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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: United Offensive. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Finest Hour. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty 2. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty 3. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Roads to Victory. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: World at War. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: World at War for the Nintendo DS. The subject of this article appeared in Zombies mode The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: WWII The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: WWII Nazi Zombies The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Vanguard The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Warzone
For other uses, see MG.

The MG42 ( German for Maschinengewehr 42[1]) is a German machine gun that appears in all of the World War II era Call of Duty installments, as well as making various appearances in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. In most games it is only mounted, but in Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Call of Duty: World at War (as well as Call of Duty: Zombies), Call of Duty: WWII and Call of Duty: Vanguard it is available as a portable weapon which in certain games can be mounted on trees or barriers.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive[]

The MG42 is a mounted weapon that can be found hanging from various areas in the game, in singleplayer and multiplayer. It doesn't overheat, so one can just hold down the fire button. It doesn't have great accuracy, but the sheer amount of bullets it fires easily compensates for that, deterring even the most hardened attacker. It should also be noted that in the singleplayer campaign being hit with the MG42 will cause the players aim to be thrown off. Being hit with a tank's MG42 will cause the player to take serious damage and go into shellshock mode. As a result of these two factors, the best tactic is to flank the gunner or eliminate him with grenades.

In Call of Duty: United Offensive, the MG42 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 would be a waste of ammo, since the tank-user's machine-gunner could take the enemy down just as fast without having to use such firepower.

In Call of Duty and Call of Duty: Classic the American troops and the Soviet corporal Filatov are using captured MG42s.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour[]

"The MG42 is a relatively light, very reliable machine gun capable of providing devastating firepower. Because of its high rate of fire, very short burts are required to increase accuracy. It is most effectively used with its bipod deployed."
— Manual description


The MG42 can be found as a portable weapon, first in the campaign mission "The Flag Must Fall", and is also available in a mounted-only form. However, the portable version has a horrid amount of recoil if the player doesn't fire it prone and with a bipod. In a pinch it is best to be used in crouch, as the recoil is reduced slightly. The bipod has to be used in order to aim down the sights, otherwise it can only be fired from the hip.

Call of Duty 2[]

It is exactly the same as in Call of Duty, except with a new appearance and higher rate of fire. "Spray and pray" is a common tactic that any player will use. Due to the aggressive Germans' counterattacks, an MG42 is the safest option that the player could have. Sometimes, they are transported by enemies, before being fixed on a certain position.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One[]

"Nicknamed "Hitler's Buzzsaw" due to the sound from its high rate of fire. 7.92mm caliber 50-round belt."
— Description

The MG42 (referred to as MG-42 HMG in the Bonus Materials) is only found in a mounted form throughout the game and is automatically aimed through a rear V-notch sight without a visible front post. By holding down the aim button, the player can zoom in their view, though they still look through the V-notch sight in the same manner. Firing the MG42 for prolonged periods will cause it to overheat.

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory[]

"The German MG-42 had the highest rate of fire of any World War II light machine gun."
— In-game description

In Call of Duty: Roads to Victory, the MG42 frequently appears in all three campaigns. It is only found in deployed position and doesn't appear to overheat or have an ammo limit. They can lose the player's accuracy when fired a lot. It's handy to destroy tanks and killing a wave of enemies. This machine gun is located inside the Sd. Kfz. 251 with a shield to protect the gunner, Panzer IV and the Tiger I. The Wehrmacht donated this machine gun to the United States Army and placed inside their M4 Shermans instead of the M2 Browning Machine Gun.

Call of Duty 3[]

"Made from stamped steel and famous for its distinctive 1200 round per minute rate of fire, the MG42 was designed as a replacement for the MG34. Belt fed and recoil operated."
— In-game description


Campaign[]

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, the player can eliminate MG42 gunners with a cannon blast. It is aimed purely with the rear V-notch sight in the same manner that Call of Duty 2: Big Red One has MG42's aim. Also, the MG42 is in almost every level. However, in single player, the MG42 is rarely useful. The only levels that the character has to use the MG's are: "The Crossroads" and "The Corridor of Death". The MG42 has an extremely high rate of fire.

Multiplayer[]

In multiplayer, they are equipped on Axis vehicles (i.e.: Kubelwagens and Panzer IVs). Other than this, they are not obtainable in multiplayer.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare[]

Throwing Knife menu icon MW3
The subject matter of this article was cut from the final version of a Call of Duty game. Since some information cannot be independently verified, the content on this page may be subject to change.

The MG42 appears in Call of Duty 4’s weapon files, along with its Call of Duty 2 textures. It appears on the levels "The Bog", "Heat", "The Sins of the Father" and can be found outside "Charlie Don't Surf".

