The PM M1910 or the Maxim machine gun is one of the symbols of Russian weaponry. It became famous due to its characteristics, recognizable name, as well as a design that includes a wheeled mount. The Russian Maxim machine gun traces its history back to the American-British gunsmith Hiram Stevens Maxim, who developed the design of the machine gun. It turned out to be so successful that it was put into service. Local versions were produced in the USA and European countries, such as Germany and the UK.
The Russian Empire also noticed the new machine gun: in 1910, the Maxim gun was redesigned and modernized to meet domestic requirements. The English wheeled carriage was replaced with a lightweight wheeled mount created by Alexander Sokolov, the English-style armored shield was reduced in size. The machine gun entered service as the model 1910 Pulemyot Maksima (from Russian, Maksim’s machine gun, model 1910), with which the Russian Imperial Army met the First World War. Maksim machine guns were also actively used in the Civil War. Around the same time, famous horse-drawn machine-gun carts began to be used which became a staple for anarchist groups.
In the pre-war period, the machine gun remained in service with the Red Army. In 1930, the Maksim was modernized: the weapons designer Semyon Vladimirov created a new universal wheeled tripod mount, adopted by the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army.
The exhibit belonged to the border outpost of the senior lieutenant of the border troops Nikita Kaimanov, who commanded a composite unit of 146 people that was under siege for 19 days. Having lost contact with the command and completed the combat task, the unit broke through the encirclement and after making it through 160 kilometers of swamps and forests, connected with the Soviet troops. In these battles, 14 border guards were killed and over 40 were wounded, Kaymanov himself was shell-shocked by a grenade explosion. For these battles, Kaymanov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. During the retreat, the machine gun was buried, and then, in 1944, it was found and transferred to the National Museum of the Republic of Karelia.
