Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen des deutschen Heeres 1914-1918. Teil 7: Maschinengewehrtruppen. 2 Bände

This seventh part of the series "Handbuch der Verbände und Truppen des deutschen Heeres 1914-1918" deals with the machine gun troops, as far as they were independent units and did not belong as machine gun companies to an infantry regiment. Before the war, the machine gun was regarded more as an auxiliary weapon of the infantry. When the machine gun proved to be the most important weapon in infantry firefighting in the first months of the war, a rapid development of the machine gun troops began. All machine gun formations are dealt with in detail in this Part 7. In addition, all essential data on their organisation, especially on formation and disbandment, are presented in a clearly arranged form. For the mobile units, there are also precise details of the changing subordinations and reorganisations, so that the path of each unit can be followed in detail.

The following sections are combined in VII, Volume 1:
At mobilisation, the existing 11 MG divisions were reinforced to 18; they served to support the cavalry divisions.
In order to reinforce the infantry, over 880 field MG platoons and MG supplementary platoons were created from autumn 1914 onwards. In addition, the troops created a large number of provisional MG formations. They initially replaced MG companies that were still missing and were converted into permanent components of the regiments in 1916.
With the 111 light MG squads established in the summer of 1916, light machine guns were used for the first time. A year later, the squads were disbanded and distributed among the infantry companies.
For use in mountain warfare, more than 50 mountain MG detachments were created from May 1915 onwards. Following the Austrian model, they carried machine guns and ammunition on pack animals.
In addition, several special formations of MG troops were created in the course of the war. These included the "Musket Battalions" created in 1915, which were armed with the light machine gun made by the Danish company Madsen, and the Panzer-Kraftwagen MG platoons established since 1916, including a detachment.
All machine gun formations are treated in detail in this Volume VII. In addition, all essential data on their organisation, especially on their formation and disbandment, are clearly laid out. For the mobile units, there are also precise details on the changing subordinations and reorganisations, so that the path of each unit can be followed in detail.

The following sections are combined in this VII, Volume 2:
In the fortresses, there were 15 MG divisions, which were disbanded at the beginning of the war and served as the basis for a total of around 140 new fortress MG divisions and 170 fortress MG squads or platoons.
In April 1916, 198 "MG sniper squads" were initially created for deployment at hot spots on the front. In autumn 1916, they were combined into a total of over 80 MG sniper detachments. Considered elite, these detachments had as much firepower as the three MG companies of an infantry regiment, with 18, later 36 MG.
In order to ensure specialised training, the MG troops conducted the training of their crews in their own facilities. At the beginning of the war, two replacement MG companies were created for this purpose in each corps area, as well as special replacement formations for the MG divisions and MG escadrons of the cavalry. In the course of the war, a large number of training commands and MG schools were added.
All machine gun formations are dealt with in detail in this Volume VII. In addition, all essential data on their organisation, especially on their formation and disbandment, are clearly laid out. For the mobile units, there is also precise information on the changing subordinations and reclassifications, so that the path of each unit can be followed in detail.

Author:
Dr. phil. Jürgen Kraus, historian, born 1951, after military service and studies in Münster/Westphalia, doctorate on the military system of the imperial city of Augsburg in the early modern period. From 1979 conservator at the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt for the collection areas of uniforms, equipment and flags as well as consultant for the document and photo archive, most recently chief conservator; retired in 2011. 1994-2010 member of the board of the German Society for Military History. Various military history publications, including on Bavarian military, flags and steel helmets. Extensive work on the uniforms of the Reichswehr (2005) and the German Schutztruppen (2009), published as collection catalogues of the Bavarian Army Museum. In addition, numerous articles on army and uniform history in various journals. Years of research on the field-grey uniforms of the German army in the First World War, published as a two-volume work first in 1999 and then in a second and improved edition in 2009 and as an illustrated book in 2004. Current research focus: Formation history of the German Army in the First World War.