German WW2 Machine Guns - in the Movies

An overview of the MG 34 and MG 42 featured in numerous WW2 Movies
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Movies featured:
Band of Brothers
Star Wars
Saving Private Ryan
the Bridge at Remagen
My Way
Murphy’s War
U-571
Stalingrad (1993)
Stalingrad (2013)
Defiance
Enemy at the Gates
The Eagle has Landed
Hart’s War
Generation War(mini-series)
Inglourious Basterds
Cross of Iron
Fury
JoJo Rabbit
Kelly’s Heroes
the Polish Film ‘Canal’ (1957)
Is Paris is Burning?
#guns #warhistory #ww2

[@thekhoifish0146]

I actually have homework due tomorrow that I procrastinated on, but uh... *m a s c h i n e n g e w e h r*

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

The instructor will understand

[@willbill6663]

ur, not the only one watching this video instead of doing hisotry project on the cuban missle crisis about

[@thekhoifish0146]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq hehe yeah on a side note, this video reminded me of this kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHmYmGOafcqepZY

[@myllardcuevas4317]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq 0 io

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Despite being superior ,they still lost

[@SebHaarfagre]

One little curious detail. MG's were produced with the goal of making it very hard for infantry to "run through" or cross or dodge through their fire. MG 42's were designed to make it _impossible._

[@scottfurch8378]

LOL..... THEN THEY ABSOLUTELY DID A AMAZING JOB! mission compete !

[@DatboiDemonX]

The fact that Allies needed to have training videos to get their soldiers used of the 42’s crazy firing rate, makes it that much more legendary.

[@scottfurch8378]

@@DatboiDemonX THATS FOR SHURE !

[@Justowner]

I read that the MG42s rate of fire meant that it was impossible to hit an enemy with only one shot; as such, everybody hit by one was hit at least twice.

[@scottfurch8378]

@@Justowner im certan thats correct but depending on the guners accuracy i bet a lot got hit with duble that easily TRULY AN AMAZING WEAPON the US M60 is in general basically a copy of the MG42 mechanism with a a few differences. The MG42 is still used today ITS A caled MG3 with NATO ammunition

[@petergehlen4190]

My father said once at the eastern front he burned his hand when changing the hot barrel and breech of the 42, because in view of the attacking crowds there was no more time to use the asbestos glove. A few hours after the beginning of the battle the bodies particulary were on top of each other and as far as possible, he and his comrades put on their gas masks because of the smell of decay in summertime. Later artillery shells (he didn´t know from what side) hit the corpses and threw the body parts in the air. Listening to that as a boy was more impressive and disgusting to me than every war movie.

[@cosmiceyness]

german john basilone

[@petergehlen4190]

@@cosmiceyness No, he was neither a volunteer nor an outstanding infantryman, just one of millions.

[@wikkinator7537]

Even though he was German I stil wish that he has/had a good life after the war *salute* God speed

[@phipschi4255]

@@wikkinator7537 everybody is a victim in a war besides the men who have command over those poor soldiers

[@DeadSpaceWing]

World War II was a literal look into the depths of hell. We literally were on the tipping edge.

[@panzerivausfg4062]

The primary secondary armament of our Leopards, here in Greece, is the MG3 so this legendary MG stays alive and active at least here...

[@antartis73]

Κι άλλες χώρες χρησιμοποιούν το MG3 το λέει και στο βίντεο, πάνω από τριάντα χώρες το έχουν σε στρατιωτική χρήση

[@panzerivausfg4062]

@@antartis73 Το ξέρω, απλά ήθελα να αναφέρω εμάς ΧD

[@mulligan4244]

The mg3 is the main mg for either a roof commanders hatch mount or for a turret mount for the gunner and its used by just about every country that uses a leopard as their mbt the brits and us use different 30 cals and 50s

[@airraverstaz]

It's a smaller caliber though isn't it? To prevent the 'buzzsaw effect' if I recall correctly. Somehow that's never sounded practical to me seeing as you're trying to kill someone in a war but whatever.

[@crysiz413]

Your leopards? After my knowledge it's a German tank developed in Germany

[@michaelevans4833]

My grandfather said he was more scared of the MG42 than any bomb, artillery and mortar shell that he himself went through.

[@scottfurch8378]

That saying a whole lot about this wepon I believe it!

[@jdsol1938]

@@scottfurch8378 most infantry were killed by artilery in wwii

[@scottfurch8378]

@@jdsol1938 Thanks I did not know that I appreciate the information 👍 love learning about war history thank you again. Im mostly referring to how frightening this weppon sounded. I just know that psychologically they made such a terrific amount of noise expecally on the opposite end of the thing they literally fightend people dead in there tracks. So much so they created training films to desensitiz them to the sound & tell them because it shoots so fast its harder to actually place rounds accurately & inform US solders to keep moving and attack there intended positions. They down played how lethal they really can be expecally in short bursts. To keep us troops from... well being scared. So i guess it still didn't work LOL

[@jantschierschky3461]

​@@jdsol1938 debatable, definitely a very big contributor

[@StarRider253]

@@jantschierschky3461No, it's pretty well documented that artillery and explosives caused the majority of casualties in every war after World War I, and certainly including World War II

[@bluedog843]

As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. MG42’s and Browning .50’s are perfect example of this. Though they’ve received some modifications, they’re still largely the same.

