Our Impression

We are reenacting infantrymen of the 980 grenadier regiment in the 272nd division, involved in the action in Normandy, and in particular an MG42 team defending Caen.

With the chaos of a retreating army: the wounded, collaborators, stragglers, looted French assets, and under constant threat of attack from the ground and the air, the Division’s spirit remained unbroken. The comradeship that enabled the amazing victories in the early stages of the war also kept the German soldier fighting even when no hope of victory remained.

Tired and weary, under constant threat from attack, the Grenadiers of the 272nd division await an order to move out ...

An MG42 team

The optimum operating crew of an MG42 for sustained fire operation was six men: the gun commander, the No.1 who fired the gun, the No.2 who carried the tripod, and Nos.3, 4, and 5 who carried ammunition, spare barrels, entrenching tools, and other items. For additional protection the commander, No.1 and No.2 were armed with pistols, while the remaining three carried rifles. This large team was often reduced to just three: the gunner, the loader (also barrel carrier), and the spotter. The gunner of the weapon was preferably a junior non-commissioned officer.

It was possible for operating crews to lay down a non-stop barrage of fire, ceasing only when the barrel had to be replaced. This allowed the MG42 to tie up significantly larger numbers of enemy troops. Both the Americans and the British trained their troops to take cover from the fire of an MG42, and assault the position during the small window of barrel replacement. The high rate of fire of the MG42 sometimes proved a liability as it could quickly exhaust its ammunition supply.
For this reason, it was not uncommon for all soldiers operating near an MG42 to carry extra ammunition, thus providing the MG42 with a backup source when its main supply was exhausted.