View source for Vickers machine gun

{{Distinguish|text =[[Vickers–Berthier]] light machine gun or [[Vickers K machine gun]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Vickers machine gun
| image              = File:Vickers Machine Gun YORCM CA78ac (cropped).jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = A Vickers machine gun mounted on a [[tripod]]. This example is at [[York Castle Museum]].
| origin             = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| type               = [[Heavy machine gun]]
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_ranged          = yes
| is_UK              = yes
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1912–1968
| used_by            = ''See {{section link|Vickers machine gun|Users|nopage=yes}}''
| wars               = ''See {{section link|Vickers machine gun|Conflicts|nopage=yes}}''
<!-- Production history -->
| designer           =
| design_date        = 1912
| manufacturer       = [[Vickers]]
| unit_cost          = {{ubl
  | £175 in 1914<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWvickers.htm|title=Vickers Gun|website=spartacus-educational.com}}</ref>
  | £80 in 1918<ref>{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1919/jun/24/mr-kellaways-statement | title=MR. KELLAWay's STATEMENT. (Hansard, 24 June 1919) }}</ref>
  | ~£50 in 1926<ref>{{cite web | url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1926/mar/15/sir-l-worthington-evans-statement | title=SIR L. WORTHINGTON-EVANS' STATEMENT. (Hansard, 15 March 1926) }}</ref>
  }}
| production_date    =
| number             =
| variants           = 
<!-- General specifications -->
| mass               = {{convert|33|-|51|lb|kg|abbr=on}} all-up
| length             = {{convert|3|ft|8|in|mm|abbr=on}}
| part_length        = {{convert|28|in|mm|abbr=on}}
| crew               = 3
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = {{bulleted list
  | [[.303 British|7.7×56mmR<br/>(.303 British)]]
  | [[11×59mmR Gras|11×59mmR Gras<br/>(11mm Vickers)]]
  | [[.280 British|7×43mm<br/>(.280 British)]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=49}}
  }}''For other cartridges,<br/>see {{section link|Vickers machine gun|Foreign service|nopage=yes}}''
| caliber            =
| action             = Recoil with gas boost
| rate               = 450–500 rounds/min
| velocity           = {{ubl
  | {{convert|2440|ft/s|m/s|0|abbr=on}}<br/>('''.303 Mk. VII ball''')
  | {{convert|2525|ft/s|m/s|0|abbr=on}}<br/>('''.303 Mk. VIIIz ball''')}}
| range              = {{convert|2187|yard|m|0|abbr=on}}
| max_range          = {{convert|4500|yard|m|0|abbr=on}} indirect fire (.303 Mk. VIIIz ball)
| feed               = 250-round canvas belt
| sights             =
}}

The '''Vickers machine gun''' or '''Vickers gun''' is a [[Water cooling|water-cooled]] [[.303 British]] (7.7&nbsp;mm) [[machine gun]] produced by [[Vickers Limited]], originally for the [[British Army]]. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and operate it: one fired, one fed the ammunition, the others helped to carry the weapon, its ammunition, and spare parts.<ref>[http://ww2armor.jexiste.fr/Files/Allies/Allies/4-Infos/UK/Guns/Light-Weapons.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401064809/http://ww2armor.jexiste.fr/Files/Allies/Allies/4-Infos/UK/Guns/Light-Weapons.htm|date=1 April 2012}}</ref> It was in service from before the First World War until the 1960s, with air-cooled versions of it on many [[Allies of World War I|Allied World War I]] [[Aviation in World War I|fighter aircraft]].

The weapon had a reputation for great solidity and reliability. [[Ian V. Hogg]], in ''Weapons & War Machines'', describes an action that took place in August 1916, during which the British 100th Company of the [[Machine Gun Corps]] fired their ten Vickers guns to deliver sustained fire for twelve hours. Using 100 barrels, they fired a&nbsp;million rounds without breakdowns. "It was this absolute foolproof reliability which endeared the Vickers to every British soldier who ever fired one. It never broke down; it just kept on firing and came back for more."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hogg |first=Ian V. |author-link=Ian V. Hogg |author2=Batchelor, John |author-link2=John Batchelor (illustrator) |title=Weapons & War Machines |publisher=Phoebus |year=1976 |location=London |page=62 |isbn=978-0-7026-0008-1 }}<br />"The Vickers gun accompanied the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|BEF]] to France in 1914, and in the years that followed, proved itself to be the most reliable weapon on the battlefield..."</ref>

==History==
[[File:Vickers IWW.jpg|thumb|left|A Vickers machine gun crew in action at the [[Battle of the Menin Road Ridge]], September 1917]]
The Vickers machine gun was based on the successful [[Maxim gun]] of the late 19th century. After purchasing the Maxim company outright in 1896, Vickers took the design of the Maxim gun and improved it, inverting the mechanism as well as reducing its weight by lightening and simplifying the action and using high strength alloys for certain components. A [[muzzle booster]] was also added.

The British Army formally adopted the Vickers gun as its standard machine gun under the name ''Gun, Machine, Mark I, Vickers, .303-inch'' on 26 November 1912.{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=28}} There were shortages when the [[First World War]] began, and the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] was still equipped with Maxims when sent to France in 1914.{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=29}} Vickers was threatened with prosecution for [[war profiteering]], due to the exorbitant price demanded for each gun.<ref name="armoryvickers" /> As a result, the price was much reduced. As the war progressed, and numbers increased, it became the British Army's primary machine gun, and was used on all fronts during the conflict.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Vickers machine gun production during WWI<ref>{{cite book |title=Statistics of the military effort of the British Empire during the Great War : 1914–1920 |date=1922 |publisher=HMSO |location=London |page=479 |url=https://wellcomecollection.org/works/r7ynvjg7/items?canvas=495 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
!1914 (Aug.–Dec.) !! 1915 !! 1916 !! 1917 !! 1918 !! Total
|-
| 266 || 2,405 || 7,429 || 21,782 || 39,473 || 71,355
|}
When the [[Lewis Gun]] was adopted as a [[light machine gun]] and issued to infantry units, the Vickers guns were redefined as heavy machine guns, withdrawn from infantry units, and grouped in the hands of the new [[Machine Gun Corps]]. When heavier {{cvt|0.5|in|mm|1|adj=on}} calibre machine guns appeared, the tripod-mounted, rifle-calibre machine guns such as the Vickers were further re-classified as "medium machine guns". After the First World War, the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was disbanded and the Vickers returned to infantry units.

Before the Second World War, there were plans to replace the Vickers gun as part of a widescale change from rimmed to rimless rounds; one of the contenders was the [[7.92×57mm Mauser|7.92mm]] [[Besa machine gun]] (British-built Czech [[ZB-53]] design), which eventually became the British Army's standard tank-mounted machine gun. However, the Vickers remained in service with the British Army until 30 March 1968. Its last operational use was in the [[Radfan]] during the [[Aden Emergency]].<ref name="armoryvickers" /> Its successor in UK service is the British L7 variant of the [[FN MAG]] general purpose machine gun.

