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MG42

From the Call of Duty Wiki

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The MG-42

The MG42 (Maschinengewehr 42: Machine gun 42) was a machine gun used by the Wehrmacht against the Allies during World War II.

Contents

[edit] Design and History

The MG42 is a belt-fed, air-cooled, General Purpose Machine Gun used by both Wehrmacht and Schutzstaffel (SS) forces. First developed in 1942, the weapon was intended as a replacement for the MG34 at the squad level, though by the end of the war it had yet to be completely implemented. The MG42 was cheaper to make and less sensitive to dust and mud. It had several advantages over its Allied counterparts, most notable were its high rate of fire (1500 RPM, compared to 600 for the Vickers and Browning Machine guns, used by the British and Americans respectively) and its ability to quickly replace the barrel if it overheats. The MG42 was most commonly used with a portable bipod or tripod and a 75 round drum magazine.

The German Army (Wehrmacht) doctrine called for the weapon to be the center of any infantry squad, used and supported by five men, but frequently reduced to three (the gunner, loader and spotter.)

Due to the high rate of fire and the ability to quickly change the air-cooled barrel, the MG42 was capable of tying up large numbers of Allied troops with a nearly non-stop rate of fire. The weapon was, like many weapons of the Nazi military, a potent psychological warfare tool. So frightening was the sound of the weapon (which sounded rather like a buzz-saw) and its rate of fire that the U.S Army made an instructional video specifically dealing with teaching troops to combat fear of the weapon.

However, the MG42 was not without its limitations. The weapon was vulnerable from the sides and rear and was nearly uncontrollable unless mounted with a bipod or tripod. Oftentimes, Allied forces would attack the weapons position as the soldiers manning the weapon were reloading or changing the hot barrel.

After the war, the MG42 continued to see service in West Germany as the MG3 and is still used by the now unified Germany. There have been several improvements and changes to the original design, including a heavier bolt (reducing the rate of fire from 1500 to still impressive 1200 rounds per minute), a new friction ring buffer, muzzle device and finally being re-chambered to 7.62x51mm NATO round as opposed to the 7.92x57mm Mauser round.

The German army uses the weapon as a GPMG with it being complemented by the newly developed Heckler & Koch MG4 (5.56 mm NATO) from the "Infanterist der Zukunft" (Infantryman of the future) program. Though the MG4 uses a similar system as the FN Minimi, it is not based on it and also has a higher muzzle velocity than its rival. The MG3 is also in use with many nations including the Spanish and Greek Armies.

The Yugoslavian and later Serbian army used the weapon virtually unchanged as the M53.

To the Allies it was sometimes known as "Hitler's zipper" or "Hitler's Saw" (Russian troops called it 'linoleum ripper') due to the sound the weapon made when firing, oftentimes comparable to cloth tearing or linoleum tiles being smashed. British troops called it the "Spandau" after the district in Berlin where they were manufactured. German troops sometimes called the weapon Hitlersäge because of the firing sound (Hitler saw).

[edit] Call of Duty and United Offensive

Call of Duty 1 and UO
Damage

30 (1 SP), 10.5-30 (UO SP), 60 (1 MP), 21-60 (UO MP),

Recoil

High

Fire Mode

Automatic

Ammunition

7.92x57mm Mauser

Used by

German Military

Clear


The MG42 is a mounted weapon that can be found hanging from various areas in the game, in singleplayer and multiplayer. It can't overheat, so just hold down the fire button and it'll do the rest. It doesn't have great accuracy, but the sheer amount of bullets it puts in the air easily compensates for that.

If you're under attack by a MG42, throw a smoke grenade in front of it, then run past it. While the user may still be firing, he'll have much less accuracy than before. If your marksmanship is good enough, you can blow the firer away before he has a chance to notice you.

In United Offense, it can be found mounted on Axis vehicles. Be careful, these can overheat, so it is best to fire in short bursts.

Tanks can dispose of MG42 gunners with their cannon. However, that's really over-the-top and a waste of ammo, since your machine-gunner could take him down just as fast without having to use the cannon.


[edit] Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2
Damage

250 (SP), 35 (MP)

Rate of Fire

Extremely high

Range

15000-16000m (SP), 15000-16000m (MP)

Recoil

High

Fire Mode

Automatic

Ammunition

7.92x57mm Mauser

Used by

German Military

Clear


Exactly like how they are in Call of Duty. "Spray and pray" is a common tactic that any player will use.

[edit] Call of Duty 3

Exactly like in Call of Duty 2, however firing for prolonged periods of time will cause it to overheat. Since there are vehicles in this game because of United Offense, you can blow away MG42 firers with a cannon blast.

In multiplayer, they are equipped on Axis vehicles (ie: Kublewagens and Panzer IV's). They are very On must be in the right position to use it (note driver or passenger) and it is very power.

