The Blue Max

The Blue Max Movie poster Country UK Directed by John Guillermin Release Date 1966 Language English Studio Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Distributor Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Main Cast Character Actor Lt. Bruno Stachel George Peppard General Count von Klugermann James Mason Countess Kaeti von Klugermann Ursula Andress Holbach Anton Diffring

The following weapons were used in the film The Blue Max:

Machine Guns

Maxim LMG 08/15 "Spandau" (mockup)

The Germans use air-cooled Maxim LMG 08/15 machine guns on their Fokker biplanes and triplanes. The guns mounted are mockups due to a number of revealing mistakes. The cocking handle on each MG doesn't move when the gun is fired unlike the original. The brass also ejects through the right side of the gun and actually from the middle of the cooling jacket as opposed to the original. Another giveaway is that the barrel of each MG is seen portruding from just above the exact center of the cooling jacket. In reality the barrel was at the bottom of the jacket. Another strong hint that the movie MG's are a mockup is the presence of stick magazines inserted very near where the movie-version MG's is seen ejecting brass. All in all this indicates that a pair of submachineguns were substituted for the real MG08. The mockups might also be an explaination (at least in part) why the pilots are using a handle to fire the MG's eventhough the historical aircraft used buttons attached to the flightstick in order to fire the onboard weapons.

Maxim MG08/15

Stachel pulls the (fictionous) handle in order to fire the MG's.

Note the stick magazine on the MG on the left with a revealing magazine release lever plainly visible.

Note the trigger with trigger guard mounted on the "Maxim". The barrels are also placed higher than on Stachel's machine guns, and even higher than on a original Maxim.

Lewis gun

The British recon plane is armed with the Lewis aircraft gun.

Aircraft mounted Lewis Gun .303

The British observer/gunner after being hit by machine gun fire from Stachel.

Maxim MG08

Maxim MG08 seen used by British troops.

Maxim MG08 7.92x57mm Mauser on sled mount

Note the soldier manning the MG on the right. His helmet is tilted to his left in an awkward angle. Seconds later this screencap was taken an explosion takes place just to the left of the soldier meaning the tilted helmet was most likely done for safety reasons.

Rifles

Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I

Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I is carried by German troops. The rifle is also seen in the hands of Bruno Stachel (George Peppard) during his own time in the trenches. The movie was shot in the Republic of Ireland and there was a lack of genuine German firearms (with one exception) for the shoot so older Irish Defence Forces weapons were substituted for German weapons.

Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I - .303 British

Stachel during the 1916 prolouge (when he was still in the infantry) with his British rifle and bayonet.

The Germans are seen with Lee-Enfield rifles during the depiction of the first day of the historical Kaiserschlacht (Kaiser's Battle) offensive starting 21 March 1918.

Several British soldiers with their Lee-Enfields are visible.

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III*

Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* - .303 British.

In a reasonable move made by the producers all the British soldiers are carrying the older Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk.III* with it's original sword bayonet to distinguish it from the German soldiers who (due to lack of German authentic weapons) carry the Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I with it's shorter bayonet.

British soldiers await the German attack with their Mk.III*'s. Note the very long bayonet which would prove too long and cumbersome in trench warfare. It's successor is ironically carried by the Germans with their Mk.IV short bayonet.

Lee-Enfield Mk.I (probable)

During the hand to hand combat scenes at least one German is seen with what appears to be an older Lee-Enfield Mk.I.. The rifle is identifiable via the magazine cut-off switch visible and the portruding barrel which none of the later Lee-Enfield models had. The bolt action handle, (for the combat scenes), seems to have been removed though the bolt itself seems to be in place.

Lee-Enfield Mk.I - .303 British.

A British soldier is stabbed by a German soldier with what looks like a Lee-Enfield Mk.I. Note the slightly visible magazine cut-off switch.

A top shot of the same rifle showing the portruding barrel and long bayonet.

Handguns

Luger P08

The Luger P08 can be seen briefly carried by a German 2nd. Lieutenant.

Luger P08 9x19mm. This is a 1917 dated handgun, thus it is a World War I firearm.

Other

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistol

A German officer uses a Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistol.

Webley & Scott No. 1 Mk. III* Signal Pistol - 1 inch