Garde Landsturm w. MG99 and prototype Schlitten

[RIPJack1945]

Not too many photos of the MG99 / Schlitten out there, so I thought I'd pop my two pictures here for those interested.

As I do not possess a copy of D.L. Goldsmith's "The Devil's Paintbrush", where I am reliably informed that on page 138 you'll find an article and an illustration of the MG99 and sled, I'll have to utilise a portion of the Cruffler article for a narrative. Full credit to Daniel Musgrave for the following gen on the MG99.

"The MG99 was basically an English Maxim with a few minor modifications. The German Army developed a unique sled type mount for the MG99. The sled mount can be dragged along the ground, if needed, once the front legs are folded. The idea was to provide a mount that could be moved short distances by the crew without a need to dismount the gun. Indeed, the early sled mounts were provided with removable wheels. All of the German sled mounts are designed so that they can be carried like a litter by two or more men. There exist German documents which refer to the sled mount as the Schlitten 01. Other sources make reference to a Schlitten 99, which likely refers to a prototype mount. Total quantities of MG99 mounts are small as the MG99 was rapidly superseded and relegated to fortress duty.

The differences between the early German Maxims, the Navy guns, and the MG99's were unremarkable. All of the guns were manufactured by DWM, and had the same operating components. (The same, but not interchangeable; a large degree of fitting was done to individual parts upon final assembly. This fitting was also done to spare parts, which were serial numbered to the gun as were the parts installed upon manufacture.) However, the German Navy nomenclature for its Maxims was "8mm Maschinengewehr," despite the fact that it used the same cartridge that the Army called the 7,9mm Patrone 88. In this case, the 8mm figure referred to the outside diameter of the bullet, while the 7.9mm figure referred to the inside diameter of the barrel lands. Truly two sides of the same coin! The only significant difference between the Army and Navy guns was the mounting configuration. The MG99 had top and bottom lugs on the massive brass water jacket to engage a gimbal on the sled mount. The Navy gun had a transverse hole for a mounting pin at the lower front of the receiver. Both guns had a bracket at the bottom rear of the receiver to engage an elevation mechanism, but the brackets were in different locations on the Army and Navy guns."

Garde Landst. MG08 (2) by drakegoodman, on Flickr

Garde Landsturm with a rare MG99 / prototype sled by drakegoodman, on Flickr

Thanks too to 'reservist1' on the Pickelhaubes forum for the initial I.D. of the MG99.

[apple]

How did that laterally traverse? Looks like the wheels would get in the way

[RIPJack1945]

I suspect there was provision for some lateral movement, albeit not a lot.

[bmg17a1]

Very interesting and nice, clear pictures of the MG99s and early sleds!! I would suggest that he MG in the first picture is not an MG08, but an MG99. Unfortunately there are no exmaples of the MG99s and sleds or the MG01s in the US in private hands that I've ever come across. I would love to have one in my collection.

In my experience as a collector, shooter and gunsmith with many different types and vintages of Maxims, and with great respect for Daniel Musgrave from whose books I have learned a great deal, there is no evidence that parts for any for the early prduction Maxims, or the later production guns, were "fitted" and were specific to a particular gun, and that parts were not interchangeable between different MGs. The production MGs were made and assembled with parts manufactured to a very high degree of precison, insuring that parts could be swapped form one gun to another. There is an extraordinary degree of interchangeability of internal parts and some other parts between Maxims of all vintages, with some exceptions for lock types and lock mounting spigot types. For example, the 1889 type of lock, which was the design adopted for the MG08 and 08/15s and variants was superceded by the 1901 style that was a bayonet design that allowed for headspacing, which passed on to the Vickers. These two lock patterns are not interchangeable with the recoil plate/crank assemblies of each other. However, these locks can be used with their specific recoilplate/crank assemblies and then be installed in other vintages and types of Maxims. For example, the recoil plate/crank assembly with the lock from a 1910 Russian Maxim will fit into any MG08 or MG08/15. And vice verse. Barrels are all interchangeable between different vintages and makes of Maxims as well, with some exceptions for muzzle variations, such as the 1910 Russian and 1904 US guns. Feedblocks from the early DWM and Nordenfelt brass Maxims will fit later vintage Maxims, and later vintage internals and locks can be used to change the caliber of the early brass Maxims.

The interchangeability of internal parts between various vinatages and makes of Maxims has allow me to provide a variety of caliber conversions for the MG08s and 08/15s to my customers. An example is the use of 1910 Russian Maxim internals, barrel and feedblock adapted to either the 08 or 08/15 to allow those MGs to fire the 7.62X54R round. The availability in the US of spare locks, barrels, belts and belt loaders for the 1910s, as well as inexpensive 54R ammo has allowed US Maxim shooters far more flexibility for shooting their guns. The fabric belts for the MG08s are now valuable collector items and are quite scarce, plus fabric belt loaders for the MG08 and 08/15s and the belts are very expensive, so the 54R conversion allows much less expensive shooting and easier belt loading as well as inexpensive belts and parts. An added convenience is that the 1910 Russian lock can be headspaced, a feature not available with the issue MG08 and 08/15 lock/barrel combination. Lock cartridge extractors are interchangeable between other types of locks as well.

The Germans converted Russian 1910s to fire the 7.92 round in WWII, and converted 1910s showed up in the military forces of other countries.

Bob Naess

Black River Militaria CII

USA

[RIPJack1945]

Thanks for the meticulous response Bob. When I first ID'd the weapon, I created a "MG99" file for my own reference, given the limited amount of information out there. I've since beefed up the file considerably by adding your post in it's entirety

I agree the MG in the first picture is a MG99 - and in all probability the same weapon in the second picture, the reference to the MG08 underneath was a remnant of my first erroneous assessment of the MG, which I really should get around to changing.

Thanks again.

Regards,

Brett