Maschinengewehr 34

A special clause in the Versaille Treaty of 1919 forbade Germany to develop any type of rapid and sustained-fire weapon. However, this prohibition was ingeniously avoided by the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall-Borsig by the easy and convenient method of establishing a shadow firm under its control during the early 1920s at Solothurn in Switzerland. Research and development into air-cooled machine-gun designs led to the birth of a weapon called the Solothurn Modell 1930. It was as advanced and forward design and had many innovations that were later seen in weapons. The firm received a few production orders, but the Germans thought something could be improved. Thus the Modell 1929 sustained only a short production run, but it did become the father of the Rheinmetall MG 15, an aircraft machine gun, which remained in service for the Luftwaffe for a long time.
The early Rheinmetall designs later evolved to the Maschinengewehr 34 or MG 34, which is still regarded as one of the best machine-gun designs ever. Using the Modell 1929 and the MG 15 as the basis, Mauser designers at the Obendorff plant developed a new type of machine-gun, the general-purpose machine-gun. An infantry squad could carry the gun and fire it from a bipod or on a heavier tripod for continuous fire for a long time. The mechanism was of the all-in-line kind and the barrel could be replaced quickly for cooling. Two types of feed could be used: from a belt feed or the saddle-drum magazine housing 75 rounds (also used by the MG 15). In addition to all these features, the MG 34 was capable of a high rate of fire and thus effective against low-flying aircraft.
The MG 34 was an immediate and enormous success and put directly into production for all the different branshes and auxiliaries of the German armed forces, and even the police. Right until the end of the war the demand for the MG 34 stood high, and prodcution frequently failed to meet the demand. In addition, the number of mounts and accessories that were designed to go with the weapon complicated the supply situation. These included clumsy tripods and twin mountings to elaborate and sophosticated fortress and tank mountings. There was even a periscopic device to facilitate use by soldiers in trenches. These various gadgets occupied much of the production potential of the gun itself. In any case, mass production of the gun was not helped by the fact that the design was too delicate for military use. The production process took too long and required too many complicated and expensive machining processes. The product was an excellent weapon all right, but deploying it was like using a sports-car as a tractor -- it was too good for its task. Therefore the Germans were utilizing a weapon they could ill afford to produce, but at the same time they had to produce to meet the needs.
Different versions included the MG 34m with a heavier barrel jacket to be mounted on AFVs, and the shorter MG 34s and MG 34/41 with automatic fire against aircraft.

Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.

Technical data and/or diagram of Maschinengewehr 34.

Well-muffled infantryman in Russia carrying an MG 34 with saddle-drum magazine.

Two Afrika Korps solders with an MG 34 in the heavy machine-gun role on a Lafette 34. By removing the indirect fire sights and trigger, the MG 34 quickly converts to a light machine-gun.

An MG 34 on its heavy, sustained fire mount.

MG 34 gunner during the fighting around Avaloff in September 1942.

Fallschirmjäger training with an MG 34 on its sustained fire tripod.

An MG 34 advancing through the USSR with the man on the right carrying the folded Lafette 34, the man in the center the MG 34 and the one on the right with a spare barrel slung across his back; the other man by the MG 34 carrier has an ammunition case.

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Click on one of the thumbnails below to view the full picture.
	Technical data and/or diagram of Maschinengewehr 34.
	Well-muffled infantryman in Russia carrying an MG 34 with saddle-drum magazine.
	Two Afrika Korps solders with an MG 34 in the heavy machine-gun role on a Lafette 34. By removing the indirect fire sights and trigger, the MG 34 quickly converts to a light machine-gun.
	An MG 34 on its heavy, sustained fire mount.
	MG 34 gunner during the fighting around Avaloff in September 1942.
	Fallschirmjäger training with an MG 34 on its sustained fire tripod.
	An MG 34 advancing through the USSR with the man on the right carrying the folded Lafette 34, the man in the center the MG 34 and the one on the right with a spare barrel slung across his back; the other man by the MG 34 carrier has an ammunition case.