MG 81 machine gun: Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.airwar.ru/weapon/guns/mg-81.html Airwar.ru (Russian language)] |
* [http://www.airwar.ru/weapon/guns/mg-81.html Airwar.ru (Russian language)] |
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* [http://www.luftwaffe39-45.historia.nom.br/mg81.htm Luftwaffe39-45 (Portuguese language)] |
* [http://www.luftwaffe39-45.historia.nom.br/mg81.htm Luftwaffe39-45 (Portuguese language)] |
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* [https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/66/1516/krieghoff-heinrich-gun-co-mg81-machine-gun-792-mm-mauser Full size images for the MG81] |
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Revision as of 16:27, 19 July 2019
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
MG 81 | |
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MG 81 (upper) and MG 81Z (in box) | |
Type | Machine gun |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
Used by | Nazi Germany |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Variants | MG 81Z |
Specifications | |
Mass | 6.5 kg (14.33 lb) |
Length | 965 mm (38.0 in) (with flash hider) |
Barrel length | 475 mm (18.7 in) |
Cartridge | 7.92×57mm Mauser |
Action | Recoil-operated |
Rate of fire | 1,400–1,600 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 705 m/s (2,310 ft/s) (sS ball ammunition) |
Feed system | Belt-fed |
The MG 81 was a German belt fed 7.92×57mm Mauser machine gun, used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, replacing the older drum magazine-fed MG 15.
The MG 81 was developed by Mauser as a derivative of their successful MG 34 general-purpose machine gun. Development focus was to reduce production cost and time and to optimize the machine gun for use in aircraft. Developed in 1938/1939, it was in production from 1940 to 1945.
A special twin-mount MG 81Z (the Z suffix stands for Zwilling, meaning "twin") was introduced in 1942. It paired up two of the weapons on one mount to provide even more firepower with a maximum cyclic rate of fire of 3,200 rounds per minute without requiring much more space than a standard machine gun. Towards the end of the war many specimens were delivered to the army and equipped for use in ground battles with shoulder rest and bipod.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/MG_81_Z_from_German_Manual%2C_1944.png/220px-MG_81_Z_from_German_Manual%2C_1944.png)
Applications
The MG 81Z was found in many unique installations in Luftwaffe combat aircraft, such as a pair of MG 81Z (for a total of four guns) installed in the hollow tail cone of the Dornier Do 217. Designated R19 (R for Rüstsatz) as a factory designed field conversion/upgrade kit, it allowed the pilot of the Do 217 to shoot at pursuers.
Another application was the Gießkanne (Watering can), an externally mounted pod with three gun pairs, making a total of six guns and their ammunition. Able to fire at a cyclic rate of 9,000 rounds per minute, this was attached to Junkers Ju 87 or Ju 88 in an underwing mount and used to strafe ground targets.[1]
Specifications
- MG 81
- Weight: 6.5 kg (14 lb)
- Length: 915 mm (36.0 in) (965 mm (38.0 in) with flash hider)
- Muzzle velocity: 705 m/s (2,310 ft/s) (sS ball ammunition), 760 m/s (2,500 ft/s), 785 m/s (2,580 ft/s) or 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s), depending on ammo type
- Rate of fire: 1,400–1,600 rpm (sS ball ammunition)
- MG 81Z
- Weight: 12.9 kg
- Length: 915 mm (965& mm with flash hider)
- Muzzle velocity: 705 m/s (2,310 ft/s) (sS ball ammunition), 760 m/s (2,500 ft/s), 785 m/s (2,580 ft/s) or 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s), depending on ammo type
- Rate of fire: 2,800–3,200 rpm (sS ball ammunition)
See also
- ShKAS
- Vickers K machine gun
- List of firearms
- List of secondary and special-issue World War II infantry weapons
References
- ^ Gordon L Rottman (20 October 2013). SNAFU Situation Normal All F***ed Up: Sailor, Airman, and Soldier Slang of World War II. Osprey Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-78200-175-1.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)