aerovintage - Mg 15 Luftwaffe Aircooled Aircraft Machine Gun And Attachments

Deactivated, and without sights and magazine (can be supplied at an extra cost).  This gun was universally used by the Luftwaffe in the 2nd WW.  This example is marked ST 61 and dated 1 1940.  Made by Rheinmetail Borsig it has Waffen eagle stamps and is an early gun, number 455.  The butt is wooden, and the fore-stock is Bakelite (in undamaged condition).   A further marking includes a BAl inspection stamp within a hexagon, hot impressed in the Beklite.  A lot of speculation over the years has been voiced about why some MG 15's were marked ST 61; the most plausible is that they were a commercial export variant, supplied as aircraft guns, though it is known that some were converted to water cooling.  I have seen as many ST 61's and MG 15's, the vast majority air cooled and coming from Protugal, in turn coming from Romania who were supplied them form Germany.  The were famously fitted to the Fieseler Storch and the Heinkel 111.