Lmg 08...

[cyrille]

Hi all!Just for FUN... if somebody get info.about it...i'll be happy to have them t hx.Cyrille.

[Bill in VA]

It's an aircraft gun...what other info are you looking for?

[cyrille]

Hi Bill,all infos. i can get about it,year of production,number of LMG 08 made,use,aircraft wich was filed out with, mod.of LMG,...value?if somebody can help me...thanks,Cyrille.

[Bill in VA]

Well...I'm not an RKI on these guns, but digging through a few of my books, apparently Spandau was the only manufacturer of the Maxim LMG 08/15 air-cooled machinegun. They prodcued them beginning sometime in late 1916, and produced approximately 24,000 of them. It's little more than a modified 08/15 light machinegun...the most obvious modification being the water jacket was perforated to allow the use of air, rather than water to cool the barrel, it had a cartridge counter to ficilitate the pilot's ammo count (since he coun't generally see more than a few inches of the anno belt) had an extended charging handle (again, to facilitate cocking the gun while seated in the cockpit) and had an interupter to prevent the gun from firing while the propeller's blades crossed the muzzle. Likewise, there was no bipod, pistol grip, or buttstock like would be found on a conventional 08/15.

As far as when your's was actually made, there should be a date on the top cover. (The layout of information on the top cover should read, from the front end of the gun to the rear: serial number, "Spandau", and date.)

The guns are chambered in 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm) and has a cyclic of about 450 rounds/minute...fairly slow by modern MG standards.

Aircraft which mounted the "Spandau"? Virtually all German aircraft by the end of the war. Notables would be the Fokker DR.1, D.VII, and the "Eindecker" as well as the Albatross.

Value? I can even guess what machinegun prices are like in France, but in the US, a transferrable Maxim 05/15 ground gun typically is worth about $12,000 to $15,000 USD. It's been a while since I've seen any aircraft Maxims for sale, but I'd imagine they would priced about the same, and perhaps even a little bit more (if in theri original state/configuration) since there were fewer of them made.

If you can find a copy, get DOlf Goldsmith's book on the Maxim guns, The Devil's Paintbrush. It's an excellent source of information on the Maxims and their variants.
HTH

[cyrille]

Well...I'm not an RKI on these guns, but digging through a few of my books, apparently Spandau was the only manufacturer of the Maxim LMG 08/15 air-cooled machinegun. They prodcued them beginning sometime in late 1916, and produced approximately 24,000 of them. It's little more than a modified 08/15 light machinegun...the most obvious modification being the water jacket was perforated to allow the use of air, rather than water to cool the barrel, it had a cartridge counter to ficilitate the pilot's ammo count (since he coun't generally see more than a few inches of the anno belt) had an extended charging handle (again, to facilitate cocking the gun while seated in the cockpit) and had an interupter to prevent the gun from firing while the propeller's blades crossed the muzzle. Likewise, there was no bipod, pistol grip, or buttstock like would be found on a conventional 08/15.

As far as when your's was actually made, there should be a date on the top cover. (The layout of information on the top cover should read, from the front end of the gun to the rear: serial number, "Spandau", and date.)

The guns are chambered in 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm) and has a cyclic of about 450 rounds/minute...fairly slow by modern MG standards.

Aircraft which mounted the "Spandau"? Virtually all German aircraft by the end of the war. Notables would be the Fokker DR.1, D.VII, and the "Eindecker" as well as the Albatross.

Value? I can even guess what machinegun prices are like in France, but in the US, a transferrable Maxim 05/15 ground gun typically is worth about $12,000 to $15,000 USD. It's been a while since I've seen any aircraft Maxims for sale, but I'd imagine they would priced about the same, and perhaps even a little bit more (if in theri original state/configuration) since there were fewer of them made.

If you can find a copy, get DOlf Goldsmith's book on the Maxim guns, The Devil's Paintbrush. It's an excellent source of information on the Maxims and their variants.
HTH

Hi Bill,thanks a lot for all these infos.Now i know a little more about this very nice gun Have a nice day Cyrille.

[captainhoot]

Cyrille.

Looks like a neat peice that you have there. I don't often see many of the a/c versions of the 08/15.
Maybe you can post some more pics of it, perhaps out of the cradle, in some other stand ???
Looks like you have some other neat peices as well that you could post pics of ....
Bill : Thanks for your post as well. The Maxim is not a weapon I know a lot about, and your post really helps to spur interest...
Neat peice. Let's see more........

-Andrew

[Bill in VA]

Glad to help. If you ever get a chance to shoot a Maxim gun, by all means, do so. (Just be careful if you're feeding the belt for your buddy while he's shooting. If he doesn't have a steam hose, you'll feel like a boiled lobster when he's done.) Seriously though, they really are neat pieces...kind of like an old steam locomotive...like they're alive, each one has its own personality. I have several buddies with 08/15s and one with a 1908 (all transferrable) and one with a 1910 (post-sample.) Sorry I can't post a pic here, or I'd show you one with my wife shoointg it. (Yeah, she likes to shoot with us on occasion, plus my buddies like when she comes because always brings us snackies!)

[Tim Schreiner]

I have always loved the 08 maxims. They are my favorite belt feds. That looks like a real beauty.

[cyrille]

Hi all,i'll try to post more pics about this beautiful gun,see you later!

[cyrille]

one more pic

[cyrille]

[cyrille]

[cyrille]

[cyrille]

[cyrille]

the last pic,i hope you'll enjoy!Regards and thanks for infos.about my gun!