Original German WWII MG 34 Sustained Fire Lafette Mount Tripod Made in 1941 - Painted Panzergrau

Original Item: Only one available. This fantastic MG 34 Lafette (German for Gun Carriage) ground tripod is an original World War II German manufactured mount, which like many was reconditioned postwar in Eastern Europe, most likely in Yugoslavia, where it was repainted multiple times, as with most items they used. It looks like the top portion suffered oxidation at some point, and was heavily cleaned and any data plates removed, which unfortunately has removed all of the markings on the rear top. They did not however replace the Überscheißtafel range table plate on the T&E search fire mechanism, which still has the original German markings! We have also stripped off the ugly post war paint and repainted it in the correct German Panzergrau (armor grey) color and fitted with new rubber pads on the front leg, so it looks fabulous!

The left side of the "search fire" T&E mechanism is marked with the maker information, as well as a German Waffenamt inspection marking:-

axx
1941
1 1
C
(Eagle)
WaA322

"axx" is the letter code for another known maker of MG 42 lafette mounts and components, Linden & Funke KG of Iserlohn in the Sauerland of Germany. These markings are fully legible and totally correct, making this a fantastic offering! There are also smaller markings on various components, though they can be hard to see due to the past oxidation and refinishing that the mount endured.

Features precision German engineering representative of the nation's arms and accessories of the time with fully-functional telescopic base and extension legs that provide increased ground clearance for sustained fire and allow the tripod to be used in an anti-aircraft role with the appropriate extension (not included). The rear remote trigger handle is present and still linked to the trigger itself, which moves correctly though is definitely a bit stiff and can need "help" returning to the rear position.

The MG 34 did not have the same fantastic barrel quick change mechanism that the MG 42 did, and required for the barrel jacket to have multiple buttons held down while it would be rotated to the right. Due to this the front fitting on the MG 34 Lafette is far more complex than that on the MG 42, and is designed to allow the barrel jacket to be rotated to the side so the barrel can be changed. As best we can tell, this mechanism is fully functional, and the clamp that holds the barrel jacket in place is working as well.

The T&E search fire mechanism is in excellent working condition and allows for zeroing in the traverse and elevation. The brush inside the oil can on the right handle is still present and in very good shape. The spare bolt case has also survived through the years, and still opens easily. Spare bolts were an important consideration, as aside from barrels, they were the most likely item to suffer damage or malfunction during long periods of use.

This is really a great example, and one only a very few MG 34 Lafette mounts that we have ever had. MG 42 mounts are FAR more plentiful on the market, as the MG42, MG53, and MG3 guns were used long into the post war period, while MG34 production ceased at the end of the war. We do not expect to have another like this anytime soon!

The Maschinengewehr 34, or MG 34, is a German recoil-operated air-cooled machine gun, first tested in 1929, introduced in 1934, and issued to units in 1936. It accepts the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, and is generally considered the world's first general-purpose machine gun.

The versatile MG 34 was arguably the most advanced machine gun in the world at the time of its deployment. Its combination of exceptional mobility - being light enough to be carried by one man - and high rate of fire (of up to 900 rounds per minute) was unmatched. It entered service in great numbers following AH's repudiation of the Versailles Treaty in 1936, and was first combat tested by German troops aiding Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Nonetheless, the design proved too complex for mass production, and was supplemented by the cheaper and simpler MG 42, though both remained in service and production until the end of the war.

History

The MG 34 was based on a 1930 Rheinmetall design, the MG 30. The Swiss and Austrian militaries had both licensed and produced the MG 30 from Rheinmetall shortly after patent. The MG 30 design was adapted and modified by Heinrich Vollmer of Mauser Industries. Vollmer modified the feed mechanism to accept either drum magazines or belt ammunition. He also increased the rate of fire. The MG 34's double crescent trigger dictated either semiautomatic or fully automatic firing modes.

In the field, the weapon could operate in offensive or defensive applications. The offensive model, with a mobile soldier, used a drum magazine that could hold either 50 or 75 rounds of ammunition. In a stationary defensive role, the gun was mounted on a bipod or tripod and fed by an ammunition belt. Belts were carried in boxes of five. Each belt contained 50 rounds. Belt lengths could be linked for sustained fire. During sustained fire, barrels would have to be changed at intervals due to the heat generated by the rapid rate of fire. If the barrels were not changed properly, the weapon would misfire. Changing barrels was a rapid process for the trained operator and involved disengaging a latch and swinging the receiver to the right for the insertion of a new barrel. Accordingly, stationary defensive positions required more than one operator.

The MG 34 was the mainstay of German Army support weapons from the time of its first issue in 1935 until 1942, when it was supplanted by the next generation Maschinengewehr 42 or MG 42. Although the 34 was very reliable and dominant on the battlefield, its dissemination throughout the German forces was hampered due to its precision engineering, which resulted in high production costs and a relatively slower rate of production. For its successor, the MG 42, the Germans instead used mass production techniques similar to those that created the MP 40 submachine gun. However, the Germans nevertheless continued widespread production of MG 34s until the end of the war.

The MG 34 was used as the primary infantry machine gun during the 1930s, and remained as the primary armored vehicle defensive weapon. It was to be replaced in infantry service by the related MG 42, but there were never enough quantities of the new design to go around, and MG 34s soldiered on in all roles until the end of World War II. The MG 34 was intended to replace the MG 13 and other older machine guns, but these were still being used in World War II as demand was never met.

It was designed primarily by Heinrich Vollmer from the Mauser Werke, based on the recently introduced Rheinmetall-designed Solothurn 1930 (MG 30) that was starting to enter service in Switzerland. Changes to the operating mechanism improved the rate of fire to between 800 and 900 rpm.

The new gun was accepted for service almost immediately and was generally liked by the troops, and it was used to great effect by German soldiers assisting Nationalist Spain in the Spanish Civil War. At the time it was introduced, it had a number of advanced features and the general-purpose machine gun concept that it aspired to was an influential one. However, the MG 34 was also expensive, both in terms of construction and the raw materials needed (49 kg (108.0 lb) of steel),[citation needed] and its manufacture was too time-consuming to be built in the numbers required for the ever-expanding German armed forces. It was the standard machine gun of the Kriegsmarine (German navy).