View source for MG 08

{{Short description|German machine gun}}
{{Infobox weapon
 |name= {{lang|de|Maschinengewehr}} 08
 | image=Maschinengewehr 08 1.jpg
| image_size = 300
 |caption=MG 08 deployed in sandy terrain
 |origin=[[German Empire]]
 |type={{indented plainlist|
*[[Heavy machine gun]]
*[[Light machine gun]]<br />(MG 08/15)}}
 <!-- Type selection -->
 |is_ranged=yes
 <!-- Service history -->
 |service= {{ubli|1908–1945 (Germany)|1911–1960s (China)}}
 |used_by= 25+ countries<br/>See ''[[#Users|Users]]''
 |wars= See ''[[#Conflicts|Conflicts]]''
 <!-- Production history -->
 |designer={{ubli|{{lang|de|[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]}} (DWM)|[[Spandau Arsenal]]}}
 |design_date=
 |manufacturer={{ubli|DWM|Spandau and Erfurt arsenals|[[Hanyang Arsenal]]}}
 |unit_cost=
 |production_date=
 |number= {{ubli|225,000+|72,000 MG 08<ref name="Goldsmith">Goldsmith 1989, pg.169</ref>|130,000 MG 08/15<ref name=Goldsmith/>|23,000 LMG 08/15}}
 |variants={{ubli|lMG 08|MG 08/15|LMG 08/15|MG 08/18|HMG Type 24}}
 <!-- General specifications -->
 |weight={{ubli|Total {{convert|69|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} with water, {{convert|65|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} without water|{{convert|26.5|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} gun body, {{convert|4|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} of water, {{convert|38.5|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}} tripod}}
 |length={{convert|1175|mm|in|abbr=on}}
 |part_length={{convert|721|mm|in|abbr=on}}
 |width=
 |height=
 |diameter=
 |crew=4
 <!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
 |cartridge={{ubli|[[7.92×57mm Mauser]]|[[7.65×53mm Mauser]]|[[7x57mm Mauser]]|[[13.2mm TuF|13×92mm TuF]] (TuF variant)}}
 |action=[[Recoil-operated|Short recoil]], toggle locked
 |rate=450–500 rounds/min
 |velocity={{ubli|{{convert|878|m/s|ft/s|0|abbr=on}}<br>(with [[7.92×57mm Mauser#8mm S Patrone|''S Patrone'']])|{{convert| 765|m/s|0|abbr=on}} (''s.S. Patrone'')}}
 |range={{convert|2000|m|yd|0|abbr=on}}
 |max_range={{ubli|{{convert|3700|m|yd|0|abbr=on}} (''S Patrone'')|{{convert|4700|m|yd|0|abbr=on}} (''s.S. Patrone'')}}
 |feed={{ubli|250-round fabric belt|500-round fabric belt (aircraft)}}
 |sights=
 }}

The '''MG 08''' ('''{{lang|de|Maschinengewehr}} 08''') is a [[heavy machine gun]] (HMG) which served as the standard HMG of the [[Imperial German Army]] during [[World War I]]. It was an adaptation of [[Hiram Maxim]]'s 1884 [[Maxim gun]] design, and was produced in a number of variants during the war. The MG 08 also saw service during [[World War II]] in the [[List of German divisions in World War II#Infantry series divisions|infantry divisions]] of the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]], although by the end of the war it had mostly been relegated to second-rate [[German World War II fortresses|"fortress" units]].

Designated after 1908, the year it was adopted by the Imperial German Army, the MG&nbsp;08 was a development of the license-made {{lang|de|Maschinengewehr}} 01. The MG&nbsp;08's rate of fire depends on the lock assembly used and averages 500 rounds per minute for the Schloss&nbsp;08 and 600 rounds per minute for the Schloss&nbsp;16. Additional telescopic sights were also developed and used in large quantities during World War I to enable the MG&nbsp;08 to be used in long-range [[direct fire]] and [[indirect fire]] support roles.

== Development and adoption ==
The German Rifle Commission began firing tests of the [[Maxim gun]] at [[Sarbinowo, Gmina Dębno|Zorndorf]] in 1889.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=10}} In 1892, [[Ludwig Loewe]]'s company signed a seven-year contract with [[Hiram Maxim]] for production of the gun in [[Berlin]].{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=10}} The [[Imperial German Navy]] ordered Maxim guns from Loewe in 1894.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The Navy deployed them on the decks of ships and for use in amphibious warfare.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} In 1896, Loewe founded a new subsidiary, the {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]}} (DWM), to handle production.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The agreement with Maxim concluded in 1898 and DWM received orders from Austria-Hungary, Argentina, Switzerland and Russia.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}

