Heavy MG08 Machine Guns

Heavy MG08 Machine Guns. . , The two guns flanking this memorial were German manufactured. These "MG 08's” were turned out by the thousands for the German army for use in the killing fields of Europe with horrific effect on legions of Allied infantry forces and changed the tactics of warfare forever during W.W. I and through W.W.II (1914-1945)., Ironically, the early guns (1894) were a direct copy of British gunsmith developer- Sir Hiram Maxim's – original 1884 invention. The Germans constantly upgraded the MG 08 until by 1908 (hence its designation) it took on its distinctive German pattern., The MG 08's were fully automatic and used a non-disintegrating cloth belt feed system, had a short recoil and the barrel was fully enclosed with a water tight cooling jacket. This deadly menace fired a 7.92x57mm Mauser shell with maximum range up to 4000 yards at 450 rounds-per-minute. It was a four man operation as the front legs could be swung straight out- like a stretcher- for two men to carry, another for the ammunition and one to lug the cooling water. It was singularly responsible for trench combat which created the smoldering French landscape nicknamed "No Man's Land.", The gun on the right was built in Berlin in 1918, while the one on the left was built in Spandau, Germany in 1917. It is not known how the 1929 Amsterdam Memorial Association gained ownership of these foreign battlefield (enemy) weapons and why they decided to use them., During W.W. I the German trooper smugly called these guns Das schweres MaschinenGewehr. The Allied trooper mordantly labeled them The Devils Paint Brush!, Dedicated on September 2, 1929, the original monument was erected to honor the men of Amsterdam for their heroic sacrifices during W.W. I. Flanked by two machine guns, the single bronze plaque contained the names of 128 local servicemen, including three of our "doughboys” giving their full final measure: Vernon Lee Teeman, James James and Konstanty (Joseph) Bojarski. , Due to space limitations along Main Street, the monument was built on donated land by the former Amsterdam State Bank next to its building. Ohio Congressman Frank Murphy delivered the dedicatory address. Amsterdam Mayor George L. Turvey and memorial committee president J.K. Smith unveiled the great monument, backed by members of the Amsterdam Legion Post and a number of indebted townspeople who helped to see to its solemn conclusion., In 1946, two more bronze plaques were added to honor and enshrine 343 of our men and women who proudly and valiantly served in the defense of our nation during W.W. II. Twelve gave all: Wendell Brown, Byron Crumbly, Harvey Dillon, Clifford Edwards, Chester Budinski, J. Raymond Jurkiewicz, William Holligan, Robert Ritchie, Metro Repella, Edward Shanley, Jack Worthington and Jay Wrikeman, In the spring of 2009 a group of concerned local citizens formed a new memorial committee to address the needs of the weathered and deteriorated 1929 monument. Reflective of its original design and with ample space now available, the monument was reverently relocated and rebuilt at the Amsterdam Gazebo Park. In the hearts and memories of all Amsterdam sons and daughters near and far, this historic relic is once again proudly ready to stand as sentinel and protector to our heroic and gallant former color bearers into the twenty first century and beyond. Lest we forget!