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The MG 42 (German: Maschinengewehr 42; English: Machine Gun 42) is a German general purpose machine gun designed in 1942 and went into service with the Wehrmacht until 1945. The gun fires the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridges and was well-known for its extremely high rate of fire of approximately 1200 RPM to 1500 RPM, proved to be one of the most effective machine guns of World War II. Since its original iteration, the MG 42 was improved multiple times resulting in the M53, MG3 and MG74.

MG 42's infamous reputation in World War II led to the gun being nicknamed "Hitler's Buzzsaw" by Allied troops.

Battlefield 1942[]

"The STATIONARY MG presents a difficult defensive position to attacking units. It can cut down any unprotected infantry within seconds. It is ineffective against armored tanks. You will also want to be careful as the machinegun is prone to over-heating."

— Tooltip, STATIONARY MG

The MG 42 is a weapon featured in Battlefield 1942 as the is the main mounted machine gun for the Axis force and one of the Red Army's mounted machine guns. It is commonly found on sandbags and tripods near Axis controlled flags, on Axis APCs, and on Axis/Soviet aircraft and tanks. It has a moderate rate of fire, high damage, moderate accuracy and, because it is mounted, is completely void of recoil. It is very effective at defending a position; however, it overheats quickly and causes the user to be immobile and unprotected allowing for easy flanking or sniper fire.

The Allied equivalent is the M2 Browning.

The Road to Rome expansion displays the MG42 is the main mounted machine gun for the Italian forces. The Secret Weapons of WWII expansion added the MG42 to Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen light vehicles.

Vehicles that have the MG42 Mounted[]

Gallery[]

Battlefield Vietnam[]

The MG 42 appears in the Battlefield Vietnam World War II Mod as a stationary machine gun. It spawns at control points held by the Imperial Japanese Army. Performance-wise, it is identical to the Stationary M60 from the base game.

Battlefield V[]

"This ground-breaking machine gun was reliable, easy to use, and had an extreme rate of fire. Due to the sound made by the high firing rate, the Allies nicknamed the MG42 "Hitler's Buzzsaw". The MG42 saw action on all fronts."

— In-game description

The MG 42 is a portable weapon featured in Battlefield V. It was first seen in the Battlefield 5 Official Reveal Trailer.

Singleplayer[]

The weapon is used by German Elite machine gunners during the singleplayer war stories, as well as in Combined Arms. It can occasionally be found in weapon crates during Nordlys and Tirailleur.

Multiplayer[]

The MG 42 is the second unlockable medium machine gun, and is the final unlock for the Support kit overall, available from rank 20.

The MG 42 possesses the second highest rate of fire amongst all fully automatic weapons at 981 RPM, which can be bolstered to 1200 RPM when using the Light Bolt specialization. As such it has one of the shortest times-to-kill of both the Medium and Light machine guns. Similarly unparalleled is its levels of recoil, being very difficult to control unless used in short bursts or when aided by the Recoil Buffer specialization, on top of having the highest per-shot recoil in class. Furthermore, its accuracy and control in hip fire is the lowest possible, statistically.

As with all other Medium Machine Guns, the MG 42 is best used defensively, where its high rate of fire can have rapid, deadly effect against exposed infantry. Its inability to use iron sights when not supported by a bipod, and abysmal controllability when hip fired, makes the MG 42 generally unsuitable for offensive, shoot-on-the-move playstyles, except at extremely close quarters where accuracy is effectively guaranteed.

The MG 42's impressive fire rate can deplete the default belt of 50 rounds, without overheating, in just three seconds. Combat sustainability can be improved with the 250 round Extended Belt Specialization, which is incompatible with the Light Bolt and leaves the weapon prone to overheating after an uninterrupted 50 round burst. Chrome Lining increases this limit to 100 rounds, while Flashless Propellant assists in target acquisition and concealment by reducing muzzle report. Its last two upgrades are Incendiary Bullets, which improves damage versus aircraft by 100%, effectively deterring fast moving aircraft through its high fire rate, and Quick Reload, which improves the reload speed by 15% - a safe choice for the drawn out reloading process of belt-fed weapons. The Rank 1 option of Recoil Buffer is also particularly compelling, as on this weapon it offers one of the highest percentage reduction in vertical recoil, from 1.750 to 1.300.

Gallery[]

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