Original Item: Only One Available. China was one of the first Countries to purchase "Maxim Guns" back in the 1890s due to a British salesmen operating out of Hong Kong. China is best known for it's adoption of it's "Type 24" Maxim Water Cooled Machine Gun in 1935, that year being the 24th anniversary of it's then Nationalist regime.

Because of the Sino-German alliance, the Germans supplied the Chinese with MG 08s. Later in 1935, the Chinese demanded to have machine guns produced by themselves, so they created the Type 24 Heavy machine gun also called the Type 24 HMG.

The Type 24 Heavy machine gun, first introduced to the National Revolutionary Army in 1935, designed to replace the original MG 08. It was the standard heavy machine gun for all Nationalists, Communists, and Warlords from 1935. They were typically made in the Hanyang Arsenal.

These weapons were actually made in China between the tears of 1935 and 1937 with a total production of just over 36,000 units.

The model, much on the lines of the famous German MG 08 of WW1 fame, was fitted with anti-Aircraft Spider Sights and has a "reverse" Swas on the top cover together with other unique Chinese markings. Similarly the fusee spring cover bore a brass plaque also with these similar markings. The tripod bore a brass ranging plate on its center rear leaning leg which too was adorned with the reverse Swas marking.

These guns were all made in 7.92 X 57 (8mm German) because of the large quantities of ammunition available since the end of WW1. Production was ceased in 1937 because of the loss of the manufacturing plants caused by the invasion of the armies of Imperial Japan that ravaged China until the end of WW2 in 1945.

See "The Devil's Paintbrush" by Dolph Goldsmith pages 323 - 332, an invaluable resource.

From a part of the globe that saw the worst horrors of the 20th century, an essential component of any WW2 or display water-cooled machine gun collection.