[edit] Call of Duty: Finest Hour

The MG42 can be used as a regular weapon in this game. However, it has horrid recoil if you don't fire it prone and with a bipod.

[edit] Call of Duty: World at War

File:Weapon mg42.png
Call of Duty: World at War
Damage

90-130 (SP), 30 (MP)

Damage Multipliers

Head: 3, Chest: 1, Limbs: 1 (SP), Head: 1.4, Chest: 1, Limbs: 1 (MP)

Magazine Size

125 rounds (SP), 50 (MP)

Unlocked at

Level 33

Maximum Ammunition

500 rounds (SP), 300 rounds (MP)

Reload Time

6 s 4 s on Nazi Zombies

Rate of Fire

937 RPM

Range

1024-2400 m (SP), 1500-2000 m (MP)

Recoil

Moderate (very high in single player and Nazi Zombies)

Penetration

Large

Fire Mode

Automatic

Ammunition

7.92x57mm Mauser

Used by

German Military

Clear


[edit] Singleplayer

The MG42 is often found mounted on walls, or found with a bipod. It holds more ammo than its multiplayer counterpart and is oftentimes extremely useful due to its ability to fire a large amount of bullets and that it only takes at least 2-3 shots of any weapon to down an enemy in singleplayer.

The bipod allows the weapon to be mounted with better accuracy and less recoil, as such the weapon is usually mounted somewhere on a wall in the Soviet Red Army Campaign missions.

[edit] Multiplayer

In multiplayer the MG42 is unlocked at level 33 and has decent damage and a high rate of fire. It is very similar to the M249 SAW from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, as they do the same damage and have almost the exact same rate of fire, with the MG42 firing a bit faster. Like the Browning .30 cal, the MG42 holds a relatively large cylindrical drum magazine containing 50 rounds although its high rate of fire quickly drains ammunition, which can be a problem as, characteristic of most machine guns in Call of Duty, it has a reasonably slow reload time. It can be used effectively at long range, and recoil is not too much of a problem unless shooting from a distance. As with many machine guns, it is common that one would burst fire when attacked at long range. When fitted with a bipod, it can provide very effective covering fire when mounted on cover.

The MG42 is finished reloading once the drum is reattached to the gun, so double tapping the weapon switch button ("Y" for the Xbox 360, "Triangle" for the Playstation 3, and 1 or mouse wheel for the PC) afterwards effectively cuts the reload time in half, eliminating the need for Sleight of Hand. The concept of add time applies here. This tactic is known as reload canceling.

Ironsight

[edit] Call of Duty: World at War (DS)

The MG-42 is the exact same as the console counter-parts, except for the sights, which are a bit let obstructive than the console versions. It also uses an ammo box like the M249 SAW.  It is absent from multi-player and can be found in the British and Russian Campaign.

The MG42 on DS

[edit] Trivia

  • You can find many of these in the level, Their Land, Their Blood, which is helpful when navigating the trenches. Picking up the FG42 in the beginning of the level and then picking up the MG42 makes the level a whole lot easier.
  • The MG42 appears in Call of Duty 4's weapon files, along with its CoD2 textures, and appears on the level The Bog and Sins of the Father. Although this could perhaps be a modern MG3 as they are almost identical in exterior appearance.
  • The MG42 was the fastest firing machine gun in World War 2, and still is the fastest firing single-barreled machine gun in world history.
  • It would be difficult, but not impossible to fire the MG42 from the shoulder or a standing position. While it was heavy, one man could still carry it and fire it if he used the proper stance. Though not ideal this was taught to gunners as one method of using the weapon. The bipod merely supported the weapon's weight and stabilized it (when it was even used, sometimes the gun would simply be laid on top of something).
  • Another method of using the MG42 was to place the barrel of the machine gun on the shoulder of a kneeling comrade. This method required the kneeling comrade to wear a leather pad or thick blanket on his shoulder, or the heat of the barrel would cause severe burns.
  • In the games, the mounted MG42's lacks a magazine or an ammo belt, therefore, you're dry firing (but only in a technical sense, as bullets still hit the enemy).
  • When Pack-a-Punched it is called the Barracuda FU-A11. Many players believe this mean: "Fuck You All".
  • In Sins of the Father and The Bog, the "use" symbol for some mounted MGs is the picture of an MG42.
  • The MG42's you can walk around and use are noticeably smaller than ones that are mounted and can't be taken.
  • The MG42 is found attached to a turret on the Panzer Tank, in World at War.
  • In Nazi Zombies, the MG42 is very effective in holding off the Hellhounds.
  • Like the Browning M1919, the MG42 has no magazine in third person perspective.
  • The MG42 has the fastest HMG reload time.
  • The MG42's rate of fire appears to have been switched with the PPSh's in World At War.

[edit] Video

MG-42 gameplay on the Wii




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