MG08/15

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	Weapon: MG08/15 Type: Light Machine Gun Country of Origin: Germany Year Adopted: 1915 Caliber: 7.92x57mm Action: Fully Automatic - Recoil Overall Length (mm): 1400.0 Overall Length (in): 55.12 Weight (kg): 18.00 Weight (pounds): 39.68 Effective Range (m): 2000 m Effective Range (yards): 2187.23

The MG08/15 is a German light machine gun developed during World War I as a lighter, more portable version of the standard MG08 heavy machine gun. Chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser, it retained the water-cooled barrel of the MG08 but added a bipod and shoulder stock to allow for mobile use by infantry. Introduced in 1915, the MG08/15 was Germany's attempt to provide its soldiers with a portable machine gun for offensive operations.

The MG08/15 became one of the most common German machine guns of World War I, with over 130,000 units produced. While still relatively heavy, weighing around 19 kg (42 lbs), it was much more portable than the earlier MG08, making it a key weapon in the German infantry's ability to lay down suppressive fire during assaults. The MG08/15 was notoriously difficult to operate in the muddy and harsh conditions of the Western Front, but it remained a critical part of German firepower.

The term "08/15" has since become part of the German lexicon, used to describe something that is standard or ordinary. Despite its shortcomings, the MG08/15 played an important role in the evolution of light machine guns and helped set the stage for more mobile automatic weapons in the 20th century.

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