This is an advance peek at a coming article. Comments welcome, as always.
John
The German MG42 Machine gun
During World War II, it was, next to artillery, the most feared weapon on the battlefields. It spit death at up to 1500 rounds per minute. The sound of its firing mimicked that made by ripping canvas (but way louder). Its astonishing rate of fire made it impossible to distinguish the sound of individual rounds as they were fired. This was at a time when Allied machine guns managed only 450 to 600 rounds per minute. The German Maschinengewehr 42 (MG42) garnered quite a few nicknames – notably among them “Hitler’s buzzsaw.” It simply outclassed every other machine gun that existed at the time.
It had several other notable features. Its framework was mostly stamped sheet steel, making it quite lightweight; just 25.6 pounds with bipod but without ammunition drum. Its barrel could be easily and quickly replaced in a few seconds, and this was important because its barrel could and did get red hot in extended firing. It operated simply with an ingenious roller lock, which has been copied and is still being used today in numerous firearms. Its generous component tolerances allowed continuing operation in dust, mud, sand, rain and snow. It was treasured by the German Wehrmacht and respected immensely by the U.S. and its allies. Our soldiers were trained to flank it or frontally attack it only when it was out of ammo or temporarily down for barrel changing. To do otherwise was virtual suicide.
The gun was a huge improvement over its predecessor, the rotating-bolt MG34. That machine gun pioneered some of the features that were perfected in the MG42, but was very expensive to manufacture, requiring many intricately machined parts. Even its exterior was polished and carefully blued – nice to look at, but not in any way useful under the incredible manufacturing demands of all-out warfare. It fired at a fairly fast rate of about 850 rounds per minute, but still quite slower than the MG42. Manufacturing tolerances were tight, and that could be quite troublesome under adverse field conditions.
The German high command wanted a substantial improvement over the MG34, and a contest was launched to find a replacement for it. Three companies were chosen to compete. These were Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Großfuß AG of Dobeln, Rheinmettall-Borsig of Sommerda, and Stübgen of Erfurt. Of the three, Großfuß AG's design proved to be the most promising. While the two other designs were gas-operated, the Großfuß concept used a recoil-actuated roller lock. Interestingly, this company had zero weapons experience, but excelled in pressed and stamped-steel manufacturing. Dr. Werner Gruner was one of its leading designers. He attended an Army machine gunner’s course, and talked with many soldiers for ideas. He decided to use already-existing Mauser roller-locking principles and integrated that style of lock into a largely stamped-metal gun. As it turned out, while it took about 150 man-hours to make an MG34, the new prototype MG39 took only 75. Also the cost was about 24% less for the newer gun.
The prototypes, under testing, turned out to be considerably more rugged and reliable than the MG34. A small run of about 1,500 was finished in 1941 and this type of gun was designated as the MG39/41. These successfully completed field trials in actual combat. The weapon was officially accepted as the MG42 in 1942. Contracts were immediately initiated with Mauser Werke AG, Wilhelm-Gustloff-Stiftung, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Großfuß AG, and MAGET (Maschinenbau und Gerätebau GmbH, Berlin-Tegel). Over 400,000 MG42s were produced during the war (17,915 in 1942, 116,725 in 1943, 211,806 in 1944 and 61,877 in 1945).
Specifications for the MG42 were impressive. It fired the full-power 7.92x57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser) cartridge used in standard German rifles of that era. Muzzle velocity was 2,428 feet per second. Its overall length was 48 inches, and the barrel measured 20.9 inches. The rate of fire could be adjusted with different bolts and recoil springs to be from 900 rpm to 1500 rpm. It was fully-automatic only, fired from an open bolt, and had a practical rate of fire (with cooling pauses) of 153 rounds per minute. The adjustable iron sights were calibrated from 200 to 2,000 meters. Its maximum effective range was 3,500 meters with a tripod and scope sight. Maximum range was 4,700 meters. It was usually fed from an open 250-round ammo box or a 50-round drum. Both used non-disintegrating linked belts that were also employable in the MG34. As mentioned, it had a quick-change barrel mechanism, which is illustrated here:
While Allied tactics keyed on riflemen, German tactics during the war were based around the general purpose machine gun, with the objective of laying down as much firepower as possible on their enemies. Riflemen were essentially in support roles such as carrying ammunition and spare barrels, while also providing covering fire for the machine gunners. A German infantry squad (Gruppe) consisted of 10 men. There was a non-commissioned officer squad leader (Unteroffizier), a deputy squad leader, and a 3-man machine gun team consisting of a gunner, assistant gunner (loader), and an ammunition carrier. These were supported by 5 riflemen. Spare barrels for the machine gun were distributed for carrying by members of the squad. Machine gunners were trained to fire in short bursts to prevent overheating of the barrel, but in intense combat, the barrel would need replacing often. While the MG42 was most often fitted with a folding bipod, tripods were also used, as well as anti-aircraft sights. While the MG42 was light enough to be hand-carried in combat, firing it standing up would be punishing. This picture from the German war archives shows the approved prone position. Note that the firer’s left hand is on the hook in the buttstock, positioning the stock firmly into his shoulder.
The MG42 is still being used by many entities well after the war. It morphed into a number of successor machine guns used by Germany, and was copied in its principles worldwide. Some of its design elements were used in the U.S. M60 machine gun. It was an epochal development in the tools of war, and is still a classic and respected device today.
