A German Fallschirmjäger holding an MG 42 machine gun over

A German Fallschirmjäger holding an MG 42 machine gun over his



 shoulder, along with ammunition belts. This weapon was famous for its 1,200 rounds per minute rate of fire, which was very useful for blanketing an area in fire or hitting a fast-moving target. However it can also be troublesome, as a user can burn through ammunition very quickly and overheat barrels. MG 42 operator's, as is typical for support gunners, were trained to fire in short bursts to alleviate these issues.

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