The [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]] first considered using the Maxim gun as an artillery weapon{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The German light infantry {{lang|de|[[Jäger (infantry)|Jäger]]}} troops began trials of the gun in 1898.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The [[Guards Corps (German Empire)|Guards Corps]], [[II Corps (German Empire)|II Corps]] and [[XVI Corps (German Empire)|XVI Corps]] made more experiments in 1899.{{sfn|Bull|2016|pp=11–12}} The tests produced a recommendation of independent six-gun detachments to march with the cavalry, with the guns mounted on carriages pulled by horses.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}}

The Army purchased the modified MG&nbsp;99 and MG&nbsp;01 versions of the Maxim gun from DWM in limited quantities.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG&nbsp;99 introduced the sled mount that would remain standard in the MG&nbsp;08.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG&nbsp;01 added lightweight spoked wheels, making possible the pushing and pulling of the weapon.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG&nbsp;01 was also exported to Chile and Bulgaria.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} By 1903, the German Army had 11 machine-gun detachments serving with cavalry divisions.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=13}}

[[File:Maxim maching gun IMG 6372-6379.jpg|thumb|Two side views of the original water-cooled MG&nbsp;08 infantry version]]
Criticisms of the MG&nbsp;01 stressed its limited mobility and inability to keep up with the cavalry.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=13}} The DWM and [[Spandau Arsenal]] developed the design further, decreasing weight by 7.7&nbsp;kg, adding a detachable gun shield, an option for an optical sight, and removing the wheels.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=14}} The result was the MG&nbsp;08, which went into production at [[Spandau]] in 1908.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=15}}

The German Army observed the effectiveness of the Maxim gun in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905, many of them German exports.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=13}} With the importance of the machine gun apparent, the Army asked for additional funding from the [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] to increase the supply of machine guns.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=14}} After criticism of the request from Socialist deputies, the Army's demand for six guns per regiment was reduced to six guns per brigade in 1907.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=14}} The Army Bill of 1912 finally gave the Army its demanded six guns per regiment.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=14}} On 3 August 1914, soon after the outbreak of [[World War I]], the Army had 4,411 MG&nbsp;08s, along with 398 MG&nbsp;01s, 18 MG&nbsp;99s and two MG&nbsp;09s.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=28}}

At the onset of World War I, Germany developed an aerodynamically refined bullet intended for machine gun use. This {{convert|12.8|g|gr}} full metal jacket s.S. ({{lang|de|schweres Spitzgeschoß}}, "heavy [[spitzer bullet]]") boat tail projectile was loaded in the {{lang|de|[[7.92×57mm Mauser#German military standard ball service rifle cartridge evolution|s.S. Patrone]]}}. The {{lang|de|s.S. Patrone}} had an extreme range of approximately {{convert|4700|m|yd|-1|abbr=on}}. From its 1914 introduction the {{lang|de|s.S. Patrone}} was mainly issued for aerial combat and as of 1918 in the later stages of World War I to infantry machine gunners.<ref>[http://www.waffen-welt.de/bilder/DiePatrone7.92x57.pdf Die Patrone 7.92mm (8x57)]</ref><ref>[http://www.rifleshootermag.com/historical/20th-century-german-military-arms/ 20th Century German Military Arms and Ammo]</ref>

Another early-WWI improvement introduced in 1915 was a [[muzzle booster]], a patent-protected Vickers invention, which was designated {{lang|de|Rückstoßverstärker}} 08 S. Thanks to that MG&nbsp;08 came up to its British and Russian analogs with their Vickers-licensed recoil boosters in its [[rate of fire]] (up from about 300-350 to 450–600 rds/min) and reliability.

== Training and use ==
Training was regulated by the Field Service Regulations of 1908, providing the German Army six years to train with the guns before the outbreak of World War I.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=44}}

==Design details==
The gun used 250-round fabric belts of [[7.92×57mm Mauser|7.92×57mm]] ammunition. It was [[water-cooled]], using a jacket around the barrel that held approximately {{convert|3.7|L|usgal}} of water. Using a separate attachment sight with range calculator for indirect fire, the MG&nbsp;08 could be operated from cover.

The MG&nbsp;08, like the Maxim gun, operated on the basis of short barrel recoil and a toggle lock. Once cocked and fired the MG&nbsp;08 would continue firing rounds until the trigger was released or until all available ammunition was expended.

