Captured machine gun, Western Front, during World War I. Two members of a captured German machine-gun crew lifting their machine gun out of a trench or dugout gun emplacement. They are escorted by a number of British soldiers. The weight and lack of easy manoeuvrability of the machine guns is well illustrated in this photograph.<br><p>At the beginning of the war both sides were using machine guns based on the Maxim gun. These were extremely heavy, weighing around 99 pounds (45 kilos) when loaded, so lighter alternatives, such as the Lewis gun, were invented.<br>
[Original reads: 'A boche Machine Gun crew captured, bringing in their own gun.']<br></p>
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