Franz Gebauer
Encyclopedia
Franz Gebauer (1888-1958) was a Hungarian inventor and weapons designer, including an early power-operated machine gun which actually saw service use.
. After finishing his schooling, he worked for a German car manufacturer, and later for Puch
in Graz
.
During World War I
, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Air Force as a Waffenmeister at the Fischamend
Military Airport.
Gebauer became a member of Danuvia RT's board of directors in 1926 and Technical Director in 1937. He fled to Sweden when the Soviets invaded Hungary in February 1945, where he worked for Bofors
. He died in 1958.
was the standard machine gun for aircraft use. It was internally modified and air cooled to increase its firing rate to 700 rounds per minute, and normal practice was to use a pair of synchronized guns. However, although the Schwarzlose was an excellent infantry weapon on the ground, its use in aircraft had problems; at altitudes approaching 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) the cartridge oiling system tended to freeze up, causing many failures during combat.
Gebauer concluded that the then-common practice of converting infantry machine guns for aircraft use was outdated. The most common problem with such converted weapons was that the position of the aircraft's propeller controlled the time of firing only, with the rest of the gun's operation depending on the force of propellant gases; a late-firing cartridge could cause damage to the propeller blades, while misfires stopped operation altogether. Gebauer had the idea to directly power a machine gun from the aircraft's engine, independently of the gas produced by the gun's cartridges. This meant that misfired cartridges would be automatically ejected and the next loaded. He called it the direct driven motor machine gun.
The Gebauer 1918.M (Gebauer Motorgéppuska 1918.M) weighed 21 kg (46.3 lb) and could fire at a rate of 25 rounds per second, or 1500 rounds per minute, 4 times faster than the Schwarzlose, which could only achieve 6.25 rounds per second in similar conditions. The first 100 guns were ordered by the military in September 1918, the Solux Company of Vienna
providing additional monetary support. The 100 guns were completed in October 1918, but the Armistice
prevented actual combat testing.
, Hungary. In 1920 he worked unofficially for the Technical Experimental Weapon Division of the Hungarian Army
, receiving funding from the military to continue improving his machine gun design in secret from Allied inspectors.
In 1922 a final prototype was created and designated 22.M GMP (Gebauer Motor Puska). From 1924 Gebauer started to work with the company Danuvia RT; the cooperation was to last for the next 20 years, Danuvia taking over funding and marketing. Gebauer became a member of Danuvia's board of directors in 1926 and Technical Director in 1937.
In 1926 Gebauer's latest improved model was approved by the Hungarian military, and manufacturing began. Between 1926 and 1934 243 guns were delivered to the Hungarian Air Force. The Air Force machine guns were designated 26/31.M GKM (Gebauer Kényszermeghajtású Motorgéppuska, or "Gebauer Positive-Driven Motor-Machine Gun"); they were fixed twin-barrel guns driven from the aircraft engine's crankshaft. The GKM's drive had an automatic safety feature which disengaged a jammed barrel, while keeping its twin in operation. The guns were fed by 500-round belts and were chambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser
cartridge.
The GKM was used until 1942 on the Fiat CR-32 fighter, the IMAM Ro.37, the Heinkel He 46
, and the WM-21 Solyom.
light tanks, Csaba armored vehicles, and Toldi
light tanks. From 1942 it also saw use on gunboats and patrol boats, being used for airdefense and fitted with large round anti-aircraft sights.
tanks and by the Flotilla for air defense. All captured Gebauer guns that were still serviceable were taken back to the USSR following the end of World War II.
Biography
Gebauer was born in 1888 in Gross-Herlitz, AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. After finishing his schooling, he worked for a German car manufacturer, and later for Puch
Puch
Puch is a manufacturing company located in Graz, Austria. The company was founded in 1889 by the industrialist Johann Puch and produced automobiles, bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles.-Pre 1919:...
in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Air Force as a Waffenmeister at the Fischamend
Fischamend
Fischamend is a city in the district of Wien-Umgebung in Lower Austria, Austria....
Military Airport.
Gebauer became a member of Danuvia RT's board of directors in 1926 and Technical Director in 1937. He fled to Sweden when the Soviets invaded Hungary in February 1945, where he worked for Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
. He died in 1958.
Weapon designs
During World War I the Schwarzlose MG M.07/12Schwarzlose MG M.07/12
The Maschinengewehr Patent Schwarzlose M.07/12 was a medium machine-gun, and was used as a standard issue firearm in the Austro-Hungarian Army throughout World War I. It was also used by the Dutch, Greek and Hungarian armies during World War II...
was the standard machine gun for aircraft use. It was internally modified and air cooled to increase its firing rate to 700 rounds per minute, and normal practice was to use a pair of synchronized guns. However, although the Schwarzlose was an excellent infantry weapon on the ground, its use in aircraft had problems; at altitudes approaching 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) the cartridge oiling system tended to freeze up, causing many failures during combat.
