MG42

MG42 (Maschinegewehr 42) is a German general-purpose machine gun used in World War 2. During the war the MG42 was feared by allied soldiers whom nicknamed it as "Hitler's Buzzsaw". The MG42 entered service in 1942 and served as a replacement for the earlier MG34 although the latter still saw some use after the MG42's implementation. The MG42 was capable to fire up to 1,200 round per minute compared to the 600 rounds. Even after World War 2 the MG42 was redesigned to fire the 7.64*51mm Mauser round and it is adopted by the Bundeswehr as the MG3. The MG42 makes it's first apperance in Medal of Honor: Underground as the machine gun in Medal of Honor is based on the American Browning M2.

Medal of Honor: Underground[]

The MG42 has high damage and unlimited ammo but it has slower rate of fire compared to real life. The MG42 can be found throughout the game and like in Medal of Honor, once the player uses the machine gun enemies will spawn nearby.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Spearhead and Breakthrough[]

In Allied Assault the MG42 is first available in the training course as the last weapon station. It then appears in every mission, almost always in the control of enemy forces. The weapon is inaccurate but does not overheat or run out of ammunition. In Spearhead and Breakthrough, portable versions can be found and used but they must be deployed first; they also have limited ammunition (multiplayer only). In Breakthrough, one MG42 can be used when the player controls a Panzer IV tank.

Medal of Honor: Frontline[]

In Frontline, the MG42 is very simple. It has no visible recoil, no overheat and no reloading is required. This version also has no aiming mechanism at all, and must be aimed using it's tracer rounds. This version also has an much higher rate of fire than previous counterparts however it is still lower than the real life MG42. It is found in almost all missions, although it is not found in Special Cargo, Rough Landing, Operation Repunzel, On Track, Clipping Their Wings and Enemy Mine.

Medal of Honor: Infiltrator[]

MG-42 appears in almost all levels in the third person missions. It is available for use by both the enemy and the player. The player can take off 6 HP with one shot each. The player can kill with two shots for an ordinary Heer soldier and three for a panzergrenadier or the SS soldiers. At the level of "Lone Wolf" MG42 is located in buildings, similar to the Pak 40 in Africa. They can only be destroyed by grenades.

Medal of Honor: European Assault[]

The MG42 is found in all of the levels and is almost always in enemy control. It is available to the player when the gunner is killed and is very rarely needed to defend an area. It has infinite ammo and over heats after prolonged firing. The main antagonist Graf Von Schrader uses one at the end of the last level in an attempt to kill the main character, William Holt. It does not appear in multiplayer.

Medal of Honor: Vanguard[]

The MG42 can be found in almost all missions. It has unlimited ammunition, a visible belt round and does overheat in approx. 7 seconds if fired continuously. In some levels the player is required to use it to repel enemy attacks.

Medal of Honor: Airborne[]

In Airborne, the MG42 returns as the primary mounted weapon of the German and Italian army. It is seen in almost every level, the only one it does not appear in is Training. In Young Fools and Der Flakturm it is also seen being carried by Nazi Storm Elites with a grip and drum mag, although this handheld version cannot be used by the player. This weapon is unique in that it is the only mounted machine gun seen in a World War II themed game that requires to be reloaded by the player. It has a high recoil and damage, but does not feature usable iron sights.

Medal of Honor: Heroes and Heroes 2[]

The MG42 returns in both games but plays a much higher role in the second game. In Heroes it can be found in a few levels. It shares the stats, sounds and model from European Assault.

In Heroes 2 the MG42 can be found almost in every level and most of the time it involves a secondary objective, usually to take of the enemy reinforcements. In Heroes 2 the MG42 is less accurate than in Heroes and is advised to fire it in short bursts. The model has been retextured and it has new sounds. In both games the MG42 can be only found in the campaign levels.

Trivia[]

In Medal of Honor: Underground, player could disable the turret or even destroy a medium tank with MG42. They were, in reality, immune from machine gun caliber or such, and some of autocannons.
In all games before European Assault, manning an MG42 will cause large numbers of German troops to spawn (sometimes infinitely) and attack the player.
Medal of Honor: Airborne features the only enemy seen to carry an MG42, the Nazi Storm Elite.
In all games with the exception of Allied Assault‘s expansion packs (portable variant) and Airborne, the weapon has unlimited ammunition, although some versions overheat. Airborne‘s version has a 100 round belt and unlimited reserve ammunition.
In Airborne, the MG42's pick up sign says "Medium Machine Gun".
Heroes 2 is the last game in the series in which the MG42 can overheat.
MG42 is the only weapon in Medal of Honor: Infiltrator that uses different sounds, not those from MOHAA.