Siemens Schuckert Factory Photo

[Regulus]

Dave, unfortunately there are no further specifications in the text and documents.

However, I can ask them the question next week, when I'm mailing them back. One never knows ...

Best from Johan

[Dave_Watts]

Hi Johan,

Thanks for looking into the lmg serial numbers.

Something that has interested me is what really did Siemens do with regards to a synchronizing system. I've read that they had their own system, but have never seen any details or dates. I've also seen where experts claim Siemens actually made and prepared/converted LMG aircraft guns. I have yet to see any evidence that Siemens produced any LMG aircraft Maxim 08/15's or LMG Maxim 08's. I've had guys write me they have actually seen examples, but they could never provide proof. In these cases I believe they found a Spandau arsenal LMG with the top lid from a Siemens made Maxim.

For sure it is possible they made a couple of prototypes, but even these I have not seen photos of. When you write inquiring you may ask them to look under aircraft guns, or "luft" or "licht", as the debate goes on whether the gun was first known as an "air" or "lightened" machine gun.

Thanks for any assistance,
Best,
Dave

[davecww1]

Hi Johan,
if you are going to research siemens machine guns, maybe you can find some information on the Siemens guns that were used on the Jasta 5 Albatros DVa aircraft marked with bones and flown by Mai and Rumey. According to Glen Merril in his Americal Gryphon #28 decal instruction book, "each was armed with the Siemens machine guns capable of a cyclic rate of fire of 1400 rounds per minute." But in Harry Woodman's book on early aircraft armament he does not even mention these siemens guns, and there have been various questions on Aerodrome and the WW1 modeling list, but no one has any photos or further information on these. maybe the Siemens archive will finally answer the questions about these rare guns!
Dave

[karrart]

Originally Posted by davecww1

Hi Johan,
if you are going to research siemens machine guns, maybe you can find some information on the Siemens guns that were used on the Jasta 5 Albatros DVa aircraft marked with bones and flown by Mai and Rumey. According to Glen Merril in his Americal Gryphon #28 decal instruction book, "each was armed with the Siemens machine guns capable of a cyclic rate of fire of 1400 rounds per minute." But in Harry Woodman's book on early aircraft armament he does not even mention these siemens guns, and there have been various questions on Aerodrome and the WW1 modeling list, but no one has any photos or further information on these. maybe the Siemens archive will finally answer the questions about these rare guns!
Dave

Those Siemens "motor" guns have driven me nuts. I know Bob Pearson would've loved to have shown them in his profiles in the sort-of-recent Jasta 5 books by Dr. Merril from Albatros Productions. I would've loved to have worked one of these airplanes into one of my cover paintings. Decades ( and I mean decades) ago a local library I frequented had a book on German aerial armament from early pistols and such through the end of WW II and it had a photo of one. That's the only solid picture I ever remember seeing. Alas, I don't recall the actual name of the book and to add insult to injury it had been pretty well trashed by some subhuman and the library ditched it....pages sliced up with a razor blade...gang grafitti scrawled through it, mangled binding...
Robert Karr
karrart.com

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Davecww1:
In the book, "German Machineguns" by Musgrave and Oliver, Chapter XIII, list 6 designs, Autogen, Fokker, Seimens-Schukert, Wollerman, Aircraft Machinegun Detachment, Doberitz, and the Infantry Construction Bureau.
It illustrates, the Fokker Gatlin gun, photo and drawing, the Seimens gun is not illustrated, only discussed. In the description it states,
"The Seimens-Schukert gun fired at the rate of one shot for two revolutions of the propeller. It used a metallic belt and was in existence as early as 1917. The two-gun installation, without ammunition, weighed 47 kilograms (103).
The other designs were experimental, and detailed information is not now available concerning them." ( The Fokker gun is discussed in detail, rates of fire are not given.)
If the above description is accurate, and if the Mecedes D.IIIaü is turning 1600 rpm, (About maximum.) the rate of fire is 800 rounds per minute/ MG.
( Not 1400 rpm/MG.) 800 rpm is an improvement, it doubles the rate of fire of a MG 08/15 Spandau MG.
Blue skies,
Dan-San