Vol. VII No. 1

The Winchester Repeating Arms Company’s Exports to Foreign Powers During the First World War

Abstract

During the First World War, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company was one of a number of American small arms manufacturers that played a key role in the Entente’s war effort. Winchester provided not only rifles, but also ammunition and munitions materials to all three of the major Allied nations—Britain, France, and Russia. This article was written following a fresh survey of the available documentation from the period which survives in the Winchester archives, now held by the McCracken Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, in Cody, Wyoming. As may be expected, the available documentation is incomplete and thus the conclusions contained herein are necessarily limited. Nonetheless, it is clear from the magnitude of Winchester’s work—both before and after the United States’ entry into the war—that the company played a significant role in arming the Entente powers during a period when European industrial capacity was at its limits. This article explores the scope of the company’s work and identifies several of the key items supplied to their European customers. The author also sheds new light on some of the difficulties and challenges Winchester faced in carrying out their wartime production.

Issue: Vol. VII No. 1
Published: 25 May 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52357/armax06130
Peer-reviewed?: Yes

Keywords: Winchester, arms production, procurement, First World War

Bibliographic Information

Matthew Moss, ‘The Winchester Repeating Arms Company’s Exports to Foreign Powers During the First World War’, Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms, Vol. VII № 1 (2021), pp. 37–60, <https://doi.org/10.52357/armax06130>.

About the Author

Matthew Moss is a British historian specialising in the development of small arms. He holds an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Liverpool and a Master's degree (with distinction) in Military History from the University of Chester. He was awarded The Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s 2017–18 Resident Fellowship, for which he conducted research into the company’s work during the First World War. He has written several books on the development of small arms and light weapons. His research interests centre on the development of firearms and their tactical use, ranging from the Late Modern period through to the present day.