Why Being an MG42 Gunner Was a Curse

Why Being an MG42 Gunner Was a Curse What does it feel like to pull the trigger and watch a line of enemies fall in seconds? MG42 gunners in World War II didn’t have to wonder. The moment they opened fire, their position was instantly exposed, and the entire battlefield focused on them. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Beyond the immediate danger to their own lives and the devastating power they unleashed on the enemy, MG42 crews were sometimes ordered to carry out actions they would spend the rest of their lives trying to forget. We’ll get to one such story at the end. Chapters: 0:00 What It Was Like to Use the MG42 1:23 How the Germans Designed It 3:00 Why It Was So Effective 4:45 How MG42 Crews Operated 6:32 What They Had to Live With 7:54 What Happened After the War