The MG 34 was intended to replace the MG 13 and other older machine guns, but these were still being used in World War II as demand was never met.
MG 34 turėjo visai pakeisti MG 13 ir kitus senesnius kulkosvaidžius, bet jie buvo ir toliau naudojami antrame pasauliniame kare, nes paklausa niekada nebuvo iki galo patenkinta.