MG 34
The MG 34 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 34, or "machine gun 34") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It introduced an entirely new concept in automatic firepower – the Einheitsmaschinengewehr (Universal machine gun) – and is generally considered the world's first general-purpose machine gun (GPMG).[5][6][7][8] Both the MG 34 and MG 42 were erroneously nicknamed "Spandau" by Allied troops, a carryover from the World War I nickname for the MG 08, which was produced at the Spandau Arsenal.[9]
Maschinengewehr 34
1936–1945 (officially, German military) 1936–present (other armies)
See Users
Spanish Civil War
World War II
Guerrilla war in the Baltic states
Greek Civil War
Chinese Civil War
First Indochina War
1948 Arab–Israeli war
Korean War
Portuguese Colonial Wars
Algerian War
Cuban Revolution
Suez Crisis[1]
Biafran War
Vietnam War
Rhodesian Bush War
Angolan Civil War
Six-Day War
The Troubles
Yugoslav Wars
Syrian Civil War[2]
1934
Rheinmetall-Borsig AG Soemmerda, Mauserwerke AG, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Waffenwerke Brünn
1935–1945
577,120[3]
12.1 kg (26.7 lb)
32 kg (70.5 lb) (with tripod)
1,219 mm (48.0 in)
627 mm (24.7 in)
800–900 rounds/min
Early versions: 600–1,000 rounds/min selectable on pistol grip
MG 34"S": 1,500 rounds/min.
MG 34/41: 1,200 rounds/min.
Practical: 150 rounds/min[4]
765 m/s (2,510 ft/s) (s.S. Patrone)
200–2,000 m (219–2,187 yd) sight adjustments
3,500 m (3,828 yd) with tripod and telescopic sight
4,700 m (5,140 yd)
50/250-round Patronengurt 33, 34, or 34/41 model belt, 50-round drum, or 75-round drum magazine with modification
Iron sights, antiaircraft sight or telescopic sights
The versatile MG 34 was chambered for the fully-powered 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle cartridge and was arguably the most advanced machine gun in the world at the time of its deployment.[10] The MG 34 was envisaged and well-developed to provide portable light and medium machine gun infantry cover, anti-aircraft coverage, and even sniping ability. Its combination of exceptional mobility – being light enough to be carried by one man – and high rate of fire (of up to 900 rounds per minute) was unmatched.[10] It entered service in great numbers from 1939. Nonetheless, the design proved to be rather complex for mass production and was supplemented by the cheaper and simpler MG 42, though both remained in service and production until the end of the war.
History[edit]
Before World War I[edit]
Even before World War I, the German military was already looking forward to replacing the heavy machine guns which proved to be such a success in that war. The MG13 was one of the first developments toward a goal of producing a weapon that could perform multiple roles, rather than just one. The MG13 was the result of reengineering the Dreyse Water-cooled machine gun to fit the new requirement.[11] The twin-barreled Gast gun was developed with the goal of providing a high cyclic rate of fire weapon for anti-aircraft use and was reported to have reached cyclic rates of fire as high as 1,600 rounds per minute.[11]
The Einheitsmaschinengewehr concept required that the operator could radically transform the machine gun for several purposes by changing its mount, sights and feed mechanism.
One of the Einheitsmaschinengewehr roles was to provide low-level anti-aircraft coverage. A high cyclic rate of fire is advantageous for use against targets that are exposed to a general-purpose machine gun for a limited time span, like aircraft or targets that minimize their exposure time by quickly moving from cover to cover. For targets that can be fired on by a general-purpose machine gun for longer periods than just a few seconds, the cyclic firing rate becomes less important.
After World War I[edit]
After World War I the German military faced restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty restricted the German Reichswehr (Realm Defence) to maximally stockpiling 792 heavy (bulky hard-to-maneuver water-cooled) machine guns and 1,134 light machine guns and actual production of machine guns and development of sustained fire weapons were prohibited. From 1933 Nazi Germany was committed to repudiating the Treaty of Versailles and its restrictions. As part of a (clandestine) military revitalization program the German military sought avenues to get around restrictions imposed by the treaty by resorting to innovative weapon design and engineering, German arms designers working abroad and other foreign assistance.
Development of the MG 34[edit]
In 1932 the Reichswehrministerium (Ministry of the Reichswehr) ordered several companies, including Rheinmetall, to develop a new Einheitsmaschinengewehr (Universal machine gun) to replace several role specific machine guns then in German use. The following specifications for the gun were set:
Design details[edit]
Operating system[edit]
The MG 34 fires from an open bolt and this format both keeps the barrel open at both ends after firing ceases, allowing airflow through it and helping it to cool faster, and meanwhile retains the next unfired bullet outside the chamber until the trigger is squeezed again; and thus the cartridges are protected from the risk of cook-offs from high chamber temperatures after long bouts of sustained automatic fire. The firearm was designed with a rotating bolt operated by short recoil aided by a muzzle booster. When the firearm is ready to fire the bolt is pulled back to the rear and is held back by the sear. With the pull of the trigger the sear disengages sending the bolt forward under pressure from the recoil spring. A cartridge is stripped from the magazine or belt and the round is pushed into the chamber. As the bolt moves forward into battery the bolt rotates engaging the locking lugs and chamber locking the bolt to the barrel. The striker strikes and ignites the primer and the round is fired. The recoil causes the barrel and bolt to move backwards a short distance. The rearward movement of the barrel causes the rotating bolt to rotate back disengaging the locking lugs and unlocking the bolt from the barrel. The barrel returns to its forward position while the bolt recoils to its rear position. The spent cartridge case is ejected downward through an ejection port normally covered by a spring-loaded dust cover at the bottom of the receiver, just in front of the trigger group and the cycle can begin anew.[36] The spring-loaded dust cover automatically opens when the gun is fired, but the user has to close it after firing to prevent dirt entering the receiver through the open port.[37]
Variants[edit]
MG 34 based improvement attempts[edit]
As the first war experiences in the beginning of World War II proved that a higher cyclic fire rate generates more dispersion of the bullets, MG 34 based prototype guns like the MG 34S were requested. The MG 34S had a shortened and lightened barrel, a stiffer multi strands recoil spring and a better recoil booster to increase the rate of fire. The prototype weapons were developed into the very similar further improved MG 34/41, that could cope with a cyclic firing rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, but its components became highly stressed. The effort to simplify the basic MG 34 and reduce production effort and costs consisted mainly of discarding the possibility of semi-automatic fire, using a trigger group containing many stamped parts, and eliminating some complex machining operations during production. Technically, the ejector assembly was enlarged and strengthened, and the feed mechanism was modified to provide a more secure grip on the cartridge.[60] The weight of the MG 34/41 was 14 kg, slightly more than the original MG 34 version. A limited run of MG 34/41 model guns, was completed and tested in combat trials at the Russian front.[20] These guns exhibited durability problems, which is why the development of MG 34 based incrementally improved guns was discontinued. Instead, the German military preferred the technically fundamentally differing also combat trailed MG 39/41 gun. In early 1942 a further improved model of the MG 39/41 was officially accepted and designated as the MG 42.[20]
MG 34 bipod and Lafette 34 tripod mounts
A Gurttrommel attached to the receiver of an MG 34 on its bipod during a reenactment
Lafette 34 tripod mounted MG 34 setup for its anti-aircraft role
Dreibein 34 (a simple high-standing anti-aircraft tripod) mounted MG 34
Zwillingssockel 36 mounted MG 34s
Zwillingssockel 36 mounted MG 34s on a Maschinengewehrwagen 36
Zwillingssockel 36 with one mounted MG 34, notice the removed butt-stock
