MG 08/15

[Hans1906]

Good afternoon Mark,

thank you for the many interesting photos, one question:

How many soldiers were necessary for a machine gun team, and what exactly were the individual tasks of the soldiers?
At that time, there were always at least five men, and was each member of the team able to operate the weapon?

Hans1906

[von thoma]

Basically three men were necessary ( machine gunner, assistant gunner and ammunition carrier )
More men should be considered when transporting a heavy machine and its tripod.

[Hans1906]

Thank you von thoma,

very interesting, what was the total weight of a MG 08/15 with the tripod, but without ammunition..?

And, how much ammo did such a team normally carry with them?

* I had a bronze wall plaque, mounted on polished oak wood with a 08/15 machine gun team from before 1918, under the plague the 5 decorations from the former leader of the team, sold already in the 1980s, what a mistake.

Hans1906

[MG1918]

Hans1906 The traditional MG08/15 gun team in WWI (and inter-war years) was 5.
Team/Section Commander.
Gunner.
Loader/belt feeder.
2 x crew for ammo and water resupply.
All had the knowledge to fire the weapon of course along with their own personal weapons. More importantly all were able to carry out the numerous stoppage drills in order to maintain its use.

Of course if you are in the assault, or in an advanced fire trench these numbers would vary but 5 is the standard MG squad. As the gunner has the joy of firing then he is the one who carries the LMG!!!

[MG1918]

As for resupply the manuals mention up to 5000 rds in fixed positions as first line stocks. In defence that would not last long working on 500 rds a minute at full throttle, but with overlapping gun teams this type of sustained fire would not/should not be often seen. Again as above can you imagine the difficulty of re-supply in the assault, especially with a trommel drum of only 100 rds. Economy of bursts essential! This is probably why there is not much imagery of 08/15s with trommels in the assault.
In the standard team, again, at best 2000 rds with some mobility and access to water. A member of the gun team could in theory carry 4 boxes totalling 1000 rds but horrifically heavy. Of note are the handles on each box (and water box) so that it assists the carry.

[MG1918]

0815 (134).jpg (159.65 KiB) Viewed 4169 times

[MG1918]

dwmimages (153).jpg (205.77 KiB) Viewed 4168 times

[Hans1906]

Good afternoon Mark,

my former questions are almost answered, just one question is left over:

What was the total weight of the Maschinengewehr 08/15 including the standard tripod..? (Without the ammunition)

Thanks for your answer...


Hans1906

[von thoma]

Weight 18 kg ( 39,7 Pounds )

[MG1918]

with or without water? It depends what your variables are Hans 1906

[MG1918]

0815 (139).jpg (90.43 KiB) Viewed 3987 times

0815 (140).jpg (115.87 KiB) Viewed 3987 times

[MG1918]

[MG1918]

[MG1918]

[MG1918]