Maschinengewehr 34 and 42

Written by
Justin "Loose Cannon" Riggir

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Of the various war machines that were introduced during the 20th century, the most destructive of human life was the heavy machine gun. The image most of us have of the First World War is of young men advancing across ‘no-mans’ land and being slaughtered in their thousands. The Second World War again emphasised the important role of the machine gun, however the more fluid, mobile tactics used tended to reduce its dominance. The role of the machine gun appeared to pass to the light machine gun, however the heavy machine gun once more emerged whenever the conditions dictated static warfare.

It is an accepted fact that warfare brings accelerated change. When the world marched to war in 1914, it was with the knowledge that the infantry’s strength was its massed rifle fire, however it was only a matter of some few months before the battlefield came to be dominated by the machine gun. The machine gun of 1914 was heavy, water-cooled, tripod mounted, capable of a high sustained rate of fire and for these reasons was usually held at battalion level and fired from carefully selected fixed points. Numerous attacks by both sides were repulsed by carefully sited machine guns. Only the development and arrival of the tank, a weapon specifically designed to counter the machine gun, marked its decline. Although companies or even individual sections often saw the need for a machine gun, by the time this had been noted at battalion level the situation had often changed. The sheer physical effort involved to move the machine gun and its heavy tripod meant any hope of a mobile role was out of the question.

German tactical planners were quick to see the need for a lighter machine gun suitable for the use at company or lower level, and by the end of 1915 a specification for what would eventually be known as the light machine gun was issued.

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The German Army and Navy both used the machine gun originally designed by Sir Hiram Maxim in 1885. The Army version was known as the MG 08. This model used the basic Maxim action virtually unchanged and the usual mounting was the large and heavy Schlitten 08 sledge. To meet this new specification the existing MG 08 was modified and fitted with a butt, simple bipod, smaller water jacket, pistol grip, different sights, a lightened receiver, and was first issued to front-line troops in 1916. Although for a light machine gun, the MG 08/15 at 17.2 kilograms (38 lb) including water was still heavy, however as it was based on an existing service weapon, training and logistics were simplified.

The next machine gun to be developed was the MG 08/18, which was a much lighter air-cooled weapon evolved from experience gained with the luMG 08/15 air-cooled aircraft machine gun. Although the MG 08/18 was produced too late during WWI and issued in insufficient numbers to influence infantry thinking at the time, its lighter weight and air-cooled features were noted by the post-war tactical analysts.

The German Army’s conclusions about the role of the machine-gun were different from those of other nations. Britain and France, looked upon riflemen as the basic unit, with the machine-gun being used in the support of them. Germany placed the main emphasis on the machine gun and considered it to be the basic squad weapon, with the rifle squad revolving around it. It was also decided that any future light machine gun would be air-cooled, and a number of existing water-cooled Dreyse machine guns were modified to air-cooling. This resulted in the MG 13, a rather long and bulky weapon, which served as the standard light machine gun of the German Army during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Rheinische Metallwaren und Maschinenfabrik of Düsseldorf, which later became better-known as Rheinmetall-Borsig, had in 1901 bought out the company formed by the famous designer von Dreyse, and from then on had named all their small arms ‘Dreyse’. As Germany was forbidden machine gun development by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the German armament companies simply made secret alliances with foreign armament concerns to conduct research and development for them. Rheinmetall-Borsig arranged various connections with foreign companies during the 1920s, acquiring a considerable holding in the Oesterreichische Waffenfabrik Gesellschaft of Steyr, Austria.

In 1929 there was an attempt by Rheinmetall-Borsig to form a Dutch ‘shadow’ company without success, however later the same year they were more successful when they took over the Swiss Solothurm company. These two companies were then used for weapons development and production for the German concern. As a result, designs that were drawn in Düsseldorf, were engineered by Solothurn and put into production by Steyr, then being marketed by a sales organisation named Steyr-Solothurn AG of Zurich.

Perhaps the most important work carried out for Rheinmetall-Borsig by Waffenfabrik Solothurn AG was the Solothurn MG 29, which was improved to become the MG 30. This light machine gun was based on the requirements then still being composed by the German tactical planners, and included most of the features later to be found in all German machine guns. The very advanced design used barrel recoil to drive back the bolt which was then rotated to unlock by two rollers running in cam tracks in the gun’s body, and was all ‘in-line’ in that the gun followed a straight line from the muzzle to the butt.

When a weapon is laid out in an ‘in-line’ or ‘straight-line’ configuration, with the butt in continuation of the barrel axis, it generates less of an upward couple when fired which allows the weapon to be kept trained more accurately on target when on automatic fire. Prolonged firing of a machine gun soon warms the barrel to a very high temperature and the barrel steel begins to erode at an increasing rate, with the result that the bullets will no longer take the rifling and the gun’s accuracy and long range will be affected. The MG 30 therefore, had a quick-change arrangement in which the butt was twisted through 90 degrees and removed, the bolt and barrel then being withdrawn through the gun’s receiver. The rate of fire at 800 rounds per minute was quite high, the weight at 7.7 kilograms (17 lb) was low, and a 25-round box magazine was fitted.

