Prior to World War 1 (1914-1918), France-based Darne held a focus on commercial sporting weapons. When war came to Europe, the company was asked to produce 3,266 Lewis Guns for the French Army and this commitment then provided the impetus for the concern to try its hand at an in-house, low-cost machine gun design - the Darne Modele 1918. However, the system arrived much too late to see service in the Great war (it was tested throughout 1917-1918) but saw service during the inter-war period as well as into World War 2 (1939-1945).
Company engineers did away with more costly finishes and furnishing common to military weapons of the period in their new design for it was felt that the life of a military service machine gun was inevitably quite short due to general field abuse. An basic inline arrangement was chosen that saw the barrel seated over the gas cylinder and, beyond its conventional gas-operation, the system was fed by belted ammunition - a "true" machine gun. Weight measured around 15lb and the weapon showcased a rate-of-fire of 1,100 rounds-per-minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,300 feet-per-second. It was chambered in the French 8x50mmR Lebel rifle ammunition.
As crude and utilitarian in appearance as the machine gun was, it was found to be a rather reliable and excellent as a hand-held trainable mounted weapon on aircraft - mainly due to its high rate-of-fire. In the same fashion it could be put to service as an Anti-Aircraft (AA) weapon and installed around strategic ground points or on warships as needed.
Production spanned from 1915 until 1922 and about 11,000 units were completed in various configurations to cover various battlefield roles. Most of this production emerged from Spain under the Unceta y Compania brand label during the 1930s, subcontracted from Darne which handled early production - and this only serving to keep manufacturing costs down even more.
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During the inter-war period, there was an attempt to make the Modele 1918 into a viable squad-level support solution but the series did not find the same level of success in the role. This offering sported a wooden shoulder stock, wood-covered pistol grip type appendage and foregrip for added control while retaining all of the effective qualities of the original aircraft gun. One of the primary failings of this form was the high rate-of-fire that made it such an effective aircraft weapon.
The series went on to find additional operators in the post-World War 1 period - Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Serbia, Italy and Spain among others. The Czechs took to local production of the weapon prior to adoption of the homegrown vz. 26 Light Machine Gun series. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) trailed the Darne Machine Gun against others as its next standardized aircraft weapon but settled on a Browning design in .303 British chambering. During World War 2 (1939-1945), captured French Darne Machine Guns by the Germans were redesignated to MG106(f).
The Modele 1919 was another aircraft version but this to mount as a fixed, forward-firing weapon, synchronized to fire through spinning propeller blades. The Modele 1922 was a proposed submachine gun form and the Modele 1923 was offered to the French Army as a vehicle / tank weapon - but lost out to the MAC 1924 series.
The Modele 1933 appeared as a more modern version of the original in the years leading up to World War 2. These were adopted by the French Air Force and Navy in 7.5x54mm MAS caliber. Indeed the Mle 1933 appeared in many French aircraft of the 1930s but the change in caliber made for a less effective airborne weapon. The MAC 1934 succeeded the Mle 1933 in this role
Brazil; Czechoslovakia; France; Nazi Germany; Kingdom of Italy; Lithuania; Serbia; Spain
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Fire Support
Capable of suppressing enemy elements at range through direct or in-direct fire.
Overall Length
1,112 mm 43.78 in
Barrel Length
600 mm 23.62 in
Empty Wgt
18.52 lb 8.40 kg
Sights
Iron
Action
Gas-Operated; Belt-Fed; Air-Cooled; Full-Automatic Only
Full-Automatic
Rounds are automatically ejected from the breech, a new cartridge stripped from the feed and set in the chamber, and rounds are continuously fired so long as the trigger is pulled and an ammunition supply exists.
Gas-Operated
Gas-operated system is featured, typically involving a gas cylinder and rear-driven piston directing energy to the bolt component.
(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)
Caliber(s)*
8x50mmR Lebel; 7.5x54mm MAS; 7.92x57mm Mauser
Sample Visuals**
Rounds / Feed
200 round detachable ammunition drum; belts
*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources. **Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.
Max Eff.Range
1,640 ft (500 m | 547 yd)
Rate-of-Fire
1,100 rds/min
Muzzle Velocity
2,600 ft/sec (792 m/sec)
Modele 1918 - Original hand-held aircraft model of 1918; chambered for 8x50mmR Lebel rifle cartridge.
Modele 1919 - Fixed aircraft gun with synchronization
Modele 1922 - Proposed submachine gun form
Modele 1923 - Proposed squad machine gun for French Army.
Modele 1933 - Modernized variant in 7.5x54mm MAS for French Air Force and Navy services.
MG106(f) - German Army designation of captured French Modele 1933 guns in World War 2.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.
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Brazil; Czechoslovakia; France; Nazi Germany; Kingdom of Italy; Lithuania; Serbia; Spain