===Use in aircraft===
[[File:Vickers Challenger synchroniser (Bristol Scout).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The cockpit of a [[Bristol Scout]] biplane in 1916, showing a Vickers machine gun synchronised to fire through the propeller by an early Vickers-Challenger [[synchronization gear|interrupter gear]].]]
In 1913, a Vickers machine gun was mounted on the experimental [[Vickers E.F.B.1]] [[biplane]], which was probably the world's first purpose-built combat aeroplane. However, by the time the production version, the [[Vickers F.B.5]], had entered service the following year, the armament had been changed to a Lewis gun.<ref>{{cite book |last=Driver |first=Hugh |title=The Birth of Military Aviation: Britain, 1903–1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cbrA5NJp2JMC&pg=PA128 |date=1997 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd |isbn=978-0-86193-234-4 |pages=126 |access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref>

During World War I, the Vickers gun became a standard weapon on British and French [[military aircraft]], especially after 1916, initially in a single gun configuration ([[Nieuport 17]], [[SPAD VII]], [[Sopwith Triplane]]), increased to a twin-gun standard in later war fighters ([[Nieuport 28]], [[SPAD XIII]], [[Sopwith Camel]]), with exceptions such as the [[S.E.5]], which had a single synchronized Vickers and a Lewis gun mounted above the upper wing. Although heavier than the Lewis, its [[closed bolt]] firing cycle made it much easier to [[synchronization gear|synchronise]] to allow it to fire through aircraft [[Propeller (aircraft)|propellers]]. The belt feed was enclosed right up to the gun's feed-way to inhibit the effect of wind. Steel disintegrating-link ammunition belts were perfected in the UK by [[William de Courcy Prideaux]] in mid-war and became standard for aircraft guns thereafter. From 1917 to 1919, French [[Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault]] produced under license .303 Vickers machine guns (240 were delivered before the Armistice) but most of the French aircraft Vickers machine guns were British-made.<ref name="GBM145" />

By 1917 it had been determined that standard rifle calibre cartridges were less satisfactory for shooting down [[observation balloon]]s than larger calibres carrying [[Incendiary ammunition|incendiary]] or [[Tracer ammunition|tracer]] bullets; the Vickers machine gun was chambered in the [[11mm Vickers]] round, known as the ''Vickers aircraft machine gun'' and sometimes the "Balloon Buster", and was adopted by the Allies as a standard anti-balloon armament, used by both the British and French in this role until the end of the war.<ref name=Barnes>Frank C. Barnes, ''Cartridges of the World'', 15th ed, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2016, {{ISBN|978-1-4402-4642-5}}.</ref><ref name=IWM>[https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30027115 Imperial War Museums, "11x59R: 11&nbsp;mm Gras Machine Gun & 11&nbsp;mm Vickers", ''iwm.org.uk''], retrieved 4 June 2018.</ref>

The famous [[Sopwith Camel]] and the [[SPAD XIII]] types used twin synchronized Vickers, as did most British and French fighters between 1918 and the mid-1930s. In the air, the weighty water-cooling system was rendered redundant by low temperatures at high altitude and the constant stream of air passing over the gun (and lack of any need for sustained fire such as employed by ground troops); but because the weapon relied on boosted barrel recoil, the (empty) water-holding barrel jacket or casing was retained. Several sets of louvered slots were cut into the barrel jacket to aid air cooling, a better solution than that which had initially been attempted with the 1915-vintage [[MG 08#Aircraft versions|lMG 08]] German aircraft ordnance.
[[File:From a B To Officer. a B Jack Rupert Boulton, One of Thousands Promoted From the Lower Deck To Meet the War-time Demand of Britain's Great and Expanding Navy. Boulton, a Dorsetman, Redheaded and 6 Ft Tall, Was A16402.jpg|thumb|left|Vickers Mk. II* or III in naval anti-aircraft service during WWII in the Mediterranean]]
In 1918 the slotted modified original barrel jacket was replaced with a slimmer jacket on the Mk. II version,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vickersmg.blog/the-guns/303-inch-mk-ii |title=.303-inch Mk II – the Vickers Machine Gun |date=23 November 2017 }}</ref> and in 1927 a [[muzzle flash suppressor]] was added on the Mk. II*.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vickersmg.blog/the-guns/303-inch-mk-ii-2 |title=.303-inch Mk II* - the Vickers Machine Gun |date=23 November 2017}}</ref>

As the machine gun armament of US and UK fighter aircraft moved from the fuselage to the wings in the years before  [[World War II]], the Vickers was generally replaced by the faster-firing and more reliable<ref>Chorlton, Martyn (2012). ''Hawker Hurricane Mk I-V''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2012, Air Vanguard No. 6. {{ISBN|978-1-78096-603-8}}.</ref> [[M1919 Browning machine gun|Browning Model 1919]] using metal-linked cartridges. The [[Gloster Gladiator]] was the last RAF fighter to be armed with the Vickers, later replaced by Brownings.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_gloster_gladiator.html |title=Gloster Gladiator |first=J. |last=Rickard |encyclopedia=Military History Encyclopedia on the Web |date=21 March 2007 |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> The [[Fairey Swordfish]] was fitted with the weapon until production ended in August 1944.{{sfn|Bishop|2002|page=403}}

Several British bombers and attack aircraft of the Second World War mounted the [[Vickers K machine gun]] or VGO, a completely different design, resembling the Lewis gun in external appearance.

Vickers machine guns, designated as models E (pilot's) and F (observer's, fed from a [[pan magazine]]) were also used among others in Poland, where 777 of them were converted to [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] cartridge in 1933–1937.<ref>Konstankiewicz, Andrzej (1986), ''Broń strzelecka Wojska Polskiego 1918–39'', Warsaw {{ISBN|83-11-07266-3}}, p. 141 {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

===Use in armored vehicles===
The water-cooled Vickers Mark VI, Mark VI* and Mark VII were versions of the Mark I for use in tanks. They were introduced in 1936 and declared obsolete in 1944 (though they and the vehicles they were installed in were still in reserve use until the 1960s). They could be installed with either a left-hand or right-hand feed block. The Mark VI and VI* Tank Patterns were conversions of old stock Mark Is while the Mark VII Tank Pattern was new production.    

===Variants===
{{Main|Vickers .50 machine gun}}
[[File:HMS London gun.jpg|thumb|right|A .5-inch Mk. III, four-gun anti-aircraft mount and its crew on the cruiser {{HMS|London|69|6}} in 1941]]
The larger calibre (half-inch) version of the Vickers was used on armoured fighting vehicles and naval vessels. The ''Gun, Machine, Vickers, .5-inch, Mk. II'' was used in tanks, the earlier Mark I having been the development model. This entered service in 1933 and was obsolete in 1944. Firing either single shot or automatic it had a pistol type trigger grip rather than the spades of the {{convert|0.303|in|mm|adj=on}} weapon.

