MG 34
| Factions | Weapon | Icon | Classes | Ammo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 VC |
 MG 34 |
 |
 Gunner |
50 / 100 |
| Damage Base | Headshot × | Chest × | Stomach × | Leg × | Arm × | Reload Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partial | Empty | ||||||
| 39 | ×2.3 = 89.7 | ×1 = 39 | ×0.95 = 37.05 | ×0.6 = 23.4 | ×0.55 = 21.45 | 5.766 Seconds | 6.633 Seconds |
| Designation | Weapon Type | Fire Modes | Fire Rate | Bullet Spread ° | Bipod Bullet Spread ° | Range Modifier | Muzzle Velocity | Projectile weight | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MG 34 | LMG | Auto | 850 RPM | 9.33° & 2.5° ADS | 2.2° & 0.7° ADS | 0.925 | 853 m/s | 10 g (154.3 gr) | 13 kg (28.66 lbs) |
| Full name | Caliber | Place of Origin | Date | Manufacturer | Barrel Length | Total Length | Weapon Script Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FN | 7.92x57mm Mauser | Germany | 1935 | ARM | in ( mm) | in ( mm) | weapon_mg43 |
The MG 34 is a German general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) chambered in 7.92×57mm Mauser. It is recoil-operated, air-cooled, and belt-fed, with the flexibility to be used from a bipod, tripod, or vehicle mount depending on the role. The MG 34 is best known as one of the first widely adopted “universal” machine guns, combining portable automatic fire with sustained-fire capability in a single weapon system.
HISTORY
The MG 34 was developed in the early 1930s and entered German service before World War II as an “Einheitsmaschinengewehr” (universal machine gun). It could be configured as a light machine gun on a bipod for mobile infantry use, or as a heavier sustained-fire weapon on a tripod with belt boxes and optics, and it was also widely fitted as a coaxial or pintle-mounted gun on armored vehicles. While highly capable and refined for its time, the MG 34 was relatively complex and costly to manufacture compared to later wartime designs, leading to the MG 42 supplementing it in many frontline roles.
After World War II, large numbers of MG 34s were captured, redistributed, and used in secondary service across multiple countries and conflicts, often wherever German stocks or postwar transfers introduced them into local arsenals. In Southeast Asia, the movement of surplus and captured weapons through the postwar period meant that MG 34s could appear alongside other legacy machine guns during the First Indochina War and later, typically in limited quantities compared to more common Cold War-era arms. Museum collections also document MG 34 examples associated with post-1945 conflicts, including pieces bearing non-German markings that reflect later capture and reissue histories.
Sources
- Imperial War Museums – MG34 machine gun (collection entry)
- Naval History and Heritage Command – German MG34 Machine Gun (artifact overview)
- Deutsches Historisches Museum – Universal-Maschinengewehr Modell 34 (MG 34), 1934/1945
- Imperial War Museums – MG34–MG42: German Universal Machine Guns (book collection entry)