Mg08/15

Trg MG

Nabs the trg mgs were made entirely of wood with often a few original parts included. Even in WWI both German MGs (MG08 & MG08/15) had BFAs for blank fire so no need to adapt a ''dummy'' gun.
Mark
 
Captured MG08/15

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Nice view with vickers kit in the foreground.
Mark
 
Battlefield portability

Nabs you are right the MG08/15 on the shoulder of the German has no ammo (generally trommel drum for the assault) and presumably no water - add those things and it becomes extremely heavy. Of cse the MG08 was even heavier but no often seen as portable. I won't bore anybody with all the weight statistics, but as an aside in the Ludendorf Offensive of 1918 the MG08/15 machine gunners must have had unimaginable ammo resupply problems. The trommels came 2 in a box and when full they would have tested even a strong man to carry one drum box in each hand, and that would only be 400 rds!
Mark
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smellie said:
Still, we might grin a bit when looking at a Maxim or a Vickers..... but can anyone show me ANY other automatic gun which can be fired literally for HOURS? These were. Note carefully that Russia and Switzerland still have large stores of these "antiques". They have NOT all been sold off.
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The Browning M1917 and Schwarzlose M.07/12 come to mind. Granted, both are contemporaries of the Vickers and Maxim.
 
Thanks for the interest. I am still looking for all MG08 and 08/15 items 'residing' in Canada but it is very quiet. Bearing in mind all the war trophies taken back in 1918 and 1919 just where have they all gone???
Mark
 
Western Development Museum over in Saskatchewan, I think the one in Saskaton, used to have about dozen of them, most in pretty nice shape.

Hope this helps.
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Where many of them ended up.
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There were so many captured that almost any organization after WW1 could have a free one. Some were awarded to people for their War efforts. There is an amusing story of a Woman Red Cross worker who was surprised by some people presenting her one for her War Work, at her office.
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Memorials

Buffdog - an absolutely stunning picture and ty for posting. What a great memorial. Better still, no idiot has defaced or taken pieces away. Although i am a passionate student/amateur historian and collector of 08s and 08/15s and therefore have admittedly a false perception and love for the guns, I love the idea that they are fitting guardians to the main memorial. They are after all just pieces of metal that caused much misery. Whoever designed that particular memorial is a credit to Canadian military history.
Mark
 
Rare Sunshine in Belgium!

It rains more in Belgium than in the UK! Anyway thought I would share my 3 wooden dummy trg 08/15s with you. Full working toggle action but now need to decide whether to clean in order to preserve. If anyone is an expert on wood pse advise? Mark

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MG1918,
Are you trying to catalogue the remaining war trophy mgs?

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and a more interesting version.

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I'm looking for another one of these for an airplane project, if anyone has one.

Regads
John
 
John ty for the images - superb collection. I am told that there is already in existance an inventory of the war trophies brought back to Canada in 1918. I do not know who has it or where it is. Of cse what is now left in 2012 will be even harder to determine.
Mark
 
The Museum I volunteer at has 4 MG08/15s and an MG08. We were able to construct a functional MG08/15 out of the parts on the five guns. The funny part was everything except the loading mechanism bare the same serial number as shown in the receiver of the gun we activated. (It is registered.) We also have one of the training dummies as well.

Old camouflage paint still visible on the water shroud.
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You can see the intact lock we found in this one:
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