The ''Gun, Machine, Vickers, .5-inch, Mk. III'' was used as an anti-aircraft gun on British ships.<ref name="vmg.org.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.vickersmachinegun.org.uk/ |title=The Vickers Machine Gun |first=Richard E. |last=Fisher |website=Vickers Machine Gun Collection & Research Association |access-date=27 November 2014}}</ref> This variation was typically four guns mounted on a 360° rotating and (+80° to −10°) elevating housing. The belts were rolled into a spiral and placed in hoppers beside each gun. The heavy plain bullet weighed {{convert|1.3|oz|abbr=on}} and was good for {{convert|1500|yd|abbr=on}} range. Maximum rate of fire for the Mark III was about 700&nbsp;rpm from a 200-round belt carried in a drum.
They were fitted from the 1920s onwards, but in practical terms, proved of little use.
During the Second World War, the naval {{convert|0.5|in|mm|1|adj=on}} version was also mounted on power-operated turrets in smaller watercraft, such as [[Motor Gun Boat]]s and [[Motor Torpedo Boat]]s.

The Mark IV and V guns were improvements on the Mark II. Intended for [[Light tanks of the United Kingdom|British light tanks]], some were used during the war on mounts on trucks by the [[Long Range Desert Group]] in the [[North Africa Campaign]].<ref name="vmg.org.uk" />

===Foreign service===
[[File:Indian Army Vickers machine gun section, North West Frontier, India, 1940 (c).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A [[British Indian Army]] Vickers machine gun crew in the [[North-West Frontier Province|North West Frontier]], [[British India]], 1940.]]
The Vickers was widely sold commercially and saw service with many nations and their own particular ammunition. It was also modified for each country and served as a base for many other weapons. For example:
* [[6.5×50mmSR Arisaka]]{{sfn|Goldsmith|1994}}
* [[6.5×52mm Carcano]]<ref name="Italy" />
* [[6.5×53mmR|6.5×53.5mmR (.256 Mannlicher)]]<ref name="KNIL" />
* [[7×57mm Mauser]]<ref>In very small numbers with [https://vickersmg.blog/world-service/chile Chile] and [https://vickersmg.blog/world-service/el-salvador El Salvador]</ref>
* [[7.5×55mm Swiss]]{{sfn|Goldsmith|1994}}
* [[7.62×51mm NATO]]<ref name="Borderstrike1" />
* [[7.62×54mmR]]<ref name="m1915" />
* [[.30-06 Springfield|7.62×63mm (.30-06 Springfield)]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=33}}
* [[7.65×53mm Argentine]] — In very small numbers with [https://vickersmg.blog/world-service/argentina Argentina] and [https://vickersmg.blog/world-service/belgium Belgium].
* [[7.7×58mm Arisaka]] — Licensed as the [[Type 89 machine gun#Type 89 fixed|Type 89 "fixed type" machine gun]]<ref name=jae>{{cite book|last=Mikesh|first=Robert C.|title=Japanese Aircraft Equipment 1940–1945|date=2004|publisher=Shiffer Publishing|isbn=0-7643-2097-1|pages=115–116}}</ref>
* [[8×50mmR Lebel]] — 2,000 ordered by France in 1914,<ref name="vickersmg-france">{{cite web |url=https://vickersmg.blog/world-service/france |title=France – the Vickers Machine Gun |date=13 December 2017}}</ref> but only 52 delivered.<ref name="GBM145">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Mitrailleuses et canons des avions français|magazine=Histoire de Guerre, Blindés et Matériel|pages=27–38|date=April 2023|issue=145|first=Guy|last=François}}</ref>

====Service after World War II====
[[File:Vickers RAR Chipyong-ni.jpg|thumb|right|Australian soldiers of the [[3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment]] operate a Vickers gun during fighting near [[Battle of Chipyong-ni|Chipyong-ni]] during the [[Korean War]], February 1951{{sfn|Australian Vickers, Korean War 1951 (Australian War Memorial)}}]]

The [[Union of South Africa]] retained a large inventory of surplus Vickers machine guns after World War II. Many of these were donated to the [[National Liberation Front of Angola]] (FNLA) and [[National Union for the Total Independence of Angola]] (UNITA) during the [[Angolan Civil War]].<ref name="Borderstrike1">{{cite book|title=Borderstrike! South Africa Into Angola 1975–1980|last=Steenkamp|first=Willem|location=Durban|publisher=Just Done Productions Publishing|edition=Third|year=2006|orig-year=1985|isbn=978-1-920169-00-8|pages=52, 93}}</ref> Angolan militants were usually trained in their use by South African advisers.<ref name="Borderstrike1" /> Small quantities re-chambered for 7.62&nbsp;mm NATO ammunition remained in active service with the [[South African Defence Force]] until the mid-1980s, when they were all relegated to reserve storage.<ref name="Borderstrike1" /> Six were withdrawn from storage and reused by a South African liaison team operating with UNITA during the [[Battle of Cuito Cuanavale]], after which the weapons were finally retired.<ref name=Mobility>{{cite book |last1=Steenkamp |first1=Willem |last2=Helmoed-Römer |first2=Heitman |title=Mobility Conquers: The Story Of 61 Mechanised Battalion Group 1978–2005 |date=September 2016 |page=731 |publisher=Helion & Company |location=Solihull |isbn=978-1-911096-52-8}}</ref>

In the mid-1960s, the Vickers machine gun remained in service in countries such as India,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Control of local conflict : a design study on arms control and limited war in the developing areas|volume=3|last1=Bloomfield|first1= Lincoln P.|last2=Leiss|first2=Amelia Catherine<!--|last3=Legere|first3= Laurence J.|last4= Barringer|first4= Richard E.|last5=Fisher|first5= R. Lucas|last6= Hoagland|first6= John H.|last7=Fraser|first7= Janet|last8=Ramers|first8=Robert K-->|publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for International Studies|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA324492.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804022404/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA324492.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=4 August 2020|date=30 June 1967|hdl=2027/uiug.30112064404368|page=325}}</ref> Israel{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=706}} and Egypt.{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=711}} It saw action with the [[Ceylon Army]] in the [[1971 JVP insurrection]].

====Colt–Vickers M1915====
{{quote box|align=right|width=30%|The Board of Ordnance & Fortifications held a meeting on March 15, 1913 to consider the adoption of a new type of machine gun. ... The Board is of the opinion that, with the exception of the Vickers gun, none of the other guns submitted showed sufficiently marked superiority for the military service, in comparison with the service [Benét–Mercié] Automatic Machine Rifle to warrant further consideration of them in the field test. The Board is of the unanimous opinion that the Vickers rifle caliber gun, light model, stood the most satisfactory test. As to the merits of the Vickers gun there is no question—it stood in a class by itself. Not a single part was broken nor replaced. Nor was there a jam worthy of the name during the entire series of tests. A better performance could not be desired.
|Captain John S. Butler, Office of the Chief of Ordnance<ref name="m1915">{{cite web|last=G. Segel |first=Robert |date=January 6, 2012 |title=U.S. Colt Vickers Model of 1915 |url=http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=756 |website=sadefensejournal.com |publisher=Small Arms Defense Journal |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>}}

By the early 1900s, the U.S. military had a mixed collection of automatic machine guns in use that included [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun|M1895 "potato diggers"]], 287 [[Maxim machine gun#American use|M1904 Maxims]], 670 [[Hotchkiss M1909 Benet–Mercie machine gun|M1909 Benét–Mercié]] guns, and 353 [[Lewis machine gun]]s. In 1913, the U.S. began to search for a superior automatic weapon.  One of the weapons considered was the British Vickers machine gun.