The German Luftwaffe requested the development of an aircraft version of the MG 30 and Rheinmetall who were by now in 1932, doing most of the work themselves in Germany at their Düsseldorf factories, produced the MG 15 which was adopted as one of the ‘standard’ Luftwaffe machine guns. The MG 30 was offered to the German Army who, although purchasing a few for evaluation purposes, rejected it. However, they requested further development as although the design was quite suitable, a more futuristic concept was foreseen.

The Germans during their tactical analysis had arrived at a different conclusion as to what a machine gun should be. They could see no reason to divide machine-guns into light or heavy models as, in their proposed system of employment, either machine gun could be called upon to fight in either role. What they wanted was a portable light machine gun which was heavy enough to be capable of laying down sustained fire for defensive purposes whenever conditions dictated static warfare.

The air-cooled machine gun with a rapid barrel-change device, when fitted with a bipod and a box feed device could be used as a light weapon, while the same weapon when fitted to a tripod and an alternative feed arrangement could also be used as a heavy machine gun. The standardisation of one type of machine gun for both roles, the general-purpose machine gun, a name which would not appear for around another thirty or so years.

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During the early 1930s, Mauser-Werke AG of Berlin in addition to Rheinmetall-Borsig, was also interested in producing an air-cooled machine gun and had several prototypes under development. With the issue of the specification for the new machine gun, a decision was made to combine the best features of both firms’ designs under the design leadership of Louis Stange of Rheinmetall-Borsig. Overall control of the project was retained by Mauser which also became the main production outlet for the new machine gun. The side-feeding box magazine of the MG 30 was removed making the new design a belt-feed weapon which, by quick substitution of a different top cover, could also use the MG 15’s 75-round double drum magazine. The bolt locking system modified so that only the bolt head revolved, and lockup achieved by the use of interrupted threads. Additional recoil impulse was given to the barrel by the addition of a muzzle gas trap or recoil intensifier.

The barrel quick-change arrangement was changed by hinging the weapons receiver to the rear of the barrel jacket. The receiver could be unlatched and swung to the side to allow the barrel to be pulled straight out of the barrel jacket. The trigger was a rocking unit with pressure on the top section giving single shots while pressure on the bottom section gave automatic fire at the high rate of 850 rounds per minute.

The resulting weapon, the MG 34, became the German Army’s standard machine gun, giving excellent service in both the light and heavy roles. It was issued to all branches of the German armed services and a wide range of accessories were gradually developed and introduced, there was even a periscope device that enabled the MG 34 to be fired from below cover. In the heavy machine gun role, the MG 34 was mounted to a rather complex tripod, which could be quickly altered by the addition of an upright pole for anti-aircraft purposes. An optic sight could be added for long-range work. The MG 34’s sights were graduated from 200 to 2,000 meters and with the optic sight it had a range of 3,500 meters. There was a lightweight Dreifuss 34 AA tripod, which could also be used for firing at ground targets.

Other accessories included the Zwillingslafette 34 twin mounting for mobile AA defence, which could be carried in a single-axle trailer (MG-Doppelwagen 36) and towed by a motor vehicle or, when combined with a limber, horse-drawn and a Zwillingsockel for fixed AA installations on ships and fortifications. Other special mountings for fortifications included complex ball supports, which were eventually replaced by a simplified fortress mounting designed for firing through loopholes. A special ball mounting was designed for use in Armoured Fighting Vehicles and there was a remote-control mounting for the top of assault guns.

The MG 34 was the first general-purpose selective fire machine gun. A general-purpose machine gun is a light air-cooled machine gun, which with the addition of a tripod and a dial sight can be adapted to the role of the heavy machine gun. The MG 34 was accepted for service in 1934, with production deliveries commencing during 1936 and remained in production until 1945. It has been estimated that there were more MG 34’s in use during WW II than any other single model of machine gun.

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The MG 34 was an excellent machine gun, but unfortunately the quality of the design and workmanship required in its manufacture necessitated extremely precise and long manufacturing processes, with the tolerances on the weapon being so fine that it was easily affected by dust and grit. It was also expensive with each basic gun costing the German forces RM 310. Production was carried out by five factories and a number of subcontractors under the leadership of Mauser-Werke AG at Berlin. However, production could not match demand, and although the need for an eventual replacement had been foreseen as far back as 1937, by late 1940 it was realised that the MG 34 had to be replaced by something better suited to large-scale production. Additionally combat experiences on the Eastern Front indicated the need for an increased quantity of faster firing machine guns.

