MG 34

Maschinengewehr 34
Maschinengewehr 34
	MG 34 in the Swedish Army Museum.
Type	General-purpose machine gun
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	1936–1945 (officially, German military) 1936–present (other armies)
Used by	See Users
Wars	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[citation needed]; Algerian War; Cuban Revolution; Suez Crisis; Biafran War; Vietnam War; Rhodesian Bush War; Angolan Civil War; Six-Day War; The Troubles; Yugoslav Wars; Syrian Civil War
Production history
Designer	Heinrich Vollmer
Designed	1934
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall-Borsig AG Soemmerda, Mauserwerke AG, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Waffenwerke Brünn
Unit cost	312 ℛ︁ℳ︁ (1944); 1260 EUR current equivalent
Produced	1935–1945
No. built	577,120
Specifications
Mass	12.1 kg (26.7 lb); 32 kg (70.5 lb) (with tripod)
Length	1,219 mm (48.0 in)
Barrel length	627 mm (24.7 in)
Cartridge	7.92×57mm Mauser
Action	Recoil-operated, opened rotating bolt
Rate of fire	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
Muzzle velocity	765 m/s (2,510 ft/s) (s.S. Patrone)
Effective firing range	200–2,000 m (219–2,187 yd) sight adjustments; 3,500 m (3,828 yd) with tripod and telescopic sight
Maximum firing range	4,700 m (5,140 yd)
Feed system	50/250-round Patronengurt 33, 34, or 34/41 model belt, 50-round drum, or 75-round drum magazine with modification
Sights	Iron sights, antiaircraft sight or telescopic sights

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]

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.

^ Russell, Lee; Katz, Sam (April 1986). Israeli Defense Forces, 1948 to the Present. Uniforms Illustrated 12. Olympic Marketing Corp. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-85368-755-9.
^ Cite error: The named reference Syria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Myrvang 2002, p. ^{[page needed]}.
^ "German Views on Use of the MG 42". Intelligence Bulletin. II (9). 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.
^ Bishop 2002, p. 246.
^ Hogg, Ian & Gander, Terry (2005). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. HarperCollins. p. 375.
^ Hogg, Ian V. & Weeks, John S. (2000). Military Small Arms of the 20th Century (7th ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-87341-824-9.
^ Bishop 2002, pp. 245 & 246.
^ McNab 2012, p. 62.
^ ^a ^b Haskew 2012, p. 92.

[1] Russell, Lee; Katz, Sam (April 1986). Israeli Defense Forces, 1948 to the Present. Uniforms Illustrated 12. Olympic Marketing Corp. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-85368-755-9.

[Syria-2] Cite error: The named reference Syria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTEMyrvang2002[[Category:Wikipedia_articles_needing_page_number_citations_from_September_2021]]<sup_class="noprint_Inline-Template_"_style="white-space:nowrap;">&#91;<i>[[Wikipedia:Citing_sources|<span_title="This_citation_requires_a_reference_to_the_specific_page_or_range_of_pages_in_which_the_material_appears.&#32;(September_2021)">page&nbsp;needed</span>]]</i>&#93;</sup>-3] Myrvang 2002, p. ^{[page needed]}.

[GermanMG42Views-4] "German Views on Use of the MG 42". Intelligence Bulletin. II (9). 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.

[FOOTNOTEBishop2002246-5] Bishop 2002, p. 246.

[6] Hogg, Ian & Gander, Terry (2005). Jane's Guns Recognition Guide. HarperCollins. p. 375.

[autogenerated326-7] Hogg, Ian V. & Weeks, John S. (2000). Military Small Arms of the 20th Century (7th ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-87341-824-9.

[FOOTNOTEBishop2002245_&_246-8] Bishop 2002, pp. 245 & 246.

[FOOTNOTEMcNab201262-9] McNab 2012, p. 62.

[FOOTNOTEHaskew201292-10] Haskew 2012, p. 92.

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