"Heroic Cavalry With Very Fancy Hats" sounds like a title for Ian's next book, with pictures of himself in all the hats he already owns and a few new ones as well.
This would make for a perfect coffee table book of hundreds of head shots of Ian in all of his fancy hats. No context for your guests, just great photography.
Fancy hats? I am german ( Brittas boyfriend). In german, a hat is a Hut. Which Cavallry units carried a hat/ Hut in 1914? US cavallry, in european standards dragoons / Dragoner, british Dominion troops (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada - including Royal Mounted Police, by european standards a kind of Gendarmerie) and perhaps semiregular latin american Cavallry, see revolutionary Mexico. Then there had been caps, in german Mütze ( or dated Kappe). This headgear was common among british , russian, eastern european,french, austrian and italian light cavallry, Hussars and Cossaks. Third headgear in 1914 was the helmet / Helm in german. Sometimes made of leather, reinforced with brass, sometimes made of steel, brass, or Tombak ( don't know english name of this copperbased alloy). Those helmets had been used mostly by heavy, semiheavy or Guard Cavallry of european and latin american countries. Sometimes hats or caps had some reinforcement with cardboard or metal wires ( in german Drähte), but all cavallry headgear of 1914 only gave some protecion against swords or dated pistols/ revolvers with lead only bullets, but not against modern jacketed rifle bullets, similar to last cuirasses.
Copper alloy? Bronze maybe or stainless bronze but I doubt it was that as they would have had to add 5 percent nickel and 22 percent Chromium and it would have had to be manufactured the same way as stainless steel
When Ian mentions these being "just given away" by the US govt post ww1...he means exactly that. The US had such a large stockpile of these it was decided to simply give them away as a "bonus" to random retired federal employees/retired teachers/service workers and veterans groups. It was not uncommon for a large wooden box to show up on your front door unannounced as a "retirement bonus" from uncle sam. That is how the bulk of these ended up in private ownership in the US, and were later registered. My friends grandfather (retired postal inspector in the 1920s) received an 08/15 in this way. From what he said it just sat in storage for years and years because ammunition and belts were very hard to find in the US back then.
I used to have a book called, "The Social History of the Machine Gun". In it, during an old interview, one German Machine Gunner supposedly said (of the British early war human wave attacks) "They were the bravest men I ever saw, but the machine gun didn't care"
20,000 killed in 20 minutes. Some units kicked soccer balls back and forth as they went forward. Sir John Keegan said that day killed the spirit of optimism in the British thst has never been recovered.
Remarkably well preserved gun. Two additional points: 1) The German colonial forces did not only use these to fight rebelling natives, but contrary to some other colonial powers trained their loyal native troopers ("Askaris") to use them. The British learned this the hard way while fighting Lettow-Vorbecks Afrika Schutztruppe in current Tansania. 2) At the start of the Ukraine War, there was talk that Ukraine deployed thousands of Russian Maxims; now mounted on a little trolley with a front armour plate, for use out of protected positions. This would mean that the Maxim's combat service life is even longer than that of the M2 machine gun.
The last point supports my belief that most modern firearms technology was invented by WW1. Everything after that are just refinement on what was already there.
the last point isnt valid as its not an issue weapon. its a weapon forced into emergency service. the water cooled maxim was not part of ukraine's TO&E prior to the war the M2 has been continually IN service since 1919
Necessity is the mother of invention, and warfare is the mother of necessity.(Germany seems to somehow be the father of both.) In war, you use what you have, and it turns out that old weapons kill you just as dead. In Vietnam they frequently used crossbow, every military in the world still issue knives, and knives predate Homo Sapiens, so... yeah, nothing surprising about Maxims still being used. It still makes me happy, though, that "obsolete" doesn't mean "useless".
@@isaacm1929 What's wrong with pigeons? They're wonderful agricultural birds, as well as a form of entertainment for city workers. Not also are they entertaining, but if the US ever seriously started to starve, urban people could make pigeon traps and keep flocks of pigeons to have meat. Pigeons are incredibly clean birds.
Funfact, even today in german the term is used if something ist standart "Das ist ja 08/15" so even hundert years later this maschine gun with ist variation from 1915 is part of german language. You are welcom folks!
interestingly, it is unclear what about the 08/15 was it that turned into such an expression - whether it meant that something is totally standard because soldiers were handling 08/15s daily; or whether it meant something that is common and kind of getting bad, because the 08/15s were getting worn out by the end of the war; or whether it meant that something is totally unremarkable and standardised, because the 08/15s were so standardised that by the end of the war parts were made in bicycle factories
I like how recently. Ian had been doing 'updated' episodes on guns he had covered in the past. Hell, he could do a redo of every episode, and I'd be happy
Well for one, the quality and information gets better and better. Plus I love the history and any extra provonance with guns he covers. I'll probably keep watching Forgotten weapons for years so long as ian keeps posting content.
Fun fact: The MG08 gunners had a tool called "Schleppgurt" or tagging belt, is was essentially a heavy lether loop with a hook to drag the gun while crawling. When the uniforms were standardized, they often carried this belt as an accentuation to indicate their elite status.
Cone of fire, beaten zone, FPL, plunging fires, and many others from machine gunnery training. One of the tripods I was issued in 89 was originally made for 1919 machine gun. M2 tripod, the later was marked M122 tripod, the same but made later.
@@meijiturtle3814 The German's basically wrote the book on proper MG deployment. None of the silly cinematic wild swinging of guns at close range. The trick was to site these heavy beasts out on the flanks and have them firing across the front of "friendly" trenches / positions The guns were, like artillery, "surveyed in". Lines of assaulting enemy troops would have to pass through the "beaten zones" of a number of guns to get "up-close and personal" with their bayonets. Here was the huge contradiction of two combat schools. All major combatants were wedded to the "spirit of the Pike" , (NOT the fish, but a long stick with a pointy end). Why do Lee Enfields have that odd-shaped wrist on their butts? And from the early SMLEs onward, full-length top hand-guards? So the troops could better wield their "pike" in a proper, "gentlemanly" way without getting their fingers burnt or slipping in all the mud and blood. See also the Brit adoption of a variation of the Japanese Type 30 bayonet, complete with hooked quillon, in 1907, to regain the" reach" lost when the Lee Enfield rifle was shortened. So, MG-08s with interlocking arcs of fire were used as "area denial" weapons. And they could do this from well over a thousand yards away. A plunging just-going-subsonic bullet will still do a fair bit of tissue damage.. The Germans also added refinements, like reinforced concrete bunkers and "mutual defence" tactics. If attacking infantry approached too close to one strongpoint, other "pill-boxes" would go to a second or third "fire-mission" setting, and hose down the approach area and, if necessary, the concrete structure itself. Enfilade fire; the machine-gunners preferred practice. Like artillery, they had pre-designated fire-missions; all carefully plotted; often using serious optical gear. For Australian readers, the second battle of Fromelles is a stark lesson on how to NOT deploy infantry in territory infested with MGs producing interlocking arcs of fire from somewhere "off the map". The abundance of Australian dead and wounded dragged off the battlefield, with "side-entry" wounds should have been something of a clue.. The MG-08 was too heavy to use / relocate in an assault, hence the MG-08-15, which was still somewhat "clunky". Hence the German's "adoption" of captured Lewis Guns, generally in .303. These were also one of the tools of German "ready-reaction"/ trench-raiding parties.. The concept of the "machine-gun-centric" infantry squad / section, was a direct result of the experiences of those German "ready-reaction"/ trench-raiding teams. Same deal in the next big show. MG-34s, etc., as the primary weapon, supported and screened by infantry with bolt-action rifles.
