MG 34 machine gun, Germany 1934 (WWII) 1317, Non-functional replica

The MG 34 (Maschinengewehr 34) is a German recoil-loading, air-cooled machine gun introduced in 1934. It is considered to be the world's first general-purpose machine gun (light, bipod-equipped, and heavy, tripod-equipped). It is capable of sustaining a high volume of fire, without sacrificing speed of movement or tactical flexibility. It was in service from 1936 to 1956.

The primary design of the MG 34 was by Heinrich Vollmer of Mauser, who based it on a model by Louis Stange of Rheinmetall, which had just entered service in Switzerland.

The MG 34 could use either 50- or 75-round magazines or 50- or 250-round ammunition belts. It fired 7.92x57mm Mauser ammunition and had an effective range of 1,200 m with a bipod and 3,000-3,500 m with a tripod. It had a rate of fire of 800-900 rounds per minute, far superior to the British Bren or American Browning machine guns, which had a rate of fire of about 500-600 rounds per minute.

The German Army had managed to manufacture a multipurpose machine gun, and its divisions, both armoured and infantry, were equipped with it. Even the German Air Force used a version of the same model, although modified for use in aircraft. Only about 350,000 units were manufactured, as the cost was very high due to their laborious and careful manufacturing.

Today, many armies around the world still employ machine guns developed from the basic MG 34 configuration.

Relive the most famous battles of World War II with this historical replica from Denix!