We decided upon this course shortly after the declaration of war, and there followed a severe engineering and inventive task to develop a high-speed hammer mechanism and a trigger motor which would adapt the gun for use with the synchronizing mechanism. But then occurred one of those surprising successes that sometimes bless the efforts of harassed and hurried executives at their wits' end to meet the demand of some great emergency. The improvements added to the Marlin gun eventually transformed it in unforeseen fashion into an aircraft weapon of such efficiency that not only our own pilots but those of the French air forces as well were delighted with the result. When it was proposed to adapt the Marlin gun for synchronized use on airplanes, the Ordnance Department detailed officers to cooperate with the Marlin company in its efforts. For technical reasons of design the original gun apparently had little or no adaptability to such use. Many new models were built only to be knocked to pieces after the failure of some feature to perform properly the work for which it was designed. Nevertheless the enthusiasm of the company for its project could not be chilled, and it continued the development until the gun finally became a triumph in gas-operated aircraft ordnance. In the latter part of August we were using the Marlin gun at the front, and cablegram after cablegram told us of the surprisingly excellent performances of this weapon in actual service. It is sufficient here to quote one of these messages from Gen. Pershing, dated February 23, 1918: [Illustration: MAXIM MACHINE GUN AND TRIPOD (AMERICAN), MODEL 1904 CALIBER .30. This was the first automatic machine gun to be developed. It is of the heavy type, recoil operated, water cooled, and belt fed. The gun is capable of sustained fire for long periods of time provided its water supply is properly maintained, and is adaptable to indirect barrage fire. It is used by the British and U. S. forces and in modified form by the Germans.] [Illustration: BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE EQUIPMENT.] [Illustration: LEWIS AIRCRAFT MACHINE GUN, MODEL 1917, CALIBER .30.] [Illustration: MARLIN AIRCRAFT MACHINE GUN, TYPE 8 M. G. A fixed synchronized gun developed from the Colt gun solely for aircraft use. It is of the heavy type, gas operated, air cooled, and belt fed. It is the only gas-operated gun which has been successfully synchronized and has been found to give the closest grouping of shot in synchronized fire which has ever been obtained with any gun.] [Illustration: GERMAN MAXIM MACHINE GUN ON MOUNT.] Marlin aircraft guns have been fired successfully on four trips 13,000, 15,000 feet altitude, and at temperature of minus 20° F. On one trip guns were completely covered ice. Both metallic links and fabric belts proved satisfactory.