German Maxim MG Nr.165

[Woodsy]

Quite a task you have taken on, how did you come to know their whereabouts? My MG08 bore a stencil in white paint that read "Canadian War Trophy 148th Battalion"

Back in the 1970's I heard rumors from the old boys about a machine gun buried under the old flour mill, and I spent a lot of time on my belly under the floors amongst the the rodents without success. In 2015 the neighbouring factory had bought the mill and decided to knock down one of the buildings to increase yard space. A thick concrete wall was pushed over and broke apart revealing the guns. As I was well-known for my efforts to find the gun, I was promptly contacted and given the guns on the understanding that I would restore the M1905 Russian for the factory manager and the rest were mine to keep. I contacted the Police and had the guns put on my license under an amnesty provision. It took me 3 months to chip off the concrete with heat, CRC, cold chisels and scrapers, preserving whatever original finish remained, including the all-important water jacket capture details. Quite a bit of original blue and Field Gray paint was saved. Thin steel, like the fusee covers and grip liners, was well corroded, but the major parts were generally OK. There was also some digger bucket damage, particularly on the brass M1905. I made up a reverse-electrolysis bath to remove the worst of the rust, which also did not affect any original finish. DWM #613 was not only complete with all matching numbers, but was also reasonably well oiled when it was put in the wall, which helped the restoration a lot. The lock in #613 was still bright steel when I eventually got the top cover open. The barrels were only filled about 3-4" from either end and were easily cleaned. The top cover was separated from the M1905 (but with the gun) and the lock was rusted beyond repair. As the Germans had simply replaced the Russian lock with the standard MG'08 lock, I just put in another that I had in my spare parts.

In 1932 the NZ Police were concerned that the large number of German trophy MG's that were in the country could be used in the case of public insurrection as a result of the 'great depression' and they disposed any unwanted guns by dumping in swamps or buried in foundations of buildings. Several have come to light over the years during demolitions but none have been as well-preserved as these 5 guns. A good number of guns survived this purge but as most were stored outside, not many were in good condition. My old high school in the early '60's had two MG'08's, three Krupp field guns, and a large German mortar displayed in the grounds. These are sadly now all gone as the' PC brigade' got their wimpy wishes fufilled!