@@meijiturtle3814yes, the lines were not a straight line like you might think. They were layered and had interlocking fields of fire. Both sides did it, that’s why at that time there was no mobility and the frontal assaults ended like they did.
I remember him making deep gouges in a concrete floor at one point - i can't remember which video, but i was hiding behind the sofa watching each new scratch
That sled mount is engeneered to perfection, i guess that guys at drowing board was aware of what would be done with it, and where in trenches one period of their lives. They made Maxim transportable in more than one way without using wheels, and that by its self is amazing.
I still wouldn't want to be the bloke dragging a 100lb+ MG through WW1 mud under fire. God bless the people who realised a lighter option was needed. And regulated stuff like this to fixed fortfications and vehicles.
@@clothar23 Yeah, the idea of some of the things Ian was describing how the mount was designed to moved gave me the shivers thinking about moving that heavy gun in such a manner.
Gotta applaud Ian for returning to his old format of scrounging around auction houses. Even if it's a temporary reprieve from the click-chasing he was doing for a while, it's much appreciated.
Never knew the extra utility the mount offered besides the sled function, those carrying setups seem very well thought out and something that would be genuinely appreciated by the crews!
Also, I can't remember the exact number, but a postwar newspaper article in Ohio mentions something like 700 machineguns being offered to local municipalities in the state for use as war memorials/monuments. Few of these seem to have survived the scrap drives of WW2 (or perhaps even just theft), though there are one or two places where you can still find examples of the MG08 still on outdoor display in the state.
My great uncle, a sergeant in the 104th IR, 26th Yankee division, survived the attacks on Epieds, where they went up against over 100 emplaced German machine guns. He was an automatic weapons specialist, who received a battlefield commission. Half his company was either killed or wounded.
Ian, thank you for showing the tripod setup and Maxim gun tripod mounting to open your video. The equipment combination is a beast. And imagine hauling this thing back from a Great War battlefield as a souvenir in your US infantry company's equipment stores allocation. Or even your own personal baggage.
@Forgotten Weapons Here is a little trivia about the 0815. i live in austria and we use the term 0815 (nullachtfünfzehn) to tell if something is like the most basic type of something. So for example we would say thats a 0815-car, -flat, -t-shirt and what not. if this thing is the most basic type of that thing... This term is commonly used term in austrian german language, even today. Thanks for the nice videos...
Interesting timing with this video, as I'm currently re-watching The Great War on TH-cam. Excellent WW1 documentary in the same vain as the WW2 World at War series.
@@russianbear0027 Nah, it's not the Great War channel. it's the BBC documentary from the 60's - th-cam.com/play/PLucsO-7vMQ00twBJvRZKs1KNUKUVClo6C.html&si=8m-mYyrRdV0Qc7aL
Thank you for this presentation, my grandfather was a Sargent in charge of a machine gun crew in the German Army at the battle of the Somme. I was not old enough or inquisitive enough before he passed to get the details of his service. He did have a Iron Cross and I do have his "short sword" or what is a bayonet to remember him by.
Knowing the Preussian Army logistic system of the German Kaiserreich i assume: Top cover serial number was a demand by the army for inventory management and the a/b/c/d plus 4 digit system was the DWM system they put on all guns, no matter who was their customer.
You misunderstand. The question isn't "why serial numbers", the question is "why indicate the thousands digit with a letter suffix". If you think about it, there are significant disadvantages to this system, and NO advantages over just putting the thousands digit in the place reserved for it by maths. With the suffix system, 1) you have to read out the whole number, then convert it in your head to get the actual number 2) at the higher numbers (maybe as low as f or g) most people would have to stop and count the letters before even getting to the previous step 3) you'll have a problem if you ever make more than 28000 of anything Meanwhile, just writing the number out normally can do exactly everything the letter suffix system can do, with none of the drawbacks.
@@M_Northstar Using a letter pre or suffix is very normal in productions. It allows the producer to "shorten" whole blocks or dedicate a serial number space for specific customers or variants. And all the downsides you listed are irrelevant. 1) Nobody who has to deal with the serial number has to count them in the head. He simply writes down 1234 A and carries on. He doesnt care if the number is 123456 or 1A2B3CXXXX001 or ABC321 or what ever 2) see 1 3) you simply add another letter. Series 29 becomes AA. All of this is pretty much standard one way or another. See: Todays Glock Serial numbers, they started with AB12345 system and now run a ABC123 system.
I absolutely love how, in the whole kit, everything has been thought out : multiple ways of carrying the thing, spare barrel, spare locks, knee pads, oil and solvent... I absolutely love how these old stuff had everything.
Fantastic piece of German engineering. My wife's great uncle was in the British Machine Gun Corps and sadly died around the time of the Somme offensive aged just 21.
Fun fact about the 08/15 light machine gun (and in a way probably the 08 as well): To this day, in Germany and Austria saying "08/15" is an extremely common colloquialism which means that something is ubiquitous or standard. Most people don't even know anymore where the term comes from but absolutely everyone knows what it means.
I found one of these in the Somerset Regiments section of the County Museum in the UK about 40 years ago. It had a dollop of cement in the flared muzzle to ‘deactivate’ it. I couldn’t help but open up the top cover and have a look. Snapped it shut, did two charges of the cocking handle as per usual with a Maxim and double thumbed the trigger. I was rewarded with a satisfying ping of the hammer/pun going forward and had there been a belt in situ the wall of the museum would have been gone ! Not bad I thought for a gun pulled off the muddy battlefield in 1916/17 as a trophy!