[[File:111-SC-24659 - NARA - 55208929.jpg|thumb|left|A reference photo of a M1915 Vickers]]
Field tests were conducted of the Vickers in 1914, and the gun was unanimously approved by the board for the army under the designation "Vickers Machine Gun Model of 1915, Caliber .30, Water-Cooled". One hundred twenty-five guns were ordered from [[Colt's Manufacturing Company]] in 1915, with an additional 4,000 ordered the next year, all chambered for .30-06. Design complexities, design modifications, and focus on producing previously ordered weapons meant that when the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917, Colt had not manufactured a single M1915.<ref name="m1915" />{{sfn|Colt Vickers Model 1915 (Forgotten Weapons)}}

Production began in late 1917 with shipments to the Western Front in mid-1918. The first twelve divisions to reach France were given French [[Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun]]s, and the next ten had M1915s. The next twelve divisions were to have [[Browning M1917]] machine guns, but there was a shortage of parts. By August 1918, thirteen U.S. divisions were armed with the Colt–Vickers machine gun, and many aircraft were armed with the weapons as well (2,888 guns were converted). 7,653 guns were issued during the war out of 12,125 produced in total. War damage losses reduced the number of M1915s in the U.S. Army inventory from 9200+ to about 8,000 total.<ref name="m1915" />{{sfn|Colt Vickers Model 1915 (Forgotten Weapons)}}

[[File:Water-cooled machine guns just arrived from the USA under lend-lease are checked at an ordnance depot in England. - NARA - 196325.jpg|thumb|left|M1915 guns from the USA inspected in England]]
[[File:The Second World War 1939 - 1945- the Home Front H5842.jpg|thumb|In service with the Home Guard]]
After World War I, the Colt–Vickers machine guns were kept in reserve until World War II. Several hundred were sent to the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines, and were all eventually lost to enemy action.<ref name=colt1915>{{cite web|publisher=Small Arms Review|url=https://smallarmsreview.com/the-u-s-colt-vickers-model-of-1915-water-cooled-machine-gun/|title=The U.S. Colt Vickers Model of 1915 Water-Cooled Machine Gun|date=September 2, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401011923/https://smallarmsreview.com/the-u-s-colt-vickers-model-of-1915-water-cooled-machine-gun/|archive-date=April 1, 2023}}</ref> In 1940 and 1941, a total of 7,071 M1915 guns were purchased by the United Kingdom{{sfn|Goldsmith|1994|page=229}} to re-equip their forces after the [[Dunkirk evacuation]], which depleted the weapon from the U.S. inventory before their entry into the war. Because the M1915 Colt–Vickers was not chambered for the standard British .303, it was painted with a red band to differentiate it and restricted it to [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] use.<ref name="m1915" />{{sfn|Colt Vickers Model 1915 (Forgotten Weapons)}}

==Specifications==
[[File:.303ammunition.jpeg|thumb|Rimmed, centrefire Mk 7 [[.303 British|.303 inch]] cartridge from World War II. The type of ammunition is denoted by the colour of the annulus, the narrow ring shown here surrounding the [[percussion cap]]]]

The weight of the gun itself varied based on the gear attached, but was generally {{convert|25|to|30|lb|kg}} with a {{convert|40|to|50|lb|kg|adj=on}} tripod. The ammunition boxes for the 250-round ammunition belts weighed {{convert|22|lb|kg}} each. In addition, it required about {{convert|7.5|imppt|L}}  of water in its [[Evaporative cooling|evaporative cooling system]] to prevent overheating. The heat of the barrel boiled the water in the jacket surrounding it. The resulting steam was taken off by a flexible tube to a condenser container—this had the dual benefits of avoiding giving away the gun's location, and also enabling re-use of the water, which was very important in arid environments.

In British service, the Vickers gun fired the standard [[.303 British|.303 inch]]  cartridges used in the [[Lee–Enfield]] [[rifle]], which generally had to be hand-loaded into the cloth ammunition belts. There was also a {{convert|0.5|in|mm|1|adj=on}} calibre version used as an anti-aircraft weapon and various other calibres produced for foreign buyers.

The gun was {{convert|3|ft|8|in|cm}} long and its cyclic [[rate of fire]] was between 450 and 600 rounds per minute. In practice, it was expected that 10,000 rounds would be fired per hour, and that the barrel would be changed every hour—a two-minute job for a trained team. The Vickers gun could sustain fire for long durations of time exceeding the recommended 10,000 rounds an hour due to the water-cooled barrel and hourly barrel swaps. One account states that a Vickers fired just under 5&nbsp;million rounds in a week as a test in 1963 at [[Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall|Strensall Barracks]] and was still operable.{{sfn|Goldsmith|1994|page=188}} The muzzle velocity was {{convert|2440|ft/s|m/s|0|abbr=on}} ±{{convert|40|ft/s|m/s|0|abbr=on}} with [[.303 British#Mark VII|Mark VII(z]]) ammunition and {{convert|2525|ft/s|m/s|0|abbr=on}} with [[.303 British#Mark VIIIz|Mark VIIIz]] ammunition. The Mark VIIIz cartridge, which had a [[External ballistics#General trends in drag or ballistic coefficient|boat-tailed]] spitzer 'streamlined' bullet, could be used against targets at a range of approximately {{convert|4500|yd|m|0|abbr=on}}. The bullet jackets were generally made of an alloy of [[cupro-nickel]], and [[gilding metal]]. Ammunition for the Vickers used colour-coded annuli. Tracer ammunition was marked with a red annulus; armouring-piercing ammunition with a green annulus, and incendiary ammunition with a blue annulus. Explosive ammunition was marked with an orange annulus before the Second World War and was changed to black.

==Use==
[[File:PrincessPatriciasCanadianLightInfantryTrainingMaximGunDec1942.jpg|thumb|Soldiers of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry firing a Vickers machine gun during a training exercise, Eastbourne, England, 3 December 1942]]
The gun and its tripod were carried separately and both were heavy. The Vickers Mk I was 30&nbsp;lb (13.6&nbsp;kg) without the water and tripod, and weighed 40&nbsp;lb (18.1&nbsp;kg) with the water. The original design did not anticipate it being carried up jungle-covered mountains on men's backs, but such was the weapon's popularity that men were generally content to pack it to all manner of difficult locations. The tripod would be set up to make a firm base, often dug into the ground a little and perhaps with the feet weighted down with sandbags.

