Germany has always set the standard when it comes to firearms. They have a reputation for engineering and building some of the finest firearms money can buy, even to this day. With popular brands such as Walther, SIG Sauer, and Mauser, Germany unmistakably knows what they are doing when it comes to firearms.
MG 08 - The Maschinengewehr 08 was Germany's main machine gun throughout World War I and even World War II. It is very similar to Maxim's original design and was very reliable. Usually mounted on a sled mount, this machine gun fired at about 500 rounds per minute. It was also water cooled and fired the 7.92x57mm cartridge. This machine was produced in many variations including aircraft, light machine gun, and anti-aircraft.
Madsen Machine Gun - The Madsen Machine Gun was one of the lighter and more portable German machine guns of World War I. It was the worlds first true light machine gun, since all the others leaned more towards the heavy machine gun category. It was available in many different calibers and saw widespread use throughout many different countries for about a hundred years. Manufactured by Compagnie Madsen A/S, this machine gun was expensive to produce, but it was known for its reliability, therefore it was used by many different countries throughout the war.
MP 18 - The MP 18 was the first successful sub-machine gun used in combat. A sub-machine gun differs from an assault rifle or light machine gun in that it uses a pistol cartridge rather than a rifle cartridge. Developed by Theodor Bergmann, this machine gun was the primary weapon of the Sturmtruppen. It was very effective in assaults during trench combat, since it had a large ammo capacity and was very light compared to other machine guns.