The Soldier at the Western Front – The Use of Automatic Weapons - Source 4: Manual for the machinegun 08/15

The Soldier at the Western Front – The Use of Automatic Weapons
Source 4: Manual for the machinegun 08/15

The official manual for the use of the 08/15 shows that this weapon was only of limited benefit for assaults: the team had to constantly oil, clean and refill cooling water. That the use in the frontline couldn’t always follow the regulations is shown by Ernst Jünger in source 1.

„Treatment of the machine gun during and after shooting.

During shooting.
If the gun is blocked during shooting, the blockage has to be removed immediately. The first maneuver is always:
Shake the lock handle and straighten the ammunition belt, if that won’t help, the box has to be opened for further checking ect.
Apart from that during shooting the weapon has only to be oiled and cleaned und water has to be refilled.
Every occurring break has to be used to clean and oil the cartridge carrier, the lock and whenever possible the barrel. The generously use of oil is recommended during shooting but don’t just spill it brainless in the box, till it’s dripping on the ground but generously oil the moving parts such as the lock, the cartridge carrier and the tilt-slide. Spread the oil abundant on the sides of the box and the sluts of the tilt-slide in a way that the existing sluts are filled with it. Chain, belt moving crank, belt mover and belt moving lever shouldn’t be forgotten when the weapon is oiled.

After shooting
If it is expected that after the discharge the machine gun will not be used the gunner has to check that there is no more bullet in the chamber.
The barrel has to be oiled immediately and the machine gun has to be cleaned as soon as possible."

Kriegsministerium. Allgemeines Kriegs-Departement: Leitfaden für das Maschinengewehr 08/15 (M.G. 08/15), 31.01.1917, Berlin 1917, p. 55