The Maxim style arms used by both the Allies, as the Vickers machine gun and Central Powers, as both the LMG 08 and LMG 08/15 Spandau gun, and Parabellum LMG 14 gun, all fired with a cycle starting with a closed bolt, and since the bullet firing from the gun started the firing cycle, it was much easier to set the synchronizer to only trigger the gun when the propeller's blade was not in front of the gun.
This unremarkable and derivative design was, however, transformed into a formidable fighter when it was fitted with the newly developed synchronizer gear, the Fokker Stangensteuerung, firing a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum LMG 14 or Spandau lMG 08 machine gun through the spinning propeller.
It was a complete redesign of the Maschinengewehr 08 machine gun (itself an adaptation of the Maxim gun) system intended for use on aircraft and zeppelins that used a toggle action that broke upwards rather than downwards opposite the MG 08, making for a much more compact receiver.