Page 371 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

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Spade grips W
A
▲ BROWNING M2 HB
Date 1933
Origin US
▼ MG34 The MG34 was a revolutionary
Weight 84lb (38.1kg)
Date 1935 design—light, yet robust enough
Barrel 3 ⁄4ft (1.14m) to deliver sustained fire at 900
3
Origin Germany
Caliber .5in rounds per minute. However,
1
Ammunition belt Weight 25 ⁄4lb (11.5kg) it was difficult and expensive to
The highly effective “fifty cal” supporting box Barrel 24 ⁄4in (62.7cm) manufacture and was subsequently
3
M2 HB (heavy barrel) has been replaced by the MG42. TER- AND AIR-COOLED
used as key armament in aircraft, Caliber 7.92 × 57mm
on armored vehicles, and by
ground troops. It remains in
service even today.
Flash suppressor Ammunition
belt feed
Barrel jacket MA

▼ BREN GUN Originally developed in Brno, CHINE-GUNS
Date 1938 Czechoslovakia, and modified at
30-round Enfield in London (hence its name),
detachable Origin UK the dependable Bren was the British
1
box magazine Weight 22 ⁄4lb (10.15kg) Army’s light machine-gun during
Barrel 25in (63.5cm) World War II, and remained in
Rear sight service until the 1980s.
Caliber .303in
Left-hand grip

Cocking handle Gas cylinder Adjustable
gas regulator

Tripod
attachment point
▼ DEGTYAREV DSHK1938 Employed as the Red Army’s
Date 1938 heavy machine-gun, the
DShK1938 was similar to
Origin Soviet Union the .5in Browning M2. It
1
Weight 73 ⁄2lb (33.3kg) enjoyed a similar range of
1
Barrel 3 ⁄2ft (1m) uses and longevity—some
are still in service. Muzzle brake
Caliber 12.7 × 108mm

◀ MG42
Date 1942
Origin Germany
1
Weight 25 ⁄4lb (11.5kg)
Ventilated
barrel shroud Barrel 21in (53.3cm)
Caliber 7.92 × 57mm
A successor to the MG34, the
MG42 had an extraordinarily high
rate of fire—over 1,200 rounds
per minute—and, when used with
Pad for ease a tripod, was capable of sustained
of carrying Lafette 42 long-range fire.
heavy tripod
Nondisintegrating steel
ammunition belt