For Germany, fighting outnumbered for most of the war, the machine gun was a way to apply more firepower, in new and lethally effective ways, using less manpower. The standard fielded machine gun, the MG 08, and its lighter variant, the MG 08/15, are the subject of this book by Stephen Bull. This book outlines the story of the introduction of the machine gun into the German Army, ironically, through an American inventor (Hiram Maxim). There is an extended technical discussion of its development, its teething problems as a new weapon, and its eventual fielding, which take up rather more than half the book. Its operational use is covered in the final chapters. The text is nicely supported with lots of period photographs, modern illustrations, and an excellent breakway diagram of its internal workings. Recommended to students of the conflict and of the weapon.