The water jacket would be filled with about {{convert|4|L|gal}} of water from a small hole at the rear end, sealed by a cap. The evaporative cooling system, though heavy, was very effective and enabled the gun to keep firing far longer than its air-cooled rival weapons. If water was unavailable, soldiers were known to resort to using their urine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalarmouries.org/what-we-do/research/nfc/single-object/172 |title=Vickers Mk.I machine gun |publisher=[[Royal Armouries]] |access-date=26 September 2012}}</ref> It was sometimes claimed that crews would fire off a few rounds simply to heat their gun's cooling water to make [[tea]], despite the resulting brew tasting of machine-oil.<ref>{{cite book | title=Tea, rum & fags: sustaining Tommy, 1914-18 | publisher=History Press | last=Weeks |first=Alan | year=2009 | page=19 | isbn=978-0752450001}}</ref> In extremely cold weather, the cooling water could freeze and damage the gun. This problem was addressed using an insulating water jacket cover, introduced in 1918 but still in use during the Korean War. Some crews added vehicle antifreeze, others drained the water jacket, or simply fired a few rounds periodically to keep the water from freezing.{{sfn|Pegler|2013|pp=70}}

The loader sat to the gunner's right, and fed in belts of cloth, into which the rounds had been placed. The weapon would draw in the belt from right to left, pull the next round out of the belt and into the chamber, fire it, then send the fired brass cartridge down and out of the receiver while the cloth belt would continue out the left side. During sustained fire, the barrel would heat up which heated the water in the jacket until hot enough for the water to evaporate or boil thereby cooling the barrel releasing the heat through steam. It took the Mk I 600 rounds of continuous fire to boil the water in the jacket, evaporating at a rate of {{convert|1.5|imppt|ml|-1}} per 1,000 rounds.<ref name="vmg.org.uk"/> The steam would reach the top of the jacket and enter a steam tube which led to a port that was situated under the jacket near the muzzle. A hose was connected to this, which released the steam into a metal water can allowing it to be vented away from the rest of the gun hiding the steam cloud and the gun's position. This also allowed any condensate to be reclaimed from the steam. Before the can got too full, it would be emptied back into the jacket to replenish the water level which would have fallen as the water evaporated and boiled away. If the water jacket needed to be emptied, a plug under the jacket could be unscrewed to drain the entire jacket.

[[File:Vickers Clino R.JPG|thumb|[[Clinometer]] for Vickers .303 machine gun]]
The Vickers was used for [[indirect fire]] against enemy positions at ranges up to {{convert|4500|yd|m|0}} with Mark VIIIz ammunition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vickersmg.blog/manual/range-tables/|title=Range Tables - The Vickers Machine Gun|date=4 July 2017|website=vickersmg.blog}}</ref> This [[plunging fire]] was used to great effect against road junctions, [[trench warfare|trench systems]], forming up points, and other locations that might be observed by a forward observer, or zeroed in at one time for future attacks, or guessed at by men using maps and experience. Sometimes a location might be zeroed in during the day, and then attacked at night, much to the surprise and confusion of the enemy. New Zealand units were especially fond of this use. A white disc would be set up on a pole near the MMG, and the gunner would aim at a mark on it, knowing that this corresponded to aiming at the distant target. There was a special back-sight with a tall extension on it for this purpose. The only similar weapon of the time to use indirect fire was the German [[MG 08]], which had a separate attachment sight with range calculator. 

A British World War II Vickers medium machine gun platoon typically had one officer in command of four guns, in two sections of two, each with a crew and a small team of riflemen whose job was to protect the gun and keep it supplied with ammunition.

==Operating mechanism==
[[Image:VickersMuzzleBoosterAnim.GIF|right|thumb|Animation of the Vickers muzzle booster operation, showing the expanding gases pushing the barrel to the rear relative to the cooling jacket|200px]]

The Vickers is a fully automatic [[Belt (firearms)|belt-fed]] firearm which is fired from a [[closed bolt]].  When ready to fire, a [[Cartridge (firearms)|round]] is in the [[Chamber (firearms)|chamber]] and the [[breechblock]] assembly and working parts are forward.  It has a [[Recoil operation|recoil operated]], [[floating action (firearms)|floating action]] with a toggle lock similar to a [[Luger pistol]].  However, unlike the Luger, the mechanism is totally contained within the receiver or body of the Vickers. When operated, the floating action, which consists of the barrel, breechblock assembly and toggle mechanism, reciprocate as a unit within the body of the gun.  The mechanism is held together by recoiling plates, that connect the breech end of the barrel to the rear of the toggle mechanism. The breech is locked closed when the toggle is straight. The [[Crank (mechanism)|crank]] cocking handle is part of the floating action.  It acts through the rear pivot of the toggle lock.  Pulling the cocking handle causes the toggle to rise.  This unlocks the breech and then draws the breechblock assembly rearward.  While firing, the opposite end of the crank handle cams on a round lug fixed to the body.  Rearward movement of the floating action tips the cocking handle and unlocks the toggle.  The recoil that unlocks the toggle is [[Muzzle booster|gas assisted]].  Propellent gases leaving the muzzle are partly contained within the muzzle cap and act on the muzzle cup (attached to the barrel) to assist in propelling the floating action rearward to the point where the toggle mechanism is unlocked.  The breechblock assembly then opens fully while opposed by a spring which ultimately returns it to the closed position.  The spring under tension acts on a crank mounted on the opposite side of the body to the cocking handle.<ref name="vmg opp 1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26U1eguqg1g TAB Episode 52: Vickers Gun Disassembly], accessed 14 July 2021.</ref><ref name="vmg opp 2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG2YfcAJrtU&t=3s Vickers Mk1 1914], accessed 14 July 2021.</ref><ref name="vmg opp 3">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eYJXNXzqCk&t=1116s Vickers MG study: H 5529 (and the Vickers machine gun mechanism)], accessed 4 July 2021.</ref>

The feed block assembly sits directly above the breech.  It accepts the canvas belt loaded with ammunition.  With each firing cycle, it advances the belt by one round so that a fresh cartridge is presented ready for loading.  The belt is advanced by [[pawl]]s which move from side to side.  The pawls are operated by a linkage that engages with the floating action.  A second set of spring-loaded pawls tilt up and down as the belt passes over them.  These hold the belt during the return cycle of the feed pawls.<ref name="vmg opp 1"/><ref name="vmg opp 2"/><ref name="vmg opp 3"/>

The breechblock assembly is roughly as high as the receiver of the gun. On its front face is the extractor block.  Levers cause this to move up and down as the action is cycled.  It has a slot with two grooves which allow the [[Rim (firearms)|rim]] of the cartridge to be held from each side, much like a [[stripper clip]] does.  With the breechblock assembly closed and ready to fire, the extractor block grips the base of two cartridges: the lower cartridge in the chamber ready to fire and an upper cartridge held in the canvas belt within the feed block.  When the breechblock assembly unlocks after firing, the extractor pulls the spent cartridge from the chamber and, once clear, this falls through an ejection port in the underside of the gun's body.  Unlocking the breechblock assembly also withdraws the upper round (the next round to be chambered) from the belt.  When there is sufficient clearance, the extractor block lowers the new round until it is aligned with the chamber.  Forward movement of the breechblock assembly then chambers the round.  Near the very end of the forward cycle, the extractor block rises to engage the next round ready to be loaded.<ref name="vmg opp 1"/><ref name="vmg opp 2"/><ref name="vmg opp 3"/>

