MG 34 (machine gun)
| MG 34 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | Unit machine gun model 34 |
| Country of operation: | German Empire , Finland , Italy , Slovakia , Hungary , France , Israel , Italy , Portugal , Czechoslovakia , and Vietnam |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Mauser Werke AG , Rheinmetall |
| Development year: | 1931 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Production time: | December 1933 to March 1945 |
| Model variants: | Modification Mod. 34 S (series fire only), Mod. 81 for aircraft |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1225 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | with bipod 12.1 kg |
| Barrel length : | 625 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.92 x 57 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | Steel belt: 250 rounds, belt (in the box): 300 rounds, belt drum: 50 rounds, MG-15 double drum (rare): 75 cartridges |
| Cadence : | 800-900 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Single and continuous fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Visor : | open sliding visor , 200–2000 m, rising 100 m |
| Closure : | Turret lock |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The MG 34 was a machine gun made in Germany. It was developed by the Wehrmacht in World War II used as a universal machine gun. In the course of the war it was replaced by the cheaper to produce successor MG 42 , but remained in use until the end of the war.
history
In the Reichswehr , newly formed after the First World War , the machine gun companies were armed with the water-cooled, heavy machine gun MG 08 and the infantry companies with the water-cooled light machine gun MG 08/15 . The hunter companies received the air-cooled light MG 08/18 instead of the MG 08/15 . The Versailles Treaty denied the cavalry light machine guns, so they only wielded the water-cooled MG 08 heavy machine gun . Soon, however, the leadership of the Reichswehr demanded lighter, air-cooled and easy-to-use weapons. After first (also both as a light machine gun on bipod as a heavy machine gun on a gun carriage) spoke of a universal machine gun, man, decided for the time being the heavy water-cooled MG Dreyse to modify and 13 to an air-cooled light machine gun this as MG 13 in to introduce the troops. From 1931 each cavalry cavalry group was assigned a MG 13. It was also used by the hunter battalions and the bicycle units.
The development of a unitary machine gun began in the spring of 1931 and just one year later, Mauser presented an air-cooled recoil loader with a short recoil, twist lock and magazine feed, in which the barrel was located in a tubular barrel jacket with cooling slots - the LMG.32 , the Forerunner of the MG 34 . However, it was not Mauser but the chief designer Louis Stange from the Rheinmetallwerk in Sömmerda who was commissioned with the final development of the weapon. The first MG 34 - still with magazine feed - were delivered in 1936; The 75 round double drum from the MG 15 was used . From 1937 onwards, the belt feeder we know today was used.
From September 1939 to March 1945 the German Army Weapons Office procured more than 345,000 pieces. Manufacturers were the Berlin branch of Mauserwerke, Gustloff-Werke in Suhl, MAGET , Berlin, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG and Waffenwerke Brno in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .
function
The MG 34 is a self-firing blowback gun. If the shooter pulls the trigger, the slide snaps forward, pushes a cartridge out of the belt and inserts it into the chamber. The bolt head rotates as it moves further forward and locks in the barrel. The locking is done by combs on the bolt head and corresponding millings in the barrel. After ignition, the barrel and bolt slide back together briefly, whereupon the bolt head is turned and unlocked by means of control cams. This rotation simultaneously cocks the ignition mechanism in the rear part of the breech. Separated from the barrel, the bolt runs back further, ejects the empty case, hits the buffer spring and is thrown forward again by the recoil spring. The process is repeated as long as the shooter pulls the trigger or until the gun is empty. With a pin located at the rear, the shutter also actuates the cartridge feed mechanism when moving forward and backward.
The weapon housing is in two parts. It consists of a barrel jacket and a lock housing. To change the barrel, which should take place after 250 rounds of continuous fire, the housing can be swiveled out axially after releasing a latch. The released barrel can be pulled out to the rear and replaced with a cold barrel. A sleeve with a fire damper and a recoil amplifier is screwed onto the front end of the barrel jacket.
commitment
The ammunition used was the standard rifle cartridge 7.92 × 57 mm , which was also used in many other weapons of the German Wehrmacht . The ammunition was supplied for use on the carriage via metal continuous belts with up to 300 rounds from the cartridge box or in use as a light machine gun on bipods or for assault attacks from the belt drum with 50 rounds.
The MG 34 was light and compact, it could be carried by one man. The excellent accuracy of the shot also made it possible to fight distant point targets from the gun carriage. The rate of fire from 800 to 900 rounds per minute allowed the fight against low-flying aircraft. The trigger had a double function: pulled through at the bottom, the weapon fired continuous fire, at the top individual shots were fired.
The disadvantage was the high purchase price of 310 Reichsmarks (RM) (based on 150 working hours), which was due to the complex production with tight tolerances. The result was a delicate weapon that required a well-trained operating crew. The gun could jam, especially in extremely cold weather. All of this ultimately led to the replacement by the MG 42 , which could be produced inexpensively (250 RM) in large quantities and, thanks to its large tolerances, was insensitive to external influences. Nevertheless, the MG 34 was in use until the end of the war, as the great demand for machine guns could never be completely covered.
In combat, the MG 34 was used as a light machine gun with a 50-shot drum with a bipod support for short bursts of fire; the sight covered the range from 200 m to 2000 m. A mount with an optical aiming device allowed long-lasting precise fire in direct shot up to 3000 m, indirectly up to 3500 m. The automatic depth fire automat on this type 34 return carriage allowed a given target area to be covered. A tripod support was used for air defense. Two MG 34s could also be placed on the twin type 36 base for anti-aircraft defense and operated by a rifleman. The MG 34 was also the standard tank machine gun of the Wehrmacht and was used axially parallel to the main cannon, as a movable bow machine gun and for anti-aircraft guns on the tower hatch. Instead of the barrel jacket with cooling holes, it had a more massive jacket that was more insensitive to the effects of bullets and only perforated at the back.
Many states allied with the German Reich also received MG 34s for their armies, for example Finland , Italy , Slovakia and Hungary .
Use after 1945
Even after the Second World War, the MG 34 was still used in the armies of France , Israel , Italy , Portugal , ČSSR , Vietnam and many African countries. The MG 34 was used on the Israeli side during the Suez Crisis (Second Israeli-Arab War) in 1956 .
See also
literature
- Hube (ed.): The infantryman. Manual for self-instruction and training of young frontline soldiers in the infantry. Publishing house "Open Words", Charlottenburg 1925.
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons. Siegler, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-87748-668-9 , pp. 188-195.
- George M. Chinn: The Machine Gun. History, Evolution and Development of Manual, Automatic and Airborne Repeating Weapons. Prepared for the Bureau of Ordnance, Department of the Navy. Volume 1. United States Government Printing Office , Washington DC 1951, pp. 472-479.
- Peter Dannecker: Locking systems for firearms. dwj Verlags-GmbH, Blaufelden 2009, ISBN 978-3-936632-20-0 , pp. 226-233.
- Chris McNab : MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns , Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-78200-309-0 . 82 pages (online PDF) ( Memento from May 15, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
- US-War Department: German 7.9-mm Dual Purpose Machine Gun MG34, 1943 (also TM E9-206A ), United States Government Printing Office , 1943, (Technical Manual, detailed description) ( online at archive.org )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Overview II of the Versailles Treaty. Quoted from: Hube: Der Infanterist. 1925, p. 140.
Web links
- Overview, images and data German machine guns (Engl.) ( Memento from 1 November 2007 at the Internet Archive )
- MG34 armored jacket (pictures and information)