The Madsen light machine gun (LMG) was first introduced in 1902, and was the first true light machine gun. Its first use in combat was in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, where it was used by Russian Cavalry units. In World War I it was used by Germany, England, France, and Russia, but Germany created the first light machine gun units, called Musketen Battalions, based on the Madsen. They first appeared in combat in the Champagne sector in September, 1915. Unfortunately for the Germans, the three Musketen Battalions were specifically assigned to the defensive role, so that the advantages of an LMG in offense did not show up at this time. Later, when the offensive benefits of an LMG became apparent, the German response was to develop the heavy and unwieldy MG08/15 water-cooled gun. The Madsen was basically forgotten.
In WWII, the Germans and numerous other combatants made extensive use of the Madsen as a substitute-standard weapon, where it acquitted itself very well, as it had done in WWI. NOTE: THIS WILL PROBABLY BE YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN THIS HISTORICAL GUN AND ITS ACCESSORIES.
