One of the rare aircraft machine guns from the First World War is the Austro-Hungarian Schwarzlose. This was a delayed blowback heavy machine gun used by the Empire’s infantry as the M1907/12, and it was really the only domestic machine gun available for use in aircraft at the time. While guns were initially used with slotted or intact water jackets, the blowback mechanism meant that the jacket could be easily removed without compromising functionality (unlike Maxim/Vickers designs that required muzzle support). Two iterations of naked-barrel aircraft Schwarzlose guns were made, the M16 and M16A, with iterative improvements in rate of fire and reliability at high altitudes. The M16A seen here was capable of up to 880 rpm and operation at 23,000 feet. Only a few hundred of these guns appear to have been produced, and they are very scarce today.
Many thanks tot he US National WW1 Museum & Memorial for pulling this example out of their exhibit for me to film! If you are in Kansas City, make sure to stop by and see the museum:
https://www.theworldwar.org
M1907/12 Schwarzlose video: https://youtu.be/9_pWNjuZj30
“(…)one of the bigger issues with
these guns was getting them to run
properly at altitude. And none of my
reference material explains exactly why(…)”
Schwarzlose machine gun’s reliability depends at integral cartridge oiler. This machine gun will receive disadvantage to reliability if any one below happen:
– lack of oil
– using oil of shady quality
– low air temperature
Latest was source of problems in ground application in winter and at high altitude in all seasons.