The German MG.42 is often referred to as the best machine gun of World War II. For its high rate of fire, it was called the ‘bone cutter’ and ‘Hitler's circular saw’. It was the most formidable example of German small arms. In today's article we will tell you about the main advantages of the MG.42 and how it proved itself in battles.
During World War II, the German army used the concept of a single (universal) machine gun. This small arms weapon could be mounted on armored vehicles or used by infantry for bipod firing. The machine gun had to fire both magazine-fueled and belt-fueled. The German army had machine guns in service before this concept was introduced, and their designs allowed them to be used as a single weapon. However, it was decided to create a new weapon, under specific stringent requirements.
The first of these was the MG.34, which was adopted in 1934 and became the Wehrmacht's main machine gun at the start of World War II. Despite all its advantages, the MG.34 had a number of disadvantages: it was difficult and expensive to produce, and often malfunctioned when dirty. It was decided to replace it with a more reliable machine gun.
The first work on the new model, which later became the MG.42, began in 1937. Only after numerous improvements and modifications was the machine gun adopted for service in April 1942. Taking the MG.34 as a basis, the designers redesigned its weak point - the bolt group, making the weapon not only more reliable under unfavorable operating conditions, but also cheaper to produce. The MG.42 was more technologically advanced due to the extensive use of stamping and spot welding, and the reduction of parts. The MG.42 cost an average of 250 Reichsmarks to produce, compared to 312 Reichsmarks for the MG.34. The MG.34 took about 49 kg of raw metal and 150 man-hours to produce, while the MG.42 took 27.5 kg and 75 man-hours respectively.
The MG.42 was also more effective in combat due to its impressive rate of fire. The rate of fire of the machine gun was 900-1500 rounds per minute, depending on the bolt. Such a high rate of fire had a significant impact on the battlefield. The MG.42, using a belt-fed machine gun, could, due to this density of fire, inflict significant damage to the attackers or provide significant support to the German advancing infantry. Due to the clutching mechanism it was possible to assemble a belt of any length, which reduced reloading time. The MG.42 could also be fired from either the bipod or the machine gun.
The MG.42's shortcomings included its heavy weight of 11.57 kg, which made it impossible to fire effectively without a bipod or rig and reduced maneuverability of the gunner. Despite its high reliability, in case of at least a slight ribbon warping in the receiver, there were delays due to cartridge jamming. However, due to its high rate of fire, high technology and cheapness in production, reliability, convenience and ease of operation, the MG.42 proved itself at the front. A total of 423,000 MG.42s were produced, and its design was so successful that after a number of modernizations it is still in service in several countries today. The MG.42 was also actively used as a trophy by the Red Army. This is what tanker Vasily Krysov recalled:
‘All through the war I carried an MG.42 machine gun on the self-propelled vehicles I fought on. It was a great machine gun, it hit the Germans well - it had a belt loading, air cooling and 250 rounds in a metal box. We take ten boxes and hit them. But when the Germans got Faust patrons, they became more dangerous for us than tanks and assault guns. When we go somewhere through a wooded area or enter a town, we first use a machine gun to sweep everything, and then we enter.
The Victory Museum holds an original MG.42 machine gun manufactured at the Maget factory in Berlin. You can learn more about weapons and equipment of the Great Patriotic War at our exhibitions and expositions.