The basic design was modified by Mauser resulting in the MG 34S and the MG 34/41, however despite their increased rates of fire both types were not considered satisfactory. The ideal solution was considered to combine advanced design features with the simplified production methods introduced with the MP 40 sub-machine gun. Mauser combined their expertise with a Dr Grunow, an expert in metal stamping procedures, of the Johannes Grossfuss Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik of Döbeln. The resulting machine gun was designed for ease of production, and used stamping and pressing processes, with welding and riveting used for assembly.

The new weapon was designated the MG 42, which is still arguably the finest machine gun ever made. The MG 42 combined the basic MG 34 layout with a number of features taken from Polish and Czech design studies. The action of the MG 34 was changed and used a non-rotating bolt locking into a barrel extension by two rollers which were cammed outwards. If these rollers were not out and the bolt securely locked, the firing pin could not pass through the bolt. After the gun had fired, the barrel and bolt both recoiled and locked together until cam tracks in the gun body forced the rollers inwards which released the bolt. The bolt movement drove a feed arm mounted in the top cover of the gun, which in turn operated pawls to feed the ammunition from the belt. This was trialed as the MG 39/41 and later standardised as the MG 42.

Mauser was again put in control of the project and organised production of this new weapon in a number of centres. As with the MP 40, the time-honoured gunmaking methods were abandoned in favour of easily turned-out spot welds, stampings and drop forgings, as by this stage the demands of war on several fronts had created massive problems for German industry.

The MG 42 was not only easier and quicker to produce than the MG 34, but at RM 250, it was less expensive. It had a quick and simple barrel change, performed by unlatching the breech end and swinging the barrel out through a wide slot in the side of the barrel jacket until it could be completely removed. The barrel could thus be changed in less than five seconds. It had the very high rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute, much higher than other machine guns of the time. Although a result of the rate of fire was that the gun vibrated so much that it soon went off its point of aim and also had a tendency to creep forward, away from the man holding it. It was extremely reliable in all conditions, very simple to operate and maintain, and proved very popular with the soldiers who called for it in ever-increasing quantities.

Rather than adapt existing MG 34 accessories, a whole new range of MG 42 accessories were developed, although some parts were interchangeable. The light bipod was also manufactured from steel stampings, and another part sometimes used was the so-called winter trigger guard, an oversize trigger guard enabling the user to fire the weapon without the need to remove the gloves or mittens necessary on the Eastern Front. The first MG 42s were delivered to the Afrika Korps and on every front, German troops soon appreciated the reliability and handling of the MG 42.

The MG 42 entered service in 1942 with over 750,000 being produced by 1945. Both the MG 34 and MG 42 were standard issue to the German Army, Waffen-SS and other front-line formations. It is generally acknowledged as the finest machine gun ever developed and introduced the recoil-operated roller locking system and fast barrel change. The straight-line recoil configuration, feed-tray system and trigger group of the MG 42 are without peer and have either influenced the design or been copied repeatedly in other machine guns including the US M-60. The MG 42 is one of the few WW II weapons not rendered obsolete by modern developments.

A version of the MG 42 was developed post WWII to become the 7.62 mm Rheinmettal MG 3 which was the standard general-purpose machine gun of the German Federal Republic’s armed forces. Belgian’s Fabrique Nationale’s MAG (Mitrailleur à Gaz, or gas-operated machine gun) used a feed mechanism copied from the MG 42. Immediately after WWII there was a possibility that the US might have gone into production with a copy of the German MG 42. Two prototypes of the US T24 machine gun were built; however their test was a failure. A small error had been made in dimensioning the gun, with the result that the body was a quarter of an inch too short, leading in turn to various malfunctions. The project was cancelled. The M60 machine gun, which was designed after the acceptance of the 7.62 NATO cartridge, takes its straight-line recoil configuration, trigger group assembly and belt feed system directly from the MG 42.

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300 examples of the fully automatic MG 34/41 were used for troop trials on Eastern Front during 1942. However, they were not adopted for service. The MG 34S represented an experimental design only. Both machine guns featured shorter barrels than the MG 34.

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Ian V. Hogg, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Firearms, New Burlington Books, 1978, ISBN 0-906286-41-7

Ian V. Hogg and John Batchelor, The Complete Machine Gun, Exeter Books, 1979, ISBN 0-89673-012-3

Ian V. Hogg and John Weeks, Military Small Arms of the Twentieth Century, Arms and Armour Press, 1981, ISBN 0-85368-456-1

Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain, Small Arms, Artillery, and Special Weapons of the Third Reich, Macdonald & Jane’s Publishers Ltd., 1978, ISBN 0-354-01108-1

Joseph G. Rosa and Robin May, An Illustrated History of Guns and Small Arms, Castle Books, 1976, ISBN 0-7064-0555-2

The Royal Military College of Science, The Handbook of Infantry Weapons 1983, Light Weapons Design Lab., Mechanical Design Branch

World War II Links, A comprehensive site with links to sites covering land, sea and air. 5 June, 2000
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/oxford/285/wwii.htm

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