MG 08/15 Accessories

[Gildwiller1918]

Below are some items associated with the MG 08/15.  The MG 08/15 was (in theory) a single man operated and portable weapon, however in reality it took about 3 men to operate, maintain and service the weapon. Crates of ammo were carried in wooden boxes loaded onto belts or into metal drums. Also water was carried in a condenser can, which was hooked up to the weapons water jacket. Typical rate of fire was around 450-500 rounds per minute. The weapon weighed in around 40 pounds, which seems quite heavy for a "portable" machine gun, but its predecessor the MG 08 weighed 143 without water. Below is a picture of the MG 08/15.

 

 

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is the wooden crate for carrying the 100 round detachable drum magazine (Patronenkasten 16) that attached to the right of the guns action. There were belts made for 100 rounds, but more often a 250 round belt was cut down to meet the need. However in a static role, the drums were not used and the 250 round belts were employed instead. One of the drums is marked "FRC" for its manufacturer, along with a number 5. The other drum has no visible markings. 

[Gildwiller1918]

Interesting note...a lot of these cans are coming out of France lately, it seems these weapons were used on the Atlantic wall to beef up defenses, there are a number of photographs to back this up as well. The WW2 repurposed versions are painted a shade of white to blend into the concrete emplacements. Below is an example of this from a internet site. 

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is the wooden box that held the 250 round cloth belt, there is a direction arrow to indicate the right way for the ammo to be facing. 

[Gildwiller1918]

Here are some more ammunition cans used for the MG08 and the MG 08/15. These are steel cans that have a divider (which is often missing today) that held 2 - 250 round belts. One on the left is original condition, the one on the right I have sandblasted, cleaned and repainted as it was rust covered. Note the differences in the handles...

 

[Gildwiller1918]

Here is a good set up of the MG 018/15 with accessories. To the left of the weapon are ammo cans, with a 250 round belt in the foreground. The weapon has a 100 round drum attached and two more close to the transit box. Between the weapon and 100 round drums is the steam condenser can that was used to keep the water jacket from overheating. A hose was connected from the water jacket to this can, when the water boiled off, the steam travelled to the can and eventually would turn back to water, thus allowing for a constant source of cooling. Troops on both sides used to get a little of the boiling water out for tea and coffee. To the right and bottom is a wrench used to perform maintenance as well as to the left of the 250 round belt and soaking can for the booster on the end on the muzzle on the far right bottom. 

[Gildwiller1918]

I have been working on this project for some time now and am really close to finishing it up. This is the mg 08 & 08/15 Werkzeugkasten 11. The can itself is similar to the ones used to carry the dual 250 belted ammo, however these cans did not have the central divider and no holes were present indicating it was an ammo carrier version with the divider removed. The tool kit had a top layer and a bottom layer, in the top you had an oiler (this was pretty hard to find to match the exact size needed). Additionally, the top row had tools such as a screwdriver, file, cleaning brush, cleaning rope, spare fusee and springs, and a muzzle gland. The bottom had hammers, wrenches, oil/grease cans, as well as bore gauges, dummy ammo, and punches. I am missing a few no-go gauges, and I will be done with this project. The tools and accessories for this kit are extremely hard to find, and I have never seen a full kit for sale, sometimes the empty cans come up, but not often.