Battle Damaged, Camo MG08 Sled Pictures.

[IMBLITZVT]

Well I finally got around to stripping the new paint someone put on the cradle and gear box. Then I found an oil cap for it and got it all back together. I counted 12 battle damage hits that are more than dents. The camo paint is original. Its a 1917 dated Sled. Since the damage does not seem to be caused by bullets, I am thinking artillery hits.

Hit#1 in Left Lock Box.

Hit#2 & #3 in Left Lock Box Door

Hit #4 and the largest hit. You can stick your pointer finger in with no trouble. Note the popped rivets! The hit is on the left rail.

[Gulfstream4]

nice pics
It does appear to be shrapnel damage

[IMBLITZVT]

Hit #5 #6 & #7. Look like #5 and #6 came from the some piece of scrapnel. Through the front rail and center support wall. Hit #7 is in the center support wall about 3 inches to the right (in the picture) from the other larger hit. Its also dented real well in the same area.

Hit #8 in the back of the barrel box. Cut the box and the box door with the same piece.

Hit #9 Right Rear leg.

Hit #10 Just caught the right side of the main body just under the cradle Mount.

[crash520]

Thats awesome,
How much are sleds going for now days, i woudnt mind getting hold of one!

V/R
C

[IMBLITZVT]

Hit #11 & #12 on the Cradle elevator link. Again, looks like one piece of scrapnel did the damage.

Another pictures of the Center Support Wall. That middle dent almost made it through!

Sled Markings.

So you have to wonder if it got left out in an artillery attack, grenades, trench mortars? You also have to wonder if some luckless Germans were sitting behind it when it happened. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures but most of the hits come from the back or the sides.

[42rocker]

That's a neat piece of history.
Thanks for the share.

Later 42rocker

[amafrank]

just remember that machineguns weren't popular with the opposing troops and frequently artillery or trench mortar attacks were called in. Finding sleds or tripods with shrapnel damage isn't too uncommon for that reason. The last one I had was missing a few small parts and had some damage as well.....


Frank

[bmg17a1]

Stripping down an 08 sled and refinishing it is a lot of work!! While it would be great to have the original camo paint on the mount, in my opinion the colors that are pictured on the sled are fairly modern synthetic colors, and also are not at all typical of the WWI camo schemes. Pic included of typical and original camo scheme on receiver of MG08, 1918 gun. Other camo paint colors and style of covering from that era that I've seen on firearms and parts are very much similar.
Lot of holes in that one!

Bob

[IMBLITZVT]

Bob,

I would have to say I think the paint is original. The paint certainly is not post-rust painted. Of course its all but impossible to tell if it was painted during the war or right after the war, but you can tell this. The paint was on there pre-rust as there is none in the rusty areas and you can see where the paint protected the metal it remains on. Also the paint shows a tremendous amount of use! I don't think you could put that much use on it without it being in active service. If it was modern, to get the use on it, you would have bare metal, so then you would have to rust it after... Finally, the paints are really not as bright as the camera shows. It looks much better in the pictures. In person, the colors are much more muted. The paint scheme is close to this one but with a little added red which is not uncommon in German camo from WWI. I guess I could get a lead paint tester and they would eliminate modern paints.

[bmg17a1]

The gun you pictured with the fullo camo on guna dn tripod is not the gun or tripod to which I was referring. the paint to which I was referring is the colored paint on the damaged tripod about which you posted all the pictures. You said the colored paint that showed up under whatever paint you removed on that tripod was original paint. "The camo paint is original. Its a 1917 dated Sled." That is the colored paint to which I was referring.
The camo paint on the full cover gun and tripod in the picture above looks original certainly. Be interesting to know when it was applied.....

Bob

[IMBLITZVT]

Oh I see what you are saying. No the whole Sled was not painted, just the cradle and gear box. Here are some pictures of it when I got it. As I stripped the two pieces, the original paint that matches what is on the rest of the Sled was unfortunately stripped at the same time but there was some under that modern green.

[MarkFinneran]

Awful sled , absolutely awful. All those holes and damage and just think of its age. Therefore the value must be pretty low so I think you should just sell to me, it really is not worth keeping old boy!!



Mark

[trinnodak]

That's really interesting. I have an 08/15 with a bunch of fragment holes in the jacket and a couple of rifles w/ bullet holes in the stocks.

[MarkFinneran]

Trinnodak any chance of some images?
Mark