MG42

The MG42 (Maschinengewehr 42: Machine gun 42), one of the most well recognized and infamous machine guns of all time, was a light machine gun used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

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 extraordinary high rate of fire (1500 RPM, compared to 600 for the Vickers and Browning Machine guns, used by the British and Americans respectively), this weapon fired so fast, that the sound of individual bullets shooting from the weapon was impossible to be distinguished by the human ear, resulting in a sound unlike any other weapon on the battlefield and was instantly recognizable. Its ability to quickly replace the barrel if it overheats is also another one of this weapon's revolutionary features. The MG42 was most commonly used with a portable bipod or tripod and a 75 round drum magazine, or 125 round belt, which could be used up in less than 5 seconds if the weapon was not fired in bursts.

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.) as well as an additional 5 man rifle element to serve as the protection for the gun crew, resulting in a German squad consisting of approximately 10-12 men.

Due to the very 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. Often, Allied forces would attack the weapons position as the soldiers manning the weapon were reloading or changing out 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 (decreasing the rate of fire from 1500 to 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 Buzz 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's Buzz Saw).

Call of Duty and United Offensive
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 or you. It doesn't have great accuracy, but the sheer amount of bullets it puts in the air easily compensates for that, detering even the most hardened attacker.

If you're under direct attack by an MG42, there's not a whole lot you can do, some advise is to throw a smoke grenade in front of it, then run past it. While the gunner 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. Another useful tip is to wait until your squad has suppressed the weapon, then get close enough to either flank it, or get a grenade on it, but whatever you do, do it Immediately, or odds are, you will be cut to ribbons

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.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour
The MG42 is found often in mounted-only form and rarely as a weapon that the player can carry. However, it has horrid recoil if you don't fire it prone and with a bipod. In a pinch it can be used in crouch as the recoil is reduced slightly.

Call of Duty 2
Exactly like how they are in Call of Duty with a new appearance and same rate of fire. "Spray and pray" is a common tactic that any player will use. Due to the aggressive Germans counter-attack, an MG-42 is the saver option that you could have.

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, you can blow away MG42 gunners with a cannon blast. It could now aim with it's iron sight but just the V-notch, not the front sight.

In multiplayer, they are equipped on Axis vehicles (ie: Kubelwagens and Panzer IVs).

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. Many of these can be found 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 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.

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 M1919, 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.

This weapon is often compared to the Browning M1919, with the MG42's advantages being a higher ROF and a quicker reload time, but the Browning's strengths being higher attack power and more accurate. Overall, the MG42 will do more damage per second but the Brownong M1919 will last much longer.

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.

Nazi Zombies
The MG42 appears in all Nazi Zombie maps. It can only be obtained in the Mystery Box. It is widely considered to be one of the best weapons available, due to it's high ROF, large ammo reserve, attack power and large magazine. This gun can tear apart entire lines of Zombies before having to reload. It's also very effective against Hellhounds.

When Pack-a-Punched it becomes the "Barracuda FU-A11", and gets an increase in damage, a higher ROF, and more held ammo. Many players believe FU-A11 means: "Fuck You All".

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.

Trivia

 * In Their land, their blood a German soldier can be seen carrying and firing a MG42 un-mounted.
 * 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 firing in small bursts. 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).
 * 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.
 * Even if you fire all the rounds in the MG42's drum, it still reloads the same way as you manually reload (i.e. press the reload button)
 * In Call of Duty World at War, the MG42 can be found mounted on German Panzer tanks.
 * Like the Browning M1919, the MG42 has no magazine in third person perspective.
 * In single player or co-op campaign, the MG42 has a 125 round drum, in multiplayer it has a 50 round drum.
 * The MG42 has the fastest light machine gun reload time, in singleplayer and Nazi Zombies.
 * Strangely, in World at War, the rate of fire for the MG42 and PPSh-41 is switched. It's possibly for balancing reasons.
 * The MG42 is also known as Hitler's Buzz Saw.
 * In the Military Channel's Top Ten the MG42 was named #3.
 * Interestingly, in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, every usable mounted MG42 has a unique serial number on the top of the barrel.
 * The MG42 in World at War is capable of ripping off limbs and heads.

Video
thumb|left|300px|MG-42 gameplay on the Wii