[@BlazinPheonix32]

another good example is the maxim, made in 1884 and used by almost every major power until the 40s, but it still sees some use today in ukraine, almost 140 years after the first one ever made.

[@bluedog843]

@@BlazinPheonix32 Fr fr. Hell, there’s a picture of a Maxim being used in Ukraine during this war

[@petergoge2072]

The Browning .50 is not very good, could use some fixes

[@orange8420]

Mosin nagant : observe

[@LEGIONCABAL]

@@petergoge2072 M3 Browning enters

[@jerryudonneedtoknow3903]

based on the German army guidelines for using the MG42, spraying a constant stream was basically forbidden in a sense. Their regulations stated that you must be firing in quick burst, this was to reduce barrel ware and to not waste ammunition The Germany army has little tolerance to wastefulness. Under heavy use, a barrel change was after about 300 round I believe, I forgot the actual number but under general use with time allowing the barrel to cool down a bit there was less of a need to change the barrel, but under heavy fire with burst, barrel changes were more often

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Excellent additional info! Yes 150 was only the number of rounds should a soldier decide it was absolutely necessary such as during quick air attack. Your squad mates would not appreciate all the wasted ammo otherwise.

[@RandomStuff-he7lu]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I thought they were ordered to only fire 1 belt (150 rounds) in a minute. Anymore and you're going to have to end up using overheating barrels because you'll go through them too quickly.

[@jantschierschky3461]

150 is Max with MG34 200.

[@jochentram9301]

@@RandomStuff-he7lu MG42 and MG3 belts are non-disintegrating metal links, 50 rounds per belt, enough belts for 1,200 rounds with every weapon, and you can link as many as you feel like. Regs prohibit linking more than three, for 150 rounds. Field expedient is to link as many as you can, but leave out the last round on every third belt - the weapon will feed the empty link and stop firing, which is your signal to change the barrel. Pull the belt to the right, pull back the charging handle, you're good to go. Do *not* do this unless the weapon is on its tripod. 1,200 rounds are far too much weight to have hanging on you in a moving firefight, especially if it's 8mm IS or 7.62 NATO. NB the WWII US training film, take a good look at exactly how the weapon is fired - the shooter moves a lever fairly far down on the tripod, he does not pull the trigger. In most war movies, the people firing the MG42 expose themselves unnecessarily (but then, they have plot armour for 500 rounds, then they die).

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

The MG42 gunner knows when his barrel is too hot because the bolt/extracter assembly will not disengage from the barrel as the spent casing remains fused in the barrel breach and you have wait until Its cooled sufficiently to extract the casing the extracter claw gets attached in the casing curraniler and will not release. The above postings about the number of rounds before a barrel change are just about correct. My MG42 locked up after about 140 rounds, depending upon how I'd been shooting. I used to joke about several belts joined together and saying to my friends...Look, a 10 second belt !.

[@williamkeith8944]

My dad was a U S Army medic in the European Theatre of WW2. He never forgot the sound of the MG 42 and said he was terrified of the sound. Movement could only occur during reloads or after the German positions were pulverized by American artillery.

[@heinrichrahm1531]

As an Austrian who did his military service 2 years ago I can't tell you how happy I was when I heard the MG74 being mentioned in your video.

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

But he could have also mention the MG 51 from the Swiss military.

[@heinrichrahm1531]

@@Tobi-ln9xr he could have also listed the Zastava M53 and the Italian MG42/59 but the point of the video wasn't a comparison of all uses of the MG42 design after ww2.

[@rommeltrommel137]

When my friends finished their service in the Austrian military, they said they barely went to the range. Austria’s military budget is very bad.

[@rassilkrishnan3120]

he said the thing.weeeeee

[@petergoge2072]

It's literally just a copy of the MG42

[@patrickneu7481]

I was MG gunner in my unit in the german Army back in 2006. The MG3 was a BEAST.

[@Prometheus5221]

Haha - the Battfield guy does the Barrelchange with bare hands xD - Imagine a hot iron and grabing it with your bare hands... you loose some layers of skin :P

[@Viperpaul]

If you watch the video closely he actually has a shell casing in his hand that he uses to slide the old barrel out

[@Prometheus5221]

@@Viperpaul oh havnt seen that.. i slowed down the video to see that closer. Thx, theres nothing wrong in correcting someone with fact. Thx mate ^^

[@rosaria8384]

They even managed to record how the MG34 barrel sounded like when being detached. The used casing was a great attention to detail

[@gildor8866]

Actually its probably less of a problem then you might think. For example bakers often handle hot trays from the oven with their bare hands, its just a matter being used to it, literally developing thick skin. There is a video from MHNV discussing that topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIi4kneudtpro6c

[@chair6703]

my mate used the mg3 (which is basically just a modern mg42) and he used his bare hands

[@edi9892]

One little detail: if I'm not mistaken they were not used by one guy, but a group of three. The other two carrying spare barrels and ammunition. The latter had a peculiar design in that you could grap two boxes in one hand each, which made carrying a little more convenient. The other two soldiers were not just mules, but also helped spotting targets and giving cover.

[@edi9892]

Thanks for the heart. I forgot: many women and small men can't hipfire it. The problem isn't controlling the recoil directly, but the operating mechanism. It can't work when the gun recoils too much. In that case, it will be a single shot and you'd need to pull the handle again...