Call of Duty: World at War[]

"German heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire and moderate power. Effective at medium to long range."
— Description

Campaign[]

The MG42 is often found mounted on walls, but also found with a bipod, a version that the player can carry and use like a handheld weapon. It holds more ammo than its multiplayer counterpart and is often extremely useful due to its ability to fire a large number of bullets and that it only takes two-three 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 trenches. Picking up the FG42 in the beginning of the level and then picking up the MG42 makes the level a whole lot easier. In singleplayer, mounted MG42s can be found in "Vendetta", "Their Land, Their Blood", "Heart of the Reich", and "Downfall". Deployable ones can only be found in "Their Land, Their Blood", and "Ring of Steel".

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.

Since the MG42 has high penetration, in the level "Their Land, Their Blood", the player can destroy a German truck in approximately three shots.

Multiplayer[]

The MG42 is unlocked at level 33.

The MG42 has consistent but low damage per bullet. The MG42 will deal thirty damage at all ranges, needing four shots to kill, or three if one bullet hits the head. The MG42 is a one shot kill at all ranges in Hardcore game types unless shooting through a wall or if the enemy is using Juggernaut. This damage per bullet is low for an MG, but the lack of a damage drop-off is nice and keeps the MG42 competitive at long range. The MG42 has high penetration power, which allows the MG42 to retain a good chunk of its damage when shooting through walls.

When using Stopping Power, the MG42's damage per bullet increases to 42 damage per bullet, needing three shots to kill, or just 2 if one bullet hits the head. The MG42 remains a one shot kill at all ranges in Hardcore, but can deal one shot kills to Juggernaut users and can get one shot kills through walls on occasion. The MG42 gains a huge advantage from using Stopping Power in Core game types, but the advantages of using Stopping Power in Hardcore are minimal.

The MG42 compensates for its low damage per bullet with a high rate of fire, firing at 937 RPM. This fire rate makes the MG42 competitive at medium to long ranges, especially when using Stopping Power. Using Double Tap increases the MG42's fire rate to a ferocious 1250 RPM.

The MG42's accuracy is decent. The iron sights are relatively unobstructed, and the recoil per shot is moderately high. The upwards recoil isn't too large, but the MG42 has notable horizontal recoil, exacerbated further by the high fire rate. Thankfully, the MG42 has a good centerspeed value of 1778, which is high, and helps keep the MG42 under control during automatic fire. The MG42 can maintain accuracy out to medium ranges when fired fully automatically but burst firing or tap firing is recommended at long range. The MG42 has a large amount of idle sway, normal for an MG, but it has elevated idle sway speed relative to other MGs, about half the speed of a scoped rifle.

The MG42's major debilitating weakness lies in its handling characteristics. The MG42 moves at a slow 87.5% of the base movement speed, and strafes at a paltry 35% of the base speed. The hip-fire crosshairs are large, and makes hip-fire extremely inconsistent. The MG42's switch speeds are some of the slowest in the game, making switching between secondaries, equipment, and the calling in of killstreaks a cumbersome procedure. The MG42 has one of the longest aim down sight times in the game, at 500 milliseconds. Should the user be caught off guard, the MG42 takes very long to aim. The MG42's reload speeds aren't great, but okay. The MG42's reload animation is six seconds long. Despite the extremely long reload animation, the MG42's reload cancel is significantly faster than the reload animation, at just 2.8 seconds. The reload cancel speed isn't great, but the MG42 makes up for such a speed, and many will find such a reload speed to be acceptable enough.

The MG42 has the largest capacity of any MG, tied with the M1919 Browning at fifty rounds. The MG42 gets two spare drums by default, allowing the user to spawn in with 150 rounds total.

The MG42 only has access to one attachment: the Bipod. The Bipod removes idle sway and makes recoil practically non-existant, although the Bipod, when deployed, causes the MG42 to have a shot spread, meaning that where the player aims isn't precisely where the shot will land. The range of movement for where the mounted MG42 can look is also quite limited. As such, players wanting to make use of the Bipod should only try to use it across longer sightlines, where the limited movement isn't as much of a problem.

It can also be found mounted on German Panzer IV and Panther tanks on certain maps.

Zombies[]

The MG42 appears in all Zombies maps. It can only be obtained in the Mystery Box. It is widely considered to be one of the best weapons available, due to its high ROF and damage, large ammo reserve, and large magazine. Because of its high ROF, however, after a few rounds, the player will need to get a new gun or obtain a Max Ammo. The MG42 can tear apart entire lines of Zombies before having to reload, and the MG42 can easily be reload canceled. It's also very effective against Hellhounds. It should be noted that on the maps Nacht der Untoten and Verrückt, the MG42's recoil is higher compared the recoil on the maps Shi No Numa and Der Riese, making it less effective at longer ranges.

