The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German recoil-operated air-cooled machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It introduced an entirely new concept in automatic firepower – the Einheitsmaschinengewehr – and is generally considered the world’s first general-purpose machine gun.
Type:
General-purpose machine gun
Place of origin:
Naz* Germany
In service:
1936–1945 (officially, German military) 1936–present (other armies)
Used by:
See Users
Wars:
World War II, Chinese Civil War, First Indochina War, 1948 Arab–Israeli war, Korean War, Portuguese Colonial Wars, Algerian War, Cuban Revolution, Suez Crisis, Biafran War, Vietnam War, Angolan Civil War, Six-Day War, The Troubles, Syrian Civil War
Designer:
Heinrich Vollmer
Designed:
1934
Manufacturer:
Rheinmetall-Borsig AG Soemmerda, Mauserwerke AG, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Waffenwerke Brünn
Unit cost:
312 RM (1944), EUR current equivalent
Produced:
1935–1945
Number built:
577,120
Feed system:
50/250-round Patronengurt 33,