You're absolutely right to say the MG08 is a fascinating piece of machinery in military history and that sledge mount is very cool even if the soldiers who carried it on their backs found it pleasant. Thanks for providing us with this fantastic insight Ian.
Very interesting video explaining exactly how these things worked. My uncle Jack lost his leg to one in 1918. I suspect it was during the counter offensive later in that year as he had already been nominated for his MM for rescuing his CO under fire.
One bit of trivia. In German, the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ denotes an item, person or event who or which is profoundly average. Not terrible, not great, nothing to write home about. It’s a term which is well known by every German and it’s used quite regularly in every day conversations. What hardly any German knows is that the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ goes back to the light machine gun version of the MG 08. You see, “Nullachtfünfzehn“ is simply 08/15 spelled out. But people don’t know where those numbers came from, it’s just a term to refer to something average. How this phrase got its meaning is unclear, though it seems to go back to WW1. Some theories are: - There were monotonous daily drills for soldiers on the 08/15, so the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ could have started out as a cypher for a boring routine. - Towards the end of the war, material quality decreased and malfunction increased. So the saying something like ”this weapon is 08/15“ could have meant to denote a gun which is average at best. - Standardisation was high with regards to the 08 and 08/15. That made it possible for the production of individual parts to be outsourced to all kinds of production plants, like bicycle factories or typewriter factories. Also the munitions were interchangeable between the different variants. So “Nullachtfünfzehn“ could have denoted an average standard. And there are of course more theories, but those are the most common ones. Particularly the last one sounds quite plausible to me, particularly when I think of the huge production numbers. Either way, the gun lives on in modern German parlance and nobody even realises it. To most, it’s just random numbers that for some reason denote utterly average things.
Fun fact from Germany: the 08/15 MG was so common that the term "08/15" has established itself in common civilian German language up until even today with the meaning of "standard", "regular", "ordinary"...
@@juanzulu1318 he only mentions it, rather offhand, 3 times in the video. This exact comment is plastered on every video remotely about german ww1 mg's
The ingenuity of Victorian/Edwardian era mechanical engineers is astonishing. Especially considering modern mIlitary weapons are really just improvements/variations on things those men built.
Every time I see one of these I'm reminded of the scene from "All Quiet on the Western Front,1930" where the MG is sweeping back and forth against the French with that sound of a typewriter.
I have absolutely loved the content since I started viewing close to the time I started watching Demolition Ranch many years ago. I try to catch up on older videos by scrolling through. I scroll because I have no idea what crazy piece of history you're going to bring up next. Can't search for what you've never heard of. Lol! Thanks for the content and my son has been watching almost as long as me. He's 23 now and following Matt's footsteps as a veterinarian and 2 A supporter. Thanks to you both for being positive roll models on my son, as well as informative fun content that lead him down our rabbit whole of 2A awesomeness! Thanks again to you and several other channels during the struggle.
This is one of the few guns that shows up on this channel that I have actually seen in person. In the town where I went to college, the American Legion post has a pair of MG08's out front, though they are not complete, and one is in worse shape than the other.
It's all about the platform, the foundation for this "Paintbrush". Paint by number, stable. Would be interesting to see gun placement in action on the front, and the effectiveness of that placement. What a picture it would paint.
I first learned about the MG 08 as a kid. It played a big part in Gold Key Comics Tarzan # 163. These comics were set in the same time period as the books. In this one Tarzan uses one against German colonial forces in Africa during WWI. He handles it like Rambo handles an M60. At the end of the action Tarzan has disappeared leaving the gun behind with water jacket glowing red hot. Who says comics aren't educational.
The Edgar Rice Burroughs story in which Tarzan tangles with the Germans in East Africa is "Tarzan the Untamed" (1920). Its depiction of them as ravening Boche lost Tarzan his market in postwar Germany..
Looks like a great mount for a prepared position. A good gun crew with everything ranged out would be hell to dig out. Artillery or mortars would be the only way. If they had them in interlocking trenches you couldn’t get their flank.
When Ian showed the photo of the two soldiers carrying the gun I noticed that one of the soldiers had the barrel aimed right at his groin. I'm sure it was empty but I think that would be a little disconcerting.
I think I recall C&Rsenal discussing Russian machine guns (though it might be something I read) and presenting the issues with the initial Russian use of machine guns as being due to them not being pushed to the very tip of the front as aggressively as the Germans would do. The reason given was that the Russians initially treated the risk of losing a machine gun like the risk of losing an artillery piece and thus they would be withdrawn or kept back, if there was a risk that a position might be lost. Russia had indeed invested heavily in machine guns after the Russo-Japanese War, which was probably also what inspired the Germans to do the same, as, despite Russia losing the war, their machine guns had taken a terrible toll on the Japanese. But the Germans had a more integrated and aggressive doctrine at the outset of WWI that would turn out to be far better suited to the circumstances. Of course, other armies very quickly adopted similar approaches.
The PLW Review channel did a lot of interesting vids about a MG08 crew and Machine gunner's uniforms. The tow straps essentially became a badge of honor signifying your status as a trained machine gunner.
There's a great example captured in 1916, The Somme, & on display in The Green Howards Museum, Richmond, North Yorkshire, UK. It's a great chunk of metal & mount. The mount is probably over-engineered in the way that some German equipment can be. Holding the grips is chilling - I wondered how many unfortunates had met their demise from the 'business end'.
I can't even imagine of someone hauling a heavy mg with its mount and all back home after fighting a war across the world. That veteran sure wanted to have his own machine gun.
There are one of these things outside the Royal Canadian Legion Hall in Truro, Nova Scotia, and another in a memorial park outside the old schoolhouse in Arcadia, Nova Scotia, near where I live today. They're both badly weathered.
pretty much what they did. Some were actually spares, but a gazillion were "we have 800 machine gun assembled, honest. Nah, that's just a pile of of spare parts to reassemble 25.000 of them, nothing to see there"
Yeah, there were a lot, some were "lost" in demobilisation and were used in civil unrests years after... They were quite usual in the beginning of WW2 for second line troops, I still have a photo of my grandfather training with it in Summer 1939 in East Prussia as part of the "Grenzwacht" a name given to troops in that area to conceil the strength of armed forces in the border regions... the MG-squad wear M18 helmets as well 😂
Imagine the first time a bunch of men on horses rode into a bunch of these guns set up with interlocking fire. Imagine being the one guy who survived after watching hundreds of your closest friends get cut down in front of you. Wild.