When Pack-a-Punched, it becomes the Barracuda FU-A11. The player's reserve ammo will become much larger, at 750 rounds, and the ROF will increase to a monstrous 1363 RPM which is only slightly behind the Pack-a-Punched PPSh-41s 1578 RPM. The MG42 could be regarded as a questionable weapon to Pack-a-Punch, as it will burn through valuable ammunition much quicker, and that no damage increase is received. If the player can work with a smaller supply of ammunition and a lower ROF, they can find less of a need to Pack-a-Punch the MG42. But players who are able to control their trigger pulls may find the Pack-a-Punched MG42 useful due to the extra ammo.

MG42 vs. Barracuda FU-A11[]

MG42 Barracuda FU-A11
MG42 WaW Barracuda FU-A11 WaW
Damage 130-90 130-90
Fire mode Automatic Automatic
Rate of fire 937 1363
Magazine size 125 125
Max ammo 500+125 750+125
Reload 4.5 4.5
Mobility Low Low
Extras Higher rate of fire and more ammo.


Weapon Attachments[]

Gallery[]

For Attachment images, see MG42/Attachments.

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

The MG42 is different from its console counterparts, as it is more accurate and has a slower rate of fire. It also uses an ammo box like the M249 SAW. It is absent from multiplayer and can be found in the British and Russian Campaigns.

Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts[]

The MG42 appears in all European missions, but in some levels, it is only found mounted. It is a good weapon to use to take out multiple waves of enemies and for providing covering fire, as its extremely high rate of fire and very low recoil can take out a large group of enemies at once.

Call of Duty: Zombies[]

The MG42 is available through the Mystery Box in all maps. It has a massive ammo capacity and is very powerful. It can kill a zombie with a single shot on low levels on Recruit, and it only takes a few more to kill on Regular. The MG42 in this game has a much faster reload than the World at War version.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[]

The weapon can be found in the level "Of Their Own Accord", to the right side of the White House, behind the barriers, thus needing the use of the Console command, "noclip", for it to be reached and used. It is disguised as a searchlight next to a Humvee, but when approached, the words "Press F to use" and the Call of Duty 2 pick-up icon is shown. The weapon uses the searchlight as its first person model but can still be fired.

Call of Duty: Black Ops[]

The MG42 appears as a mounted machine gun, used by the Germans against Reznov and his accomplices during "Project Nova". The graphics are mostly recycled from Call of Duty: World at War other than the fact the gun is iced over.

Gallery[]

Call of Duty: Black Ops III[]

Campaign[]

The MG42 returns as a mounted weapon in the level "Demon Within". It is used by German soldiers during the World War II simulation part of the level, and can be used by the player as well.

Zombies[]

In Gorod Krovi, there are several mounted MG42s in the Hatchery that can be used by paying 1000 points. Unusable MG42s can also be seen in a room through a barrier in Der Eisendrache and on top of the fountain in the Verrückt section of Revelations. An unusable MG42 can be seen in Shangri-La, next to a dead German soldier next to the perk machine near the minecart.

Gallery[]

Call of Duty: WWII[]

"Full-auto LMG with moderate recoil and fast fire rate."
— Description

The MG 42 is available in Call of Duty: WWII in both mounted and portable forms.

Campaign[]

The MG 42 is often found mounted in bunkers or sandbag emplacements, with the objectives of several missions being to eliminate the gunner behind it. It can also be found in fixed mounts on Kübelwagens and Sd. Kfz. 251s. The vehicle mounted MG 42s have infinite ammunition and can overheat, whereas the portable version with the bipod has an ammo count and can not overheat. Should the original gunner of a MG 42 die, another German can take his place and continue firing. The MG 42 can also rarely be found in the hands of German machine gun soldiers in place of the usual MG 15.

The player can fire the MG 42 while mounted or demount it for handheld use, provided the gun is not mounted in a vehicle. The player can then redeploy the bipod when near most ledges or while prone. Should a player hand carry an MG 42, the gun counts as a special weapon and will not replace any of the weapons in the player's inventory. However, the MG 42 must be dropped if the player wants to switch weapons. If the player leaves a MG 42 while its bipod is deployed and has ammunition, the player's allies can man it and fire at the Germans. Ammo cannot be picked up from other dropped MG42s, but the player can use Turner's ability of giving the player ammo to resupply.

