The German MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns: In World War II (Classic Guns of the World, 7)

Description

The German MG (Maschinengewehr) 34, along with the later-war MG 42, was a recoil-operated, air-cooled machine gun and is considered the world’s first general-purpose machine gun. Considered the most advanced machine gun in the world at the time, its ease of mobility and high rate of fire—900 rounds per minute—made it ideal both for infantry and antiaircraft use. First entering service during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, it remained in Wehrmacht service through the end of WWII in 1945, along with its updated model, the MG 42. This illustrated book presents the design, manufacturing, and development both of the MG 34 and MG 42, from its acceptance by the German military through production and combat use from 1936 to 1945. Includes close-up views of markings and other details, as well as a breakdown of the weapon. Accessories such as ammunition and gun mounts are featured throughout the book, as are rarely seen combat-related uniform and equipment items. Review: Great info and pic's - Great book, if you're on a budget like me. Compared to it's $400. Counter part. Review: The MG34 did not have a water jacket as stated in this book. - Whilst this seems to be a well written book, and the photos add to the weapons descriptions of their parts and how they operate. There is one part on describing the MG 34 that is completely wrong, as the Barrel isn't water-cooled, as stated in a couple of parts, but it is an Air-Cooled weapon. This I know is something that should have been easily spotted before the work was published I happen to own museum quality both MG34,along with a MG42, and to fully understand their ancestry, design, manufacture etc I bought what is a large major book dedicated to these two weapons, written by specialist collectors who had access to both photos of each part and the processes needed to manufacture them, which included technical drawings, and no where was it mentioned that the MG34 had ever had a water-cooled barrel, although during the D-Day landings it was mentioned that the MG42 in one defence bunker had fired far beyond the normal number of rounds that each barrel was usually changed for a new or cooler barrel, that red hot barrels were dumped in a trough of water in the effort to cool them down after firing a full belt of bullets that had made the barrel glow red-hot. It was said that this particular weapon was covering the UTAH Beach, and used up some 12,000 rounds and all of the barrels available before the Gunner had to surrender after his No2 failed to return from the nearby Ammunition Bunker with more ammunition and spare barrels. So whilst barrels could be put in water to try to cool them down, neither the MG34 or the faster firing MG42 had a water casing like the Vickers MG, and the German MG08 versions of the universal first automatic machine Gun that Hiram Maxin designed were fitted with.