I was just wondering, if German Infantry Platoons/Companies had an HMG similar to the American M2 Machine Gun? I'm mean something bigger than the 7.92mm MG34/42 Caliber and something smaller than the 20mm Caliber of the Flak 30 cannon.
Why that? What was the thought behind that? I know German doctrine, to build there Squads around numerous LMG's, mostly MG34s and 42s. MG34s and 42s were also used with tripods as MMG's as the Platoon or Company based machine guns. But never heard of any German HMG in such a Formation. Soviets had the DShK 12.7mm and Americans the Browning Cal. .50, the British had the crappy ww1 Vickers HMG caliber 7.7mm.
you leave our Vickers gun alone! Its just one of those things about WW2. There were some ideas which countries didn't like, and some that they did, the Germans didn't see a need for a HMG, their MG-34/42s did the trick, devastatingly so, its estimated that on Omaha beach alone the Germans were laying down 100,000 rounds in the first minute. Also the problem with HMGs like the browning is that they have a reduced rate of fire, and against the Soviets you want to be laying down as much fire as possible