The standard iron sightline consisted of a blade front sight and a tangent rear sight with a V-notch, adjustable from {{convert|400|to|2000|m|yd|0}} in {{convert|100|m|yd|0}} increments. The {{lang|de|Zielfernrohr}} 12 (ZF12) was an optional 2.5× power optical sight that featured a range setting wheel graduated {{convert|400|to|2000|m|yd|0}} or {{convert|400|to|2600|m|yd|0}} in {{convert|100|m|yd|0}} increments. With the addition of [[clinometer]]s fixed machine gun squads could set ranges of {{convert|800|to|3475|m|yd|0}} and deliver [[plunging fire]] or [[indirect fire]] at more than {{convert|3000|m|yd|abbr=on|-1}}. This indirect firing method exploits the maximal [[effective range]], that is defined by the maximum range of a small-arms projectile while still maintaining the minimum kinetic energy required to put unprotected personnel out of action, which is generally believed to be 15 kilogram-meters ({{cvt|147|J|ftlbf|disp=semicolon}}).<ref name="krtraining1">{{cite magazine |last1=Kjellgren |first1=G. L. M. |url=http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Archive/PracticalRangeSmallArms.pdf|title=The Practical Range of Small Arms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305142959/http://www.krtraining.com/KRTraining/Archive/PracticalRangeSmallArms.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2015 |magazine=The American Rifleman |pages= 40–44|url-status=live}}</ref> Its practical range was estimated at some {{convert|2000|m|yd|0}} up to an extreme range of {{convert|3500|m|yd|0}} when firing the long-range {{lang|de|[[7.92%C3%9757mm Mauser#German cartridge variants during World War II|s.S. Patrone]]}}.

The MG&nbsp;08 was mounted on a sled mount ({{langx|de|Schlittenlafette}}) that was ferried between locations either on carts or else carried above men's shoulders in the manner of a stretcher.

Pre-war production was by {{lang|de|[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]}} (DWM) in [[Berlin]] and by the government [[Spandau arsenal]] (so the gun was often referred to as the {{lang|de|Spandau MG&nbsp;08}}). When the war began in August 1914, 4,411 MG&nbsp;08s were available to battlefield units. Production at numerous factories was markedly ramped up during wartime. In 1914, some 200 MG&nbsp;08s were produced each month, by 1916—once the weapon had established itself as the pre-eminent defensive battlefield weapon—the number had increased to 3,000; and in 1917 to 14,400 per month.

==MG 08/15==<!-- This section is linked from [[Chauchat]] -->
[[File:2014-06 BLM Braunschweig WMDE (10).jpg|thumb|MG 08/15]]

The MG 08/15 was the "rather misguided attempt"<ref name="McNab 2012 9">McNab (2012) p.9</ref> at a lightened and thus more portable light machine gun from the standard MG 08, produced by "stepping-down" the upper rear and lower forward corners of the original MG 08's rectangular-outline receiver and breech assembly, and reducing the cooling jacket's diameter to {{convert|92.5|mm|abbr=on}}. It was tested as a prototype in 1915 by a team of weapon designers under the direction of an ''[[Oberst]]'', Friedrich von Merkatz; this became the MG 08/15.

The MG 08/15 had been designed around the concept of portability, such as the French [[Chauchat]], which meant that the firepower of a machine gun could be taken forward conveniently by assaulting troops, and moved between positions for tactical fire support; as such, the MG 08/15 was to be manned by two trained infantrymen, a shooter and an ammo bearer. In the attack the weapon would be fired on the move ([[marching fire]]) while on the defense the team would make use of the [[bipod]] from the prone position. To accomplish that, the MG 08/15 had a short bipod rather than a heavy four-legged sled mount, plus a wooden gunstock and a [[pistol grip]]. At {{convert|18|kg|abbr=on}} the MG 08/15 had minimal weight savings over the MG 08, being "a cumbersome beast to use in the assault."<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/> Intended to provide increased mobility of infantry automatic fire, it nevertheless remained a bulky water-cooled weapon that was quite demanding on the crews and never on par with its rivals, the Chauchat and the [[Lewis gun|Lewis Gun]]. Accurate fire was difficult to achieve and usually in short bursts only. The fabric ammunition belts were prone to stretching and there were cartridge extraction problems when they were wet.<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/>

It was first introduced in battle during the French [[Second Battle of the Aisne]] (''Chemin des Dames'' offensive) in April 1917. Deployment in increasingly large numbers with all front line infantry regiments continued in 1917 and during the German offensives of the spring and summer of 1918.

