Fokker-Leimberger
Country of origin
German Empire
The Fokker-Leimberger was an externally powered, 12-barrel rifle-caliber rotary gun developed in Germany during the First World War. The action of the Fokker-Leimberger differed from that of a Gatling in that it employed a rotary split-breech design, also known as a "nutcracker".
Fokker claimed the gun achieved over 7,200 rpm, although this may be an exaggeration. Failures during the war were attributed to the poor quality of German wartime ammunition, although a British 1950s experimental weapon with the same type of breech had ruptured-case problems. Fokker continued to experiment with this type of breech after his post-war move to the United States. A different Fokker prototype in a US museum attests to the failure of this line of development.
Fokker claimed the gun achieved over 7,200 rpm, although this may be an exaggeration. Failures during the war were attributed to the poor quality of German wartime ammunition, although a British 1950s experimental weapon with the same type of breech had ruptured-case problems. Fokker continued to experiment with this type of breech after his post-war move to the United States. A different Fokker prototype in a US museum attests to the failure of this line of development.
