To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



German Machine Guns of World War I: MG 08 and MG 08/15

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title German Machine Guns of World War I: MG 08 and MG 08/15
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Dr Stephen Bull
Illustrated by Johnny Shumate
Illustrated by Alan Gilliland
SeriesWeapon
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:80
Dimensions(mm): Height 248,Width 184
Category/GenreFirst world war
ISBN/Barcode 9781472815163
ClassificationsDewey:623.4424094309041
Audience
General
Illustrations 50 b/w; 14 col

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Publication Date 19 May 2016
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

World War I's defining weapon for many, Germany's MG 08 machine gun won a formidable reputation on battlefields from Tannenberg to the Somme. Although it was a lethally effective weapon when used from static positions, the MG 08 was far too heavy to perform a mobile role on the battlefield. As the British and French began to deploy lighter machine guns alongside their heavier weapons, the Germans fielded the Danish Madsen and British Lewis as stopgaps, but chose to adapt the MG 08 into a compromise weapon - the MG 08/15 - which would play a central role in the revolutionary developments in infantry tactics that characterized the last months of the conflict. In the 1940s, the two weapons were still in service with German forces fighting in a new world war. Drawing upon eyewitness battlefield reports, this absorbing study assesses the technical performance and combat record of these redoubtable and influential German machine guns, and their strengths and limitations in a variety of battlefield roles.

Author Biography

Dr Stephen Bull is Curator of Military History and Archaeology for Lancashire Museums, with particular responsibility for local regimental collections, and is a consultant for the University of Oxford on World War I projects. His other books include several Osprey titles. Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator living in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career in 1987 after graduating from Austin Peay State University. Most of his work is rendered in Adobe Photoshop using a Cintiq monitor. His greatest influences are Angus McBride, Don Troiani and Edouard Detaille. Born in Malaya in 1949, Alan Gilliland studied photography/film and architecture, and has worked as a photojournalist and cartoonist. He also spent 18 years as the graphics editor of The Daily Telegraph, winning 19 awards, including numerous UK Press Awards. He now writes, illustrates and publishes fiction as well as illustrating for a variety of publishers. Born in Malaya in 1949, Alan Gilliland studied photography/film and architecture, and has worked as a photojournalist and cartoonist. He also spent 18 years as the graphics editor of The Daily Telegraph, winning 19 awards in that time, including numerous UK Press Awards. He now writes, illustrates and publishes fiction (www.ravensquill.com), as well as illustrating for a variety of publishers (including Osprey, the Penguin Group, Brown Reference Group, Ivy Group and Aurum), architects and developers, such as John McAslan (Olympic Energy Centre) and Kit Martin (Prince Charles' Phoenix Trust advisor on historic buildings). www.alangilliland.com

Reviews

In all, it is a superb book that offers not only a history of these weapons, but also how they changed warfare. - Modeling Madness It's really a must-read for anyone interested in World War One and the technological innovations that came from that great conflict. - IPMS German Machin Guns of World War I is worth checking out. - Shooting Illustrated