https://youtu.be/dOu9cL74_mU
During World War One, the US Army basically got in a personality spat with Isaac Newton Lewis, and refused to adopt the Lewis gun. The British and Belgians happily made use of it though, and contracted manufacture to the Savage company in New York. As US involvement in the war got closer, the US Navy decided to investigate adopting the Lewis gun. It ended up doing just that, and ultimately bought about 6,000 MkVI Lewis guns in .30-06 caliber. The Marines trained with the guns and tool them to Europe as part of the 1st Infantry Division. On arrival, the Army (which commanded the division) promptly took them away and replaced them with Chauchats. Under Army administration, American Lewis gun usage was almost entirely focused on aircraft guns.
Many thanks to the 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
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