Multiplayer[]

The portable form is available for selection after prestiging the Armored Division for the first time. This version holds 50 rounds per belt, or 100 with Extended Mags.

The weapon's rate of fire is significantly lower than in past games. However, the weapon does boast much higher damage and lower recoil than in previous installments, allowing it to remain effective at range. Its sights are relatively clean making optics unnecessary, however a 4x with Grip can boost it ranged performance. Rapid Fire can boost the average TTK and FMJ can help with enemies behind cover. Quickdraw is also solid allowing faster target acquisition.

The MG42 can be seen as a middle ground between the more powerful Lewis and the fast-firing MG 15.

Mounted (static) form[]

The mounted form is set up in MG nests on certain maps, such as Pointe du Hoc and Gibraltar. Additionally, it appears in the War gamemode, where it can be built by either side on most maps (which will give the player 150 points for doing so) or mounted on the Axis tanks, such as on Operation Griffin. Damage is immense, rivaling the Bren, being a two shot kill at most range, but suffering in its rate of fire, having a slower fire rate than the portable version. The mounted MG 42 has infinite ammo and does not need to be reloaded, but can overheat, after firing 20-30 rounds without letting off the trigger. Tap-firing or burst firing will allow the player to fire off more bullets before the gun overheats.

When a player is using the turret, they take 50% less damage, with an exception being sniper rifles (does not apply to turrets on Operation Neptune phase 1). As the MG42 may be inaccurate at long ranges as well as the operator being exposed from the waist up, players on turrets make easy targets for snipers. Getting a kill with the mounted MG42 (gaining a "MG nest kill" and "Pillbox" medal) or killing an enemy using said mounted MG42 ("MG nest cleared") will grant players an extra 25 points.

Nazi Zombies[]

The MG42 is available from the Mystery Box in all maps for 1,000 Jolts and from the Light Machine gun Waffenboxes in The Tortured Path for 4,2500 Jolts. When upgraded either by the Ubersprengen or via the Freefire perk "MK. II" it becomes the Bone Saw gaining an increased magazine size of 100, increased maximum reserve ammo of 500, increased damage and a massive fire rate increase.

"The Vintage"[]

In addition to the normal MG42, a special variant called the "The Vintage" can be obtained via a special easter egg in The Frozen Dawn. If upgraded via the Ubersprengen, it becomes The Freak Show.

Attachments[]

Attachment Unlock level
Quickdraw menu icon WWII
Quickdraw
Weapon Level 2 Zombies level 4
Grip menu icon WWII
Grip
Weapon Level 3 Zombies level 36
Reflex Sight menu icon WWII
Reflex Sight
Weapon Level 4 Zombies level 11
Steady Aim menu icon WWII
Steady Aim
Weapon Level 5 Zombies level 36
FMJ menu icon WWII
Full Metal Jacket
Weapon Level 6 Zombies level 18
4x Optic menu icon WWII
4x Optic
Weapon Level 7 Zombies level 22
Extended Mag menu icon WWII
Extended Mags
Weapon Level 8 Zombies level 32
Rapid Fire menu icon WWII
Rapid Fire
Weapon Level 9 Zombies level 25

Variants[]

For the visuals of the variants, see MG42/Variants.
Name Rarity Perk Operation Notes
Buzzsaw Epic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 10% Bonus Soldier XP
Zombies Mode Perk Icon WWII Center Mass
Unique Inspection

Animation

Buzzsaw II Heroic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 15% Bonus Soldier XP
Rolling Thunder Epic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 10% Bonus Soldier XP
Rolling Thunder II Heroic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 15% Bonus Soldier XP
Devil's Piano II Heroic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 15% Bonus Soldier XP
Zipper Epic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 10% Bonus Soldier XP Collection reward
Zipper II Heroic Soldier Exp Bonus Items WWII 15% Bonus Soldier XP

Gallery[]

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War[]

An unusable mounted MG42 makes a brief appearance in the mission Fracture Jaw where it is used by the Viet Cong.

Call of Duty: Vanguard[]

"Extreme rate-of-fire LMG able to suppress enemy forces at medium range."
— In-game description

The MG42 returns in Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Overview[]

Campaign[]

The MG42 is often found as a mounted weapon. Several Jägermörder also use a MG42 as their primary weapon in the missions Lady Nightingale and The Fourth Reich.

Zombies[]

The MG42 can be brought into any map via Create-A-Class, at Loadout rarity and can be found at any rarity via the Mystery Box for 950 Essence. When upgraded via the Pack-a-Punch Machine, it becomes the Barracuda FU-A11.