"The means of destruction are approaching perfection with frightening rapidity." I can't source the quote, but some noblemen said it at the demonstration of the machine gun.
There is even a saying in the German language used still today for it's sister MG, the MG 08/15: 0815, Null-Acht-Fünfzehn - The expression is used in the sense of “quite ordinary”, “not special”, “average”, “mediocre” or “not worth mentioning” and goes back to this machine gun.
As a kid, watching ANZACs showed me the practical difference between the MG08 and the Vickers: one had a large, heavy, cumbersome tripod and the other said "oh, yeah? Watch this!" The same series showed the usability difference between the practicality of a purpose-built LMG and a rushed adaptational improvisation. Bluey would have mutinied if handed an 08/15.
The notion of how Germans had machine-gun corps as kinda elite troops and how they were sort of disrespected in other armies is kinda what happens even to this day. At least in the Finnish military, artillery corps are treated as the lowliest branch of service (along with signals). "Tyhmä saa olla mutta ei tykkimies" ("It's fine to be dumb but not an artilleryman"). However, this is mostly just friendly banter and it's just that some other services are portrayed as more cool (especially recon has this reputation of being really tough and elite). But everyone recognizes and agrees that artillery is probably the most important branch of the army. Artillery is the king of battlefield.
This reminds me of some classic italian westerns like Django were some bad ass guy picks up and shoots single handed a fake Maxim style machine gun. Without that monster tripod tripod to save weight, obviously;)
That's how they're supposed to be installed. The grounding prong should be on top so that a falling object can't bridge the positive and negative to create a short.
In 1914 machine guns were so new The Belgian army didn't know how to use them. During the mobile part of the 1914 campaign they were put behind the infantry, in an indirect fire role. Basically as artillery/fire support.
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"Heroic Cavalry With Very Fancy Hats" sounds like a title for Ian's next book, with pictures of himself in all the hats he already owns and a few new ones as well.
This would make for a perfect coffee table book of hundreds of head shots of Ian in all of his fancy hats. No context for your guests, just great photography.
Fancy hats? I am german ( Brittas boyfriend). In german, a hat is a Hut. Which Cavallry units carried a hat/ Hut in 1914? US cavallry, in european standards dragoons / Dragoner, british Dominion troops (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada - including Royal Mounted Police, by european standards a kind of Gendarmerie) and perhaps semiregular latin american Cavallry, see revolutionary Mexico. Then there had been caps, in german Mütze ( or dated Kappe). This headgear was common among british , russian, eastern european,french, austrian and italian light cavallry, Hussars and Cossaks. Third headgear in 1914 was the helmet / Helm in german. Sometimes made of leather, reinforced with brass, sometimes made of steel, brass, or Tombak ( don't know english name of this copperbased alloy). Those helmets had been used mostly by heavy, semiheavy or Guard Cavallry of european and latin american countries. Sometimes hats or caps had some reinforcement with cardboard or metal wires ( in german Drähte), but all cavallry headgear of 1914 only gave some protecion against swords or dated pistols/ revolvers with lead only bullets, but not against modern jacketed rifle bullets, similar to last cuirasses.
Could do a crossover with the History Guy channel. He’s also a hat aficionado.
Copper alloy? Bronze maybe or stainless bronze but I doubt it was that as they would have had to add 5 percent nickel and 22 percent Chromium and it would have had to be manufactured the same way as stainless steel
@@x_hibernia : The helmets of prussian Guard Cuirassiers had been made of yellowish Tombak, which was also used as fake gold for Theater.
When Ian mentions these being "just given away" by the US govt post ww1...he means exactly that. The US had such a large stockpile of these it was decided to simply give them away as a "bonus" to random retired federal employees/retired teachers/service workers and veterans groups. It was not uncommon for a large wooden box to show up on your front door unannounced as a "retirement bonus" from uncle sam. That is how the bulk of these ended up in private ownership in the US, and were later registered. My friends grandfather (retired postal inspector in the 1920s) received an 08/15 in this way. From what he said it just sat in storage for years and years because ammunition and belts were very hard to find in the US back then.
Dolf Goldsmith's first Maxim came from his grandmother, who was a Red Cross official and got one as a gift just like that.
I wish they still did that. If they want to give me an M240 as a bonus, I won't say no.
I was born in the wrong generation.
Guess I'll have to settle for a full M107 deployment kit showing up at my door
The good ol’ days.
I used to have a book called, "The Social History of the Machine Gun". In it, during an old interview, one German Machine Gunner supposedly said (of the British early war human wave attacks) "They were the bravest men I ever saw, but the machine gun didn't care"
20,000 killed in 20 minutes.
Some units kicked soccer balls back and forth as they went forward. Sir John Keegan said that day killed the spirit of optimism in the British thst has never been recovered.
It sums WWI pretty well, in my opinion.
Well, still works for Putin & co!!?
Good ol' Russia: humans = just another resource 😕
:-(
@@dallesamllhals9161The memes are wearing thin big guy. Maybe make another few shovel jokes, that will send the orcs running!
Remarkably well preserved gun. Two additional points:
1) The German colonial forces did not only use these to fight rebelling natives, but contrary to some other colonial powers trained their loyal native troopers ("Askaris") to use them. The British learned this the hard way while fighting Lettow-Vorbecks Afrika Schutztruppe in current Tansania.
2) At the start of the Ukraine War, there was talk that Ukraine deployed thousands of Russian Maxims; now mounted on a little trolley with a front armour plate, for use out of protected positions. This would mean that the Maxim's combat service life is even longer than that of the M2 machine gun.
The last point supports my belief that most modern firearms technology was invented by WW1. Everything after that are just refinement on what was already there.
@_Wiseguy7
Well, the Mag 58 or in modern parlay, the M240 is a modernized of the Browning 1918 automatic rifle to belt feeding machine gun.
the last point isnt valid as its not an issue weapon.
its a weapon forced into emergency service.
the water cooled maxim was not part of ukraine's TO&E prior to the war
the M2 has been continually IN service since 1919
The Maxims in Ukraine are probably old Soviet WW2 given the wheeled trolley and gun shield, and hey if it still shoots then why not use it?
Necessity is the mother of invention, and warfare is the mother of necessity.(Germany seems to somehow be the father of both.) In war, you use what you have, and it turns out that old weapons kill you just as dead. In Vietnam they frequently used crossbow, every military in the world still issue knives, and knives predate Homo Sapiens, so... yeah, nothing surprising about Maxims still being used. It still makes me happy, though, that "obsolete" doesn't mean "useless".
