalry officers of that day were very pleased with the gun. They were most anxious to get it, and I think a noble Lord in this House who was then in the 10th Lancers will support me in saying that that regiment when it got the gun first was extremely pleased to have it. At one moment I was the only man alive, I believe, who had fought in action with machine-guns both ashore and. afloat. That reminds me of an incident. A foreign gentleman came over with regard to the Gatling gun, which had a better feed, and offered me a large sum of money