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The German Rifle Commission began firing tests of the [[Maxim gun]] at [[Sarbinowo, Gmina Dębno|Zorndorf]] in 1889.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=10}} In 1892, [[Ludwig Loewe]]'s company signed a seven-year contract with [[Hiram Maxim]] for production of the gun in [[Berlin]].{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=10}} The [[Imperial German Navy]] ordered Maxim guns from Loewe in 1894.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The Navy deployed them on the decks of ships and for use in amphibious warfare.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} In 1896, Loewe founded a new subsidiary, the ''[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]'' (DWM), to handle production.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The agreement with Maxim concluded in 1898 and DWM received orders from Austria-Hungary, Argentina, Switzerland and Russia.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}}
The [[German Army (German Empire)|Imperial German Army]] first considered using the Maxim gun as an artillery weapon{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The German light infantry ''[[Jäger (infantry)|Jäger]]'' troops began trials of the gun in 1898.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=11}} The [[Guards Corps (German Empire)|Guards Corps]], [[II Corps (German Empire)|
The Army purchased the modified MG 99 and MG 01 versions of the Maxim gun from DWM in limited quantities.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG 99 introduced the sled mount that would remain standard in the MG 08.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG 01 added lightweight spoked wheels, making possible the pushing and pulling of the weapon.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} The MG 01 was also exported to Chile and Bulgaria.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=12}} By 1903, the German Army had 11 machine-gun detachments serving with cavalry divisions.{{sfn|Bull|2016|p=13}}
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