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Are these from ww2? i not sure about them but i have a 1945 dated one the serial number is 4956 a, is this a rarer gun like 45 k98s? or not a piece that should be held onto? any info is welcome.
1945 MG34s?
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Post War
More than likely, as much as I have found, all these '34s are Czech built guns. Some have the acceptance stamps, but most do not. Most are phosphated with blued barrel shrouds. A lack of waffenampts on the front end is the dead giveaway. DOT seems to be the most common Mfr. Topcovers are usually renumbered. Hope this helps. Frazer
More than likely, as much as I have found, all these '34s are Czech built guns. Some have the acceptance stamps, but most do not. Most are phosphated with blued barrel shrouds. A lack of waffenampts on the front end is the dead giveaway. DOT seems to be the most common Mfr. Topcovers are usually renumbered. Hope this helps. Frazer
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not really. i already knew it was cech made, but they had been making them since 42 i believe i just want to know if it was made for the germans or were they made after may 8th?
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WaffenAmpts
Do the big parts have Waffenampts? Lots of them? I have a kit like this on my gun and everyone who sees it sez its post war. Few if any waffenampts and no army acceptance mark. All my other kits and spares are covered up in marks. I will bet a small amount of money it is post war. Maybe like five dollars. Frazer
Do the big parts have Waffenampts? Lots of them? I have a kit like this on my gun and everyone who sees it sez its post war. Few if any waffenampts and no army acceptance mark. All my other kits and spares are covered up in marks. I will bet a small amount of money it is post war. Maybe like five dollars. Frazer
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During the earlier stages of the war, a number of manufacturers built MG34's. After the MG42 was developed, they all started switching over to the 42 and then stopped making the 34 (with some exceptions). There was still a need for 34's, however (armored applications and fortifications, etc.) so some were still made and one manufacturer stuck with the 34 instead of switching over to the 42. The last factory making 34's was Waffenwerk Brunn in Czechoslovakia (code "dot"), which made them until the end of the war in 1945. (The Germans occupied the Brno factory very early in the war and converted it to their production. The German name for Brno is Brunn.) It stands to reason that 34's made later in the war had a higher chance of "surviving" since they were around for less time and had less of an opportunity to be destroyed.
From all that I have read on the MG34, I do not believe that any were manufactured post war. Certainly, MG34's were sold off and used by certain armies post war. That might have included parts that were made in 1945 and never delivered to the Germans. The Brno factory was overrun, but not destroyed. I have not read about a single shred of evidence of actual post war manufacture, as opposed to assembly. (The 34 was a very complex MG to manufacture, as well.) It is quite common to find 1944 and 1945 dot coded barrel shrouds with Israeli property marks (5 pointed stars). I have copies of a few pictures of Israeli forces during one of the major Arab wars where MG34's are mounted on their vehicles.
With all of that said, I have not seen any extra value placed on 1945 dated barrel shrouds. If anything, because of the history of manufacturing, a lot more 1944 and 1945 dot guns survived relative to the total number produced during the war. It is very common to find dot coded shrouds. So, no, it's not like 1945 k98's. There is no "late war" or last ditch premium to be had on the MG34's from 1945.
From all that I have read on the MG34, I do not believe that any were manufactured post war. Certainly, MG34's were sold off and used by certain armies post war. That might have included parts that were made in 1945 and never delivered to the Germans. The Brno factory was overrun, but not destroyed. I have not read about a single shred of evidence of actual post war manufacture, as opposed to assembly. (The 34 was a very complex MG to manufacture, as well.) It is quite common to find 1944 and 1945 dot coded barrel shrouds with Israeli property marks (5 pointed stars). I have copies of a few pictures of Israeli forces during one of the major Arab wars where MG34's are mounted on their vehicles.
With all of that said, I have not seen any extra value placed on 1945 dated barrel shrouds. If anything, because of the history of manufacturing, a lot more 1944 and 1945 dot guns survived relative to the total number produced during the war. It is very common to find dot coded shrouds. So, no, it's not like 1945 k98's. There is no "late war" or last ditch premium to be had on the MG34's from 1945.
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Oh, one other thing. I know from studying and collecting k98's that as the war dragged on, fewer and fewer parts received waffenamts. For instance, on a 1940 k98, almost every part has a waffenamt or serial number, or both. Depending on the manufacturer and month, a late war k98 will have very few waffenamts and few serial number stampings--down right naked in comparison. The Germans cut out a lot of steps and simplified things so that they could get things out the door. The Ruskies and the good guys were beating down their front and back doors. Inspecting and stamping every part became less of a priority than replacing the million weapons they lost in battle for the year...
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well i cant find many stamps but the thing is covered in arsenal greese. i seem to see alot of dot 44 but the 45s i dont see as much that is why i was asking, i was wondering if perhaps these guns were assembled after the war ended.
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There's really no way to tell who assembled it or when. If it was manufactured in January but sat in a corner until after the war, who is here now to tell the tale? With that said, unlike k98's or P38's where some factories continued to pump them out after the war under the control of the French, etc., I have not heard of anything similar for MG34's. For instance, you can find serial number and stamping information for post war manufactured/assembled k98's and P38's (this serial block or that, 4 digit number instead of 5 digit, or even a 1946 date). I've never read of anything similar for MG34's. The assumption is that the MG34's were made during the war. I don't believe that anyone truly adopted the 34 post war, but there are instances of armies using war surplus weapons, notably the Israelis, and certainly the Yugos had them in their arsenals. Now, if a bunch of 1946 barrel shrouds were floating around, that would have been a different story.
Lastly, although it is by no means perfect or absolutely complete, the Myrvang book is an excellent resource. There is a section in the back which addresses contractor production and serial numbers. The book references 1945 dot serial numbers reported on the low side 1001 to the high side 9849b. Depending on where your serial number falls, that may give you an indication of how early or how late it was produced in 1945 (VE Day was May 8, 1945; a google search revealed that the Russians took Brno in April 1945). The author also notes the following: "Late-production MG34s from Brunn have fewer Waffenamt markings than the earlier guns. The barrel jackets on guns made from 1943 to the end of the war are not marked with a WaA stamp."
If you don't already have it, Myrvang's book is the best one out there on MG34's and MG42's.
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