Gebauer concluded that the then-common practice of converting infantry machine guns for aircraft use was outdated. The most common problem with such converted weapons was that the position of the aircraft's propeller controlled the time of firing only, with the rest of the gun's operation depending on the force of propellant gases; a late-firing cartridge could cause damage to the propeller blades, while misfires stopped operation altogether. Gebauer had the idea to directly power a machine gun from the aircraft's engine, independently of the gas produced by the gun's cartridges. This meant that misfired cartridges would be automatically ejected and the next loaded. He called it the direct driven motor machine gun.
Gebauer Machine Gun 1918.M
In 1917 Gebauer submitted his first twin-barreled motor driven machine gun design to his commanding officer and received approval to make prototypes. The first two were not successful, but the third improved design performed flawlessly on its trial in June 1918 at Aspern, near Vienna. The prototype was installed on an Aviatik D.II aircraft, flown by Colonel Benno Fiala.The Gebauer 1918.M (Gebauer Motorgéppuska 1918.M) weighed 21 kg (46.3 lb) and could fire at a rate of 25 rounds per second, or 1500 rounds per minute, 4 times faster than the Schwarzlose, which could only achieve 6.25 rounds per second in similar conditions. The first 100 guns were ordered by the military in September 1918, the Solux Company of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
providing additional monetary support. The 100 guns were completed in October 1918, but the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
prevented actual combat testing.
Gebauer Machine Gun 1926/31.M
After the end of World War I, Gebauer lived in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary. In 1920 he worked unofficially for the Technical Experimental Weapon Division of the Hungarian Army
Military of Hungary
The Hungarian Defence Force is the national military of Hungary. It currently has two branches, the Hungarian Ground Force and the Hungarian Air Force....
, receiving funding from the military to continue improving his machine gun design in secret from Allied inspectors.
In 1922 a final prototype was created and designated 22.M GMP (Gebauer Motor Puska). From 1924 Gebauer started to work with the company Danuvia RT; the cooperation was to last for the next 20 years, Danuvia taking over funding and marketing. Gebauer became a member of Danuvia's board of directors in 1926 and Technical Director in 1937.
In 1926 Gebauer's latest improved model was approved by the Hungarian military, and manufacturing began. Between 1926 and 1934 243 guns were delivered to the Hungarian Air Force. The Air Force machine guns were designated 26/31.M GKM (Gebauer Kényszermeghajtású Motorgéppuska, or "Gebauer Positive-Driven Motor-Machine Gun"); they were fixed twin-barrel guns driven from the aircraft engine's crankshaft. The GKM's drive had an automatic safety feature which disengaged a jammed barrel, while keeping its twin in operation. The guns were fed by 500-round belts and were chambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser
7.92x57mm Mauser
The 8×57mm IS is a rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge. The 8×57mm IS was adopted by the German Empire in 1905, and was the German service cartridge in both World Wars...
cartridge.
The GKM was used until 1942 on the Fiat CR-32 fighter, the IMAM Ro.37, the Heinkel He 46
Heinkel He 46
-See also:-Bibliography:* Kay, A.L. and Smith, J.R. German Aircraft of World War II. Naval Institute Press, 2002....
, and the WM-21 Solyom.
Gebauer GKM Machine Gun 1940.M
This weapon was the same as the 1926/31.M, except it used the 12.7mm Italian Fiat-Safat cartridge. The gun was adopted in 1940 and was used on the Fiat CR-42 fighters which were supplied to Hungary by Italy in 1941-42. In 1943 Italy obtained a license to manufacture Gebauer machine guns in return for two Italian fighter planes, but it is unknown whether the Italians ever manufactured any Gebauers.Gebauer Reconnaissance Machine Gun 1934.M
This was a conventional gas-operated aircooled machine gun with a fixed barrel, designed for use on reconnaissance aircraft. The gun was fed from a 100-round "Horvath" drum magazine and was chambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge. It saw service from 1934 to 1942 in the Hungarian Air Force. Operation and maintenance was much simpler than the earlier Schwarzlose machine guns.Gebauer Tank Machine Gun 1934/37.M
This gun (also called the 34.AM) was essentially identical to the 34.M, but was slightly modified for tank use, though retaining the 100-round drum magazine. It was chambered for the 8x56R 31.M cartridge. It was used in both single and twin mounts in the Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40Fiat M13/40
The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank , designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II...
light tanks, Csaba armored vehicles, and Toldi
Toldi (tank)
The Toldi was the Hungarian light tank, based on the Swedish Landsverk L-60B tank. It was named after the 14th century Hungarian knight Miklós Toldi.-Production history:...
light tanks. From 1942 it also saw use on gunboats and patrol boats, being used for airdefense and fitted with large round anti-aircraft sights.
Gebauer Tank Machine Gun 1934/40.M
This gun was the same as the 34/37.M, but the drum magazine was replaced with a 100-round metal belt and a 41.M sight was fitted. These guns were used in the 40 M Turan I40 M Turan I
40M Turán I was a Hungarian tank of World War II - a total of 424 were made in two variants: Turan I with a 40 mm gun and Turan II with a 75 mm gun. It was based on the design of the Czechoslovak Škoda T-21 medium tank prototype.-History:...
tanks and by the Flotilla for air defense. All captured Gebauer guns that were still serviceable were taken back to the USSR following the end of World War II.