German MG 13 Display Gun: Super Select Collection Original Items

Original Item: One only, just received from a museum quality private collection. The MG 13 was the first post-WW1 light machine gun adopted by the German Army.  It was adopted by the German Wehrmacht in 1931.  The “13” in the model number was supposedly given to make it look as if the gun had been developed earlier, since the Treaty of Versailles forbade machine gun development to Germany.  The MG 13 was the mainstay of the Wehrmacht from 1930 until the MG 34 came into service after 1934, and it continued in use throughout WW2.  The cadres which would eventually train the expanded  Wehrmacht in the later 1930s learned light machine gun tactics on the MG 13.   A significant number of features of the famous MG 34 were derived directly from the MG 13, making it a very important piece in the history of German machine gun development.  Daniel D. Musgrave, in German Machineguns, says the MG 13 “??_is a relatively rare gun today, and it is usually seen only in museum collections.”  (Revised Edition, 1992)  This example includes an original flash hider and soaking container, a magazine loader, 8 extra magazines, and the dual fabric-and-leather carriers (in excellent condition) for 8 magazines along with the neck strap to connect the two.  All are in excellent condition.  These carriers came in right- and left- hand versions, and one of each is included with this MG 13.  Manufacture of the flash hider and the magazine carriers reflects prewar standards of quality.  Numerous addition accessories are also available from IMA. For more pictures contact alex@ima-usa.