00:00 - 00:25: Ian upon seeing that pigeon that's been crapping on his car all week.
Must be a truly massive pigeon
@@troyjardine5850 Nah. He just wants to cause a little extinction, of all pigeons.
Reminds me of the catchy old song by Tom Lehrer: Poisoning pigeons in the park 😅
"Negotiations are over."
@@isaacm1929 What's wrong with pigeons? They're wonderful agricultural birds, as well as a form of entertainment for city workers. Not also are they entertaining, but if the US ever seriously started to starve, urban people could make pigeon traps and keep flocks of pigeons to have meat. Pigeons are incredibly clean birds.
Funfact, even today in german the term is used if something ist standart "Das ist ja 08/15" so even hundert years later this maschine gun with ist variation from 1915 is part of german language.
You are welcom folks!
Like "the whole 9 yards" in American English. The standard length of ammo belt was...9 yards.
interestingly, it is unclear what about the 08/15 was it that turned into such an expression - whether it meant that something is totally standard because soldiers were handling 08/15s daily; or whether it meant something that is common and kind of getting bad, because the 08/15s were getting worn out by the end of the war; or whether it meant that something is totally unremarkable and standardised, because the 08/15s were so standardised that by the end of the war parts were made in bicycle factories
@@scottmccrea1873 Stick to feets!
There’s something slightly unsettling about that fun fact lol
The German standardization started with this MG 08/15. The DIN 1 specified a part of the gun. DIN is the German ANSI.
I like how recently. Ian had been doing 'updated' episodes on guns he had covered in the past. Hell, he could do a redo of every episode, and I'd be happy
Well for one, the quality and information gets better and better. Plus I love the history and any extra provonance with guns he covers.
I'll probably keep watching Forgotten weapons for years so long as ian keeps posting content.
@nekomasteryoutube3232 ive gone through and rewatched every episode atleast half a dozen times. If not more depending on the gun
You missed the chance when setting it up to say “now, let’s paint some happy little trees” with a gun with such a nickname
Pew pew the devil out of it.
I don’t know if I would equate Bob Ross and ”the devil” 😅😅
Were there any trees left to paint out there?
*Unhappy little trees
@@autofox1744 this sounds more correct to me, yes 😆
Fun fact: The MG08 gunners had a tool called "Schleppgurt" or tagging belt, is was essentially a heavy lether loop with a hook to drag the gun while crawling. When the uniforms were standardized, they often carried this belt as an accentuation to indicate their elite status.
And the belts were so crude they looked like some leftover from the 1600s.
The german mc gunners also perfected the crossfire tactic that was far better than straight up shooting..
On fixed lines?
@@meijiturtle3814 if it’s what I’m thinking it is, yes. When we did range cards, interlocking lanes of fire were key.
Cone of fire, beaten zone, FPL, plunging fires, and many others from machine gunnery training. One of the tripods I was issued in 89 was originally made for 1919 machine gun. M2 tripod, the later was marked M122 tripod, the same but made later.
@@meijiturtle3814 The German's basically wrote the book on proper MG deployment.
None of the silly cinematic wild swinging of guns at close range. The trick was to site these heavy beasts out on the flanks and have them firing across the front of "friendly" trenches / positions The guns were, like artillery, "surveyed in". Lines of assaulting enemy troops would have to pass through the "beaten zones" of a number of guns to get "up-close and personal" with their bayonets.
Here was the huge contradiction of two combat schools. All major combatants were wedded to the "spirit of the Pike" , (NOT the fish, but a long stick with a pointy end). Why do Lee Enfields have that odd-shaped wrist on their butts? And from the early SMLEs onward, full-length top hand-guards? So the troops could better wield their "pike" in a proper, "gentlemanly" way without getting their fingers burnt or slipping in all the mud and blood. See also the Brit adoption of a variation of the Japanese Type 30 bayonet, complete with hooked quillon, in 1907, to regain the" reach" lost when the Lee Enfield rifle was shortened.
So, MG-08s with interlocking arcs of fire were used as "area denial" weapons. And they could do this from well over a thousand yards away. A plunging just-going-subsonic bullet will still do a fair bit of tissue damage..
The Germans also added refinements, like reinforced concrete bunkers and "mutual defence" tactics. If attacking infantry approached too close to one strongpoint, other "pill-boxes" would go to a second or third "fire-mission" setting, and hose down the approach area and, if necessary, the concrete structure itself. Enfilade fire; the machine-gunners preferred practice. Like artillery, they had pre-designated fire-missions; all carefully plotted; often using serious optical gear.
For Australian readers, the second battle of Fromelles is a stark lesson on how to NOT deploy infantry in territory infested with MGs producing interlocking arcs of fire from somewhere "off the map". The abundance of Australian dead and wounded dragged off the battlefield, with "side-entry" wounds should have been something of a clue..
The MG-08 was too heavy to use / relocate in an assault, hence the MG-08-15, which was still somewhat "clunky".
Hence the German's "adoption" of captured Lewis Guns, generally in .303. These were also one of the tools of German "ready-reaction"/ trench-raiding parties.. The concept of the "machine-gun-centric" infantry squad / section, was a direct result of the experiences of those German "ready-reaction"/ trench-raiding teams. Same deal in the next big show. MG-34s, etc., as the primary weapon, supported and screened by infantry with bolt-action rifles.
@@meijiturtle3814yes, the lines were not a straight line like you might think. They were layered and had interlocking fields of fire. Both sides did it, that’s why at that time there was no mobility and the frontal assaults ended like they did.
I like the little setup intro
RIP that laminate flooring lmao
I remember him making deep gouges in a concrete floor at one point - i can't remember which video, but i was hiding behind the sofa watching each new scratch
Let's hope it's actually vinyl flooring
@@donwyoming1936 I don't think so, looking at those existing scratches and marks ;)
Some Belgian made laminate (quickstep) would probably survive that ;-)
Was thinking same thing… I have experience destroying flooring in a similar fashion.
The forbidden backpack
Thanks to the fucking ATF.
That sled mount is engeneered to perfection, i guess that guys at drowing board was aware of what would be done with it, and where in trenches one period of their lives.
They made Maxim transportable in more than one way without using wheels, and that by its self is amazing.
I still wouldn't want to be the bloke dragging a 100lb+ MG through WW1 mud under fire.
God bless the people who realised a lighter option was needed. And regulated stuff like this to fixed fortfications and vehicles.
