A spare or change barrel for a MG was always at hand for mg gunners.
If the one in the gun became to hot and changed in shape resulting in bad aiming the barrel could be changed with a new one.
This being different on normal rifles or pistols.
Althoug changing a mg 42 or 34 barrel lasted just seconds the barrel of a mg 08 took some time.
The gun was invented just before ww1 in 1908( hence the name 08) it was still used in ww2.
In some countries even longer. Reports of modified models even come to the vietnam war.
The gun was one of the most deadly guns of ww1. Even to the point getting a idom in every day german language.
Das ist wie ein null acht fuffzehn. Translated: that's like a zero eight fifteen. Meaning something like that's like a horse with 4 legs.
Something like : that goes without saying.
The gun on the first photo being a modified as the main setup was to heavy it was later modified to be lighter wich shows the wartime pic.
Originally weighing 60 kilo's it brought weight down to someting around 22.
Stil much heavier than the "modern" mg 34 it saw action in the first few years of ww2 in the low country's and Poland.
For me personally kind of interessting because of the fact the Dutch army also used this gun naming it the spandau 25.
The Dutch actually took them over after ww1 because the German army had to shrink because of the treaty of versailles.
Because the lack of money due to the broken rifle policy in Holland, wich stated ww1 was the war to end all wars so why arm ourselves only te become a threath to other country's, there was no money to repair or maintain these used guns.
When 1940 the germans came, most of these guns were so worn they would stop working after a short time.
A lot of politicians having the same thoughts today, the Russian thread has gone so why need to, it scares me. Did history thaught them nothing???
No we're a small country so i'm not making illusions we would stop a bigger enemy. But armed well we would be a bigger foe combined with our allies.
As US GI's stated in 1944: the Dutch were a fiercely patriotic and brave people. Giving little food they had to the troops althoug they had nothing because the Germans took all suplying their army. Showing their country's colours although forbidden at death penalty. Hiding allied airman and airborne troops at danger for their own safety enmass. Surveying german occupied ground to report to the allies at risking their famillies being punished by shooting.
Yes we are a brave lot, but if only they gave us something to shoot with in the 1940's.
Quite a feat at all we've kept our ground for 5 days. Not being prepared. Counting on staying neutral.
Only 9 divisions to 22
676 fieldguns to 1378
32 armoured cars to not listed but far more.
124 planes to 1150
And the Germans had also 6 armored trains.
This pic allso showing death toll of the german being higher as own with far more tanks and airoplanes as the dutch.
2332 deaths to 2500
6000 wounded against 5500 and 700 missing in action.
The german command would take Holland in 1 day. It lasted 5. Our brave soldiers defeiing all ods.
Only by bombing Rotterdam, a large city with scores of innocent civillians and threatening to do the same with Utrecht the Dutch did surrender. The civillian losses would being such it wasn't worth holding on for 3 or four days awaited by high command.
The Dutch were shooting so much german planes it is thought of the key in not allowing the Germans to take England as they planned to. Delaying the Germans to a point they couldn't because the Britts had time to build their airforce.
If you see the stats. Only 1 tank against hundreds. For one interested we have none now.
This MG dispite al its faults helped in that feat.
To go further on the mg itself, it was soon replaced with the mg 34 and later the mg 42. Firing the same cardridge but at much higher rates. Maintainance was easyer and faster. Changing a spare barrel took just seconds. The weight being a half.
The 08 became a weapon for troops in the westwall where it could maintained better and because the front there being static the need for lightweight guns would be less.
Although found in 423 a positions it could wel be a remain of the 4th infantry's attack in 44 on this part of the westwall.
Ammo for the same gun Floyd was complaining about. Getting him gen. Clarks springfield instead.
Firing pistol like ammo with lack of drive made this an inadequate weapon for frontline troops.
More at use for soldiers who had heavy loads(like Floyd in a mortar squad) or officers only to defend theirselves at close range somewhat further as being able to shoot with a pistol. This because the gun being lightweight. The paratrooper version being further stripped on weight and for handling for they had a folding stock made of thick wirelike steel.
The one shown on the ww2 pic below would be the one Floyd had. It's a assume only, because most had. Only by shortage on certain times a paratype would be issued to normal troops. The chance of that being slim. Officers with connections often tryed to get their hands on a paratype. The normal G.I had almost no chance.
The longer barrel of the rifle improves the preformance of the gun somewhat in comparison to a pistol. I've read a few memoires of soldiers complaining about the "stopping power" though. Seeing some Germans get shot in non immediatly deadly area's just ran on. Getting hit in storming attacks where one has to come into reach of the other to make a chance to get out alive. Probably helped with adrealine. Bigger "slugs" as from a thompson or garand would knock one down just by the force of impact even only shot in a arm or such. These didn't. Only left one to die by loss of blood or impact on immediately lethal places.
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The Germans forced to make patriotic coins in the occupied countries.
This to help the German propaganda hoping the people of the low countries develop a nationalistic feeling connected to the German. It was just a small part in a big radar of propaganda. But maybe the most obvious because of the everyday use.
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