The MG-42: A Weapon that Changed Everything

In this gripping episode of HistoryatWar, we take an in-depth look at the iconic MG 42, the "Buzz Saw" that forever altered the course of history and proved to be a formidable adversary for the Allies during World War II. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind this legendary machine gun, from German origins to its lasting influence on post-war firearms to this day.

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[jamesbodnarchuk]

Years ago as a kid I was a marker at the local firing range
One sunny afternoon a gentleman brought out a Uzi & a MG-42
Made mincemeat out of my target
I was safe in the bunker
I’ll never forget the sound & all the wood splinters fly in the air
Totally obliterated the target
Very impressive.

[jpmtlhead]

The testament to this Brilliant weapon is the fact that She is still in use by many countries, only with some tiny adjustments and dedignstion to MG3.
I had the previledge of firing this "Docil" Beast during my Military service in my country Army.1987/1989.
What a real Nightmare for the ones on the opposite side. Its all so fast that when they hear the noise, its already game over.
Brilliant weapon.

[Thorsten]

German engineering at its best, MG-42 is a Engineering master piece. Great doc!

[robertmaybeth]

The machine-gunner @8:30 has the thousand yard stare to end them all. Even if such men survived the war, nothing would ever be the same for any of them. The Ostfront was a total involvement for all combatants, I believe soldiers left behind the biggest part of themselves there forever.

[johnsheppard]

BTW as an owner and operator of one can add a little detail that Everyone is omitting when talking about it is that it has slight issues with case extraction which makes those impossible to reload..It basically leaves a deep indentation on their throats which prevents using those again after being fired..Which honestly sucks if you are paying for the ammo yourself and want to reduce costs by reloading it!And sometimes it loves to tear belts which also cost money!

[waynelittle]

German engineering was top-notch. What a piece of kit
Awesome

[thosoz]

My father got his Iron Cross with one of these.
Took out the tracer rounds so not to give away his position.
He said, "war is only an adventure to someone who has never been in one".
Was captured by the Americans during the Battle of the Bulge aged 19.
Sent to Belgium as a prisoner of war where he spent 2 years exhuming bodies.

[schwatzy]

I spoke with many Wehrmacht veterans of the Eastern front. They loved the mg34. It was steady and very reliable with an easy barrel change Drop the hot barrel into a mud puddle install the cold one and fire. When another change was needed they said "Grab it, shake the mud off a quick wipe and in it goes.". They also talked about a very important weapon, their spade/shovel They all sharpened the edges to use in defense of Russians attacking in swarms

[chevypower]

What an absolute engenering marvel. and well deserving of its numerous high praises. Exceptional and detailed vid.

[Mr.Skeleton.]

Beautiful footage and fantastic sound! My dude, you deserve this channel to blow up! Love your content and honesty. No BS, no exaggerations, no lies, just straight up hardcore truth.

[dioniciotorres]

What can I say but it was by far the best...

[ericscottstevens]

7:57 one of my relatives was a squad leader on a MG42 team. Killed in Russia.
My relatives back then thought he was more of a target as he had the binoculars and was more visible than the other team members because he was shot in the head and died instantly.
Buried out there in the anonymous silent landscape.

[MrSkid]

The greatest automatic weapon of all time!

[peterc]

I remember watching this guy on YouTube, who had a collection of machine guns from Japan, America & England.
He said this one, was his favourite.

[BenHawks]

The noise at the beginning was phenomenal

[BrianHayter-zluc]

The best machine gun in WW2, love it❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍

[gdiwolverinemaleth]

No question about it, the best infantry personal weapon piece ever produced

[magnusmcgraw]

The MG 42 remains an unrivaled weapon to this day. The firing frequency of 1, 500 rounds per minute, the ease of use and the perfect functionality have been unattainable to this day. With the bipod and open sliding sights, the effective combat distance was 800-1000. m whereby the open sliding sight could be adjusted to a distance of 200 to 2000 m. By mounting the MG 42 on an infantry mount, it was possible to fight the enemy effectively up to 3500 m. The MG 42 had a total length of 1230 cm and a weight of 11.5 kg unloaded, the sight length was 430 mm. It was an air-cooled recoil loader with a short recoil barrel and recoil amplification by muzzle gas pressure. Closure type: support roller closure. The initial velocity of the 7.92 cal cartridges was 820m/s, a muzzle energy of 4000j. Combat distance with bipod 800-1000 m and infantry mount 3000-35000 m. Maximum firing range 4000 m. Rate of fire: 1500 rounds per minute, approximately 25 rounds per second. Barrel life 3500-4000 shots (8000 with hard chrome barrel). Approximately 400, 000 MG 42s were produced. The MG 42 could be used as a light MG on a bipod, as a heavy MG on a mount and for anti-aircraft defense on a tripod. It demonstrated high reliability, even in poor weather conditions, while still maintaining good shooting accuracy. The barrel could be replaced within seconds using a simple flap on the right side, which was necessary because of the intense heat generated during prolonged fire, so the machine gun squads carried up to 5 replacement barrels. The MG 42 could be recognized acoustically by the short, intense rattling of its fire bursts. the sounds of the individual shots merged into one another. It was therefore also called Electric MG. The weapon was officially introduced by the Army Weapons Office on October 11, 1943 and, with around 400, 000 machine guns produced, formed the backbone of the German infantry in terms of weapons technology. Thanks to the sheet metal stamping process, it could be produced cost-effectively, easily and quickly. The design of the MG 42 came from Werner Gruner, who worked at the Johannes Großfuss metal and paintworks factory in Döbeln, Saxony. Gruner was not a weapons expert, but rather a specialist in series production, especially in the sheet metal stamping process. He was probably supported by specialists in the locking system. It is not known who designed the roller lock of the MG 42 and whether this design was derived from other types of locking. Kind regards, Magnus

[michaelstudd]

Great information! Thank you for all your work, my favourite weapon of ww2

[JohnEglick-ozcd]

My grandpa was in the USAs 508 PIR 82ndA)B Div . Due to his PSTD issues, he hesitantly told me some harrowing stories, and he mentioned the "Hitler's Buzz saw " while partaking in the bloody hedgerow fighting .
He told about the Germans with their Tiger Tanks, MG34+ MG42, and the notorious 88 artillery piece .