author
R. V. K. (Reginald Vincent Kempenfeldt) Applin
1869–1957
Best known for writing about machine-gun warfare, this British officer turned his front-line experience into practical military books that captured a changing moment in modern combat. He later moved into public life, adding politics to a career already shaped by empire and war.
1 Audiobook
Machine-Gun Tactics
by R. V. K. (Reginald Vincent Kempenfeldt) Applin
About the author
Born in 1869, Reginald Vincent Kempenfeldt Applin was a British Army officer who became closely associated with the development of machine-gun tactics. Before his better-known military writing, he had also worked in North Borneo, and his career later carried him into public life as well as soldiering.
Applin is remembered by readers chiefly for Machine-Gun Tactics, a work that reflects the fast-changing nature of early 20th-century warfare. The book grew out of practical experience rather than abstract theory, which helps explain its direct, instructional tone and its lasting interest for military historians.
He lived until 1957, spanning the late Victorian world, the age of empire, and two world wars. That long life gives his writing a distinctive place: it comes from someone who stood inside major transitions in both military thinking and British public life.