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The Maschinengewehr-34
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser (also known as 7.9mm Mauser
or 8mm Mauser)
Weight: 10.5 kg on bipod, empty
Length: 1219 mm
Length of barrel: 627 mm
Feeding: belt, 50 or 250 rounds; double drum magazines, 75 rounds.
Rate of fire: 900 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity: 755 m/s (may vary depending on type of ammunition used)
When Hitler came to power in 1933 he began to rearm Germany for war. The only type of machine guns that Germany had when Hitler came to power, were basically the old maxims from WWI. The German Military needed something different for its armies. In the early 1930's a team lead by Louis Stange of the Rheinmetall factory, began designing what would become to be known as the Maschinengewehr-34 (machinegun-34) or MG-34. The Germany military made the requirements for this weapon very plain. It was to be light, reliable, versatile, and have a high rate of Fire. They created just that. In 1935 the MG-34 entered production. This weapon could be fitted on a Bi-pod and a 75rd drum magazine for advancements in the field, or for heavy sustained fire it could be mounted on a Tripod, and be belt fed. It played many roles, from anti-aircraft, to serving with tank crews to kill enemy infantry, and to serving with Infantry. This weapon would later be replaced in 1942 by the MG-42, but served through out the war.
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