There were other, less prominent, German machine guns in WWI that showed more promising understanding of tactical firepower; such as the air-cooled 7.92 mm [[Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun|Bergmann MG 15nA]] which weighed "a more manageable 13kg,"<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/> had a bipod mount and was fed from a 200-round metal-link belt contained in an assault drum instead of fabric belts. Despite its qualities, it was overshadowed by the production volumes of the MG 08/15 and exiled to secondary fronts, being largely relegated to use in limited numbers on the [[Italian front (World War I)|Italian Front]].<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/> The Bergmann MG 15nA was also used by the [[Asia Corps|''Asien-Korps'']] in Sinai, Mesopotamia and [[Sinai and Palestine campaign|Palestine]]. Being air-cooled, the Bergmann MG 15nA's barrel would overheat after 250 rounds of sustained fire. Other light machine guns would maintain the water-cooling system, such as the Dreyse MG 10 and MG 15; with an air-cooled version produced just before the war, known as the ''Dreyse-Muskete'' or the MG 15.<ref>McNab (2012) p.10</ref>

Despite such developments, the MG 08/15 remained by far the most common German machine gun deployed in World War I,<ref>Dolf Goldsmith, 1989</ref> reaching a full allocation of six guns per company (72 guns per regiment) in 1918. By that time, there were four times as many MG 08/15 light machine guns than heavy MG 08 machine guns in each infantry regiment. To attain this goal, about 130,000 MG 08/15 were manufactured during World War I, most of them by the Spandau and Erfurt government arsenals. The heavy weight remained a problem though and a "futile attempt"<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/> to solve this problem was a late-war air-cooled version of the MG 08/15, designated as the ''MG 08/18''; but it was only 1&nbsp;kg lighter than the MG 08/15. The MG 08/18's barrel was heavier and it could not be quickly changed; inevitably overheating was a problem. It was battlefield tested in small numbers during the last months of the war. As noted, "the Maxim Gun was not a sound basis for an LMG."<ref name="McNab 2012 9"/>

=== Idiom ===
The designation 08/15 lives on as an [[idiom]] in colloquial German, ''nullachtfünfzehn'' ({{ill|08/15 (Redewendung)|de|lt=zero-eight-fifteen}}, pronounced ''[[wikt:nullachtfünfzehn|Null-acht-fünfzehn]]''), being used as a term to denote something totally ordinary and lacking in originality or specialness.<ref>{{citation |title= "null-acht-fünfzehn" |work=das Digitale Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache |url= https://www.dwds.de/wb/null-acht-fünfzehn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511182708/https://www.dwds.de/wb/null-acht-f%C3%BCnfzehn |archive-date=2018-05-11 }}</ref>

The name of the weapon (''null-acht-fünfzehn'') originally became a slang term in the German Army in the Second World War. Because of the 08/15's tendency to jam, German soldiers used the name of the gun to refer to any thing that went wrong in their Army experiences.<ref>Houlihan, Thomas ''Kriegsprache: Glossary of World War II German Military-and Period-Specific Words, Phrases and Abbreviations for Historians, Researchers and Hobbyists.'' Maps at War, Lake Orion, Michigan, 2009. ISBN 978-0-578-01849-2 </ref>

== Aircraft versions ==
===lMG 08===
[[File:Mounted early model lMG 08.jpg|thumb|Sideview of the earliest version of the lMG 08 aircraft machine gun, with the overly-slotted 105 mm diameter cooling barrel that made it a physically fragile weapon in front-line use]]
A lightened air-cooled version of the original water-cooled rectangular pattern-receiver MG 08 infantry automatic ordnance, the '''lMG 08''', was developed by the Spandau arsenal as a rigidly mounted aircraft machine gun and went into production in 1915, in single-gun mounts, for use on the E.I through the E.III production versions of the [[Fokker Eindecker]]. A lower case letter "L" beginning the prefix meant ''luftgekühlt'' (air-cooled) rather than ''Luft'' (air).<ref name="Woodmanp3">Woodman 1997, pg.2-3</ref>

The lMG 08s were later used in pairs by the time of the introduction of the [[Fokker D.III]] and [[Albatros D.I]] biplane fighters in 1916, as fixed and synchronized cowling guns firing through the propeller. The [[Parabellum MG14]] built by DWM was a lighter (22&nbsp;lbs) and quite different, air-cooled Maxim system gun with a very high rate of fire (600-700 rounds/min). It was introduced in 1915, and was, but not without serious problems on occasion (as noted by [[Otto Parschau]]), prototyped on [[Otto Parschau#The Green Machine (A.16/15)|Parschau's own A.16/15 Fokker A.III "green machine"]] monoplane with the Fokker ''Stangensteuerung'' gun synchronizer, received back with the synchronized Parabellum by Parschau on May 30, 1915<ref>{{cite book |last=vanWyngarden |first=Greg |title=Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #73: Early German Aces of World War 1 |year=2006 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Botley, Oxford UK & New York City, United States |isbn=978-1-84176-997-4 |page=9}}</ref> and first used in quantity as the synchronized forward-firing armament on the five examples of the Fokker M.5K/MG ''Eindecker'' production prototype aircraft, and soon afterwards served as a flexible aircraft observer's gun for rear defense.

