Introduction
The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, was a German machine gun produced and accepted into service in 1934. It utilized the 7.92mm x 57mm Mauser cartridge, and was air-cooled which was an improvement over earlier water-cooled types. It was used extensively in the German Army, Luftwaffe (as the MG 81), and Kreigsmarine.
It was designed as a general purpose machine gun. As a light machine gun, it had a bipod and a fifty round ammo belt in a drum magazine. For heavier roles it was mounted on a tripod, and fed with fifty round belts. German infantry usually used it as a medium infantry support weapon, with a bipod and belts.
Operational History
The MG 34 was designed mostly by Heinrich Vollmer, and was based on the Rheinmetall-designed Solothurn 1930 (MG 30), which was entering service in Switzerland
The gun was accepted almost immediately, and usually liked by the German troops, who used it effectively in the Spanish Civil War. It was the primary machine gun during the late 1930’s, and was the primary tank and aircraft defense weapon throughout World War II. Its main glitches were the time and material cost (108lb of steel) of production, and also that it was very temperamental, easily jamming when it was dirty.
The MG 34 was supposed to replace the older MG 13 and other machine guns, but there was so much of a demand for machine guns, that the older guns remained in use for much of the war. The MG 34 was to be replaced in the infantry by the MG 42, but since there were never enough MG 42’s to go around; the MG 34 remained in service for all of the war. Some MG 34’s captured by the Soviets or French were supplied to the Peoples Liberation Army/Peoples Volunteer Army, Korean Peoples Army, PAVN, and the Viet Cong during the Cold War.
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| Bi-pod Mounted MG 34 in France, 1944 |
Characteristics
The MG 34 was equipped to receive both magazines and belts. The belts were fifty rounds long, but could be linked together for longer belts. Fixed emplacements (machine-gun nests and bunkers) used boxes of five belts, linked to make a 100 round and 150 round belt.
Assault drums would hold a fifty round belt, or the gun could be configured for a 75 round ‘double drum’ magazine. The top cover needed to be replaced with one specifically made for a 75 round drum before one could be used, and the cover needed to be switched back to the standard one before other configurations could be used. But by 1941, magazine-fed MG 34’s weren’t used in the infantry except on some armored personnel carriers.
The barrel was designed to be replaced easily during operation. The operator would disengage the latch that held the receiver to the barrel sleeve. Then the entire receiver pivoted off to the right, which let the operator pull the barrel out of the sleeve and put the new barrel in. Then the receiver rotated back in, and latched. With a well-trained operator, this process only took a few seconds.
Another unique feature was its double-crescent trigger. The upper segment fired semi-automatically, while the lower section fired full-automatic. This removed the need for a selector switch. While this was considered to be innovative, it was not used on the MG 42 because of the complexity.
In the light machine-gun role, the MG 34 used a bipod. In the medium machine-gun role, it could use either a smaller or larger tripod. The larger one had a number of features such as a telescopic sight, or other special sighting equipment for indirect fire. The legs could be placed to let the gun fire in a sweeping arc while aimed through a periscope attached to the tripod. Also, the legs could be extended to be used in the anti-aircraft role.
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| Tripod Mounted MG 34 |
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| Twin MG 34 Anti-Aircraft mount |
Variants
MG 34/41
The MG 34/41 was requested after war experience showed that a higher rate of fire caused more bullet dispersion. The MG 34/41 was designed to fire at 1200 rounds per minute (20 rounds a second). It was slightly heavier than the standard MG 34, and a limited number was made. Later it was beaten in trials by the MG 39/41, which became the MG 42.
MG 34 Panzerlauf
The MG 42 was found to be ill-suited for internal mounting because of how the barrel was changed, and the MG 34 Panzerlauf was used as the secondary armament on most German tanks. The main difference between this and the standard MG 34 was that the shroud lost almost all of its ventilation holes, and the gun also lost the butt-stock. Conversion kits carried inside tanks had a butt-stock, bi-pod, and front sight assembly.
MG 81
The MG 34 was adapted for use by the Luftwaffe, and received the new designation of MG 81, which will be explored in a later article.
Specifications
Weight: 26.7lb (42.3lb with tripod)
Length: 48in
Barrel Length: 24.7in
Cartridge: 7.92mm x 57mm Mauser
Action: Recoil Operated
RPM: 800-900
Muzzle Velocity: 2,477 fps
Feed System: 50/250 round Belts, 50 round Drums, or 75 round drum with modification
Sights: Iron Sights
Sources:
www.wikipedia.org
www.militaryfactory.com
www.philaord.com
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