Italy attacks Ottoman Forts at Entrance to Dardanelles

April 18, 1912

As the newly formed Sublime Porte meets in Constantinople, the Italian Navy attacks forts on both the European and Asiatic side of the Dardanelles, in an apparent attempt to attack the Ottoman fleet sheltered in the straits. Some of these same forts that would be attacked during the Gallipoli campaign, would receive significant damage, with about 15 Turks killed. The result of the attacks was the forced closure of the Dardanelles to international traffic, by the Turks.

Seddil-Bahr defended Italian attack

Patent for Lewis Machine Gun is Submitted

April 16, 1912: Patent for Lewis Machine Gun is Submitted

The Lewis Machine Gun was invented primarily by Issac Newton Lewis. Lewis had been working closely with British arms manufacturer the Birmingham Small Arms company (BSA) in an effort to overcome some of the production difficulties of the weapon.

Production contracts for first “European” Lewis LMG were placed in 1913, and the first batch of 50 BSA-made Lewis guns was completed by mid-1913. When war broke, BSA received orders for Lewis guns, and by the end of the war, the BSA factory alone made 145,397 of these weapons. In the US, Lewis machine guns were built in .30-06 caliber, mostly for US Army Air Corps and for US Marine corps. The Lewis gun also saw extensive use as an aircraft machine gun during WW1 and in following decade. 

Lewis light machine gun became most famous in British use and manufacture, as it replaced the Vickers Machine Gun, deemed as a heavy machine gun. It was widely used by British troops during WW1 and afterwards. During WW1 it was also supplied to Imperial Russia.

Royal Flying Corps formed in England

April 13, 1912: After prolonged discussion on the Committee of Imperial Defence the Royal Flying Corps was constituted by Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912.