Technical Specifications for MG-42
Type	General-purpose machine gun.
Calibre	7.92 x 57 mm Mauser (0.31 in)
Length	1220 mm
Barrel	Length 533 mm 4 grooves right-hand twist.
Weight	11.5 kg with bipod:32 kg with Lafette 42 tripod.
Muzzle velocity	755 m / second.
Rate of fire	1200 rounds / minute.
Effective range	500 metres direct fire:3500 meters indirect fire.
Ammo feed	50-round belt (usually clipped in fives to give 250 rounds)
Unit cost	250 RM (c.550 including tripod)

Technical Specifications for MG-34
Type	General-purpose machine gun.
Calibre	7.92 x 57 mm Mauser (0.31 in)
Length	1219 mm
Barrel	Length 627 mm 4 grooves right-hand twist.
Weight	12.1 kg with bipod:36 kg with Lafette 34 tripod.
Muzzle velocity	755 m / second.
Rate of fire	800 to 900 rounds / minute.
Effective range	800 metres direct fire:2000 to 3000 meters indirect fire.
Ammo feed	75 round saddle drum magazine or 50-round belt
Unit cost	327 RM (727 RM including tripod)

Above In the sustained fire role of the MG-42 usually operated with a three-man team of spotter , gunner and a loader to the left.

Development Germany produced many advanced weapons during World War II.Some were successful , some were unreliable , and some were a little too advanced for their own good.But a few German weapons were so good that they changed the face of warfare , and would influence weapons development all over the world for decades after Germany's defeat.Among their number were the MG-34 machine-gun and it's successor the MG-42.The first crude machine-guns were introduced in the 1860's but only came to dominate the battlefield during the first World War.By the time World War II broke out machine-guns in most armies came in a variety of forms.Types of MG There were light machine-guns , sometimes little more them automatic rifles : equipped with bipods and generally magazine fed , they were carried and used by infantrymen to provide their own extra firepower.Then there were medium machine-guns : heavy often water cooled and mounted on massive tripods or mountings.These were used to lay down fire in the classic World War I manner : hosing out immense quantites of lead for long periods of time.Heavy machine-guns were also support weapons , operating over greater range and with greater penetration , but were even more unwieldy.The Wehrmacht was different.In the MG34 the Germans had produced the first general-purpose machine-gun , a weapon which could do just about anything.Fitted with a bipod , it could be used as a light machine-gun by infantry in the assault.Mounted on the MG-Lafatte , a tripod with a periscope sight it could be used in defence in the sustained fire role.When the gun fired the recoil moved the gun on the mount so that it automatically swept a beaten zone with fire.The tripod was designed so that the gunner could fire the weapon from below the parapet of the trench either by using a grip handle which had a mechanical linkage to the trigger or simply by pulling a cord fixed to the grip.Other mountings included twin and triple for AA use and with a heavier barrel sleeve and a ball mounting it was installed in tanks. The MG34 was air cooled doing away with the clumsy water cooling systems which had formerly prevented the barrel from melting under sustained fire.To prevent overheating it was fitted with a quick-change barrel-MG crews always carried one or more spare barrels.It fitted a 7.92 mm round from a 50 round non disintegrating metal belt.As defensive armament in bombers it used 75-round saddle magazines.With a bipod the MG34 weighed around 12 kg loaded and 31 kg on the tripod.It was 1219 mm long , with a barrel length of 627 mm.The muzzle velocity was 755 meters a second.The maximum effective or combat range was 2000 meters and the MG34 had a cyclic rate of fire of 800 to 900 rounds per minute.The chief drawback of the gun was that it was built to very high standards , mostly with components machined or turned from solid billets of steel.This meant that it was labour intensive and very expensive to produce. The expansion of the war into Russia saw a huge increase in demand for machine-guns.A team of engineers headed by Dr Grunow , a successful industrialist was tasked with finding ways of speeding up production of the MG34.The result was the classic MG-42 one of the most influential firearms in history.It used plastic in the butt and pistol grip and stamped and die cast metal components instead of expensive machined steel.In place of riveted or screwed joints spot welding was used.When Allied intelligence officers evaluated captured MG-42's they assumed that these changes were the result of pressure on the German munitions industry.They did not at first realize that it was a conscious design decision which had so simplified manufacture that machine-guns could be produced at a much greater rate , even with a semi-skilled work force.

Above Although the MG 42 was designed to fire only the standard 50-round ammunition belts , it was not difficult to modify it to accept the MG 34's 75-round saddle-drum magazine.The large round fore sight on this example is an anti-aircraft sight.

Combat ExperienceThe MG-42 incorporated lessons hard-won in combat on the Eastern Front.Both the cocking handle and the catch for the top cover to the working parts were designed so that the gunner could operate them wearing mitts or with a stick or rod.This was vital in the sub-zero Russian winters where contact by bare flesh on cold metal could cause severe injury.The MG-42 also functioned well in other climates : dust and dirt in North Africa and Italy was less likely to jam the MG-42 then the more temperamental MG34.The MG-42 was lighter and slightly more compact then it's predecessor but used the same operating principal of short recoil assisted by gas pressure from a muzzle velocity of the MG-42 at 755 meters a second was the same as the MG34 , but the most distinctive chance was the rate of fire-the MG-42 ripped through belted ammunition at a cyclic rate of 1,550 rounds a minute. .Barrel ChangeThis high rate of fire heated up the barrel of the MG-42 even more then the MG34 and so the quick change system was simplified.The gunner had only to reach forward of the working parts push a retaining catch on the housing forward and the barrel swung out to the right.Taking care because it was very hot , he then pulled it to the rear and it was free.To replace the new barrel he simply reversed the procedure.A trained machine-gunner could complete the whole process in under 30 seconds.This high rate of fire could be reassuring to a nervous soldier , but the vibration it produced was a problem : the MG-42 was less accurate then the MG34 on the bipod.Though soldiers were trained to fire short bursts this was sometimes hard to remember in the heat of battle.Entusiastic use of the weapon also got through a lot of rounds which meant that the three-man crew needed to carry heavy loads of ammunition.The snarling fire of an MG-42 was unmistakable , often likened by Allied soldiers to the sound of tearing linoleum.One veteran recalled " the hysterical shriek of the MG-42's furious rate of fire "....." i remember my first reaction....was one of amazement at the crushing fire power of those guns.It seemed to me that the German soldier seldom used his rifle.He was a carrier of boxes of light machine-gun ammunition of which they seemed to have an endless supply."