. The design of the VMG 1927 dates back to 1916. The design process was finished in 1927, with Vollmer submitting his design for trials. Touted as having far fewer parts than the normal machine gun of the era (78 compared to 383 of its contemporary, the Maxim MG 08/15), Vollmer received a grant from the Reichswehr to produce and develop this machine gun further, but this was only sufficient to create a few prototypes which were produced by ERMA Werke.[1] It is said that Vollmer later created another variation of the weapon known as the MV 31 (Mauser-Vollmer 31) which was offered to the German Ordnance Board, the IWG, to no success.
Only two samples are known to survive today.[2]
Design Details
The VMG 1927 is a short recoil-operated machine gun. The bolt has a rotary locking mechanism which is carried by helical grooves. The weapon takes 30- or 50-round drum magazines. The VMG 1927 had 78 parts, its main selling point; this was compared to the 383 of its contemporary, the Maxim gun.[2]