Comments by "David Himmelsbach" (@davidhimmelsbach557) on "Soviet Infantry Small Arms Advantage Late in WW2? TIK Q&A" video.

@Stas -- as Vietnam proved -- with all the bullets flying -- the solution is to spray and pray. The German defense was centered on their MG34 and MG42. The bolt action rifle was expected to merely defend the machine gunner and his ammo carriers. That was German doctrine. Later in the war, Germans -- on the whole -- couldn't shot worth beans. All of the good shots were dead. In this they were repeating their WWI experience. The Americans showed up late for both wars. They were stunned to see how poorly all other armies shot. All armies had lost their best shooters.
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The Germans had, by far, the best suite of infantry binoculars... all kinds of trick stuff designed for WWI trench warfare. Optics is the real reason the Mark IV panzer was superior to the T34. Its optics permitted its crew to see much more of the battle space. The T34 had its crew looking through a straw.
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The trade off between volume and accuracy was best shown in the film Sole Survivor. The fanatics were able to get far too close to the SEAL team.
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Carnivorus Read Gavin's "On To Berlin" biography about his shock at the rotten German rifleman's accuracy by late '44. If you Google/Bing WWI stats you'll find a similar astounding drop in proficiency. This was a BIG factor in B. Wood. The fresh Americans could shoot like the Wild West -- from which many had come -- whereas shooting straight had become a lost art for ALL European armies. The Maxim gun had done them in.
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It DID have that rate of fire. Bursts were used. It was all-on or all-off. It thus made a VERY distinctive sound. It also had a quick change barrel and multiple spares whenever it was being used as a base of fire. The Allied trick was to wait until the operator HAD to swap barrels. This was when you could rush him and toss a grenade.
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They are also LOUD. The rounds rock back and forth as you march. Clips don't.
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@ Nick It's the HEAT that the MG42 built up during intensive use. When the Reds attacked things weren't so bad until the barrel glowed. Then it was time to swap barrels. This action was so obvious to the enemy (Americans, Russians, British) that they would wait for it to make their big move. Further, the MG42 was a bullet pig. One gunner in the 352nd at Normandy went through his entire 5,000 round supply before 10AM -- and he was not heavy on the trigger. You might note that 10AM was the magic hour for the Americans at Omaha. German fire just collapsed. Battleship fire stopped resupply from the rear. It's ironic, this was not the intention. The BBs were trying to hit -- but just missed. This is why the MG42 is much, much better as an attack weapon vs the MG34. It was much better in a defensive position. It didn't need quite so much ammo to produce the same combat effect. The Germans just couldn't produce enough MG34. While excellent, its price tag has caused every military on the planet to abandon its complexity. In contrast the Russian sub-machine gun was embraced by both Germans and Russians. It was the perfect weapon for city fighting. One sprayed and prayed.
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