The Germans have been renowned for this great machine. I must say that I am impressed of it too. What do you think? Was it the best?
They did create a very fine weapon and used it with chilling efficiency. The Germans have been able to create and produce many fine weapons for years and years.
German Infantry Weapons 1943: http://www.scribd.com/doc/210255270/German-Infantry-Weapons-May-25-1943 Ammunition: http://www.scribd.com/doc/138273867...munition-Markings-and-Nomenclature-24-05-1945
MG 42 required 75-80 hrs for production in the production line, it was cost effective too (about 250 Rmarks). 1200 rounds/min wasn't a matter of joke in those days. It was more accurate when on tripod. Since it was a modified version of MG 34/41, soldiers would have spent a minimum time to cope up with the new machine. Though its over heating barrel and high recoil (probably affected in aiming) a new soldier might have been found it as a troublesome. Roughly 400,000 units had been released during the War and proved better in the Eastern front rather than the N Africa. Comparing to Vickers and others in its category, I believe it remains in the front line!
Good production specs combined with better mobility and serious firepower. Not the best by all values but it strenghts suited best for the moving warfare. An excellent weapon and as Dip. mentioned still serve German Army as improved model.
Exactly! It is still being used to this day, and I definitely think that is a testament to how brilliant of a weapon it is, especially for its time. It is really not often that we see weapons that can live up to todays standards of performance.
I believe it was a very effective weapon. The amount of ammunition it could shoot every minute was staggering, and it is crazy that it is still being used today. I remember it being my favorite weapon in one of the Call of Duty games, even though that isn't very relevant to real life standards.
I think one can make a good case that it was the best of its class during the war. It did have a very high rate of fire and was costly to build. However, the features (mass produced, quick change barrel, etc.) became the standard for medium/general purpose machine-guns in the post-war period. Sincerest form of flattery, and all that.
The MG-42 was an extremely effective weapon, it had a high firerate, it was a finely designed weapon that worked well for the job. It was easily one of the greatest weapons used in the war, it was also reliable. It is so great, amazingly, variants of the weapon are still being used today in Germany and other countries.
MG-42's are amazing weapons. I think the only really negative thing about them is the need to replace the barrel after firing for too long, but even then, a good soldier could replace the barrel in seconds. It had an insane rate of fire, large box magazines, and was rather accurate when placed down on a support.