@@clothar23 In 1916 that attitude would get you court martialed and then shot😁
@@clothar23 Yeah, the idea of some of the things Ian was describing how the mount was designed to moved gave me the shivers thinking about moving that heavy gun in such a manner.
Gotta applaud Ian for returning to his old format of scrounging around auction houses.
Even if it's a temporary reprieve from the click-chasing he was doing for a while, it's much appreciated.
Thanx Ian. Very interesting to me as my grandfolks were involved in both wars. Regards from Somerset West, South Africa. 🇿🇦
Maxim Guns were also used extensively in the Anglo-Boer War🇿🇦🫡
I like that their floor has perfectly circular marks already made, you can tell plenty has been set up there before.
0:25 quick cut because you know Ian started making machine gun noises with his mouth (as would we all)
Tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu, reload, tu tu tu tu tu tu 😂😂
Never knew the extra utility the mount offered besides the sled function, those carrying setups seem very well thought out and something that would be genuinely appreciated by the crews!
We've trained Ian to pronounce "Strumgewehr" as "[Sh]turmgewehr". Now it's Spandau's turn: it is actually "[Sh]pandau"!
Also, I can't remember the exact number, but a postwar newspaper article in Ohio mentions something like 700 machineguns being offered to local municipalities in the state for use as war memorials/monuments. Few of these seem to have survived the scrap drives of WW2 (or perhaps even just theft), though there are one or two places where you can still find examples of the MG08 still on outdoor display in the state.
It could be that this gun was one of those memorial guns, and was NFA registered sometime before 1968.
@@k.r.baylor8825 Ian stated that this gun was a vet bring back.
@@Celebmacilthe duffel cut must have taken a while
@@KR-hg8be Obviously it would have to!
My great uncle, a sergeant in the 104th IR, 26th Yankee division, survived the attacks on Epieds, where they went up against over 100 emplaced German machine guns. He was an automatic weapons specialist, who received a battlefield commission. Half his company was either killed or wounded.
Ian, thank you for showing the tripod setup and Maxim gun tripod mounting to open your video. The equipment combination is a beast.
And imagine hauling this thing back from a Great War battlefield as a souvenir in your US infantry company's equipment stores allocation. Or even your own personal baggage.
The intro was perfect.
Very, very professional.
Storing part of the cleaning kit in the handles is such a cool pice of design
Ian's pronounciation of DWM ( Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken ) is the fun-part of the show for me as a German. Please more of it!
Much awaited, much appreciated looking forward to excellent insights as always from you.
@Forgotten Weapons Here is a little trivia about the 0815. i live in austria and we use the term 0815 (nullachtfünfzehn) to tell if something is like the most basic type of something.
So for example we would say thats a 0815-car, -flat, -t-shirt and what not. if this thing is the most basic type of that thing...
This term is commonly used term in austrian german language, even today.
Thanks for the nice videos...
Interesting timing with this video, as I'm currently re-watching The Great War on TH-cam. Excellent WW1 documentary in the same vain as the WW2 World at War series.
I haven't watched the WWII series. Is the name of the series also the name of the channel like it was for the great war?
@@russianbear0027 Yep, the channel name is simply "World War Two". You'll uh, have a bit of catching up to do, as next episode is VE Day. :P
@@BleedingUranium thanks xD I guess I better get started lol
@@russianbear0027 Nah, it's not the Great War channel. it's the BBC documentary from the 60's - th-cam.com/play/PLucsO-7vMQ00twBJvRZKs1KNUKUVClo6C.html&si=8m-mYyrRdV0Qc7aL
@@russianbear0027 The WW2 series is on here in full too: th-cam.com/video/0b4g4ZZNC1E/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for this presentation, my grandfather was a Sargent in charge of a machine gun crew in the German Army at the battle of the Somme. I was not old enough or inquisitive enough before he passed to get the details of his service. He did have a Iron Cross and I do have his "short sword" or what is a bayonet to remember him by.
Knowing the Preussian Army logistic system of the German Kaiserreich i assume: Top cover serial number was a demand by the army for inventory management and the a/b/c/d plus 4 digit system was the DWM system they put on all guns, no matter who was their customer.
Still doesn't explain why though.
@@M_Northstarbureaucracy
@@M_Northstar Its Germans and serial numbers they dont need a reason.
They just need a flat surface.
You misunderstand. The question isn't "why serial numbers", the question is "why indicate the thousands digit with a letter suffix". If you think about it, there are significant disadvantages to this system, and NO advantages over just putting the thousands digit in the place reserved for it by maths. With the suffix system,
1) you have to read out the whole number, then convert it in your head to get the actual number
2) at the higher numbers (maybe as low as f or g) most people would have to stop and count the letters before even getting to the previous step
3) you'll have a problem if you ever make more than 28000 of anything
Meanwhile, just writing the number out normally can do exactly everything the letter suffix system can do, with none of the drawbacks.
@@M_Northstar Using a letter pre or suffix is very normal in productions. It allows the producer to "shorten" whole blocks or dedicate a serial number space for specific customers or variants. And all the downsides you listed are irrelevant.
1) Nobody who has to deal with the serial number has to count them in the head. He simply writes down 1234 A and carries on. He doesnt care if the number is 123456 or 1A2B3CXXXX001 or ABC321 or what ever
2) see 1
3) you simply add another letter. Series 29 becomes AA.
All of this is pretty much standard one way or another. See: Todays Glock Serial numbers, they started with AB12345 system and now run a ABC123 system.
I absolutely love how, in the whole kit, everything has been thought out : multiple ways of carrying the thing, spare barrel, spare locks, knee pads, oil and solvent... I absolutely love how these old stuff had everything.
I think it makes the gun so much more when you get the history along with it.
My grandfather was a trained machine gunner in the First World War.
It's a shame that you're not allowed to own the 08/15 in Germany.
Fantastic piece of German engineering. My wife's great uncle was in the British Machine Gun Corps and sadly died around the time of the Somme offensive aged just 21.
Fun fact about the 08/15 light machine gun (and in a way probably the 08 as well): To this day, in Germany and Austria saying "08/15" is an extremely common colloquialism which means that something is ubiquitous or standard. Most people don't even know anymore where the term comes from but absolutely everyone knows what it means.
Thank You Ian, best wishes from Orlando, Florida, Paul
THAT IS A BIG MACHINE GUN!
Maxim 1910 is bigger and better 😁
@@mikespurg8006vickers is better than both of them! 🇬🇧💪
@@nickjohnson710 No. Just... No. Read more
@mikhailarutyunyan4126 Read more? .....why don't you learn to write English properly!