(c) 2018 JLM
John
The German MG42 Machine gun
During World War II, it was, next to artillery, the most feared weapon on the battlefields. It spit death at up to 1500 rounds per minute. The sound of its firing mimicked that made by ripping canvas (but way louder). Its astonishing rate of fire made it impossible to distinguish the sound of individual rounds as they were fired. This was at a time when Allied machine guns managed only 450 to 600 rounds per minute. The German Maschinengewehr 42 (MG42) garnered quite a few nicknames – notably among them “Hitler’s buzzsaw.” It simply outclassed every other machine gun that existed at the time.
It had several other notable features. Its framework was mostly stamped sheet steel, making it quite lightweight; just 25.6 pounds with bipod but without ammunition drum. Its barrel could be easily and quickly replaced in a few seconds, and this was important because its barrel could and did get red hot in extended firing. It operated simply with an ingenious roller lock, which has been copied and is still being used today in numerous firearms. Its generous component tolerances allowed continuing operation in dust, mud, sand, rain and snow. It was treasured by the German Wehrmacht and respected immensely by the U.S. and its allies. Our soldiers were trained to flank it or frontally attack it only when it was out of ammo or temporarily down for barrel changing. To do otherwise was virtual suicide.
The gun was a huge improvement over its predecessor, the rotating-bolt MG34. That machine gun pioneered some of the features that were perfected in the MG42, but was very expensive to manufacture, requiring many intricately machined parts. Even its exterior was polished and carefully blued – nice to look at, but not in any way useful under the incredible manufacturing demands of all-out warfare. It fired at a fairly fast rate of about 850 rounds per minute, but still quite slower than the MG42. Manufacturing tolerances were tight, and that could be quite troublesome under adverse field conditions.
The German high command wanted a substantial improvement over the MG34, and a contest was launched to find a replacement for it. Three companies were chosen to compete. These were Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Großfuß AG of Dobeln, Rheinmettall-Borsig of Sommerda, and Stübgen of Erfurt. Of the three, Großfuß AG's design proved to be the most promising. While the two other designs were gas-operated, the Großfuß concept used a recoil-actuated roller lock. Interestingly, this company had zero weapons experience, but excelled in pressed and stamped-steel manufacturing. Dr. Werner Gruner was one of its leading designers. He attended an Army machine gunner’s course, and talked with many soldiers for ideas. He decided to use already-existing Mauser roller-locking principles and integrated that style of lock into a largely stamped-metal gun. As it turned out, while it took about 150 man-hours to make an MG34, the new prototype MG39 took only 75. Also the cost was about 24% less for the newer gun.
The prototypes, under testing, turned out to be considerably more rugged and reliable than the MG34. A small run of about 1,500 was finished in 1941 and this type of gun was designated as the MG39/41. These successfully completed field trials in actual combat. The weapon was officially accepted as the MG42 in 1942. Contracts were immediately initiated with Mauser Werke AG, Wilhelm-Gustloff-Stiftung, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, Großfuß AG, and MAGET (Maschinenbau und Gerätebau GmbH, Berlin-Tegel). Over 400,000 MG42s were produced during the war (17,915 in 1942, 116,725 in 1943, 211,806 in 1944 and 61,877 in 1945).
Specifications for the MG42 were impressive. It fired the full-power 7.92x57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser) cartridge used in standard German rifles of that era. Muzzle velocity was 2,428 feet per second. Its overall length was 48 inches, and the barrel measured 20.9 inches. The rate of fire could be adjusted with different bolts and recoil springs to be from 900 rpm to 1500 rpm. It was fully-automatic only, fired from an open bolt, and had a practical rate of fire (with cooling pauses) of 153 rounds per minute. The adjustable iron sights were calibrated from 200 to 2,000 meters. Its maximum effective range was 3,500 meters with a tripod and scope sight. Maximum range was 4,700 meters. It was usually fed from an open 250-round ammo box or a 50-round drum. Both used non-disintegrating linked belts that were also employable in the MG34. As mentioned, it had a quick-change barrel mechanism, which is illustrated here:
While Allied tactics keyed on riflemen, German tactics during the war were based around the general purpose machine gun, with the objective of laying down as much firepower as possible on their enemies. Riflemen were essentially in support roles such as carrying ammunition and spare barrels, while also providing covering fire for the machine gunners. A German infantry squad (Gruppe) consisted of 10 men. There was a non-commissioned officer squad leader (Unteroffizier), a deputy squad leader, and a 3-man machine gun team consisting of a gunner, assistant gunner (loader), and an ammunition carrier. These were supported by 5 riflemen. Spare barrels for the machine gun were distributed for carrying by members of the squad. Machine gunners were trained to fire in short bursts to prevent overheating of the barrel, but in intense combat, the barrel would need replacing often. While the MG42 was most often fitted with a folding bipod, tripods were also used, as well as anti-aircraft sights. While the MG42 was light enough to be hand-carried in combat, firing it standing up would be punishing. This picture from the German war archives shows the approved prone position. Note that the firer’s left hand is on the hook in the buttstock, positioning the stock firmly into his shoulder.
The MG42 is still being used by many entities well after the war. It morphed into a number of successor machine guns used by Germany, and was copied in its principles worldwide. Some of its design elements were used in the U.S. M60 machine gun. It was an epochal development in the tools of war, and is still a classic and respected device today.
(c) 2018 JLM
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But we had 2 high ranking NCO's that could shoot single fire. Very impressive in my opinion.