[@robertstaats7839]

@@edi9892 not really so to say, there are videos from ww2 of them being hip fired, that would need to be a lot of "uncontrollable" recoil tbh for it to not fire properly lmfao

[@edi9892]

@@robertstaats7839 Nope. It can happen very fast! I've seed people fail.

[@robertstaats7839]

@@edi9892 and how exactly? Lmfao ww2 German training is for you to hold the stock in between the firing arm and to hold the bipod of the weapon, I've seen it done in German ww2 videos dude. Idk what you are talking about

[@robertstaats7839]

@@edi9892 and seed? Really

[@hz7654]

Just the sound of that MG42 is absolutley horrifying even to this day. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for my Grandpa and his friends walking into that. Your brain can't even hardly calculate all the rounds going off around you in an instant.

[@Helena-me6mp]

Good thing germany isnt at war anymore lmao

[@kennethrouse7942]

Some 30 years ago when a group of my fellow G.I.s and I qualified for our Schützenschnurr cords with a Bundeswehr Reserve unit, the MG we fired was the MG 3, I believe. Looked and operated identically to the MG 42 except that the rate of fire was a few hundred rounds per minute lower. Still had that distinctive sound, though. 👍😎

[@HolziNo1]

Sometimes they still have the denazificated Reichseagle on the pistolgrip and the original year of the production. I shoot at one time a MG3 out of 1943, it was just converted to NATO Standards 😅

[@mbr5742]

@@HolziNo1 No. All MG3 are post WW2 manufactur. The MG1 was often rebuild MG42 but out of service by the 1980s

[@zhufortheimpaler4041]

@@mbr5742 yeah that stupid myth goes on and on

[@jantschierschky3461]

@@HolziNo1 that's a MG1

[@davidrobinson4012]

@@HolziNo1 Schön!

[@billfariss1514]

The primary reason for the invention of the 42 was cost. The 42, made from stamped parts, was so much more inexpensive. Its improvements in performance were an added bonus. Just a wonderful weapon still today.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

It is exactly its simplicity that makes the MG-42 one of the three most successful war-related German designs. All three are stamped sheet-metal constructions and all are still being produced with minor changes to this day. The other two are the "jerry can" fuel canister, the other the M35 steel helmet with its flap that protects ears and neck that still inspires modern military helmet designs.

[@marcmonnerat4850]

I did fire the Swiss W+F MG51 (firing GP11). And yes, in the mountains, the echo coming back towards you after a burst is damn scary. Nobody changes the barrel bare hand like in your video games. I've never seen the bipod in the median position. And in the army, everybody likes the weapon, until you have to carry it (14kg with bipod) or clean it! And an ammo box with 200 rounds (5 sec. fire) is 6 kg if I remember correctly.

[@paristo]

I got one training for Russian PKM, about 12 kg with 100 round box and you could get 200 and 250 round boxes too. It was fun to shoot as that thing withstood lots of bullets before you needed to exchange the barrel for cooling. And it was easy to do with one hand as the barrel had nice wooden carry handle. But you didn't want to be the ammo carrier.... As he carried six to eight boxes and spare barrel, with his personal assault rifle. Cleaning was as well very easy. It was very nice gun to have and carry, expect when on foot patrol. But benefit was that as you had MG, then you didn't need to carry field radio that was circled between others. And you didn't need to carry MANPADS or RPG's because you were MG guy.... The fun part was as well that you ran to edge of squad position to have support capability through whole attack. But oh boy did that MG put such a sound that will draw everyone shoot at you once you start shooting. Got change to use as well light machine gun (7,62x39) with 1100-1200 RPM (compared to PKM 650 RPM) that was crazy. To MG 42 it was nice experience but for somewhat I preferred PKM more.

[@jacobrichards3635]

M249 and M240B are no different. Everytime we grab them for field training I’m excited to use it until I remember that I also have to carry and clean it after.

[@jamestheprotogen7554]

In the BF5 clip ( 1:23 ) you can see that the character is using a spent casing to remove the barrel on the MG42. It's easy to miss because it's a small detail but if you slow down the video you should be able to see it.

[@oldgitsknowstuff]

'The hills are alive, with the sound of gunfire'

[@alias6789]

Bipod in median Position ist used: Größerer Kampfbereich, d.h. ein größerer Winkel! Etwas weniger Präzision! Mehr Schwenkbereich!

[@Timo-tm6rj]

As an austrian soldier i can tell you, we still use the MG 74 to this day which is basically a modernized mg42

[@smokill91]

When i did military service in germany i was assigned to be a machine gunner, which meant i had the privilege of walking around in standard gear and backpack with this giant 22 pound hunk of steel (MG3) hung over ONE shoulder with a single (not looped) leather strap with some ammo PLUS my assault Rifle (G36) which weighed also like 8 pounds. Felt like being stuck between 2 different timelines... I can tell you running up the bavarian mountains in 2-5 feet of snow was a real pleasure good thing the german army will be finally well geared.... in 6-8 years lol

[@laniemon]

Have to say, the modernised MG3KWS looks pretty sweet for an aged warrior of a firearm.

