MG 15
| Machine gun MG 15 | |
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | MG 15 |
| Country of operation: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1090 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 8.1 kg |
| Barrel length : | 600 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.92 x 57 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 75 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Double drum magazines |
| Cadence : | 1000-1100 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Closure : | Quarter-turn lock |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The MG 15 , together with the MG 17, was the first machine gun of the German Air Force after 1933.
history
It was developed in 1932 by the Rheinmetall company specifically for mobile installation in fighter aircraft (especially for gunner in bombers). The MG 15, based on the functional principle of the MG 30 , was replaced during the Second World War by the MG 81 , which had a much higher cadence and belt feed instead of the 75 round double drum magazine. The problem with both weapons was the relatively poor penetration of the ammunition used. In well-armored aircraft such as B. with the Il-2 accordingly hardly any damage caused by fire. Compared to modern, i.e. protected, military aircraft, tracer projectiles offered the greatest benefit as a target aid for the use of 20 mm automatic cannons and incendiary projectiles.
Late in the war, the machine guns were converted for infantry use and received shoulder rests and bipods for ground combat.
Use in aircraft
Used in
- Arado Ar 196
- Dornier Thursday 17th
- Dornier Thu 18
- Dornier Thursday 24
- Dornier Do 215
- Dornier Do 217
- Fieseler stork
- Heinkel He 111
- Heinkel He 115
- Junkers Ju 52 / 3m
- Junkers Ju 86
- Junkers Ju 87
- Junkers Ju 88
- Messerschmitt Bf 110
literature
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons . Siegler, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-87748-668-9 .
Web links
- Overview, images and data German machine guns (Engl.) ( Memento from 1 November 2007 at the Internet Archive )