It is said that the MG-42 design hails from Poland, and was captured by the Germans in 1939. If anyone has anymore detail about the Polish design, I what be appreciative if they would share them. I can find very little detail on the net.
WTK: Polish origins of MG-42
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The MG-42 was never of Polish origin as far as I know. The first prototypes of the weapon, meant to replace the MG-34, were ready by 1938: well before the invasion of Poland. I could not find any Polish machine gun used by the Germans... In fact, I found no trace of a polish machine gun! Only the Polish Radom pistol (Vis 35) and maybe the Wz35 antitank rifle were used by german troops in WW2...
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the 42 was a straight redesign of the previous mg, with an eye to incorporating less machining and more stamping and welding, along the lines of the MP-40. The point was to bring the cost per unit down, minimize the amount of skilled labour needed in production and to speed up supply. The poles had some very good weapon designers, but they had nothing to do with this one.
The design they hoped to replace had a lot of precision machining that was time consuming and expensive, unfortunately (for them, not us) they never managed to get the production numbers they wanted (something to do with Lancaster's and B-17's coming to visit all the time) and so never managed to get the older model out of production and ended up causing a bigger drain on their manpower.
The design they hoped to replace had a lot of precision machining that was time consuming and expensive, unfortunately (for them, not us) they never managed to get the production numbers they wanted (something to do with Lancaster's and B-17's coming to visit all the time) and so never managed to get the older model out of production and ended up causing a bigger drain on their manpower.
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The designer was Dr. Grunow. And the rifle was in the design process before the outbreak of war. All Mg34 production was ended long before the end of the war except by brno, this was because they needed it for vehicle mounts. Ithink production was 17500 units per month and it stayed at that level for a long time. so I guess if they needed more they could have built more. Anybody can go into wikipedia and edit what it says.
BattleRife
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The Collector Grade book, German Universal Machineguns, gives credit for the mechanism to Dr. Werner Gruner, the chief designer at Johannes Grossfuss in Dobeln, Saxony. Grossfuss was a tool-making company with no history of producing arms.
The prototype MG39s were assembled by a Rheinmetall subsidiary using receivers made by Grossfuss.
No Polish connection that I can see at all. The authors may have been thinking that the roller-locked system of the MG42 is the same as the roller retarded system of the HK G3, which was first developed by Edward Stecke, who was Polish.
The prototype MG39s were assembled by a Rheinmetall subsidiary using receivers made by Grossfuss.
No Polish connection that I can see at all. The authors may have been thinking that the roller-locked system of the MG42 is the same as the roller retarded system of the HK G3, which was first developed by Edward Stecke, who was Polish.
Actually Poland signed an agreement to ONLY govern the German territories until such time that Germany signed a peace treaty. Well upon re-unification a peace treaty was signed and what do you think happened? No. They forcibly expelled all Germans.
Did honourable poland abide by the treaty they signed to give back German land? No. They pleaded with the Chancellor of the day to allow them to keep it. Actually for years they had been using the border with East Germany as a toxic wast dumping ground because as they saw it they would lose is one day and they didn't care if it became polluted.
Anyway they are still possession of German land. So much for thier agreement. So the designer of the MG34 is obviously German. To say otherwise is like saying Mr Garand is a native Indian because he was born in Canada.
Did honourable poland abide by the treaty they signed to give back German land? No. They pleaded with the Chancellor of the day to allow them to keep it. Actually for years they had been using the border with East Germany as a toxic wast dumping ground because as they saw it they would lose is one day and they didn't care if it became polluted.
Anyway they are still possession of German land. So much for thier agreement. So the designer of the MG34 is obviously German. To say otherwise is like saying Mr Garand is a native Indian because he was born in Canada.
How far back should one go? If the victors of the Great War hadn't done the dirty and been such lousy winners then the second go round would not have taken place.
If that Serb nutter had not murdered an nobody Archduke then the Great War would not have happened.........................
Today, however, it is up to Poland to come clean and give back the land they promised to give back. Nobody twisted their arms to sign the agreement saying they would give the German land back to Germany once a peace treaty had been signed.
They simply and unilaterally renaged. Is says little about Polish national pride or honour.
If that Serb nutter had not murdered an nobody Archduke then the Great War would not have happened.........................
Today, however, it is up to Poland to come clean and give back the land they promised to give back. Nobody twisted their arms to sign the agreement saying they would give the German land back to Germany once a peace treaty had been signed.
They simply and unilaterally renaged. Is says little about Polish national pride or honour.
