World War I's defining weapon for many, Germany's MG 08 machine gun won a formidable reputation on battlefields from Tannenberg to the Somme. Although it was a lethally effective weapon when used from static positions, the MG 08 was far too heavy to perform a mobile role on the battlefield. As the British and French began to deploy lighter machine guns alongside their heavier weapons, the Germans fielded the Danish Madsen and British Lewis as stopgaps, but chose to adapt the MG 08 into a compromise weapon – the MG 08/15 – which would play a central role in the revolutionary developments in infantry tactics that characterized the last months of the conflict. In the 1940s, the two weapons were still in service with German forces fighting in a new world war. Drawing upon eyewitness battlefield reports, this absorbing study assesses the technical performance and combat record of these redoubtable and influential German machine guns, and their strengths and limitations in a variety of battlefield roles.

Germany's World War I- and World War II-era submachine guns are all featured in this fully illustrated book. Early Bergmann models are presented first showing their development from the MP18, through to the MP35, followed by discussions of the Schmeisser MP28, Steyr MP34, and Erma "EMP." An extensive chapter on the famous MP38/40 features a close look at production numbers, manufacturers, and markings. Foreign and late-war models are also presented, showing the wide variety of SMGs used by the Wehrmacht during WWII. The book concludes with the legendary and influential MKb42, MP43/1, MP44, and StG44 series of assault rifles. Their wartime use is shown in superb period photography and clear, up-close color images. Accessories such as magazines, ammunition, pouches, and silencers are featured throughout the book, as well as rarely seen WWI- and WWII-related uniform and equipment items.

From the huge 15-inch guns carried by the Bismarck to the smallest machine gun used by coastal forces, this comprehensive encyclopedia covers every German artillery piece mounted afloat during World War II. All marks and variations of these weapons are described individually, including their mountings and the ammunition fired, along with extensive tabular data. The feature that makes this book unique, however, is the range and detail of the illustrations, including close-up photos, three-view drawings, and computer-generated full-color representations of the guns from every angle, making this the most complete reference available.

With the MG 34, the German Wehrmacht introduced an entirely new concept in automatic firepower – the general-purpose machine gun (GPMG). In itself the MG 34 was an excellent weapon: an air-cooled, recoil-operated machine gun that could deliver killing firepower at ranges of more than 1,000m. Yet simply by changing its mount and feed mechanism, the operator could radically transform its function. On its standard bipod it was a light machine gun, ideal for infantry assaults; on a tripod it could serve as a sustained-fire medium machine gun. During World War II, the MG 34 was superseded by a new GPMG – the MG 42. More efficient to manufacture and more robust, it had a blistering 1,200rpm rate of fire. Nicknamed 'Hitler's buzzsaw' by Allied troops, it was arguably the finest all-round GPMG ever produced, and alongside the MG 34 it inflicted heavy casualties. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and drawing upon numerous technical manuals and first-hand accounts, this study explores the technological development, varied roles and lasting influence of the revolutionary MG 34 and MG 42 machine guns and their postwar successors.