page_title: MG 42
section_title: Use
hierarchical_section_title: MG 42 / Use
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Libération de la Basse-Normandie pendant l'été 1944, en secteur américain. Prise de guerre&#160;: des mitrailleuses allemandes MG42 avec leur canons interchangeables au premier plan.
context_page_description: The MG 42 was a general-purpose machine gun. It was created in Nazi Germany. It began being used by the Wehrmacht in 1942. It was used with the MG 34 machine gun in the German Armed Forces. Both weapons were made and used until the end of the war.
  The MG 42 was known for being reliable, simple and easy to use. However, it is best known for its very high rate of fire so the Germans called it "Hitlersäge", or "Hitler's saw". There were other automatic weapon designs with similar firepower. Some examples of these are the French Darne, the Hungarian-Gebauer, the Russian 7.62mm ShKAS and the British Vickers K machine gun. However, because the MG 42 got its ammunition from a belt and its barrel was easy to change, it could fire for longer periods of time than these weapons.
  The MG 42 was used to create new weapons after Nazi Germany surrendered. The MG1 was nearly exactly the same as the MG 42. The MG1 became the MG1A3, which in turn became the MG 3. The Swiss MG 51, SIG MG 710-3, Austrian MG 74, and the Spanish 5.56mm Ameli light machine gun were all designed from the MG 42. The M60 and Belgian MAG also copied some features. The MG 42 was still used by many armed groups after the war.
context_section_description: The MG 42 weighed 11.8 kg. This was lighter than the MG 34.
  The MG 42 usually had a crew of six. These people were: the gun commander (the person who told the No.1 what to do with the gun), the No.1 who carried and fired the gun, the No.2 who carried the tripod, and Nos.3, 4, and 5 who carried ammunition, extra barrels and tools to dig foxholes in the ground. This big team was often cut to just three: the gunner, the loader (who loaded ammunition into the weapon and carried the barrels), and the spotter (the person who spotted targets for the gunner to shoot at). The leader of the squad and his assistant were given MP-40 submachine guns.
  The MG 42 was used on nearly all German armoured vehicles. In combat, the gun's barrel could be changed in seconds.
  The MG 42 was also very durable. To keep the gun working, all that was needed was some oil. The MG 42 could be dropped in mud or water and still work.
  The job of many German riflemen was to support the machine gun. If the MG 42 and its crew moved, the riflemen would cover them to keep them safe. When the crew set up the MG 42, the riflemen would dig holes in the ground for the MG 42 crew to sit in. While the MG 42 was firing, the riflemen would carry ammunition to the gunners.
  An MG 42 being used in a battle would usually use 3,000 rounds per day.
caption: An MG 42 on a tripod.
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