@nickjohnson710 Actually, both are about the same in fire power. I own and shoot both. Cloth belts are not ideal when it comes to a Vicker's.
I’m always amazed at the thought put into weapons
I've always been interested in ergonomics, and the designers of this device were too!
I love Ian sitting on the floor talking about this machine gun like a little kid doing show and tell.
I found one of these in the Somerset Regiments section of the County Museum in the UK about 40 years ago. It had a dollop of cement in the flared muzzle to ‘deactivate’ it. I couldn’t help but open up the top cover and have a look. Snapped it shut, did two charges of the cocking handle as per usual with a Maxim and double thumbed the trigger. I was rewarded with a satisfying ping of the hammer/pun going forward and had there been a belt in situ the wall of the museum would have been gone ! Not bad I thought for a gun pulled off the muddy battlefield in 1916/17 as a trophy!
Good training and 2.5x sights? I didn't know the German Empire was so ahead of the times when it came to MGs
0:24 was fully expecting Ian to start making machine gun noises
I just recently read a book about the 1914 war of movement and 1916 Somme so this is interesting.
Wow this just reminds me of an old forgotten weapons video, could put the old intro and music and it would fit right in! Going back to his roots!
You're absolutely right to say the MG08 is a fascinating piece of machinery in military history and that sledge mount is very cool even if the soldiers who carried it on their backs found it pleasant. Thanks for providing us with this fantastic insight Ian.
The oil/cleaning brushes in the handle is super cool
Very interesting video explaining exactly how these things worked. My uncle Jack lost his leg to one in 1918. I suspect it was during the counter offensive later in that year as he had already been nominated for his MM for rescuing his CO under fire.
Got a devil's paintbrush in my mind
Beck!
One bit of trivia. In German, the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ denotes an item, person or event who or which is profoundly average. Not terrible, not great, nothing to write home about.
It’s a term which is well known by every German and it’s used quite regularly in every day conversations. What hardly any German knows is that the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ goes back to the light machine gun version of the MG 08. You see, “Nullachtfünfzehn“ is simply 08/15 spelled out. But people don’t know where those numbers came from, it’s just a term to refer to something average.
How this phrase got its meaning is unclear, though it seems to go back to WW1. Some theories are:
- There were monotonous daily drills for soldiers on the 08/15, so the term “Nullachtfünfzehn“ could have started out as a cypher for a boring routine.
- Towards the end of the war, material quality decreased and malfunction increased. So the saying something like ”this weapon is 08/15“ could have meant to denote a gun which is average at best.
- Standardisation was high with regards to the 08 and 08/15. That made it possible for the production of individual parts to be outsourced to all kinds of production plants, like bicycle factories or typewriter factories. Also the munitions were interchangeable between the different variants. So “Nullachtfünfzehn“ could have denoted an average standard.
And there are of course more theories, but those are the most common ones. Particularly the last one sounds quite plausible to me, particularly when I think of the huge production numbers. Either way, the gun lives on in modern German parlance and nobody even realises it. To most, it’s just random numbers that for some reason denote utterly average things.
Fun fact from Germany: the 08/15 MG was so common that the term "08/15" has established itself in common civilian German language up until even today with the meaning of "standard", "regular", "ordinary"...
This video was not 08/15 😁
@@jbarninatus5898 it is mentioned several times.
@@juanzulu1318 he only mentions it, rather offhand, 3 times in the video. This exact comment is plastered on every video remotely about german ww1 mg's
@@Darth_Barnaby if u dont like the info, just move on.
The ingenuity of Victorian/Edwardian era mechanical engineers is astonishing. Especially considering modern mIlitary weapons are really just improvements/variations on things those men built.
I think Ian is having alot of fun setting up all of these custom mounts for the Maxim.
Every time I see one of these I'm reminded of the scene from "All Quiet on the Western Front,1930" where the MG is sweeping back and forth against the French with that sound of a typewriter.
I have absolutely loved the content since I started viewing close to the time I started watching Demolition Ranch many years ago. I try to catch up on older videos by scrolling through. I scroll because I have no idea what crazy piece of history you're going to bring up next. Can't search for what you've never heard of. Lol! Thanks for the content and my son has been watching almost as long as me. He's 23 now and following Matt's footsteps as a veterinarian and 2 A supporter. Thanks to you both for being positive roll models on my son, as well as informative fun content that lead him down our rabbit whole of 2A awesomeness! Thanks again to you and several other channels during the struggle.
This is one of the few guns that shows up on this channel that I have actually seen in person. In the town where I went to college, the American Legion post has a pair of MG08's out front, though they are not complete, and one is in worse shape than the other.
It's all about the platform, the foundation for this "Paintbrush". Paint by number, stable. Would be interesting to see gun placement in action on the front, and the effectiveness of that placement. What a picture it would paint.
Thanks, Ian. This was very educational.
I remember the brass Model from about 7-8 years ago, IIRC you owned a example of family. Great Video.
That gun was a veteran bring back. That guy must have had one hell of a big Duffel bag
I first learned about the MG 08 as a kid. It played a big part in Gold Key Comics Tarzan # 163. These comics were set in the same time period as the books.
In this one Tarzan uses one against German colonial forces in Africa during WWI. He handles it like Rambo handles an M60. At the end of the action Tarzan has disappeared leaving the gun behind with water jacket glowing red hot. Who says comics aren't educational.
Just looked it up. What an awesome cover, with such an accurate depiction of the weapon.
The Edgar Rice Burroughs story in which Tarzan tangles with the Germans in East Africa is "Tarzan the Untamed" (1920). Its depiction of them as ravening Boche lost Tarzan his market in postwar Germany..
Looks like a great mount for a prepared position. A good gun crew with everything ranged out would be hell to dig out. Artillery or mortars would be the only way. If they had them in interlocking trenches you couldn’t get their flank.
If you look at a Sewing machine from this era, you can see, how factory making those could easily switch to making something like this.
If my woman saw those scratches on the parquet flooring, the gun would most likely be used .... on me
Blame Ian. Show her this as evidence of previous.
Glad to see Ian uploading again!!!
When Ian showed the photo of the two soldiers carrying the gun I noticed that one of the soldiers had the barrel aimed right at his groin. I'm sure it was empty but I think that would be a little disconcerting.
Pretty sure they're French, not German. Presumably after the war. The guys carrying them on their backs are Germans.
If you do it all the time, maybe not...at first though yeah
My PC picture is bad but in the first Pictures i saw only French Infantry carrying the MG!!