Attachments[]

Muzzle[]

Barrel[]

  • VDD 680mm 31M
  • Krausnick 450mm B42MG
  • VDD 890mm 32M Luftschutz
  • Krausnick 355mm Rapid

Optic[]

  • Nydar Model 47
  • G16 2.5x
  • MK 3 Sunfilter
  • VDD IS75M
  • K98 Scout 10.0X Telescopic
  • Slate Reflector
  • M19 4.0X Flip
  • 1913 Variable 4-8X
  • Monocular Reflector
  • Type 99 Mod. 2 7X Telescopic
  • MK 3 Mod. 2 Sunfilter
  • M38/Slate 2.5x Custom
  • ZC2 1.35x Lens
  • MK 3 Reflector
  • Type 97 5X Telescopic
  • MK 18 Sunfilter
  • 1229/Slate 3.25X Custom
  • MK.12 Night Vision
  • ZF4 3.5x Rifle Scope
  • SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6X
  • Saturn 1.35x Lens
  • MK. 8 Reflector
  • Krausnick IS89MG
  • Krausnick IS88MG

Stock[]

  • Removed Stock
  • VDD Skeletal
  • Krausnick S91 Padded
  • VDD 64M
  • Krausnick S91MG

Underbarrel[]

  • Carver Foregrip
  • M1930 Strife Angled
  • SMLE Pistol Grip
  • Heavy Foregrip
  • GF-59 Flashlight
  • Bipod
  • Mark VI Skeletal
  • M1941 Hand Stop

Magazine[]

  • 6.5 Sakura 125 Round Drums
  • 8mm Klauser 50 Round Fast Mags
  • 13mm Anti-Material 125 Round Drums
  • 8m Klauser 250 Round Box

Ammo Type[]

Rear Grip[]

Proficiency[]

Kit[]

Blueprints[]

Blueprint Image Rarity How to Obtain
Bakunawa Bakunawa Card Vanguard Legendary Island Expedition Pro Pack
Bloodcrow Bloodcrow Card Vanguard Legendary Slatter Machine Bundle
Diesel Scavenger Diesel Scavenger Card Vanguard Legendary Diesel Age Bundle
Elysium Elysium Card Vanguard Legendary Safari Shock Bundle
Festival Lantern Festival Lantern Card Vanguard Legendary Tracer Pack: Summer Festival Bundle
Heavy Foliage Heavy Foliage Card Vanguard Legendary Season Three Combat Pack
High Octane High Octane Card Vanguard Ultra Ultimate Merc Mastercraft Bundle
Icebergian Icebergian Card Vanguard Epic Battle Pass Season Two Tier 38
Identity Theft Identity Theft Card Vanguard Legendary Tracer Pack: Terminator T-1000 Ultra Operator - Limited Time Bundle
Impact Driver Impact Driver Card Vanguard Legendary Battle Pass Season Four Tier 45
Machination Machination Card Vanguard Legendary Khaled Al-Asad Operator Bundle
World Traveler World Traveler Card Vanguard Legendary Battle Pass Season Five Tier 65

Trivia[]

Call of Duty[]

  • There is a MG42 in the American training camp. The Russians are also using MG42's to shoot "cowards" in the first part of the Red Square mission, and MG42's are found on all the various tanks in the game, including the Russian T-34's. Infinity Ward didn't put any other stationary machineguns in-game, so the MG42 was the stand-in of choice for Allied weapons.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One[]

Call of Duty 3[]

  • The MG42 in Call of Duty 3 appears to have a serial number as well as a Nazi Swastika printed on it.

Call of Duty: World at War[]

  • Like the Browning M1919, the MG42 has no magazine in third person perspective.
  • The MG42 with the Bipod can overheat while it is deployed, like the mounted ones.
  • In the Wii version, the MG42's bipod is unfolded when attached in multiplayer. This also applies to the Browning M1919 and the DP-28.
  • Edward Richtofen uses the Pack-a-Punched version of the MG42 (the Barracuda FU-A11) before becoming overwhelmed by the zombies in the Der Riese trailer.
  • The name "FU-A11" is leet for "Fuck you all".

Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts[]

  • The gun has no visible magazine.

Call of Duty: Black Ops[]

  • It is possible to kill several teammates with the weapon and gib them, but the friendly fire warning will come up after a few kills.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III[]

  • The MG42 uses the same texture from World at War.
  • During the Campaign, after using the MG42 and dismounting it, it will remain pointed at wherever it was last aimed, rather than returning to its idle position.

Call of Duty: WWII[]

  • Unlike the other fixed MG 42s in the game, the one used by the player at the end of Ambush cannot overheat.

References[]

  1. Call of Duty 3 Bonus Materials
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