MG 42

Not to be confused with FG 42.

MG 42
MG 42 with retracted bipod
TypeGeneral-purpose machine gun
Place of originNazi Germany
Service history
In service1942–present
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
DesignerWerner Gruner
Designed1942
Manufacturer
Unit cost250 ℛ︁ℳ︁ (1944)
(equivalent[4] to €52 in 2021)
Produced1942–1945 (Nazi Germany)
No. built423,600[5]
Variants
Specifications
Mass11.6 kg (25.57 lb)[6]
Length1,220 mm (48 in)
Barrel length530 mm (20.9 in)[6]
Cartridge7.92×57mm Mauser
ActionRecoil-operated, roller-locked
Rate of fire
  • 1,200 rounds/min[6] (varied between 900–1,500 rounds/min with different bolts)
  • Practical: 153 rounds/min[7]
Fully-automatic only[6]
Muzzle velocity740 m/s (2,428 ft/s) (s.S. Patrone)
Effective firing range
  • 200–2,000 m (219–2,187 yd) sight adjustments[6][unreliable source?]
  • 3,500 m (3,828 yd) with tripod and telescopic sight
Maximum firing range4,700 m (5,140 yd)
Feed system
SightsIron sights, anti aircraft sight or telescopic sights

The MG 42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "machine gun 42") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II. Entering production in 1942, it was intended to supplement and replace the earlier MG 34, which was more expensive and took much longer to produce, but both weapons were produced until the end of World War II.

Designed to use the standard German fully-powered 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle round and to be cheaper and easier to manufacture, the MG 42 proved to be highly reliable and easy to operate. It is most notable for its very high cyclic rate for a gun using full-power service cartridges: it averaged about 1,200 rounds per minute, compared to around 850 for the MG 34, and 450 to 600 for other common machine guns like the M1919 Browning, FM 24/29, or Bren gun. This made it extremely effective in providing suppressive fire. Its unique sound led to it being nicknamed "Hitler's buzzsaw".[8]

The MG 42 was adopted by several armed organizations after the war, and was both copied and built under licence. The MG 42's lineage continued past Nazi Germany's defeat, forming the basis for the nearly identical MG1 (MG 42/59), chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, which subsequently evolved into the MG1A3, and later the Bundeswehr's MG 3, Italian MG 42/59, and Austrian MG 74. In Yugoslavia, an unlicensed, near-identical copy was produced as the Zastava M53.

The MG 42 lent many design elements to the Swiss MG 51 and SIG MG 710-3, French AA-52, American M60, the Belgian MAG general-purpose machine guns, and the Spanish 5.56×45mm NATO Ameli light machine gun.

  1. ^ "Arms for freedom". 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. ^ Afonso, Aniceto and Gomes, Carlos de Matos (2000), Guerra Colonial, pp. 183–184, ISBN 972-46-1192-2
  3. ^ McNab 2012, pp. 72–73.
  4. ^ 1500 to 1850: Ulrich Pfister, 2010. "Consumer prices and wages in Germany, 1500 - 1850," CQE Working Papers 1510, Center for Quantitative Economics (CQE), University of Münster. 1851-1882: Coos Santing, 2007, Inflation 1800-2000, data from OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Economic Outlook. Historical Statistics and Mitchell, B. R. International Historical Statistics, Africa, Asia and Oceania 1750-1993 London : Macmillan ; New York : Stockton, 1998, International Historical Statistics, Europe 1750-1993 London : Macmillan ; New York : Stockton, 1998, and International Historical Statistics, The Americas 1750-1993 London : Macmillan ; New York : Stockton, 1998. After 1883, German inflation numbers based on data available from the Deutsches Statistisches Bundesamt archive and GENESIS database.
  5. ^ Folke Myrvang (2003), MG34-MG42: German Universal Machineguns. Collector Grade Publications
  6. ^ a b c d e f German Army (Heer) (3 May 1944). H. Dv. 181/7 Untersuchung und Instandsetzung des Infanteriegerätes, Teil 7: Waffentechnisches Handbuch für MG 42 [Army Manual 181/7 Inspection and Maintenance of Infantry Equipment, Part 7: Weapon-technical Handbook for the MG 42] (in German). p. 7.
  7. ^ "German Views on Use of the MG 42". Intelligence Bulletin. May 1944. Retrieved 17 February 2017 – via lonesentry.com. Under battle conditions the MG 42 can fire about 22 bursts per minute—that is, about 154 rounds. Under the same conditions, the MG 34 is capable only of about 15 bursts per minute, at a rate of 7 to 10 rounds per burst, totalling about 150 rounds. Thus the MG 42, used as a light machine gun, requires a slightly higher ammunition expenditure.
  8. ^ Smith, Joseph E. (1973). Small Arms of the World (10th ed.). Harrisburg, PA, USA: Stackpole Co.