How was the first machine gun used?
The Maxim machine gun revolutionized the art of machine gunnery. It was still heavy, but lighter than its predecessors, and much improved mechanically. More importantly, armies had finally learned the proper tactical employment of the machine gun. If used offensively, the gun was brought forward in sections and quickly assembled using whatever cover might be available. If used defensively, the gun was already assembled in a “machine gun nest” protected by sandbags. The guns were spread apart so that an entire gun company would not be wiped out by a single hit from the enemy’s artillery, but with overlapping fields of fire so that the guns could protect each other from infantry and cavalry attack.