@@Sturminfantrist
I bet you're right. My PC is pretty bad too. I took out the word "German" from my comment. All is right with the world now.
I think I recall C&Rsenal discussing Russian machine guns (though it might be something I read) and presenting the issues with the initial Russian use of machine guns as being due to them not being pushed to the very tip of the front as aggressively as the Germans would do.
The reason given was that the Russians initially treated the risk of losing a machine gun like the risk of losing an artillery piece and thus they would be withdrawn or kept back, if there was a risk that a position might be lost.
Russia had indeed invested heavily in machine guns after the Russo-Japanese War, which was probably also what inspired the Germans to do the same, as, despite Russia losing the war, their machine guns had taken a terrible toll on the Japanese.
But the Germans had a more integrated and aggressive doctrine at the outset of WWI that would turn out to be far better suited to the circumstances. Of course, other armies very quickly adopted similar approaches.
My favorite movie, is 1964's Zulu. 100 or so British soldiers against 4000 or so Zulus. Michael Caine's first movie. Thanks for the video Ian!!
Have you seen the fan made Sabaton music video for it?
@@NareshSinghOctagon I have not. I will look for it later this evening, I have to go for my run first.
Like the TITLE The Devil's Paintbrush. Ian, You are the Painter, cool one.
The PLW Review channel did a lot of interesting vids about a MG08 crew and Machine gunner's uniforms. The tow straps essentially became a badge of honor signifying your status as a trained machine gunner.
Amazing intro for such a beautiful heavy machine gun.
Very interesting to get in touch with the grandfather of modern machine guns. Thanks for that. Best regardes from Germany. Thanks for that video =)
There's a great example captured in 1916, The Somme, & on display in The Green Howards Museum, Richmond, North Yorkshire, UK. It's a great chunk of metal & mount. The mount is probably over-engineered in the way that some German equipment can be.
Holding the grips is chilling - I wondered how many unfortunates had met their demise from the 'business end'.
Thanks for explaining what the scale on the left side of the gun is for.
I can't even imagine of someone hauling a heavy mg with its mount and all back home after fighting a war across the world. That veteran sure wanted to have his own machine gun.
Nice machine gun.
Thank you for the history lesson.
Maxim was a genius the 08 ,09 and 1910 are still in use in parts of the world!
My great grandfather was either a British Devil’s Paintbrush enthusiast or he was one of the first tankers.
Damn. People were tiny a hundred years ago ...
There are one of these things outside the Royal Canadian Legion Hall in Truro, Nova Scotia, and another in a memorial park outside the old schoolhouse in Arcadia, Nova Scotia, near where I live today. They're both badly weathered.
Wondering how many of the guns that Germany surreptitiously kept were done as whole guns disassembled and labeled as "spare parts".
pretty much what they did.
Some were actually spares, but a gazillion were "we have 800 machine gun assembled, honest. Nah, that's just a pile of of spare parts to reassemble 25.000 of them, nothing to see there"
@fabiogalletti8616 that's what I expected; I just haven't studied the treaty disarmament in any real detail (unfortunately).
Yeah, there were a lot, some were "lost" in demobilisation and were used in civil unrests years after...
They were quite usual in the beginning of WW2 for second line troops, I still have a photo of my grandfather training with it in Summer 1939 in East Prussia as part of the "Grenzwacht" a name given to troops in that area to conceil the strength of armed forces in the border regions... the MG-squad wear M18 helmets as well 😂
The gun is nice, but that sled mount is sexy.
It's incredible how much the machinegun changed warfare forever.
Imagine the first time a bunch of men on horses rode into a bunch of these guns set up with interlocking fire. Imagine being the one guy who survived after watching hundreds of your closest friends get cut down in front of you. Wild.
@@Joe-hz1nw Artillery would do the same that's why you did not ride into them unless you was Australian
"The means of destruction are approaching perfection with frightening rapidity." I can't source the quote, but some noblemen said it at the demonstration of the machine gun.
There is even a saying in the German language used still today for it's sister MG, the MG 08/15: 0815, Null-Acht-Fünfzehn - The expression is used in the sense of “quite ordinary”, “not special”, “average”, “mediocre” or “not worth mentioning” and goes back to this machine gun.
As a kid, watching ANZACs showed me the practical difference between the MG08 and the Vickers: one had a large, heavy, cumbersome tripod and the other said "oh, yeah? Watch this!"
The same series showed the usability difference between the practicality of a purpose-built LMG and a rushed adaptational improvisation.
Bluey would have mutinied if handed an 08/15.
So many nice toys at Morphys, if you can afford them.
13:35 never thought I'd see Ian unvirgin a Maxim gun 💀
It takes Gun Jesus to explain the Devils Paintbrush. 😇
thank You Ian.....best wishes from Orlando, Florida, you are an amazing expert in the field....
I would really like a video on the evolution of the madsen over the year.
The notion of how Germans had machine-gun corps as kinda elite troops and how they were sort of disrespected in other armies is kinda what happens even to this day. At least in the Finnish military, artillery corps are treated as the lowliest branch of service (along with signals). "Tyhmä saa olla mutta ei tykkimies" ("It's fine to be dumb but not an artilleryman"). However, this is mostly just friendly banter and it's just that some other services are portrayed as more cool (especially recon has this reputation of being really tough and elite). But everyone recognizes and agrees that artillery is probably the most important branch of the army. Artillery is the king of battlefield.
"Whatever happens, we have got, the Maxim gun, and they do not." Hilair Belloc, 1898.
This reminds me of some classic italian westerns like Django were some bad ass guy picks up and shoots single handed a fake Maxim style machine gun. Without that monster tripod tripod to save weight, obviously;)
I want to see more "off track" stuff. That's the whole point of this channel
Can’t stop looking at those upside down electrical outlets 😬
That's how they're supposed to be installed. The grounding prong should be on top so that a falling object can't bridge the positive and negative to create a short.
Great video 👍
The pop group Spandau Ballet is named after that chaingun's cha cha cha
Danke, Herr McCollum
Theres one of these on gunbroker for the low cost of $32,000
If someone is shooting at your feet "making you dance," would that dance be a Spandau Ballet? ^-^
I think it was actually shooting you in the chest
@@jeffkeith637 That would be the "dead man's party" dance. ^-^
In 1914 machine guns were so new The Belgian army didn't know how to use them. During the mobile part of the 1914 campaign they were put behind the infantry, in an indirect fire role. Basically as artillery/fire support.