The breechblock assembly houses the [[firing pin]] and [[Trigger (firearms)|trigger]] mechanism.  The firing pin, under spring tension, strikes the [[Centerfire ammunition#primer|primer]] of the cartridge through a hole in the extractor block.  It must therefore be retracted before the extractor block moves down as part of the loading cycle.  Once retracted, the firing pin is held in a cocked position by a [[Sear (firearm)|sear]], ready for the next firing cycle. As the breechblock assembly fully closes on the breech, the sear disengages but the firing pin is held rearward by the trigger.  The end of the trigger protrudes from the top of the breechblock assembly.<ref name="vmg opp 1"/><ref name="vmg opp 2"/><ref name="vmg opp 3"/>

To fire the loaded gun, the gunner depresses a paddle at the rear of the gun. Through a lever, this pulls on a sliding bar that trips the trigger to release the firing pin.  The weapon then cycles to load the next cartridge for firing.  If the paddle is still depressed when the breech closes, the trigger is tripped again and a further firing cycle occurs.<ref name="vmg opp 1"/><ref name="vmg opp 2"/><ref name="vmg opp 3"/>

==Users==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flag|Australia}}{{sfn|Pegler|2013|pp=48-49}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=203}}
* {{flag|Bangladesh}}<ref>{{cite news|date=29 December 2017 |title=Arms for freedom|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/bangladesh-liberation-war-1971-muktijuddho-guerrilla-fighter-arms-freedom-1511812|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=212}}
* {{flag|Bolivia}} — Used during the [[Chaco War]].<ref name ='Chaco'>{{cite book|author=Alejandro de Quesada|title=The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTm3CwAAQBAJ|date=20 November 2011|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-901-2|page=33}}</ref>

* {{flag|British Empire}}
** {{flag|Bermuda|1910}} — [[Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Armaments year-book : general and statistical information|institution=[[League of Nations]]|place=Geneva|date=1924|series=Series of League of Nations publications. IX, Disarmament|volume=A.37.1924.IX|chapter=British Empire/ Colonies and Protectorates|chapter-url=http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/league/le0282ah.pdf|ref={{harvid|League of Nations|1924}}|page=126|archive-date=26 April 2016|access-date=20 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426221028/http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/league/le0282ah.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** {{flag|British Hong Kong|1876}} — [[Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps]]<ref name="hkbu">{{cite web |title=Vickers Heavy Machine Gun |url=https://digital.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/1941hkbattle-qef/en/data.php?show=item&id=OJ00007 |publisher=Hong Kong Baptist University |access-date=24 July 2024}}</ref><ref name="gwulo">{{cite web |title=Military gathering-007-ready to defend |url=https://gwulo.com/media/29643 |website=Gwulo Old Hong Kong |access-date=24 July 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240724134419/https://gwulo.com/media/29643 |archive-date=24 July 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** {{flag|British Somaliland}} — [[Somaliland Camel Corps]]{{sfn|League of Nations|1924|p=156}}
** {{flag|British India}}{{sfn|Bishop|2002|page=244}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=460}}
** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Federated Malay States (1895 - 1946).svg|23px}} [[British Malaya]]{{sfn|League of Nations|1924|p=185}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=374927252955669&set=pcb.374927579622303&type=3&theater=|title=RaRe & Klasik – Anggota Tentera dari Regimen Askar Melayu di Singapura – 1941|language=ms|website=Facebook}}</ref>
** {{flag|Fiji|1924}}{{sfn|League of Nations|1924|p=196}}
** {{flagicon image|Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957).svg}} [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]]{{sfn|League of Nations|1924|p=163}}
** {{flag|Southern Rhodesia}}{{sfn|League of Nations|1924|p=173}}

