The German Army had learned well the lessons taught by the machine gun on the killings fields of the Great War. But they did not rely on the same weapons for the next conflict, as was the case with the allies. The MG34 was a unique concept, a General Purpose Machine Gun or GPMG. The weapon could be mounted on a heavy tripod and fed by continuous belts of ammunition, or fired from a bipod with a short belt contained in a drum. The toll this weapon and its successor took on allied troops was truly terrible. Each Platoon served four MG34s, used in the sustained fire mode on tripod mountings.
Despite the introduction of the MG34 production shortages meant that in the early years of the war, some units were equipped with the older MG08/15 heavy machine gun. This was a direct descendent of the Maxim machine guns but despite its age it remained a perfectly lethal weapon, and was found in use until the end of the war in some instances.
The previous layout of three Platoons per Machine Gun Company serving four heavy machine guns each remained unaltered until mid-1944. Then, half the weapons were distributed out among the Rifle Companies, the remaining six being concentrated in a single Platoon of three Sections. Equipment also changed, as the new MG42 began to supplement the MG34 during 1943. The MG42 had an even higher rate of fire than its predecessor and was a particularly lethal machine. It too was used in the light role by Rifle Squads, and was easier to mass produce. It never supplanted the MG34 however, which remained in service throughout.
German Grenadier Battalion, Heavy Company, Heavy Machine Gun Platoon, June 1944
editNumbers in parenthesis indicate number of personnel assigned to role, number of unallocated weapons or number of sub-units in detachment.
| Unit | Rank | Weapon | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platoon HQ | |||
| Platoon Commander | Officer | MP40, pistol | Horse |
| Messenger (3) | Private | Rifle | |
| Range Taker | Private | Pistol | |
| Gunsmith | Private | Rifle | |
| Stretcher Bearer | Private | Pistol | |
| Horse holder * | Private | Rifle | |
| Wagon driver (2) | Private | Rifle | Horse (2), wagon |
| HMG Section (3) each | |||
| Section Leader | NCO | MP40 | |
| HMG Squad (2) each | |||
| Squad Leader | NCO | MP40 | |
| Machine Gunner | Private | Pistol, MG34/42 | |
| Assistant Gunner | Private | Pistol | |
| Rifleman (3) | Private | Rifle | |
| Horse leader | Private | Rifle | Horse, cart & trailer |
Notes
* served as 'Groom' for Officer's horse
| Officers | NCOs | Privates | Rifles | Pistols | Sub-Machine Guns | Heavy Machine Guns | Horse Drawn Vehicles | Trailers | Horses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 45 | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 11 |
References
edit- http://www.bayonetstrength.150m.com/
- TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces. U.S. War Department. 1945.
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