These two machine guns, the MG-34 and the MG-42, were the primary arms given to the German infantry and their vehicles throughout World War 2. In this video, you can see how to load, operate, fire, and unload each gun. You’ll even see how to change a barrel on the MG-42 model.
MG-34
This is a recoil-operated machine gun that is air-cooled. It was first introduced in 1934 and was sent to many units in 1936. This gun utilizes the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge.
This was a versatile gun and possibly the most advanced one of its time. It had outstanding mobility, being light enough for one man to carry; its rate of fire was tremendous – up to 900 rounds per minute.
This gun was issued in massive numbers after Hitler’s rejection, in 1936, of the Versailles Treaty. It was first tested in combat when German troops assisted Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.
MG-42
This is a Mauser machine gun which uses the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge. It was created in Nazi Germany and was heavily used by the Waffen-SS and Wehrmacht at the end of World War 2. It was initially made to replace the Mg-34 as it was cheaper to manufacture and quicker to make, but in the end, both machine guns remained in production throughout the War.
The MG-42 machine gun has been proven to be reliable, durable, simple, and easy to use and is most useful in that it can produce a higher than usual volume of suppressive fire. It could average between 1,200 and 1,500 rounds per minute – which was fantastic for this type of gun at the time.
This gun was still being used beyond the War ending and was the basis for the later MG1, which was almost identical to the MG-42 and took 7.62x51mm NATO chambers. This then evolved to the MG1A3 and then eventually the Bundeswehr MG-3.
Check out the footage of these ubiquitous WW2 designs being put through their paces!