[[File:Early Spandau Triple Mount.jpg|right|thumb|Triple mount of initial production examples of the lMG 08 machine gun in [[Kurt Wintgens]]' [[Fokker E.IV]], May 1916 - these guns have the "over-lightened" cooling jackets that caused fragility problems. These use the standard (for aviation) "two hole" ammunition belt]]
[[File:MG 08-15 Flugzeugversion.JPG|thumb|right|A later production version of the lMG 08 on display, with less slotting than the initial version. There is a [[synchronization gear]] and triggering assembly included below the gun.]]
[[File:Parabellum-mg14.jpg|thumb|right|Parabellum MG14]]

The initial model of the air-cooled "Spandau" lMG 08 front-firing cowling machine guns had lost the stocks, grips, and bipods of the infantry MG 08s to adapt it to a fixed, forward-firing mount forward of an aircraft's cockpit, with gun synchronization allowing safe firing through a spinning propeller's arc. The 105&nbsp;mm diameter cylindrical sheet metal water jacket used for the infantry's MG 08, an important support member for the barrel, was initially over-lightened with cooling slots, with fourteen rows of such slots completely surrounding and running the whole length of the jacket's circumferential sheetmetal.<ref name="Woodmanp2">Woodman 1997, pg.2</ref>

These alternated between seven rows of nine "oblong" slots, alternating with seven more intervening rows of eight slots and twin round holes fore and aft of the slots apiece. Because of the important physical reinforcement provided by the cooling jacket on the MG 08 series of guns, the excessive slotting of the initial model of the air-cooled lMG 08 — amounting to slightly over 50% of the total area of the cylindrical cooling jacket's original circumferential sheetmetal — rendered the gun as too fragile, to the point of making it impossible to fit the [[muzzle booster]] that the water-cooled infantry MG 08 guns could be fitted with.<ref name="Woodmanp2"/>

The later models of lMG 08 air-cooled machine gun variously "tweaked" the amount of slotting of the barrel by reducing the amount of sheet metal removed from it in minor ways through at least two or three trial formats, and eventually in the final versions produced, had the slotting omitted at the extreme ends of the cooling jacket's cylindrical member, with a 13&nbsp;cm wide area of solid sheet metal at the breech end, and a 5&nbsp;cm wide solid area at the muzzle end, giving the resultant gun much more rigidity. The lMG 08 also retained unchanged the rectangular rear receiver and breech assembly of the water-cooled MG 08 infantry weapon.<ref name=woodman3-5/>

===LMG 08/15===
[[File:Letecké muzeum Kbely (6).jpg|thumb|LMG 08/15 air-cooled example, used on 1917-18 German fighters, but without the rifle stock shown|alt=|341x341px]]

Later, the MG 08's receiver would be lightened by being "stepped down" at its upper-rear and lower-forward corners as the more refined and lighter weight LMG 08/15 version was developed, using the same airframe mounting geometry as the earlier ordnance to allow interchangeability between the earlier lMG 08 and later LMG 08/15 models, with the still well-perforated cooling jacket reduced to a 92.5&nbsp;mm diameter. The LMG 08/15 was introduced in 1917.<ref name=woodman3-5/>

The lMG 08 and LMG 08/15 guns were always used on fixed-wing aircraft, as fixed forward-aimed synchronized firing ordnance initially in single mounts for Germany's 1915-16 era Fokker Eindecker and [[Halberstadt D.II]] "scout" single-seat fighters, and by 1916 in dual mounts, first appearing on the mass-produced examples of Robert Thelen's Albatros D.I and [[Albatros D.II|D.II]] fighters in late 1916, and singly on German "[[Idflieg aircraft designation system#List of Idflieg class letter prefixes|C-class]]" armed two-seat observation aircraft for synchronized forward-firing armament. The usual ammunition load for fighters was for longer, 500 round, belts, one for each gun.

A device, occasionally fitted to the rear surface of the later LMG 08/15's receiver backplate, told the pilot how much ammunition was left to fire. Later on a significant upgrade to the gun's aerial usability was the fitting of the Klingstrom device on the right side of the receiver, which allowed the gun to be cocked and loaded with one hand from the cockpit. Various cocking/charging handle styles evolved with a simplified distinctive long handled cocking/charging device finally becoming preferred late in the war.

LMG 08/15's used the 30mm "two hole" ammunition belts of the flexible Parabellum MG14 machine gun rather than the wider "three hole" belts of the MG 08/15 water-cooled infantry weapon. It is possible that these belts were used as they were a bit lighter and less bulky than the wider "three hole" ground gun belts and certainly made for standardization which would have been easier for the armorers and in addition allowed for smaller and lighter "tubes" or "chutes" that guided the empty belts into storage containers in the aircraft after firing.

