MG1918

Posts will show the different patterns of bipods, of which there are 3 main types.

08/15

Ought to show images of the real users!!! Period postcards are a fantastic means of seeing these items in combat conditions but of cse are the collector's nightmare when viewing tll the accessories and parts scattered around! Mark

Photo number 4 at 12.10 hrs is Canadian war booty! Mark

Phew at least one ally! In my limited experience Brian the item at least almost always requires some stabilising and/or further rust deterioation. I am not a scientist but some French 'diggers' use an acid to halt the rust and actually enables some pretty amazing cleaning. However that does make it go black. So unless any of the members know a way to halt decay without changing the colour I for one would love to know. My new good condition butt stock on this one will give way to a more ''used'' condition when I find one so i do understand that in terms of true representation it is false. At the end of the day the black spray paint I use (for outside gates) can always come off. Mark

Have a few more relics to show but they are currently under 'restoration' processes. If anyone is interested in a vickers MG relic pse email and I will display, but i am intentionally keeping my threads to Imperial!!! Mark

I don't have many postcards showing captured German MGs in the Allies possession so it would be terrific if others could show what they have. Similarly any images of the excellent German soldier using WWI Allied wpns would be of great interest too. Considering the images of how many MGs the French captured and put on display I wonder where they all went!!! Mark

Forgot to say that despite its odd shape in single round mode the INF version was allegedly as accurate as a rifle in that period. The infantry version shown in the photo that is. The portative version with small folding tripod fixed in the middle was unstable and best used for MG purposes. For the collectors the best place to find an INF wooden butt hotchkiss is Australia as when the BEF declared the hotchiss obsolete due to the widespread issue of lewis and vickers, most British hotchkiss were dispateched to the Australian Light Horse units. Presumably at the end of WWI those units took them back home. I do not know for sure. Mark

Great image of the .303 hotchkiss (infantry version). There is a second version, still .303 that is ''portative'' with an L butt. Used by armoured tropopps if having to pop out of a burning tank. The wooden stock version is rather rare so hold onto one if you are lucky enough to possess. Mark

US troops (officers) stealing a MG08!

Hope the moderators allow another new thread unless it belongs elsewhere. This one is on weapons discovered after 'digs'. Hopefully members can show their prized items that have either been renovated or are 'as is'. Some people hate the fact that work is done to the item but personally I have no issues with preservation, repair and enhancing cosmetically. Keen to hear all opinions!! Mark

Every Allied nation towards the end of WWI and after, took back to their respective nations thousands of captured weapons, particularly MGs which made fine trophies. It seems that Canada, Australia and New Zealand took a healthy number back, as did the USA. Strangely UK 'war booty' was not that prolific. I am keen to find out how records were taken in that period as I have a marked MG08/15 but of course little history on who/when it was brought back to the UK. In UK museums there are often unit marked, dated/capture details but often there are just serial numbers - any help out there please? VMT. Mark

Standard 250 rd ammo belt (DWM) for the MG08

Company image?

nice view of the Bergmann 15!

ok no images yet as the uploader says too big. I will try and use the photo managers available but this will take some time. Thanks for your patience. Mark

Still on MG08/15. Does anyone have the definitive use/evidence of wooden machine guns? Clearly training aids and/or 'dummy' trench situated guns are uses but any other ideas. I have one original period wooden MG08/15 that is without doubt a trg wpn. It is too detailed for 'deception' purposes and those bits that move to practice drills move. It has very 'Germanic' markings but I would like to see some evidence of their use in German hands in WWI. Any assistance greatly appreciated. Here are some images: