MG 17
| Machine gun MG 17 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | MG 17 |
| Country of operation: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Weapon Category: | Machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 10.2 kg |
| Barrel length : | 600 mm, 475 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : |
7.92 × 57 mm (V-cartridge) with 12.8 g bullet weight |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 500 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Ammunition belt |
| Cadence : | 1180 rounds / min |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The MG 17 , together with the MG 15, was the first machine gun of the German Air Force after 1933.
It was developed in 1934 by the Rheinmetall company specifically for rigid installation in combat aircraft . Before the Second World War, the MG 17 was the standard machine gun in German combat aircraft. The locking system was the same as that of the MG 30 and MG 15 , but it was shooting - the breech was in the front locked position before the shot to enable synchronization . The gun had a belt feed , compressed air was used for charging and the ignition was triggered electrically. Up to four units were installed on different versions of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 , mostly two synchronized MGs above the engine and two more in the wings.
In the course of the war, the cartridges used at the beginning were replaced by V ammunition with a 15 percent higher muzzle velocity. V-cartridges were also available with the PmK-projectile (phosphorus with steel core) and the B-projectile (called observation cartridge, the projectile explodes on impact). Later, the MG 17 was carried machine guns and machine guns larger caliber ( MG 131 , MG 151/20 , MK 108 added) and replaced, since the small caliber insufficient penetrating power and projectile effect had. Tracer bullets fired from the MG 17 were also used as aiming aids for automatic cannons.
Due to the small caliber and the resulting small volume of the individual cartridges, a very high stock of ammunition could be carried for MGs of this type. A total of about 24,000 pieces of this weapon were produced.
literature
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons . Siegler, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-87748-668-9 .
Web links
- Overview, pictures and data of German machine guns (English) ( Memento from November 1, 2007 in the Internet Archive )