German MG08 machine gun
Production date
1917
Country
Germany
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Object detail
Description
Recoil operated, water cooled heavy machine gun of 7.92 mm calibre. The Maschinengewehr 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun during the 1914 - 1918 war and was typically operated by a crew of four. This example, serail number 8850, was made at the government arsenal at Spandau in 1917.
Classification
ARMS & ARMOUR Firearms machine gun
Maker
Production date
1917
Production place
Measurements
L1195 x W160 x H205, weight 17.9 kg.
Media/Materials description
Steel (Metals - Ferrous)
History and use
Developed in the late 19th Century, the self-loading rapid-fire machinegun became the pre-eminent defensive battlefield weapon throughout the 1914 - 1918 War, especially when used in conjunction with artillery and wire entanglements.
British and German versions, known as the Vickers and Maxim MG08, respectively, could each fire 500 rounds per minute.
Like its British counterpart (the Vickers machine gun), the MG08 was also adapted during 1914-1918 for aircraft use and was still being used as a frontline weapon late in the twentieth century.
This particular weapon was captured by the 26th Battalion A.I.F. and presented - after the war - to the Woody Point (Queensland) community as a war trophy. It was later found, discarded in a swamp near Redcliffe.
British and German versions, known as the Vickers and Maxim MG08, respectively, could each fire 500 rounds per minute.
Like its British counterpart (the Vickers machine gun), the MG08 was also adapted during 1914-1918 for aircraft use and was still being used as a frontline weapon late in the twentieth century.
This particular weapon was captured by the 26th Battalion A.I.F. and presented - after the war - to the Woody Point (Queensland) community as a war trophy. It was later found, discarded in a swamp near Redcliffe.
Registration number
H6134
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