It is a common misconception that the tubes or chutes coming out of the fixed mounted aviation LMG 08/15 fixed guns were for expended cartridge cases. In actuality these attachments were for guiding the empty cartridge belts into a container inside the fuselage of the aircraft so that the belts would not interfere with the operation of the aircraft. As the entire MG 08 ''Spandau'' family of German machine guns ejected their empty cartridge cases forward through a round hole in the receiver's lower forward surface, immediately under the aft end of the barrel's cylindrical cooling-jacket (as can be clearly seen on many videos), these cartridge cases were guided out of the aircraft (except on Martin Kreutzer-designed Fokker biplane fighter aircraft, and the Fokker fighters designed by Kreutzer's successor [[Reinhold Platz]]) through tubes from under the barrel to the bottom of the fuselage. With Fokker designed aircraft following the Eindecker, the cartridge cases were ejected without tubes from the receiver hole directly into open trays that guided the tumbling cartridge cases backward and sideways onto the sloped fuselage decking, which then streamed down past the cockpit on either side. These trays are clearly visible in photographs but have rarely been recognized for their purpose.

[[Hermann Göring]], who flew both the [[Fokker Dr.I]] and [[Fokker D.VII]] was so annoyed with the case tumbling out in front of him that he had deflectors made on his aircraft to ensure the empty cartridge cases did not find their way into his cockpit. On photographs of Göring's aircraft these plates, seen only on his aircraft, are very prevalent and have even been recognized in scale models of his aircraft copying his particular planes, but even then most historians have failed to recognize their purpose. Both empty belt guides and trays were attached directly to the machine guns rather than to the aircraft. In the famous film showing Australian officers handling the LMG 08/15s from Baron von Richthofen's crashed triplane, the Fokker type belt tubes/chutes and empty cartridge trays can be clearly seen still attached to the guns.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

More than 23,000 examples of the LMG 08/15 and an unknown number of the lMG 08 were produced during World War I.<ref name=woodman3-5>Woodman 1997, pg.3-5</ref>

== Anti-tank and anti-aircraft variant ==
A variant chambered in the same [[13.2mm TuF|13.2 x 92 mm SR round]] as the [[13.2 mm Rifle Anti-Tank (Mauser)|{{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on|3}} Mauser Anti-Tank Rifle]] was introduced in 1918. Designated '''[[MG 18 TuF]]''' ({{langx|de|Tank und Flieger}}), it was issued in limited numbers in late World War I.{{Cn|date=April 2021}}

== Chinese version ==
{{more citations needed section|date=December 2020}}

[[Image:重机枪2 - panoramio (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|A Browning M1917 and Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun]]
[[Image:115D in the Battle of Pingxing Pass.jpg|thumb|right|Chinese soldiers of the [[Eighth Route Army]] firing a Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun at an ambush against Japanese troops in the [[Battle of Pingxingguan]]]]

Based on the commercial MG09, in 1935, the Chinese began to produce the derivative Type 24 Heavy machine gun, which was not based solely on German drawings and introduced several improvements and new features.<ref>{{cite book|title=China's Small Arms of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)|last=Shih|first=Bin|year=2018}}</ref>

The Type 24 Heavy machine gun, first introduced to the [[National Revolutionary Army]] in 1935, designed to replace the original MG 08. It was the standard heavy machine gun for all Nationalists, Communists, and Warlords from 1935. They were usually made in the [[Hanyang Arsenal]]. Like the original MG 08, because of transportation difficulties, the [[M1917 Browning machine gun]] and other machine guns slowly replaced the Type 24 for the NRA after the [[Chinese Civil War]]. The [[PM M1910]], and the [[SG-43 Goryunov]] (or Type 53/57 Machine gun) slowly replaced the Type 24 Heavy machine gun after the Chinese Civil War, but it was kept in service with the PLA, KPA and the NVA until the 1960s during the [[Vietnam War]].

The Type 24 heavy machine gun's tripod resembles the tripod of the MG 08. This gun is not able to be mounted on sledge mounts. When aiming at enemy infantry, it usually comes with a muzzle disk. When used as an anti-aircraft gun, it uses a metal pole to make the tripod higher and usually does not come with a muzzle disk. The gun's receiver is similar to the MG 08's gun body. Like the original MG 08, it needs a crew of four.

The Type 24 heavy machine gun is chambered with the [[7.92×57mm Mauser]] round, the standard Chinese military rifle cartridge of Nationalist China.

After the Chinese Civil War, [[People's Republic of China]] militia and reserve units converted a number of Type 24 HMG into the [[7.62×54mmR]] Russian cartridge. They were used for training or as filming prop, and never entered service.

