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The Maxim Machine Gun revolutionised
modern warfare. Invented by Hiram Maxim in 1884, it was the first
reliable, mass produced machine gun in the world. By 1914 all the
world's major armies either had Maxim guns or imitations of them. The
German version was known as the "Maschinengewehr 1908" or MG08,
it was almost identical in design to Maxim's invention. Tens of
thousands of MG08s were used by the German forces in the First World
War on all fronts. The gun photographed on this page as a very
interesting history.
This MG08 was aboard either the SMS
Goeben or SMS Breslau when they sailed into the Mediterranean Sea
before the First World War. When war broke out both ships made for
Istanbul where they placed themselves under Ottoman naval command.
Soon after and indeed largely due to the ships' involvement, the
Ottoman Empire was dragged into the war on the side of Germany and
Austria-Hungary. Britain and France launched an invasion of the
Dardanelles straights (although the British contingent was largely
made up of Australian and New Zealand troops and the French contingent
was partially Senegalese) at Gallipoli. To assist the defending
Ottoman army the German ships sent machine guns and their crews to the
frontline. This machine gun was captured at the Second Battle of
Krithia on 6th May 1915 by British sailors from HMS Hood, serving as
part of the British 2nd Naval Brigade. They then presented it to their
overall commanding officer, the departing French commander, General
Albert
d'Amade.
The gun remained in d'Amade's
chateau
until
after his death in 1941. The new owners of the chateau handed it in to
the French Gendarmerie, who in turn tried to give it to the
"Musée de l'Infanterie"
at Montpellier but they turned it down. Finally it was given to its
present owner, a gunsmith named Gilles Sigro, who has been kind enough
to show us close up photographs of this most interesting historical
piece.
Please respect his generosity in
sharing these images with us by not reproducing them without prior
permission.
Recommended External Links-
Gilles Sigro's website,
Armurerie
Toulouse
The full history of this gun on Gilles' site,
Un Souvenir du Croseur de Bataille Part1 and
Part 2
The Pursuit of the Goeben and Breslau at Wikipedia
The German Landing Parties at Gallipoli
discussed on the Axis History Forum
Photos from the SMS Goeben
at the Gentlemen's Military Interest Club
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| The left
side of the gun. |
The top
plate of the gun's breech with the marking "8mm Masch.-Gew.
1908.", showing it to be a 1908 model machine gun taking 8mm
rounds (although the exact calibre was 7.92mm). Note part of the
breech is marked number 817. |
A view
down the receiving end of the barrel. Note the small plate stating
it is barrel number 820. The two differing serial numbers on the
gun would imply that it was probably made up of parts of two
damaged guns to make one working gun. |
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Markings showing the gun
to have been made at the German Weapons and Munitions Factory, Berlin
in
1910. |
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