WW1 Uncut: Machine Guns Fired at Skydock

The year 2014 marked 100 hundred years since the outbreak of The First World War. To commemorate the centenary, various ceremonies were held across the country and Europe, while television programmes and documentaries were broadcast on various TV channels and online.

Amongst them was WW1 Uncut, a series of short films profiling the life of soldiers in the war, the kit they wore and the weapons they used. The mini-series was presented by Dan Snow, assisted by others.

One show in particular, WW1 Uncut: Machine Guns, demonstrated the fire-power of the weaponry used by the forces during The Great War. Featuring working demonstrations of the machine guns in action, it served as a powerful reminder of what soldiers on both sides of the conflict faced when going into battle.

The footage which shows Dan Snow firing these powerful World War One weapons was filmed on location at Skydock, where the firing test range enables such scenes to be shot effectively and safely.

The firing range, which is housed in a concrete underground bunker, played host to the preparation and firing of three of the most feared machine guns from the war. During the show, the following machine guns were fired:

• The MG-08 (German WW1 machine gun)
• The Vickers Machine Gun (British WW1 machine gun)
• The Lewis Gun (American WW1 machine gun)

In addition, Dan also tested the iconic standard issue World War One rifles of the British and German armies – The German Mauser Gewehr ’98 and the British Lee Enfield Short Magazine Mk III.

You can see the machine guns and rifles being fired at Skydock's test firing range by watching the video of Dan Snow's WW1 Uncut: Machine Guns, below.