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.

The MG42 and the SAW are both powerful and reliable machine guns used by military forces around the world. The MG42, also known as the "Buzzsaw" due to its high rate of fire, was developed by Nazi Germany during World War II and is …

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 was known for being reliable, simple and easy to use. However, it is best known for its very high rate of fire so the Germans called it "Hitlersäge", or "Hitler's saw".

Feb 18, 2019 · The Germans called the MG42 Hitlersäge or “Hitler’s bone saw”—and built infantry tactics around squads of men armed with the weapon. Many military historians argue that the Maschinengewehr 42 was...

Oct 13, 2022 · The MG-42 is one example of German WWII weaponry that continues to influence modern weapons. How many of these fast facts did you already know?

Feb 27, 2019 · The MG42 could lay down an impressive beating zone in combat. On a tripod, it could effectively deny enemy infantry clear and easy maneuvering over large swathes of land, especially with good fields of fire.

Jun 3, 2019 · As Soldiers advanced onto the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, June 6, 1944, they encountered the MG42 machine gun in placements above them. The rapid fire machine …

Oct 28, 2014 · During World War II, American G.I.s called the German MG42 machine gun “Hitler’s buzz saw” because of the way it cut down troops in swaths. The Soviet Red Army called it “the linoleum ripper”...