MG42 machine gun history

The mother of the MG42 is the MG34

is considered to be the first modern general purpose machine gun

“

Einheitsmaschinengewehr”

. It was developed in the 1930s to use the standard German 7.92x57mm Mauser full-power rifle round.

 

Wehrmacht MG34 with at front 16.October, 1941. Battle of Mariupol.

Eastfront 1941

By changing its mount, sights and feed mechanism, the operator could radically transform an machine gun “

Einheitsmaschinengewehr”

for several purposes.

It was envisaged and well developed to provide portable light

and medium machine gun

infantry cover, anti light tank, anti-aircraft coverage, and even sniping ability.

MG42

The cheaper MG 42 is a 7.92×57mm Mauser general-purpose machine gun designed in Germany and used extensively during the second World War.

Nicknames

:

Hitlersäge

,

Knochensäge,

Singende Säge

or

elektrisches MG.

("Hitler's saw", "Bone saw", "Singing saw" or "electric machine gun").

DATA:

Length: 122

Maximum firing range: 4700 meter (5,140yd)

Muzzle velocity:

740 m/s (2,428 ft/s)

Designer: Werner Gruner

Variants: Rheinmetall MG3 (German Bundeswehr), Zastava M53

Actions: Recoil operation, Roller locked

Cartridge

7.92x57mm Mauser

Rate of fire

1,200 rounds/min (varied between 900–1,500 rounds/min with different bolts)
Practical: 153 rounds/min

Fully-automatic only

Muzzle velocity

740 m/s (2,428 ft/s)

Effective firing range

200–2,000 m (219–2,187 yd) sight adjustments

3,500 m (3,828 yd) with tripod and telescopic sight

Maximum firing range

4,700 m (5,140 yd)

Feed system

50 or 250-round “Patronengurt” Munition belt 33, 34 or 34/41 model belt

50-round belt drum

Sights

Iron sights,

antiaircraft sight or telescopic sights

Mass

11.6 kg (25.57 lb)

Length

1,220 mm (48 in)

Barrel length

530 mm (20.9 in)

Variants:

MG 45/MG 42V, MG 1, MG 2, Rheinmetall MG3,

M53, MG 74

Users:

World wide

NATO: