Original French WWI Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG Chauchat Magazine Carrier Ammunition Pouch Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a rather rare piece of French WWI kit. This breadbag looking item is constructed of canvas with leather straps and enclosure ties. This pouch would have been carried by the Magazine Carrier or Assistant Gunner. The Chauchat was the standard light machine gun or “machine rifle” of the French Army during World War I (1914–18). Its official designation was “Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG” (“Machine Rifle Model 1915 CSRG”). Beginning in June 1916, it was placed into regular service with French infantry, where the troops called it the FM Chauchat, after Colonel Louis Chauchat, the main contributor to its design. The Chauchat in 8mm Lebel was also extensively used in 1917–18 by the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.), where it was officially designated as the “Automatic Rifle, Model 1915 (Chauchat)”. A total of 262,000 Chauchats were manufactured between December 1915 and November 1918, including 244,000 chambered for the 8mm Lebel service cartridge, making it the most widely manufactured automatic weapon of World War I. The armies of eight other nations—Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Serbia—also used the Chauchat machine rifle in fairly large numbers during and after World War I.

Several prototypes of dirt-proof, fully enclosed Chauchat magazines were successfully tested in May and June 1918, but came too late to be placed into service. Stronger open-sided standard magazines, as well as tailored canvas gun covers protecting the gun against mud during transport, had previously been issued in late 1917; as well as a flash hider. The initial two-man Chauchat team was considered effective and grew to a four-man squad by October 1917 (the squad leader, the gunner, the first ammo bearer who handled the magazines plus one additional ammo bearer). Both the gunner and the assistant gunner (pourvoyeur, ammo bearer) carried at all times a .32 ACP Ruby pistol with three magazines, each one loaded with 9 rounds, as part of their regular equipment. The squad leader and the magazine carrier were both equipped with a rifle or with a Berthier carbine. The additional men provided assistance in carrying loaded magazines, helping manage malfunctions, and protecting the gunner, but mainly to carry more ammunition; thus boosting the combat load. This is still the basic layout of a modern infantry squad or fire-team, with the suppressive fire as the center of its combat formations.

The overall condition is quite nice but there are evident signs of extensive use and wear, but is presented without any extensive damage. The leather strap is still rather solid and in one piece with functional roller buckle adjusters. The interior still retains the original leather closure ties to better secure the magazines in the pouch. There is staining on the canvas itself but that is expected with an item that lived through the Great War!

Comes more than ready for further research and display!