* {{flag|Canada|1921}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Canadian Forces in World War II|series=Men-at-Arms 359|first=René|last= Chartrand|date=15 December 2001|isbn=9781841763026 |page=14}}</ref>
* {{flag|Ceylon}} — Used by Ceylonese army in the [[1971 JVP insurrection]].
* {{flag|China|1912}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Chinese Warlord Armies 1911–1930 |series=Men-at-Arms 463 |first=Philip |last=Jowett |date=10 September 2010 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-84908-402-4 |pages=22–23}}</ref>
* {{flag|Cyprus}} — Possibly used during the [[Cypriot intercommunal violence]] and supplied from Greece or Turkey.{{Sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=861}}{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=863}}
* {{flag|Egypt|1958}}<ref name ="Israel">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Machine guns|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YAd8efHdVzIC|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History|editor-first1=Spencer C. |editor-last1=Tucker|editor-first2= Priscilla Mary|editor-last2= Roberts|date=May 2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-841-5|page=653}}</ref>{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=613}}{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=711}}
* {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}} — 2,000 ordered in 1914{{sfn|Pegler|2013|pp=32-33}}
* {{flag|Finland}} — Vickers from various sources (chambered in [[7.62×54mmR]] and [[.303 British]]) were acquired from 1920 and 100 were also delivered by [[United Kingdom]] during [[Winter war]].{{sfn|Vickers machine gun (jaegerplatoon.net)}}
* {{flag|German Empire}} — In 1918, [[Schutztruppe]] used 17 Vickers guns captured  during the [[South West Africa campaign]].<ref>{{cite book|title=King's African Rifles Soldier vs Schutztruppe Soldier: East Africa 1917–18|series=Combat 20|first=Gregg|last= Adams|date=22 September 2016|isbn=9781472813275|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mbOhDAAAQBAJ|page=61}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Greece}}{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=863}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=450}}
* {{flag|Indonesia}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=461}}
* {{flag|Ireland}}<ref name="Congo">{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4408017/the-siege-of-jadotville-the-true-story-netflix-film/|title=The True Story of the Heroic Battle That Inspired the New Netflix Film The Siege of Jadotville|first= Ciaran|last= Byrne|date=July 27, 2016 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]].com}}</ref>
* {{flag|Israel}}<ref name ="Israel"/>{{sfn|Smith|1969|pp=464&467}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}} — Vickers chambered in [[6.5×52mm Carcano]] for infantry and [[.303 British]] for aircraft.<ref name="Italy">{{cite web |url= http://www.cimeetrincee.it/mitra.htm |title=Le mitragliatrici italiane della Grande Guerra |trans-title=Italian machine guns of the Great War |first=Max |last=di Difilippo |work=Peaks and Trenches Historical Association |year=2006 |language=it |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Jordan}} — [[Arab Legion]]<ref>{{cite book| first=Peter|last=Young|series=Men-at-Arms|title=The Arab Legion|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|year=1972|isbn=978-0-85045-084-2|page=24}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kuwait}}
* {{flag|Latvia}} — Vickers Mk I and Mk II (611 and 120 by April 1936)<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Dambītis|first=Kārlis|date=2016|title=Latvijas armijas artilērija 1919.-1940.g.: Vieta bruņotajos spēkos, struktūra un uzdevumi|trans-title=Artillery of the Latvian Army (1918–1940): structure, tasks and place in the Armed forces|url=https://dspace.lu.lv/dspace/handle/7/31857?locale-attribute=en|publisher=University of Latvia|type=PhD thesis|page=225}}</ref> used by [[Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940|pre-1940]] [[Latvian National Armed Forces|Latvian Army]] and by Nazi-allied [[Latvian Police Battalions]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Germany's Eastern Front Allies (2): Baltic Forces|series= Men-at-Arms 363|publisher= Osprey Publishing|first1=Nigel|last1=Thomas|first2= Carlos|last2= Caballero Jurado|date= 25 Jan 2002|isbn= 9781841761930|pages= 46–47}}</ref>
* {{flag|Mexico|1936}}{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=147}}
* {{flag|Nepal}}
* {{flag|Netherlands}} — More than 1,000 were purchased from the British in December 1918, designated as '''Vickers M.18 No.1'''. In 1935, 800 units were rechambered to 7.92×57mmR and designated as '''Vickers M.18 No.2'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grebbeberg.nl/index.php?page=vickers-m-018 |title=Vickers M.018 |website=grebbeberg.nl |access-date=30 October 2023 |language=NL}}</ref> The [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army|East Indies colonial army]] variant designated as M.23 machine gun, chambered in [[6.5×53mmR]].<ref name="KNIL">{{cite book|title=Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936–42|series=Men-at-Arms 521|first=Marc|last= Lohnstein |date=23 Aug 2018|isbn=9781472833754 |pages=12, 21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2dkDwAAQBAJ&q=Vickers}}</ref> Used some Australian or British-made .303 Vickers during the [[Indonesian National Revolution]].{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|pp=79,89}}
* {{flag|New Zealand}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War II|series=Men-at-Arms 486|first1=Wayne|last1=Stack|first2=Barry|last2=O'Sullivan|date=20 Mar 2013|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9781780961118|page=44}}</ref>
* {{flag|Pakistan}}{{sfn|Bishop|2002|page=244}} — Used by Pakistan army in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948]].
* {{flag|Paraguay}} — Owned 10 units before the [[Chaco War]],<ref name="py">{{cite journal|last=Samaniego|first=Marcial|year=1985|title=Situación de las Fuerzas Armadas de la Nación en el decenio de la pré-Guerra del Chaco|volume=1|journal=Anuário de la Academia de Historia Militar del Paraguay|publisher=Academia de Historia Militar del Paraguay|language=es}}</ref> and later captured an unknown number from Bolivia<ref name ='Chaco'/>
* {{flag|Philippines|1936}}.<ref name=colt1915/>
* {{flag|Poland}} — Used the aircraft version, later rechambered in [[7.92×57mm Mauser]].
* {{flag|Portugal}} — Produced locally as ''m/917''{{sfn|Smith|1969|p=530}}
* {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}} — 200 Vickers in service.<ref>{{cite book|title=România în războiul mondial : 1916-1919|url=http://dspace.bcucluj.ro/handle/123456789/142287|language=ro|author=Ministerul Apărării Naționale Marele Stat Major Serviciul istoric|date=1934|volume=I|chapter=Documente–Anexe|page=56}}</ref>
* {{flag|Russian Empire}} — Vickers manufactured by Colt in [[7.62×54mmR]].<ref name="m1915"/>
* {{flag|Sierra Leone}}<ref>{{cite web|title=World Infantry Weapons: Sierra Leone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124203938/https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_sierraleone|archive-date=24 November 2016|url=https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_af_sierraleone|date=2013}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Union of South Africa}}<ref name="Borderstrike1"/>
* {{flag|Soviet Union}} — Captured from Latvia during the [[Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940]].
* {{flag|Spanish Republic}}<ref name="Spain">{{cite book|title=The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2): Republican Forces|series=Men-at-Arms 498|first= Alejandro |last=de Quesada|date=20 Jan 2015|isbn=9781782007852|publisher=Osprey Publishing|page=38}}</ref> — Supplied by the [[Soviet Union]], [[Bolivia]], and [[Paraguay]] during the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Heinz |first1=Leonard |title=Small Arms of the Spanish Civil War |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Small-Arms-of-the-Spanish-Civil-War.pdf}}</ref>
* {{flag|Tonga}}<ref name=Capie>{{cite book|last=Capie|first=David|title=Under the Gun: The Small Arms Challenge in the Pacific|date=2004|pages=66–69|publisher=Victoria University Press|location=Wellington|isbn=978-0864734532 }}</ref>
* {{flag|Turkey}}{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=861}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}
* {{flag|United States|1912}} — 12,125 Vickers were issued to the US Army in France{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=33}}
* {{flag|Vietnam}} — Used by [[Viet Minh]].<ref name="Viet Minh">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Indochine 1945-1954: Le Viet-Minh|magazine=Militaria|publisher=Histoire & Collections|date=July 2000|issue=180|page=16}}</ref>
* {{flag|South Yemen}}{{sfn|Vickers machine gun (WWIIAfterWWII)}}
{{div col end}}

==Conflicts==
* [[World War I]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=5}}
* [[Irish Civil War]]<ref>{{cite news|title=So, once and for all, who did shoot Michael Collins?|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/so-once-and-for-all-who-did-shoot-michael-collins-1.370519|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|first=Eoin |last=Neeson|author-link=Eoin Neeson|date=Aug 22, 2003}}</ref>
* [[Chaco War]]<ref name ='Chaco'/>
* [[Spanish Civil War]]<ref name="Spain"/>
* [[Winter War]]
* [[World War II]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=49}}
* [[Indonesian National Revolution]]
* [[Greek Civil War]]{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=769}}
* [[First Indochina War]]<ref name="Viet Minh"/>
* [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]<ref>{{cite news|date=29 December 2017 |title=Arms for freedom|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/bangladesh-liberation-war-1971-muktijuddho-guerrilla-fighter-arms-freedom-1511812|access-date=2019-08-31|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407144902/http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/bangladesh-liberation-war-1969-muktijuddho-guerrilla-fighter-arms-freedom-1511812|archive-date= April 7, 2018}}</ref> 
* [[Indo-Pakistan War of 1947]]
* [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
* [[Malayan Emergency]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=49}}
* [[Korean War]]{{sfn|Pegler|2013|p=49}}
* [[Algerian War]]<ref name="Algeria">{{cite book|title=The Algerian War, 1954-62|series= Men-at Arms 312|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|place= London |year=1997|isbn=978-1-85532-658-3|first= Martin |last=Windrow|page=21}}</ref>
* [[Cypriot intercommunal violence]]{{sfn|Bloomfield|Leiss|1967|p=854}}
* [[1971 JVP insurrection]]<ref> {{cite news |last1=Somasundaram |first1=Jayantha |date=2021-04-06 |title=The JVP's Military Battle for Power (The April 1971 Revolt – II) |url=https://island.lk/the-jvps-military-battle-for-power/ |access-date=28 January 2022 |work=The Island|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129153458/https://island.lk/the-jvps-military-battle-for-power/|archive-date=January 29, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Congo Crisis]]<ref name="Congo"/>
* [[Aden Emergency]]<ref name="armoryvickers"> {{cite web|url=https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-vickers-gun-britains-world-war-warrior/|title=The Vickers Gun - Britain's World War Warrior|last=Suciu|first=Peter|publisher=The Armory Life|date=May 4, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326092245/https://www.thearmorylife.com/the-vickers-gun-britains-world-war-warrior/|archive-date=March 26, 2023}}</ref>
* [[South African Border War]]
* [[Syrian Civil War]]<ref> {{cite AV media |date=12 May 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycm6y2120dE |title=Footage of weapons which were handed over by rebels to the Syrian Arab Army in Southern Damascus |publisher=SyrianCivilWarMap |via=[[YouTube]] |access-date=5 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501155616/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycm6y2120dE&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Gallery of images==
<gallery widths="190px" heights="190px">
File:Vickers_machine_gun_crew_with_gas_masks.jpg|British Vickers gun team in action at the [[Battle of the Somme]]. Both are wearing [[gas mask]]s.
File:Vickers_machine_gun_crew_with_gas_masks_rear_view.jpg|Rear view of Vickers gun team in action at the Battle of the Somme.
File:British_Machine_Gun_LOC_ggbain_24930.jpg|Vickers gun set up for anti-aircraft purposes during the First World War.
File:Vickers_machine-gun_of_the_1st_Manchester_Regiment.jpg|Vickers machine-gun of the 1st Manchester Regiment in Malaya, 1941.
File:Vickers machine-guns fire in support of troops crossing the Maas-Schelde Canal.jpg|British Vickers gunners in action in the Netherlands during [[Operation Market Garden]]. All are wearing the [[Mk III Turtle helmet]].
File:British commandos in the shattered outskirts of Wesel.jpg|British [[commandos]] on the outskirts of [[Wesel]] during [[Operation Plunder]] in 1945.
File:Vickersgun1.jpg|View of the breech of a Vickers gun showing [[brass]] feed ramp.
File:Vickersgun2.jpg|Dorsal view of a Vickers gun showing fluted water-cooling tank.
File:Ckm Vickers 1909.jpg|Vickers machine gun from [[Polish Army Museum]]'s collection.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Vickers .50 machine gun]]