== Users ==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
[[File:MG 08 machine gun.JPG|thumb|right|An MG 08 at the [[Canadian War Museum]]]]
[[File:Machine gun corps Gaza line WWIb edit2.jpg|thumb|Ottoman soldiers with some of them armed with MG 08s. Notice the MG 08s are mounted on tripods instead of sledge mounts that were common to the MG 08]]
[[File:ZF12 sight used on the MG08.png|thumb|right|alt=The inside and outside of a ZF12 sight|This is a ZF12 sight used on the MG08, this particular MG08 (with sight attached) was captured from German troops by soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, [[The Gloucestershire Regiment]] while in Macedonia.]]
*{{flag|Austria-Hungary}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
*{{Flag|Argentina}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
*{{flag|Belgium}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=65}}
*{{flag|Brazil}}
*{{flag|Bulgaria}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}}
*{{Flag|Chile}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}}
*{{Flag|Czechoslovakia}}: The MG08/15 was in use after independence<ref>{{Cite web |title=Czechoslovak Weapons of World War II: part 1: Czechoslovakia was well-armed and fortified before World War II, but appeasers in Britain and France pulled the rug out, making "Munich" a synonym for betrayal. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Czechoslovak+Weapons+of+World+War+II:+part+1:+Czechoslovakia+was...-a0501831675 |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref>
*{{flag|Finland}}: MG-08 and MG-15 versions used by Finland as late as [[Continuation War]].<ref>{{cite web|date=4 November 2017|title=Machine Guns, part 2|url=https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MG2.htm}}</ref>
*{{flag|France}}: MG-08 and 08/15 versions were captured and used by French forces in WW1 and afterwards. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.ch/detail/nachrichtenfoto/french-soldiers-use-captured-german-maschinengewehr-08-nachrichtenfoto/3243820?language=en|title=French soldiers use captured German Maschinengewehr 08 machine guns}}</ref>
*{{flag|German Empire}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
*{{flag|Indonesia}}: Used Chinese Type 24.{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=6}}
*{{Flag|Latvia}}: At least 11 light-weight MG 08s used by the [[Latvian National Armed Forces|Latvian Army]] (by April 1936)<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Dambītis|first=Kārlis|date=2016|title=Latvijas armijas artilērija 1919.-1940.g.: Vieta bruņotajos spēkos, struktūra un uzdevumi|trans-title=Artillery of the Latvian Army (1918–1940): structure, tasks and place in the Armed forces|url=https://dspace.lu.lv/dspace/handle/7/31857?locale-attribute=en|publisher=University of Latvia|type=PhD thesis|page=225}}</ref>
*{{flag|Lithuania}}:<ref>{{cite journal|title=The military situation in the Baltic States|first=Edgars|last=Andersons|year=2001|issue=6|volume=2001|journal=Baltic Defence Review|url=http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/10bdr601_backup.pdf|pages=113–153|access-date=2019-01-23|archive-date=2019-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041412/http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/10bdr601_backup.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> About 800 MG 08 (7,92&nbsp;mm sunkusis kulkosvaidis 08 m.) and 520 MG 08/15 (7,92&nbsp;mm lengvasis kulkosvaidis 08/15 m.). Some MG 08 were modernized for anti-aircraft defense.
*{{flag|Nazi Germany}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=65}}
*{{flag|Netherlands}}: Ex-German MG 08s confiscated at the end of WWI entered Dutch service in 1925 in the light anti-aircraft role, with the designation M.25.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waroverholland.nl/index.php?page=dutch-heavy-and-light-machineguns|title=Dutch machineguns [War over Holland - May 1940: the Dutch struggle]|website=www.waroverholland.nl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203002106/http://www.waroverholland.nl/index.php?page=dutch-heavy-and-light-machineguns|archive-date=2013-12-03}}</ref>
*{{Flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ottoman machine gunners |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/ottoman-machine-gunners |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=New Zealand History}}</ref>
*{{flag|People's Republic of China}}: Produced the Type 24 under license.{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=6}}
*{{flag|Poland}}: From 1918-44, up to 5,964 MG 08 (ckm wz.08) and 7,775 MG 08/15 (lkm wz.08/15)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} Andrzej Konstankiewicz, ''Broń strzelecka Wojska Polskiego 1918-39'', MON, Warsaw 1986, {{ISBN|83-11-07266-3}}, p. 106, 119</ref>
*{{flag|Malaysia}}: Used Chinese Type 24.{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=6}}
*{{flag|Manchukuo}}: Chinese-made Type 24s<ref>{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip S.|title=Rays of the rising sun : armed forces of Japan's Asian allies, 1931-45|publisher=Helion|year=2004|isbn=9781906033781|volume=1, China & Manchukuo|page=15}}</ref>
*{{flag|Republic of China}}: Made under license as the Type 24 heavy machine gun.<ref name="Chinese Army">{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip|title=The Chinese Army 1937–49: World War II and Civil War|date=10 Jul 2005|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|isbn=9781841769042|series=Men-at-Arms 424|page=19}}</ref> Imported MG08/15 machine guns also used during [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shih |first1=Bin |title=China's Small Arms of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) |isbn=979-8473557848 |pages=299–300|edition=2021}}</ref> 
*{{Flag|Romania}}: MG09 variant marked as Model 1910.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cruffler.com/Features/FEB-02/historic-february02.html|title=Historic Firearm of the Month, February 2002|website=cruffler.com|access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref>
*{{Flag|Russian Empire}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
*{{Flag|Switzerland}}{{Sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
*{{flag|Spanish Republic}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2): Republican Forces|series=Men-at-Arms 498|first= Alejandro |last=de Quesada|date=20 Jan 2015|isbn=9781782007852|publisher=Osprey Publishing|page=38}}</ref>
*{{flag|Vietnam}}: The [[Viet Minh]] used Chinese Type 24 during the [[First Indochina War]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Personal firepower|first=Edward Clinton|last=Ezell|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1988|series=The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15|oclc=1036801376|url=https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/personalfirepowe00ezel/page/34 34]|isbn=9780553345490}}</ref> as did the [[Viet Cong]] during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Smith">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Joseph E.|title=Small Arms of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit|url-access=registration|edition =11|location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|publisher= The Stackpole Company|year=1969| page=[https://archive.org/details/smallarmsofworld00smit/page/719 719]|isbn=9780811715669}}</ref>
*{{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Yugoslav Partisans]]<ref name="Vukšić2003">{{cite book |series=Warrior 73 |title=Tito's partisans 1941–45 |last=Vukšić |first=Velimir |date=July 2003 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-84176-675-1 |page=60}}</ref>

