The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The MG 08/15 Maxim light machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, full automatic, belt fed weapon. The operating system uses a two part toggle lock connected by a hinge which is located between the breech block and a barrel extension. The entire barrel extension and breech block recoil inside receiver against the tension of a spring located under the separate cover outside of the left receiver wall. The cocking handle is located on the rear axis of the toggle lock and serves as both an unlocking member and a breech block accelerator. The feed system use non disintegrating belts made from cloth or tarpaulin with metallic alignment struts. Ammunition feed is from the right side. A muzzle booster with a conical flash hider is attached to the front of the barrel. The weapon is usually mounted on a metal bipod. The top cover is engraved with the serial number over MG08/5 Gwf ERFURT 1917. It has a bipod, wooden butt and pistol grip but it is missing the feed block and the muzzle compensator. Painted on the water jacket is 'Captured by the 53rd Battalion A.I.F. Somme, 8-12 August 1918.
This gun was captured by the 53rd Battalion on 8-12 August 1918. The MG08/15 machine gun is a lightened version of the MG08 machine gun while retaining essentially the same operating principles of other Maxim types. It was designed to provide greater mobility and to be handled by one man if necessary. The receiver was trimmed down, and a rather solid, awkward bipod was fitted. Water cooling was retained on most of these guns, though an air cooled version was also produced for aircraft. The guns were still operational as second line equipment in 1936 during the establishment of the pre Second World War German Army.
The gun is one of a large number of similar weapons distributed to country towns by the War Trophies Allocations Committee after the War and was initially allocated to Numeralla, NSW.
German Maxim MG08/15 Light Machine Gun converted to use .303 inch British ammunition. The MG 08/15 Maxim light machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, full automatic, belt fed weapon. Th
The MG 08/15 Maxim machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, full automatic, belt fed weapon. The operating system uses a two part toggle lock connected by a hinge which is located between
The MG 08/15 Maxim machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, full automatic, belt fed weapon. The operating system uses a two part toggle lock connected by a hinge which is located between
The MG 08/15 Maxim machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, fully automatic, belt-fed weapon. The operating system uses a two-part toggle lock connected by a hinge which is located betwee
German Maxim MG08/15 Light Machine Gun. The MG 08/15 Maxim light machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, fully automatic, belt fed weapon. The operating system uses a two-part toggle loc
German Maxim MG08/15 Light Machine Gun. The MG 08/15 Maxim light machine gun is a short recoil operated, water cooled, full automatic, belt fed weapon. The operating system uses a two part toggle lock
