MG08 Field Manual Find

[Roscoeturner]

Picked this up over the past weekend. Always try to find original manuals to go with the guns I have. Still looking for an earlier version for this one.

[42rocker]

Looks like a great find. Way to go.

Later 42rocker

[JBaum]

Considering that the above is the second revised edition of that manual, finding the first edition is going to be tough, and will likely only be a year or two earlier.

The earliest general manual for the soldiers is "Instruction Book for the Machinegun Company" from 1916, but I have another Maxim manual from 1908 (I think). It's somewhere in the desk, keeping warm with all its old MG08 army buddies, mostly from 1928 to 1934.

Somewhere is a repair manual for it too, but it doesn't have much detail, so I won't be translating it.

Coolest guy I met was from Canada. He has been a life-long manual collector. He doesn't care what language, he just collects them. He said he had around 16,000 of them at last count. I had to believe him when he bought half of everything I've translated to add to his collection, and he said he'd get the other half in a few more months.

The manual below says it is the twelfth edition, so that puts the first edition back to 1904, I'd guess.

[Roscoeturner]

Mainly looking for one closer to the date of the MG08 I own which is 1918. No rush, the hunt for these things is what I enjoy the most.

WWI Vickers manual is number one on the search list right now.

[JBaum]

WWI Vickers manual available here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WW1-1916-MACH ... 2edca4aa3c

[MarkFinneran]

Nice manual. I have been looking for the definitive list of WWI Imperial German MG manuals but no one seems to know. Perhaps this Canadian chap can list? Just like the British there were official manuals and private commercial
For info i am now looking to sell all my WWI vickers, lewis and hotchkiss MG manual library but it is extensive and has to go as one lot. anyway back to German MG manuals i have somewhere an MG01 manual and will check details and publish.
Mark

[Roscoeturner]

If you really intend to sell those manuals you will probably find your sale will go much easier if you break up the set into categories for each firearm. It will be hard to find a collector who wants the manuals for all three firearms.

[MarkFinneran]

You are probably right. They are in total close to US$4000 in value and only a serious WWI MG enthusiast I suspect would want a complete British mg library! There are some very rare ones in the library and have taken close to thirty years to put together.
Anyway it would be great to know the German manuals that were produced.
Mark

[MarkFinneran]

Here is the German 1905 manual. The interesting British ones are on the Vickers thread.
Mark