[@robert43g]

M60 was based on the MG 42 .Your very true about the allies not telling the soldiers about the great effect the MG42 had as they were afraid if they knew they wouldnt go up against them

[@dallesamllhals9161]

and FG42

[@fco.javierlabradofamiliar1263]

M60 es una mierda comparada con la MG42

[@frankmueller2781]

@@fco.javierlabradofamiliar1263 Actually brand new M60's were generally considered very good weapons. Their fault lies in that they didn't Age well, the guns losing accuracy and getting loose fittings as they grew long in the tooth. I'd love a newly manufactured one, but I wouldn't care to keep it after 5 or 10 years. (Who am I kidding, I'd take a 50 year old hag from Vietnam if it was offered. I'm just making a point)

[@Sam-nx9ec]

This is wrong. Allied infantry were specifically told what they were going up against, and trained to prepare for it.

[@dallesamllhals9161]

@@Sam-nx9ec Try again!

[@oooTACooo]

Very nicely done, and once again, bonus points for the "Jo Jo Rabbit" clip.

[@theushanka2120]

That audio effect was cringe tho

[@jonathanbaron-crangle5093]

Directed by a Kiwi

[@rzr2ffe325]

Sounds too much like a chain gun. Like who lives under a rock that doesn’t know the insane rate of fire of Hitler’s Buzzsaw? Some 9 year old playing COD could probably tell you that. How was no one on set able to correct that?

[@magnusmcgraw]

Thank you that is a very good and accurate report about the two German machine guns. Perhaps one should have mentioned that the MG 42 could be mounted on a so-called infantry mount. Which then gave the machine gunner the opportunity to shoot well aimed at a distance of several kilometers.

[@mbr5742]

The book lists the maximum effective (aka lethal) range of the 8x57 at around 1500 meters

[@GannicusMisteriosdeHonduras]

Scary machine guns, band of brothers has the best sound

[@matt47110815]

Band of Brothers has sooo much fake looking stuff though. But yes, it is still good. If you have Netflix, look for the Mini-Series "Generation War".

[@GannicusMisteriosdeHonduras]

@@matt47110815 band of brothers is quite realistic, I've seen generation war too

[@mrv4107]

The germans never fail to amaze me from their ww2 uniforms to their tanks guns and aircraft

[@amigo9943]

Still today/ Leopard 2A / Panzerhaubitze/ Gepard usw ✌🏼

[@frankmueller2781]

WWII German tanks and aircraft *are* worthy of plenty of criticism. The aircraft had too little range and the bombers too little bomb load. The mid to late war tanks were great in combat, but all too often broke down before reaching the battlefield. Over-engineering and a failure to create standardized designs were a serious problem. They definitely get the "cool" factor right though!

[@Anonymous-is6xu]

@@frankmueller2781 well said

[@pxu_190]

@@frankmueller2781 What do you except? Nothing is perfect

[@wolflarsen1900]

@@frankmueller2781 Actually most of your points are not completly false but nearly all of them are heavily missleading. For Example the bomb load of bombers. What do you expect, a bomb load of german aricrafts after 44 with 30 tons of bombs like the B-17, allthough for such bombers germany had completly no use anymore to construct, and develope, no oil and no chance whatsoever to defend them or even bring them into the air? great idea. The tank problem has to be considered even as false. It is addressed often enough in literature, i problably can just refere on it. Over engineering and a faulure to create standardized designs were a serious problem as in most of the armies at some point at the war but interestingly in comparasion it was only a problem in the first 3 years of the war and most of the weppons germany constructed were produced as this problem was gone. By far germany build the most weappons in 1944. The extreme increasement of germanies weappon production was completly managed with the exact same amount of ressources as in the years before. And eitherway. why are you answering with "general criticism" at the german millitary on a comment, which claims the impressiveness of german uniforms, tanks and aircrafts. Such (missleading) general criticsm can be given for any millitary since the first linear pottery culture guys in europe began to beat down each other with clubs. oh you would be impressed how much criticism can be given for how to make clubs to beat down your neighbors in the most effective way! its a science unto itself..

[@jamesyeh364]

I don't think you mentioned it, but many MG34s featured in Russian films are converted PK machine guns. One easy way to spot them is that they feed from the right instead of the left.

[@Micha0410]

I remember my time in the army in 2003 shooting MG3s. Those are terrifying. You dont want to stay at the wrong end of one of those!

[@clevlandblock]

Terrific selection of clips and informative content. As for the MG-42, I would recommend the battle scenes from "The Bridge" (1959). It provides the best sound and close-up function sequences of any movie, regarding that gun. Another must see is the brutal desert ambush scene in "The Young Lions" (1958). The Mg-42 scene is terrifying and way more real than the MGs portrayed in Pvt Ryan with their animated muzzle flashes and lack of ejected cases. In some ways, 1950s war movies still rule.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Big fan of The Bridge. I made sure to add to a few videos I made after this one :)

[@theidiotsarewinning2868]

The sound probably became synonymous with terror as it would often mean you’ve just stumbled into a concealed machined gun position.

[@GrasshopperKelly]

Changing an MG-42 barrel is the most beautiful thing I've ever done with my own hands...

[@MrSychnant]

An interesting anecdote from the book "Normandie front,D-day to St Lo through German eyes" relates to a German machine gunner telling his sergeant that he only has wooden warheaded practice ammunition left to which the sergeant tells him to fire them anyway because the noise of the gun alone will keep the enemy away.

[@Helena-me6mp]

thats sad, cool and interesting at the same time

[@jpmtlhead39]

The Fear Factor behind the MG-42 was crippling for many allied units. They just frozed on spot,has soon they ear that machine gun firing,no matter what direction they were shoting. A truely Amazing and devastaiting gun.

