This gun originally known as the Vickers-Maxim was adopted by Great Britain in 1912, it was the principal heavy rifle-calibre machine gun in both World Wars and was the standard weapon until the adoption of the L7A1 (GPMG) in the early sixties. The Vickers which is a modified Maxim has the reputation of being the most reliable and rugged machine gun ever built. The weapons used by the UK were made by Vickers at Crayford in Kent, in both ground and aircraft versions, the UK also made all the .303 inch Vickers ground guns required by the US Forces in both World Wars. During World War I, modified slightly for air warfare, synchronized twin Vickers mounted on various WWI aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel usually proved the undoing of their German counterparts.
