MG 81 machine gun
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MG 81 | |
---|---|
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 7.62×51mm NATO (post-war) |
Caliber | 7,9 (7,92+0,04)[1] |
Action | Recoil-operated, gas assisted, open-bolt |
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 is a German belt fed 7.92×57mm Mauser machine gun which was used in flexible installations in World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, in which capacity it replaced 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.
Variants
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)
After West Germany's entry into NATO in May 1955, Mauser offered the MG 81 chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. The twin-barrel MG 81Z was marketed for helicopter fixed mount with theoretical firepower of 6,800–7,000 rounds per minute for a MG 81Z mounted on each side of the helicopter. The MG 81 was also marketed for infantry use with bipod, wood buttstock, and reduced fire rate of 1,200 rounds per minute.[2]
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 K-2. 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.[3]
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), 755 m/s (2,480 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)
- Rate of fire: 1,700–1,800 rpm[4]
- Rate of fire: 800 rpm (coaxial mount)[5]
- MG 81Z
- Weight: 12.9 kg (28.44 lb)
- Length: 915 mm (965& mm with flash hider)
- Muzzle velocity: 705 m/s (2,310 ft/s) (sS ball ammunition), 755 m/s (2,480 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)
- Rate of fire: 3,400–3,600 rpm[6]
See also
- ShKAS
- Vickers K machine gun
- List of firearms
- List of secondary and special-issue World War II infantry weapons
References
- ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. p. 9. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Hobart, F. W. A., ed. (1974). Jane's Infantry Weapons 1975 (First Year of Issue). London, UK: Jane's Yearbooks. p. 389-390.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Airwar.ru (Russian language)
- Luftwaffe39-45 (Portuguese language) Archived 31 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- Full size images for the MG81