Hi All,
I was fortunate to stumble on a rather scarce air-cooled Imperial MG and thought I'd share it here given the limited availability of good studies on these.
This example has been welded/ deactivated to the barbaric BATFE specs, but is largely complete and almost entirely matching. It is missing the feedblock sadly, but given that it is a deactivated display, not really upset.
The LMG 15 series were made by Bergmann to fill the need for a light machine-gun. The first iteration, the LMG 15, later the LMG 15 a.A. (alter Art / old Model) fired from an open bolt and had several shortcomings. In 1917 Bergmann later revised the model with a number of changes-- closed bolt firing, moving the rather flimsy barrel-mounted bipod to the receiver (used an 08/15 style mount on this version), added a provision for a drum hanger and a few other small changes. This was designated the LMG 15 n.A. (neuer Art / new Model)- this was a considerable improvement, arguably superior to the cumbersome 08/15 and a true light machine-gun. Unfortunately, production complexity/the relative ease of 08/15 production and other pressures kept production very low-- only 5000 were thought to have been produced across both variants.
Further, the known examples were later concentrated in the same theater for logistical reasons. The Bergmanns were sent to the eastern front (I beleive to an Austrian army group), which combined with their low production makes them quite difficult to find today.
I was fortunate to stumble on a rather scarce air-cooled Imperial MG and thought I'd share it here given the limited availability of good studies on these.
This example has been welded/ deactivated to the barbaric BATFE specs, but is largely complete and almost entirely matching. It is missing the feedblock sadly, but given that it is a deactivated display, not really upset.
The LMG 15 series were made by Bergmann to fill the need for a light machine-gun. The first iteration, the LMG 15, later the LMG 15 a.A. (alter Art / old Model) fired from an open bolt and had several shortcomings. In 1917 Bergmann later revised the model with a number of changes-- closed bolt firing, moving the rather flimsy barrel-mounted bipod to the receiver (used an 08/15 style mount on this version), added a provision for a drum hanger and a few other small changes. This was designated the LMG 15 n.A. (neuer Art / new Model)- this was a considerable improvement, arguably superior to the cumbersome 08/15 and a true light machine-gun. Unfortunately, production complexity/the relative ease of 08/15 production and other pressures kept production very low-- only 5000 were thought to have been produced across both variants.
Further, the known examples were later concentrated in the same theater for logistical reasons. The Bergmanns were sent to the eastern front (I beleive to an Austrian army group), which combined with their low production makes them quite difficult to find today.
