author
R. V. K. (Reginald Vincent Kempenfeldt) Applin
1869–1957
Best known for writing about machine-gun warfare, this British officer brought firsthand military experience to his books and later also served in public life. His work offers a direct window into how strategy and training were being rethought in the early 20th century.
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 whose career ranged widely before and during the years surrounding the First World War. Sources on his life describe service in North Borneo and later a prominent role in developing machine-gun tactics in the British Army, the field for which he is best remembered today.
As an author, he is chiefly associated with Machine-Gun Tactics, along with Lectures on Discipline and Training. His writing reflects practical military thinking rather than abstract theory, which helps explain why his books still attract historical interest from readers studying warfare, training, and the changing character of modern combat.
He later entered politics and also served as a Conservative Member of Parliament. Applin died in 1957, leaving behind a body of work shaped by direct experience in the army and by a period when military technology and battlefield doctrine were changing fast.