Michael Haselgrove Posted 14 February , 2016 Share Posted 14 February , 2016 Mark,Here's another for you. Regards, Michael. And another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 16 February , 2016 Share Posted 16 February , 2016 OK, dummy question here ... Were they always fed from gunner's right to gunner's left? I thought they worked both ways - or is that only more 'modern' ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchtrotter Posted 16 February , 2016 Share Posted 16 February , 2016 One way feed blocks TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 19 February , 2016 Author Share Posted 19 February , 2016 (edited) The normal 'chest' ie no plate and just the single bar with drag holes fixed. Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 19 February , 2016 Author Share Posted 19 February , 2016 (edited) Also in this MG08 thread will be the postcards issued before and during WWI Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 19 February , 2016 Share Posted 19 February , 2016 OK, dummy question here ... Were they always fed from gunner's right to gunner's left? I thought they worked both ways - or is that only more 'modern' ones? Julian, Although TT is quite right in that the feed block will only work one way your question is nevertheless interesting. There is a photo in "The Devil's Paintbrush" by Dolf Goldsmith of a Finnish-made twin, air-cooled Maxim battery which has a left-hand feed on the left-hand gun. I'm not sure if the "Maxims" are converted MG08s however. Mark, Excellent photos, here's another. Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 19 February , 2016 Share Posted 19 February , 2016 Thank you Michael and TT! Making no claims to expertise in any of never mind all the kinds of 'arms' discussed on the GWF Arms thread, it is good to have a place where one can ask a 'dummy' question and get an answer! One of the things that did make me wonder about the feeding system on these MG's was a comment made by a Dutch friend of mine, that all German WW1 and WW2 'action' films show the machine-gunner to the left of the screen because in visual terms the left side is seen as 'defensive' against 'orible aggressive peoples charging in from the right - or was it the other way round? Can't remember! Well, I don't know about that... But to my mind feeding a belt from the gunner's left just seems more logical than from the right... (An aside, was Maxim a left hander???!!!) That photograph, Michael, is a great one! Early war? An NCO with coloured shoulder tabs? Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchtrotter Posted 19 February , 2016 Share Posted 19 February , 2016 just thought but could the above pic be a reversed negative? TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 20 February , 2016 Author Share Posted 20 February , 2016 TT beat me to it. Reversed images are common! Incidentally I have a factory made vickers 'reveresed' feedblock VAC for the twin AA set up.... if anybody wants to make an offer...reasonably rare Back to Imperial German MG I have never seen a ground version but will look at the parabellums next time to see if this was an air gun requirement. Thanks for all the German MG contributions....I know there are other enthusiasts hiding out there!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 39 Posted 27 February , 2016 Share Posted 27 February , 2016 Thought I'd better jump in with my old girl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 27 February , 2016 Author Share Posted 27 February , 2016 Super example and great photography. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 27 February , 2016 Author Share Posted 27 February , 2016 (edited) Some 'pretty' postcards Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 27 February , 2016 Share Posted 27 February , 2016 Thank you Michael and TT! Making no claims to expertise in any of never mind all the kinds of 'arms' discussed on the GWF Arms thread, it is good to have a place where one can ask a 'dummy' question and get an answer! One of the things that did make me wonder about the feeding system on these MG's was a comment made by a Dutch friend of mine, that all German WW1 and WW2 'action' films show the machine-gunner to the left of the screen because in visual terms the left side is seen as 'defensive' against 'orible aggressive peoples charging in from the right - or was it the other way round? Can't remember! Well, I don't know about that... But to my mind feeding a belt from the gunner's left just seems more logical than from the right... (An aside, was Maxim a left hander???!!!) That photograph, Michael, is a great one! Early war? An NCO with coloured shoulder tabs? Julian Julian, I think MG1918 has answered the point about left-hand belt feed appearing in films; the error is surprisingly common. As far as my photo above is concerned I'm afraid there is no date. My initial thought was that it is 1917/18 because of the spool belt feed which was introduced for aircraft use, particularly for the LMG 14 (Parabellum) with its high rate of fire. However, there are two photos in "The Devil's Paintbrush" by Dolf Goldsmith of the German 37mm Maxim (Maxim Flak M14) which have a spool belt feed and I am uncertain when the spool feed was introduced for anti-aircraft use. Here's another photo; again, no date I'm afraid. Regards, Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 28 February , 2016 Share Posted 28 February , 2016 Thanks Michael, but I still don't quite get why they would belt-feed from the gunner's right. I would have thought that a feeder on the gunner's left could more easily deal with a mis-feed than one on the gunner's right - unless it was to make it easier for the gunner not the feeder to deal with a mis-feed? Remember, I have no practical experience about these things... And this is another interesting photograph to me as just like in post 44 it seems that these chappies (except for the 'officer' chappie) have single cockades where the 'state' cockade should be, and nothing where the 'national' cockade is supposed to be... 'Mayor' wondered if his one in post 44 was a post WW1 one - I have no idea, as I explained in post 46, but it is certainly 'odd'! Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 16 March , 2016 Share Posted 16 March , 2016 Julian, I'm afraid I can't answer either of the questions raised in your last post. I suppose it's fair to say that if there was a particular advantage to be gained from a right-hand feed then subsequent guns would have been similarly designed? I will ask about the "missing" cockades when I next meet with a friend who is an expert on uniforms. MG1918, Sorry not to have let you have the scans of the Zeiss scopes - our scanner seems to have stopped working, or at least I can't make it work. However, here is another photo of a postcard in my collection for you. No date on the card, I'm afraid, but I would say 1915. Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 17 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 17 March , 2016 Maybe it is something to do with the fusee assembly and therefore clear user access to the feed block. It is clearly easier to feed in the ammo belt with no obstructions, and with a feed block shaped/designed to receive more easily. So perhaps the feed is dictated by the fuse spring assembly. If it were on the other side, then perhaps the ammo feed mechanism would be reversed......perhaps? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 29 March , 2016 Author Share Posted 29 March , 2016 (edited) Further WWI postcards. Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 3 April , 2016 Author Share Posted 3 April , 2016 (edited) Postcard imagery. Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 3 April , 2016 Share Posted 3 April , 2016 Herewith an MG emplacement as currently recreated at the Remembering 1916 exhibition at Whitgift School in Croydon at the moment. http://www.remembering1916.co.uk/ Cheers, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 4 April , 2016 Author Share Posted 4 April , 2016 I am immediately stopping what I am doing now (eating full English breakfast) and going there right now. Should make it for opening hours - excellent displays. Thanks for sharing. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 26 May , 2016 Share Posted 26 May , 2016 Herewith an MG emplacement as currently recreated at the Remembering 1916 exhibition at Whitgift School in Croydon at the moment. http://www.remembering1916.co.uk/ It's been confirmed to me today that the exhibition at Whitgift will be open until the end of the year now. Cheers, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob lembke Posted 6 July , 2016 Share Posted 6 July , 2016 Slightly OT but in the spirit of the thread. Since this thread is being followed by a number of leading German MG "nuts", anyone know of existing MP 18s, in public or in private hands? If there is interest, I have a couple of anecdotes. Should a thread about same be started? Has one been started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 16 July , 2016 Author Share Posted 16 July , 2016 (edited) Postcards imagery Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 7 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 7 September , 2016 (edited) Postcards. Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Finneran Posted 8 September , 2016 Author Share Posted 8 September , 2016 (edited) Postcards Edited 31 December , 2017 by Mark Finneran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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