On the front, when a machine gun broke down, it had to be repaired. The MG 08, the most common automatic gun in WWI, was cumbersome. The gun weighed 60lbs, and its sledge mount weighed 80lbs. Although it was deemed “portable” and “light,” four soldiers were needed to lug this gun around. German engineers tinkered with the design to make it more mobile. The result was the MG 08/15, the Devil’s Paintbrush. The MG 08/15 was short recoil operated, water-cooled, full automatic, and belt-fed.