[@MsPysoul]

being honest with you, when you showed that american training video covering the sound of mg42 I got chills myself from the echo the gun makes from afar. Can't even imagine how it must have sounded on the actual battlefield. Terrifying.

[@FlyWithMe_666]

2:17 It would be awesome of videogames (or movies) could replicate this sound. Unless you’re firing the MG yourself or are right next to it, this deep growling burst is what it actually sounds like in reality. I was around the (very similar) MG3 for many years, and when you approach a shooting range, this is the sound you hear from 100s of meters away. In movies/games, it’s typically more like some clean rattling sound.

[@andrewhernandez1759]

Hell let loose comes close to it.

[@jimbrannan5825]

I was stationed at USAF Wiesbaden hospital as a corpsman in 1975 and got invited to go and get qualified for the German Markmanship medal and got to shoot one of these, the lugar and a long rifle. It shoots so fast and they warned us that the trick was to fire it in short 3 round bursts at the target. It was difficult to just fire 3 rounds. I was also not to hold my thumb to high while firing the Lugar or it would nick my thumb but I failed. I got a small cut while shooting that gun. It was very cold and fun. I was also introduced to a miracle drink called Gluwine that day. It was a deep red wine with cinamon I think that was served warm and when your feet are freezing it's warmth and goes right down to them and warms them up. Great stuff. .

[@mbr5742]

If you qualified with the west german army your Luger was a Walter. The west german army used the Walther P1, a variant on the WW2 Walter P38. Luger (P08) was long gone and never used by the west german army (Who had ample supplies of P38 and later P1)

[@Aviator-Chicken]

Something I actually find slightly funny in a dark humor sort of way is that during the American training video the Americans aren’t even aiming down sights with the MG42. So that when they showed the spread of the machine gun it was all over the place. And it’s funny because it’s clearly made for propaganda but actually pretty dark that Americans would expect these guns to be extremely inaccurate but in actual combat they were torn to shreds.

[@headhunter1945]

One major advantage of a really high rate of fire is any time you have a short time frame to hit one or multiple targets. Say you catch a handful of enemies unaware in an ambush situation and have the chance to shoot first. Every one of them will dive for cover the moment you start firing. A high ROF on the initial burst means more of a shotgun spread effect, so it greatly increases the number of targets you may hit, and thus the deadliness of the weapon.

[@myplane150]

Shots from the MG42 or 34 would be lethal for about 2 to 3 feet in saltwater. This was actually tested, I think on Myth Busters because they doubted the accuracy in SPR as well. Still, it's not quite the distance traveled in the movie... ☺

[@CatLegoDiver]

Great that you mentioned that most german tanks never switched to the MG42 because of the barrel change issue. Excellent video!

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thank you!

[@kouvue1081]

4:50 the Tiger's bow machine gun was used briefly, shooting at Upham.

[@1291sgtscream]

In switzerland we use a variant called mg 51/71 in our 7.5x55 mm caliber with a fire selector allowing if I remember right 600 or 1300 rpm

[@SkyieN]

2:42 Any Allied LMG, HMG and MG 34: *Ta Ta Ta Ta* MG 42: *BRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY* Sound of long burst from MG42 always gives me goose bumbs

[@Felix-gg5cj]

Cease. Firing.

[@interstellarlapisthecccp4946]

As a collectors piece I prefer the MG34; it may not be as apparent from a distance but up close it's a lot nicer. There isn't really any practical reason to make a machine gun that expensive and over the top though from a military perspective, which is why the MG42 was created to take it's place. The 42 also has a certain appeal to it, especially with that large ventilated shroud and insane rate of fire. I'd say it's pretty similar to a PPSH41 whereas the 34 would be like an early milled MP40. Today, both guns are of similar value on the US civilian market. (around $80k) They are pretty much the height of German WW2 machine gun collecting surpassed only by the legendary FG-42, which may just be the most valuable production gun ever to exist.

[@FokkeWulfe]

I was always the MMG guy in BFV. You would, more often than not, find me cuddling an MMG, with the MG-34, and -42, as my two favorites, followed immediately by the M-1919. I believe I had all but one fully Mastered. The VGO wasn't but I did have it pretty far along. We used to deploy the MG-42 in Rotterdam, and Devastation, to great success. Certain window corners can be accessed, so we'd set up in them, and wait. We'd catch squads running across the open ground, with it being most effective when we were behind enemy lines. An MMG, and a pinpoint sniper, can be enough of a pain to warrant a tanks to get involved to end the threat. I do miss those days.

[@rolfagten857]

In Visconti's 1969 "The Damned" we see its introduction in 1934 at the Von Aschenbach factory. In the scene we also see Karl otto Alberty portraying a Wehrmacht captain

[@slumbynature4557]

There's a fairly recent episode of Corridor Crew where they had one of the main art directors on that worked on Saving Private Ryan. He acknowledged the inaccuracy of the MG42 going through the water. IIRC it was an artistic Liberty they took from Spielberg since they obviously couldn't show several hours of the real beach landing in real time and wanted as much emotional impact as they could show. It was a really great episode. Highly recommended watch.

[@Peter_Gehlen]

In the 1970s a customs colleague of mine was on business with a man and they struck up a conversation. The man then showed him a letter of thanks from Adolf Hitler. The man was one of the three designers of the MG42.

[@xavermuller629]

My father, R.I.P. was an MG42 Gunner in WW2!

