The MG 08 was the German Army's standard heavy machine gun in World War I, derived from Hiram Maxim's original Maxim gun design and produced in large numbers before and during the war. Its distinctive slow, heavy rate of fire made it a defining sound of trench warfare. Recordings and recreations of the weapon have since been reused in documentaries, history videos, and war games aiming for period accuracy. Online, the looping version is popular because it provides continuous fire without needing multiple separate gunshot clips edited together.