MG1918

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:

Eddie thanks - time has now passed since my first enquiry and I know now that that the MG08/15 for armour had an extra trunion stem to fit into a U bracket. So this must have been a factory made addition as it was fitted directly onto the stem of the water jacket. By the way I have some Tank Corps items you might be interested in?

Best wishes,

Mark

Great AA image.

Sorry - cannot to seem to be able to upload iamge from servimg????

My link

http://www.servimg.c...=175&u=15862032

From the users end...............

"]My link

Now where is my time machine..................

Many leather MG08 & 08/15 accessories are also 'reproduced'. Although i seek the originals can anyone identify what to look for ref the differences? This is a spare parts case needed for the MG08 I think. Mark

Third 'economy' pattern

Different sled deck configuration

Terrific sled Chris and great date! I will keep an eye out for spare 'sled' parts as occasionally broken/spare parts do turn up. Your photos are superb.

Mark

Mine is first pattern, unfortunately missing the box for the bottom of the barrel. I think it is 1913 dated.

Best

C hris

Latest success.

For partridge it is not so bad, I have a boy who adopts a suitable position in order to place the MG on his back. It is a ittle annoying and inconvenient at times though as he cannot get his hands/arms competely around to keep the dam thing slipping off. When he is successful I find he tends to suffocate a little with his face submerged in the dirt. Clearly more training required.

Mark

Note first pattern schlitten. I understand there to be 3 patterns manufactured.

Mark

Happy New Year everybody.

MG08 SKELETON VERSION for DP (DRILL PURPOSE).

Attached some images of a ''beautiful' instructional MG 08. Hope it is not too boring.............

For viewing but if different angles needed please ask.

I love Chris's outdoor shots which is something I am unable to do just now.

Mark

My link

As with most collectable pieces repros are being made, and often passed off as originals. I am trying to identify the different patterns of inner shields and more importantly identify fakes. Any help greatly appreciated. Mark

My link

My link

cannot insert images????????

Also trying to identify all the different types of outer and inner shields for the MG08 sled? Any images would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Looking to identify and obtain the correct Mg accessories for a German MG08 gun team (and 08/15). Does anybody have an official German List of the items, like an ancilliary kitting/loading list. In the Brititsh WWI handbook the section items for a vickers are luckily shown.

VMT

Mark

A superb collection nonetheless. My experience with military museums throughout Europe incl UK has been the same. The strict rules with gifting and no doubt in the past loose accounting have ensured now that many curators have to be very rigid. In some ways that is good as I am sure we all agree this is the best method in order to preserve the past. The crime I think is when a curator has surplus, has an opportunity to enhance a national collection but does not have the will or knowledge to pursue an obvious advantage. I am sure we have all come across that!!! I have been lucky to meet some great curators who understand a museum and a collection should grow and improve, and one or two who consider it just a job and a pure 'maintenance' role.

Anyway I am not ever going to change that mindset but I would like to think if our NAM were aware of your wonderful pieces thay would be more inclined to engage with you.

Ether way happy hunting and you have every right to be proud.

Mark

Thanks Mark.

Initially I limited my collection to full dress i.e. the beginning of WWI but recently went into sun helmets - wicker, Colonial pattern, Wolseley pattern, Khaki Solar Pith Hats and Bombay Bowlers. The start point was meant to be early 19th century but the 1768 pattern bearskin mitre extended that.

I have had mixed success with the NAM and find it quite difficult to get anything out of them. I would be surprised if their collections were not larger and better than mine.

Cheers,

Stuart

www.militarysunhelmets.com

Could the German army have used cut away MGs for their own instruction purposes?

As for the red paint, I have a sectioned Mills bomb from between the wars, although the red paint is old I can't say for sure when it was painted.

Tony

To prove the existance of skeletonised wpns in use by the Imperial Army would be fantastic, but I have just not seen any WWI evidence to confirm.

Certainly British MG manuals start talking about DP guns in the late 1920s so maybe even our own military did not 'skeletonise' until after WWI?

So although I am hoping that this is period WWI German I cannot confirm, especially as after WWI several nations absorbed/used the plentiful stocks of captured weaponry into their own service.

Mark