[@emiralamsyah9668]

The best machine gun during World War II. It should keep produced now. 👍👍

[@willbill6663]

this video is probably my favourite video yet from this channel

[@mugsnvicki]

Another great video Johnny!! Your work always impresses me!! In Audie Murphy's movie To Hell and Back, he takes a MG 34 and clears out some Germans. A good scene. I was at a gun show years ago where there was an MG 34. I asked to pick it up...it was quite heavy!!! And I'm about the same size as Audie.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

That's awesome! Man I wish I had added to Hell and Back now. I'll try and work it into a future video :)

[@davidkeeton6716]

He used an MG42 in the movie. I just went back and watched that scene. In reality he may have used an MG34 but I doubt anyone who was there in WW2 is still with us to confirm that.

[@fiamun]

Well, seeing the 4 guns fire side by side was great! Good work.

[@projectdarktrooper2721]

thanks for doing my all-time favorite machine gun.

[@paulofelipebbraga9634]

Thanks for the video, man! We have the MG3 in the brazilian army infantry, mobilized infantry, leopard tanks and APC's.

[@themarcelparker]

Schade das, das MG 3 mittlerweile nach und nach in der Bundeswehr gegen das MG 5 ersetzt wird! Habe mit beiden Waffen schon geschossen, Die sind Weltklasse! Greetings from Gremany

[@julianheyny7725]

Das mg 4 is halt einfach viel besser und moderner aber ich liebe auch das mg3 eine echt tolle waffe

[@riploljustforfu9929]

Das MG3 ist halt nicht mehr für die Art von Kampfsituationen geeignet, in denen sich die Bundeswehr heutzutage wiederfindet. Wenn ich mich recht entsinne behält es aber seine Rolle als Fahrzeug-MG.

[@themarcelparker]

@@riploljustforfu9929 nee, auch auf Fahrzeugen wird es nach und nach gegen das MG5 ersetzt.

[@torbenheinuze3626]

Dass MG4 hat nichts mit dem MG3 zu tun. Dass G36 sollte auch als leichtes MG eingesetzt werden können , scheiterte aber an diieser Aufgabe. Da MG 3 und G36 unterschiedliche Kaliber haben , wurden ein weiteres LMG als ergänzung notwendig. Dass MG 5 ersetzt nun das MG3 , leider aus meiner Sicht ein MegaFlop.

[@DannyBGer]

@@torbenheinuze3626 Der Unterschied zwischen dem MG3 und dem MG5 ist der, dass das 5er modular ist und für den jeweiligen Einsatzzweck angpasst werden kann. Das 3er ist wohlgemerkt ein modifiziertes 42er, welches noch auf Massenproduktion ausgelegt war. Beim MG4 und MG5 haben zwei Konstruktionen von Fabrique Nationale aus Herstal Pate gestanden.

[@AussieBattleCat]

I love your videos they are great :)! I really like though when you write the movie the scene is from in the top left as it I've gone and watched quite a few movies this way :)! Keep up the great work mate :)

[@Platanskellet]

I've been using the MG42 in the Danish Army, where it is named MG62. It's an ideal infantry-weapon. Not to heavy (apps 11 kg's) and with a blistering rate of fire.

[@bluedog843]

3:30 “these rounds would not kill, even in a few inches in water” it’s crazy how many movies and shows do not get that right. Even for weapons that ain’t the MG42. Either way, if you got hit by one, it would still hurt the closer to the surface you are. It’d probably still make you bleed or even go in your skin, but it won’t exit. Most of the time, anyways. It’s why arrows are so much more effective at killing people in water.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Even Mythbusters did episode on that. From what I remeber, general gist was - bullets lose energy in water really fast.

[@Phantom_Aspekt]

@@ComissarYarrick I'm pretty sure when they tested that they found that handgun rounds would stay intact but lost all energy and full powered rifle rounds would explode into small pieces apon impact with the water

[@Blei1986]

@@Phantom_Aspekt true... still was a scary scene in SPR

[@gronthgronth2628]

There is interesting story about the sound MG-42 makes in Otto Carius memoirs, tank ace from WWII. He first saw it in use on Russian front, in winter 41-42 and mentions that Luftwaffe ground troops came equipped with it, came in unmarked boxes. Fresh troops from germany, after training, with cutting-edge weapons and equipment. In their winter clothes.... black jackets. In Russia. During winter. Long story short, Luftwaffe troops were swiftly overrun by Russian shock-troops that stormed their position about few days later. For next few weeks the order was, that anyone who would see or hear the distinct MG-42 rattle, should shoot first and ask questions later, as Russians took the fresh equipment and use'd it themselves. So, for Carius and anyone on this part of front on the German side, first encounter with MG-42 was being on the receiving end of it. Quite ironic.

[@robertstaats7839]

Well that's actually kinda wrong tbh, the Germans used them heavily believing the 42's were better needed to hold of the Russians. That and they used them themselves lol almost each rifle division had one MG either a 34 or 42

[@JF-xq6fr]

While I was a Bradley IFV Platoon Leader, I would mimic the MG42s rate of fire with my turret mounted coaxial M240D machine gun by opening up the gas port to greatly increase rate of fire... The cyclic rate approached 1000 RPM, which was kinda right between the MG34 and 42. As for dismount firepower, I had an M231 port weapon that fired 100% tracer @ 1200 rounds per minute!