==Conflicts==
* [[Mexican Revolution]]
* [[Xinhai Revolution]]
* [[World War I]]
* [[Russian Civil War]]
* [[German Revolution]]
* [[Finnish Civil War]]
* [[Greater Poland uprising (1918–1919)|Greater Poland Uprising]]
* [[Silesian Uprisings]]
* [[Polish–Soviet War]]
* [[Spanish Civil War]]<ref>The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2): Republican Forces - Alejandro de Quesada - Knihy Google</ref>
* [[Chinese Civil War]]
* [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
* [[World War II]]
* [[Korean War]]
* [[First Indochina War]]
* [[Vietnam War]]

==See also==
===Weapons of comparable role, performance and era===
*{{lwc|Bergmann MG15 nA Gun}}
*{{lwc|M1917 Browning machine gun}}
*{{lwc|Kjellman machine gun}}
*{{lwc|M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun#Marlin Rockwell M1917/M1918 versions|Marlin M1917 & M1918 machine guns}}
* {{lwc|PM M1910}} 
*{{lwc|Schwarzlose MG M.07/12}}
*{{lwc|Vickers machine gun}}

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
* {{cite book | title = Machine Guns of World War I | last = Bruce |first= Robert | year = 1997 | publisher = Windrow and Greene Ltd | isbn = 1-85915-078-0}}
* {{cite book | last = Bull | first = Stephen | title = German Machine Guns of World War I: MG 08 and MG 08/15 |series=Weapon No. 47 | publisher = Osprey| location = Oxford  |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4728-1516-3 }}
* {{cite book | title = The Devil's Paintbrush: Sir Hiram Maxim's Gun | last= Goldsmith |first= Dolf L. | year = 1989 | publisher = Collector Grade Publications | isbn = 0-88935-282-8 }}
*{{Cite book |last=McNab |first=Chris |title=MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns |series=Weapon No. 21 |publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2012|isbn=978-1-78200-309-0|location=Oxford, UK|oclc=838150388}}
* {{cite book | title = Spandau Guns, Windsock Mini-Datafile No.10 | last = Woodman |first= Harry| year = 1997 | publisher = Albatros Publications Ltd | isbn = 0-948414-90-1}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|MG 08}}
* [http://www.cruffler.com/Features/FEB-02/historic-february02.html 13&nbsp;mm TuF variant]
* [http://www.mitrailleuse.fr/Allemandes/Mg08/MG08.htm MG 08] {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX2I8xkDSMk: YouTube animation showing mechanism of MG08 machine gun]

{{Austro-Hungarian infantry weapons of World War I}}
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[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1908]]