The MG42 Hitler's Saw

The chilly gray waters of the English Channel slowly became visible in the weak light of the early morning.

- Jamie Slaughter

The surf rolled over the sand, almost rhythmically, as the world prepared for another day of war. This day would be different. A vast armada approached the coast; so numerous were its vessels that the sea was darkened. The date was June 6, 1944. The Allies were coming.

Heinrich Severloh manned an MG42 in Wiederstandsnest 62 overlooking Omaha Beach. He began firing at the American infantry sometime before the ramps dropped on their landing craft. Belt after belt disappeared into his gun. The pile of spent cartridge cases quickly grew around his feet. He switched barrels frequently to keep the gun running. Soldiers brought him more and more ammunition as he pounded away at the infantry littering “Bloody Omaha.” By the end of the action, he fired over 12,000 rounds of ammunition through his MG42 and inflicted over 2,000 casualties on the Americans storming the beach.

This story is absolute rubbish. But people still believe it. People believe not because Severloh was a verifiable Nazi superman, but because of the weapon he used, the MG42. In truth, there were about 3,700 casualties on Omaha Beach from all sources. Legendary weapons are like legendary people; there’s usually a solid core of truth surrounding the myths. Such is the case with the MG42. The MG42 didn’t win World War II more than any other high-tech German Wunderwaffe. However, it was, and indeed remains, an excellent machinegun by almost any standard.