MG34 (7.92 mm)

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Description

An example of a pintle-mounted MG 34 with AA sight on a Tiger I.

The MG 34 is a recoil-operated, air-cooled machine gun of German origin.[1] Development of the MG 34 began in 1934 by Heinrich Vollmer, eventually seeing service with the Francoist Spanish forces in the Spanish Civil War. Inspired heavily by Rheinmetall's MG 30, changes and developments made to the MG 34 design led it to become the first General-Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG).[1] The weapon was revolutionary for its time, boasting the highest fire rate of any machine gun at the time.[2] Though its technological superiority came at a cost, causing it to be far too expensive and complicated to mass-produce on its own. Thus, it was produced and implemented in tandem with similar machine guns such as the MG 42.[3]

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

As of update 1.85.0.112, the MG 34 is present on 45 tanks and three naval vessels in War Thunder. It is on 42 German vehicles, 3 German naval vessels, 2 Soviet vehicles, and 1 Japanese vehicle.

A Pz.II DAK's MG 34. The MG 34 (circled in red) is the smaller of the two weapons

General info

The MG 34 is a common sight in War Thunder, being mounted coaxially in many German tank turrets and even on some external Anti-Air and Anti-Infantry mounts. It was found to be better suited to such applications than its counterparts, and quickly became the Wehrmacht's weapon of choice for supplying armour with rifle-calibre protection. It was also used as light-AA on certain Kriegsmarine vessels.

Chambered in 7.92 mm, the MG 34 boasts a fire rate of up to 900 rpm at a velocity of 765 m/s. It can be fed from belts with up to 250 rounds, or drum magazines holding up to 75 rounds.

Available shells

The unique mount for the MG 34 on the S-38b.

In War Thunder, the MG 34 is a secondary weapon and thus does not have optional belts. It uses one default belt, consisting of AP-I/AP-I/AP-T for tank battles, and straight AP-I for naval.

AP-I Penetration

Distance 0° 30° 60°
10 m 10 mm 7 mm 3 mm
100 m 9 mm 6 mm 3 mm
500 m 7 mm 5 mm 2 mm
1000 m 4 mm 3 mm 1 mm
1500 m 0 mm 0 mm 0 mm
2000 m 0 mm 0 mm 0 mm

AP-T Penetration

Distance 0° 30° 60°
10 m 13 mm 9 mm 4 mm
100 m 12 mm 9 mm 4 mm
500 m 7 mm 5 mm 2 mm
1000 m 4 mm 3 mm 1 mm
1500 m 1 mm 0 mm 0 mm
2000 m 1 mm 0 mm 0 mm

Comparison with Analogues

While having a slower fire rate than the MG 42, both weapons fire the same ammunition at the same velocity, meaning they perform nearly identically. The frequency with which the MG 34 appears means players of the German ground forces will be well-acquainted with the 7.92 calibre which sets the standard for MGs in the German tech tree.

Usage in the battles

Being coaxially mounted is a significant advantage for taking out light vehicles such as SPAA or tank destroyers with an exposed crew. On rare occasion, certain fully-enclosed vehicles have so little armour that they can be penetrated by the MG 34 at close range. If you are lucky enough to be driving a vehicle with a roof-mounted MG 34 such as the Jagdpanzer 38(t), it performs well as a deterrent for attacking aircraft, and might even score you a kill. And as with any other machine gun, it can prove to be a useful tool for spotting enemies for your allies or clearing obstacles.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • High fire rate
  • Decent penetration for its calibre
  • Common usage means it is easy to be familiar with handling this gun
  • Large magazine

Cons:

  • Only proves to be deadly against a limited set of targets
  • Not commonly mounted externally, limiting its use against aircraft

Historical part

Media

  • A Pz.II DAK firing its coaxial MG 34.

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

  • reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources


Tank machine guns
USA 
7.62 mm  M37 · M60D · M73 · M240 · M1919A4 · Mk.52
12.7 mm  FN M3P · M2HB · M80 · M85
Germany 
5.56 mm  MG4
7.62 mm  C6 · MG3A1
7.92 mm  MG13 Dreyse · MG34 · MG37(t) · MG42
12.7 mm  S.MG.50
USSR 
7.62 mm  DT · PKMB · PKT · PKTM · RP-46 · SGMT
12.7 mm  DK · DShK · 6P49 · NSVT
14.5 mm  KPVT
Britain 
7.62 mm  Browning MG4 · L3A1 · L8A1 · L8A2 · L37A1 · L37A2 · L94A1
7.7 mm  Vickers
7.92 mm  BESA
12.7 mm  L21A1
Japan 
6.5 mm  Type 91
7.62 mm  Type 74
7.7 mm  Type 97
12.7 mm  Type 60 (B)
China 
5.8 mm  QJT
7.62 mm  Type 55 · Type 59 · Type 86
12.7 mm  QJC88A · Type 54
14.5 mm  QJG02
Italy 
7.62 mm  Beretta MG42/59 · FN MAG 60-40
8 mm  34/40M · Breda Mod. 38
13.2 mm  Breda Model 31
France 
7.5 mm  AAT-52 · MAC 31
7.62 mm  A-A-F1N
8 mm  Hotchkiss Mle 1914
Sweden 
6.5 mm  ksp m/14-29
7.62 mm  ksp 39 C · ksp 58 · ksp 94
8 mm  ksp m/36 · ksp m/39B
12.7 mm  ksp 88

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. p. 246.
  2. ↑ Haskew, Michael E (2012). Small Arms 1914-1945: The Essential Weapons Identification Guide. London: Amber Books. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-908273-85-7.
  3. ↑ The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Chris Bishop. Sterling Publishing Company. 2002. page 245 & 246
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