[@Afineaddition]

Thanks for the vid! I use both machine guns extensively in Enlisted

[@jamesturner9651]

6:31 you a bad man. lmao

[@blast3028]

Your content is underrated Johnny

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I'll try and keep you entertained S D.

[@tabletopgeneralsde310]

Great video Johnny, I think you made everything right on this one. So thanks for your work and I am looking forward to the next video.

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thank you kindly

[@tabletopgeneralsde310]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq you have some awesome content on your channel. You can be very proud of your work.

[@gewalfofwoofia8263]

Hans stops firing for a second. Otto: Out of ammo, kammerad? Hans: Nein, changing the barrel!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... Kamerad*

[@justalex2.0]

Another lovely video from you man!Can you do a video on the ppsh the icon of the soviets during ww2?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I can do some future soviet movies forsure :)

[@BrixtonTone]

Superb narration as usual. Side note, JJ, I recognise most but not all the movie clips used, would welcome list of films used in the clips you feature .

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

I got you Tony! Band of Brothers Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan the Bridge at Remagen My Way Murphy’s war U-571 Stalingrad (1993), Stalingrad (2013), Defiance Enemy at the Gates, The Eagle has Landed Hart’s War Generation War(mini series) Inglourious Basterds Cross of Iron Fury JoJo Rabbit Kelly’s Heroes the Polish Film ‘Canal’ (1957) Paris is Burning

[@BrixtonTone]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq JJ, can't thank you enough for your superb channel AND your responses to questions asked. Looking at the list you've kindly provided , I'm not familiar with "My Way" , "Defiance" and the Polish film Canal. I will be searching for them as of now. If you ever start a "Patreon" link you've got my pledge. Not sure what you will come up with next JJ ? Maybe failed and successful Airborne Assaults ?

[@JohnnysReviews]

@@BrixtonTone well I'm equally thankful for your positive feedback my friend. I've got lots of video ideas in the works so I'll write that idea down. Always appreciate ideas. Will let you know if I build a website or do a patreon on the near future. 🙏

[@Astro_Gardener]

Very interesting video, thank you for the upload.

[@stevenhyde9025]

Thanks Johnny for that info. I learnt something.

[@endutubecensorship]

Very well done video, especially where you explain that the panzer corps used the MG34 due to the method of barrel change.

[@Mikedadof2]

Great video and good to watch u r shows

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thank you sir!

[@tedbaxter5234]

Beautiful, historical and interesting weapons, thanks for the video!

[@jamychong2876]

Great content. Just found this video so gonna go watch some more

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Thank you and welcome to the channel

[@sueneilson896]

What about the British Vickers K? Used when a very rapid rate of fire was required. Not in general use , as the Bren was more effective. All nations had access to rapid fire machine guns, as they were routinely used in aircraft, but a slower rate of fire was found to be a big advantage for infantry. Accuracy, ammunition usage and transport were the main pluses.

[@andrewlambert7246]

These guns are going to be part of product range. There is no doubt about that. I said earlier that they could become part of my product range. I changed mind today 1st October 2021.

[@felixjoselucas9769]

MG42-1500 Rounds per minute. My wife-1,000,000 words per minute when mad at me

[@antartis73]

Great cover on the use of these two iconic machine guns. Could you please mention the titles of the black and white films that were used in the production of this video? Was there the polish movie ‘Canal’(1957) (3:02 and 4:43) and a German movie too (1:39 and 4:29)?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Kanal and Paris is Burning. Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@antartis73]

@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq I need to find those two!

[@Frank-mm2yp]

Knowing full well the capabilities of the German machine guns in WWII, the USA Army provided training films for its new recruits and draftees teaching them not to fear the tremendous firepower/speed of the German MGs vs the standard US MGs. Apparently they thought just the unnerving sound of these weapons could unnerve and panic "our boys" in battle. The nightmare scenario was the thought of hundred of GIs deserting the battlefield at the sound of the Germans machine guns screaming: "We are all going to die"!

[@serapeach6252]

I cannot remember where i read up on this but the underwater scene in saving private ryan was included to convey to a general audience the lack of anywhere being safe on that beach, and to portray the danger of drowning the men faced on landing.

[@_H3_]

Greetings from EAST-Germany. Thank you for your good documentation.

[@garrisonnichols807]

The German military had the best machine guns of World War Two. They were in a class of their own.

[@JonSkinner1944]

Narration of the MG-42 sound like the late John Wayne.

[@hiltonian_1260]

I’ve read that the mg42 was abysmally inaccurate because of its design and rate of fire. In contrast, the Bren gun was a tack driver. The mg 42 was useful for area denial against a group, but not that good against a single individual at a distance. Bren gunners could pick off a sniper with a short burst. Also, the rate of fire was a logistical problem, in that huge quantities of ammo were needed to feed it. An mg42 team was mostly ammo carriers, but it could still burn through what they had quite quickly.

[@steveg3981]

Love these machine guns. Only reason to visit Vegas where you can fire them plus a whole range of WW2 and modern weapons. I like the Bren, the Sten, the Lewis , the Vickers and the Maxim 1910. Loads of fun. Living history

[@2A_Heaven]

i’ve had the privilege of firing both the mg42 and 34. Both amazing firearms especially for their time. An interesting fact about the mg34 tho that stood out to me was that the mg34 has essentially 2 triggers in one. The top part of the trigger is for semi auto fire and the bottom part is full auto.

