MG 34
Sign in to saveAlso known as Maschinengewehr 34, 7.92 mm machine gun MG 34
general-purpose machine gun
Key facts
- Type
- General-purpose machine gun
- Place of origin
- Nazi Germany
- In service
- 1936–1945 (Wehrmacht service), 1936–present (other militaries)
- Used by
- See Users
- Designer
- Heinrich Vollmer
- Manufacturer
- Rheinmetall-Borsig AG Soemmerda Mauserwerke AG Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG Waffenwerke Brünn
- Unit cost
- 312 ℛ ︁ ℳ ︁ (1944), 1260 EUR current equivalent
- Produced
- 1935–1945
- Number span no built
- 577,120
- 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)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Digital Museum MG 34 Right.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- MG 34
- service entry
- 1939-01-24
- service retirement
- 1945-01-01
- Commons gallery
- MG34 (machinegun)
- inception
- 1934-00-00
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~36 min read
Article
The MG 34 (short for Maschinengewehr 34, "machine gun 34") is a German recoil-operated, air-cooled 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). 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.
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. 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. 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.