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Question: What was a machine-gun post in trenches in WW1!?
What is a machine-gun post !? definitionWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
the definition is simple enough- a place in a trench adapted for the purpose of placing a machine gun
-enlarged area to place the tripod
-lowered revetment to provide space to traverse the gun

you can have 2 types-
offensive- the gun is placed to fire towards the enemy trenches- to keep their heads down or to provide covering fire for own troops (attack, patrol etc)!. downside- the place is visible to the enemy and so can be destroyed

defensive- the gun is placed to cover a gap in the defences (barbed wire, minefield, etc) the gun will not be visible from enemy trenches but anyone trying to attack own trench must enter into the field of fire!. Usually placed in pairs (one gun protects the other and provides cross-fire)
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Well we all know what a machine gun is!.

The "post" is basically an abbreviation of "position"!.

For centuries the ultimate weapon of war was the cavalry charge!. The machine-gun brought that to an abrupt end!. As a matter of fact the machine gun pretty much brought any charge to an end and its widespread use in the early stages of WW1 is basically what forced both sides to become entrenched!.

The machine gun was a large and bulky weapon that required two men to operate it!. It thus could not be carried and used at the same time thus it could only be used practicably as a defensive weapon!. Several of them were mounted in positions that gave a good view over a large area of the no-mans-land!. These places were called machine-gun posts!. Because the defensive (machine gun) weapons were so superior to the attacking weapons whoever was on the defence usually had the overwhelming advantage!. This is why the casualty figures in WW1 were so incredibly high and the war was bogged down into a trench war-of-attrition for so many years!. Eventually the Germans figured out tactics to overcome the allied trenches but the only thing that could really neutralise the effectiveness of the machine-gun-post was the invention of the tank!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Weapons of War: Machine Guns!.

The Machine Gun in 1914

The 1914 machine gun, usually positioned on a flat tripod, would require a gun crew of four to six operators!. In theory they could fire 400-600 small-calibre rounds per minute, a figure that was to more than double by the war's end, with rounds fed via a fabric belt or a metal strip!.

When established in fixed strong-points sited specifically to cover potential enemy attack routes, the machine gun proved a fearsome defensive weapon!. Enemy infantry assaults upon such positions invariably proved highly costly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Was a look out post for the front line trenches!. To stop the enemy from getting closer to the soldiers in the trenches!. And to provide cover for any soldiers if they needed to get closer to enemy lines for whatever reasons they needed to!.Www@QuestionHome@Com