[@studinthemaking]

All right a Kelly heroes reference.

[@whsky101]

Great work

[@anhduc0913]

Oh hell the mg42 sound is genuinely super scary. Imagine that and the sound of lead zipping past your head is enough to make you hug the ground motionless.

[@adamhousego9977]

Really enjoyed your video. I once read that the Bren Gun though largely inferior to the MG42 and 34 was used successfully by allied forced to " snipe"(Sinpe in the sense of a few very accurate rounds)MG42 positions. Have you come across that info?

[@JohnnyJohnsonEsq]

Bren was definitely used for accurate single shot firing. Check my channel main page I did a Bren video just yesterday.

[@robertmoulton2656]

I loved both guns in red orchestra (game) the 34 was special because on single shot mode the enemy thought you had just a k98 . Lure them out . Switch to full auto and .....burrrrrp

[@Florence00pi]

Good stuff, esp. for getting the hitting water part right ^^

[@Riceball01]

Both the MG-34 & 42 were used for the light, medium, & heavy machinegun roles depending on how they were deployed and where they were used. In the light machinegun role, it used a bipod an formed the core of the German infantry squad. As a medium machine, it was used more defensively and used more to the rear, I believe. I think it also used a tripod. As a heavy machinegun, it was also used more in the defensive role and was mounted on a tripod with a traverse and elevation (T&E) mechanism.

[@wcharliewilson7004]

The year 'Kelly's Heroes' premiered, 1970, MGM auctioned off all their war-movie weapons to J. Curtiss Earl of Phoenix. You could buy a transferable NIB M1A1 TSMG in it's original lead waterproof vacupack for a mere $800 +$200 stamp. He also offered used fully functional M1A1s converted to BFONG for $400.

[@privatehudson516]

In Wolfenstein Old Blood (alternative Ww2 where the Axis won in 1946), the Germans were using a Gatling gun that was made of 4 MG42s. At that fire rate, the thing can probably replace miniguns

[@neojenshi4055]

I always thought of an idea for a video game were there are 2 mg42, strapped together on the rail side, and have a mechanism where there's a makeshift handle on the bottom for the trigger and a custom stock instead of 2 butt stocks together. It's basically like what you see now with dual M2 browning in the movies, but just mg42 instead

[@suit1337]

revolver guns like the minigun have the issue, that the revolver stack needs to spin up - this reduces the rate of fire by a significant amount - thats why open breach single barrel machine guns usually are more effective, easier to produce and less error prone, especially when you only use burst fire for example the Mauser BK-27 is a 27 mm Aircraft Machine Cannon, it has a rate of fire of aroun 1700 rounds per minute, the 6 Barrel GAU-4 Vulcan with a 6000 rounds per minute and 20 mm Rounds seems to be the clear winner but the BK-27 has the full rate for fire right from the first bullet, the Vulcan needs about 0,3 seconds to spin up the barrel stack to full speed - so if you have for example a 0,5 second burst, then you'll get approx double the projectile mass into the target with the BK-27 - 4 Barrel GAU-22/A used on the F35 is much lighter than then Vulcan, yet it utilizes 25 mm calibre and no those are not theoretical scenarios, those bursts are acutally that short - 30 to 60 projectiles are pretty much standard - modern systems tend to even lower that to even sub 20, with electronically timed fuses per projectile (like the Oerlikon GDM-008) so it heavily depends on the use case - if you want to go "brrrrrr" very long, then a gatling gun would be usefull, if you want to actually efficiently destroy your target, than you want to the the bullet mass out as quickly as possible

[@txmale5070]

good video. i would never want to be on the wrong end of one of these guns.

[@Jcl-kk8vw]

Great video ty!

[@patrickazzarella6729]

I think the mg42/mg34 being so scary and so well known is that every single German infantry rifle squad was armed with a machine gun and squad tactics were built around them

[@mbr5742]

Still is to this day.

[@DatboiDemonX]

This is true. It’s the opposite of the allies using mostly rifles, but with MGs for support.

[@wcharliewilson7004]

The US Army training propo says of the MG 42, "Their bark is worse than their bite" I now wonder just how many servicemen died believing that?? If the goal for the 42 was to advance troops, one can deduce: "The best suppressing fire ever devised!" ~Herr General Wehrmacht

[@lactoseandintolerant7601]

Well seeing as the first wave of D day on Omaha was a failure because of its defense I would say alot died because of that lie.

[@alexnacgmail]

Even faster, and cheaper, MG45 project deserved some mention! Great vídeo!

[@christianwolf7308]

The MG42 is the original version firing around 1800 rounds per minute. It has the nickname,,Hitlersense,,(Hitler's sinn) I guess everyone can imagine why. You could easily cut down trees with it. It was designed to fire short or long bursts. It's recommended to fire short bursts to prevent overheating. If it becomes to hot, you have a special heat glove to take out the barrel and insert the spare one quiet quickly. The MG42 was later modified to shoot around 1300 rounds to archive more accuracy and was called then MG3 which is still in use by the German federal armed forces and other allies. A absolute advanced and great mashine gun. I used to shoot it during my time as paratrooper in the German forces.

[@wehrmachtberlin5122]

The existence of world war has taught the world many lessons. Progress in the past gave human beings in the present world a chance to survive. Never assume that germany is the enemy. They are an inspiration to the modernity of the world