===Weapons of comparable role, performance and era===
* [[Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun]] – French
* [[M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun#Marlin Rockwell M1917/M1918 versions|Marlin M1917/1918 machine gun]]
* [[M1917 Browning machine gun]] – United States
* [[Maxim gun]] - British
* [[MG 08]] – German Maxim machine gun
* [[Parabellum MG 14]] – aircraft version of MG 08 which copied the upwards toggle from Vickers
* [[PM M1910]] – Russian Maxim machine gun
* [[Schwarzlose machine gun]] – Austro-Hungarian

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Main sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Goldsmith |first=Dolf L. |editor-last1=Stevens |editor-first1=R. Blake |date=1994 |title=The Grand Old Lady of No Man's Land: The Vickers Machinegun |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Grand_Old_Lady_of_No_Man_s_Land/jD4APQAACAAJ?hl=en |location=Cobourg, Ontario |publisher=Collector Grade Publications |isbn=978-0889351479}}
* {{cite book |last=Pegler |first=Martin |date=May 20, 2013 |title=The Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun |series=Weapon 25 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |isbn=9781780963822}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Joseph E. |year=1969 |title=Small Arms of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit|url-access=registration |edition=11th |location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|publisher=The Stackpole Company |isbn=9780811715669 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Bishop |first=Chris |year=2002 |title=Vickers machine-guns |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Encyclopedia_of_Weapons_of_World_War/MuGsf0psjvcC?hl=en&gbpv=0&kptab=overview |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA244 244], [https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&q=Fairey+Swordfish+production+ended&pg=PA403 403] |isbn=978-1-58663-762-0 }}
{{refend}}

===Secondary sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |last=McCollum |first=Ian |date=April 12, 2021 |title=Colt’s Model 1915 Vickers Gun in .30-06 |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colts-model-1915-vickers-gun-in-30-06/ |website=forgottenweapons.com |location= |publisher=Forgotten Weapons |access-date=May 5, 2025 |ref={{harvid|Colt Vickers Model 1915 (Forgotten Weapons)}} }}
* {{cite web |author=jwh1975 |date=September 9, 2018 |title=WWII weapons in Yemen's civil war |url=https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/wwii-weapons-in-yemens-civil-war/ |publisher=WWIIAfterWWII |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418124153/https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2018/09/09/wwii-weapons-in-yemens-civil-war/ |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |quote=The Vickers machine gun also served the UK during both world wars. Water-cooled, it fired the .303 British cartridge from 250 round fabric belts at 450rpm. This weapon weighed 51 lbs and as designed, had a 3-man team assigned to it. During the Federation of South Arabia's [the predecessor to South Yemen's] short life, it had its own military, called the Federal Army. Its main medium machine gun was the Vickers. |ref={{harvid|Vickers machine gun (WWIIAfterWWII)}} }}
* {{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=7,62 mm and 7,70 mm Vickers Machineguns &#124; FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: MACHINEGUNS PART 2 |url=https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MG2.htm#KKVickers |website=www.jaegerplatoon.net |location=Finland |publisher= |access-date=June 6, 2024 |ref={{harvid|Vickers machine gun (jaegerplatoon.net)}} }}
* {{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=Gun, Machine, .303 inch, Mk 1 & Vickers Machine-Gun |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30034917 |website=iwm.org.uk |location= |publisher=[[Imperial War Museum]] |access-date=June 6, 2024}}
* {{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=CHIPYONG-NI, KOREA. 1951-02. VICKERS .303 MACHINE GUN ENGAGED IN COMBAT WITH THE CHINESE ON ONE ... |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C195650 |website=www.awm.gov.au |language=en |publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=October 9, 2019 |ref={{harvid|Australian Vickers, Korean War 1951 (Australian War Memorial)}} }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |last=Richardson |first=A. |year=1902 |title=Vickers, Sons and Maxim Limited: Their Works and Manufactures |journal=Engineering |oclc=457878220}} (Plates showing the mechanism of the forerunner of the Vickers gun, the Vickers Maxim gun, as well as numerous plates of the factories in which they and other arms were made.)
* {{cite journal |last1=Russell |first1=Mark |year=2023 |title=The Vickers are Coming! The Ubiquitous Vickers Mk I Machine-gun |journal=The Aviation Historian |issue=45 |pages=40–50 |issn=2051-1930}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Vickers machine gun}}
* [https://archive.org/details/handbookvickers00deptgoog Handbook of the Vickers machine gun, model of 1915, with pack outfits and accessories ... 19 March 1917]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055848/http://www.essentialsomme.com/articles/british_machine_gun_tactics.htm British Vickers Gun tactics during the Great War]
* [http://www.spartacus-educational.com/FWWvickers.htm Spartacus Educational - Vickers machine gun]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG2YfcAJrtU: YouTube animation showing mechanism of Vickers machine gun]

{{WWI British Empire small arms}}
{{WW2 Brit Comm Infantry Guns}}
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[[Category:.303 British machine guns]]
[[Category:7.65×53mm Mauser machine guns]]
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[[Category:Medium machine guns]]
[[Category:Tank guns]]
[[Category:Vickers]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]
[[Category:World War I aircraft guns]]
[[Category:World War I British infantry weapons]]
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[[Category:World War I machine guns]]
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