MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns (Osprey Weapon 21)

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Автор: Chris McNab

Название: MG 34 and MG 42 Machine Guns

Издательство: Osprey Publishing

Серия: Osprey Weapon 21

ISBN: 1780960085

Год: 2012

Формат: PDF (e-book)

Страниц: 82

Размер: 6 Mb

Язык: English

Спасибо: kapitankarl

With the MG 34, the German Wehrmacht introduced an entirely new concept in automatic firepower – the general-purpose machine gun (GPMG). In itself the MG 34 was an excellent weapon: an air-cooled, recoil-operated machine gun that could deliver killing firepower at ranges of more than 1,000m. Yet simply by changing its mount and feed mechanism, the operator could radically transform its function. On its standard bipod it was a light machine gun, ideal for infantry assaults; on a tripod it could serve as a sustained-fire medium machine gun. During World War II, the MG 34 was superseded by a new GPMG – the MG 42. More efficient to manufacture and more robust, it had a blistering 1,200rpm rate of fire. Nicknamed ‘Hitler’s buzzsaw’ by Allied troops, it was arguably the finest all-round GPMG ever produced, and alongside the MG 34 it inflicted heavy casualties.