The guns of WW2 – MG34 Pictorial (50+ Photos – Page 2)
Inside of drum showing arrow pointing to the direction to coil the belt to allow it to properly feed
Top is early 4 hole barrel jacket. They were found to bend easily due to the number of vent holes. Bottom is more common 3 hole jacket.
Standard mg gunners pouch. From right is tool for adjusting tension of lafette tripod buffer, wench (also fits on MP40 barrel nut), screwdriver for adjusting buttstock buffer, broken shell extractor, pouch, AA sight and asbestos pad for hot barrel changes.
Adjusting lafette buffer
Adjusting the barrel
Ammo can containing armorers tool kit. Three color scheme used only in 1937 and 1938
Rear sight close up
Tool for removing rear sight
MGz40 sights for the lafette tripod. The letters are random manufacturers codes.
Aiming stakes used in the indirect fire of the MG34. The other tools are “deckungswinkelmessers” used to determine the difference in elevation between the gun and the target
Rangefinders used with MGs
Lafette tripods. Left one is a 1943 tripod made with extra adjustable legs, often referred to as a mountain lafette. Middle is 1938 dated lafette. Bottom is 1939 dated lafette painted puke green and used post war in Norway.
While the US had a LMG in .30 cal and a HMG in.50 cal, the Germans considered a bipod MG34 or 42 to be a LMG and a lafette mounted one to be a HMG. The inside of the cradle would recoil separate from the rest of the mount (including the scope) which extended the effective range of the gun
Barrel removal process is done by simply releasing the barrel and sliding it over.
Periscope attachment for MGz scope. It was found in combat (the hard way) that when looking through the scope the gunners head was the highest part of the operation. These attachments were made to lower the gunners head.
Lafette folded up
Anodized parts are correct. Buffer tube
Oiler in handle. Remote trigger is in front of the handle with the oiler. The remote trigger allowed the gunner to use the periscope or other means and fire from somewhat additional safety.
Searching fire mechanism. Set to 0 the cradle does not move. Other settings are set using range. Firing the gun then automatically elevates the cradle for 5 rounds and depresses it for the next 4 rounds. It does this for the whole belt. Must be set to 0 for the lafette to properly fold up.
This the part that presses against the trigger and it can be set for semi auto or full auto.
1943 tripod has a simplified mechanism and is for full auto only
Leg adjustments on “mountain lafette” that allows for the legs to swing out
Adjustments to extend legs (only on “mountain” lafettes). There is no evidence they were made for mountain troops, but that is what modern war collectors now call this type of mount