MG 81 machine gun

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Machine gun

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

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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.

A German twin-mount MG 81 Z aircraft MG - view from the Luftwaffe manual, 1944.

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

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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

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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

[edit]

* ShKAS
* Vickers K machine gun
* List of firearms
* List of secondary and special-issue World War II infantry weapons

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. p. 9\. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
2. ^ Hobart, F. W. A., ed. (1974). Jane's Infantry Weapons 1975 (First Year of Issue). London, UK: Jane's Yearbooks. p. 389-390.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
5. ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
6. ^ "Maschinengewehr MG 81 MG 81 Z". www.deutscheluftwaffe.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to MG 81.

* Airwar.ru (Russian language)
* Luftwaffe39-45 (Portuguese language) Archived 31 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine
* Full size images for the MG81

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German aerial weapons of the Second World War

Machine guns|

* MG 15
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Armor-piercing bombs|

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* AB 23
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High-explosive bombs|

* SB 1000
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Experimental weapons|

* Blohm & Voss BV 143
* Blohm & Voss BV 246
* Blohm & Voss BV 950
* Henschel Hs 294
* Henschel Hs 298
* Jagdfaust
* MG 213
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