The MG 42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "machine gun 42") is a German recoil-operated air-cooled general-purpose machine gun used extensively by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS during the second half of World War II.

In spite of its tendency to overheat, the MG-42 was an excellent weapon that was light-years of ahead of the US counterpart, the Browning M-1919A4 machine gun. Germany produced roughly 400,000 MG-42s during the war, some of which are still in active service.

Oct 3, 2022 · With the need for a cheaper machine gun, the Germans developed the MG-42. Learn about its use during WWII and the weapons it inspired.

MG42, German general-purpose machine gun, used as a standard weapon by many armies around the world. The MG42 was designed in Germany in 1938, and it was placed in action on all fronts by mid-1942. Its original calibre was 7.92 mm, …

Oct 22, 2017 · The MG42 was useful to German armed forces during WWII, but the real measure of its success is in the weaponry that has followed. As German and international manufacturers saw how effective it was, they adapted its technology into derivative guns.

Feb 6, 2025 · For American combat troops, the MG42 was a deadly problem, from their first encounters with the gun in Tunisia to the last day of the war in Europe. While its predecessor, the MG34, cycled fast...

The MG 42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "machine gun 42") was a general-purpose machine gun. It was created in Nazi Germany . It began being used by the Wehrmacht in 1942.

The MG 42 was the Third Reich’s preferred general purpose machine gun in the second half of World War II. The MG 42 could also be used with a heavyduty tripod, the Lafette 42, to create a powerful sustained firing platform.

Sep 10, 2015 · The MG-42 (a) was the replacement for the earlier MG34 machine gun of the German army. The MG-34 is described in detail in Warrior 59: The German Infantryman (1) 1933-1940. The weapon was in design before the start of the war, but experiences in Poland and France made it quite clear that the MG-34 was far too well made.

—The M.G. 42 is a combination short-recoil blowback weapon. Instead of the rotating bolt action of the M.G. 34, 12 the bolt is locked to the barrel by means of two movable locking studs, located in the bolt head, and operating on two locking cams on the barrel extension.