MG34 Gurttrommel 34 recovered from positions occupied by SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment 21 on the slopes of Hill 112 Normandy.
Finished in Dunkelgrau (dark/panzer Gray) and traces of white stencilling to the lid with a bullet hole in the side – a fantastic relic from the battlefield.
magazine is in super relic condition with lots of original paint remaining. The lid still opens but side cover does not.
The fighting involving SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 21 (of the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg) on Hill 112 was some of the most brutal, close-quarters infantry combat of the entire Normandy campaign. Commanded by SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Paetsch, the regiment was tasked with holding the absolute centre of the German line on the hill's forward slopes and plateau.
The unit's defining crucible occurred during Operation Jupiter on 10–11 July 1944, when they faced the main assault of the British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. The Gurttrommel 34 (belt drum) is a 50 round ammunition container designed for the MG34 & later MG42 machine guns. Introduced to increase infantry mobility during assaults its purpose was to hold a tightly coiled 50 round belt, to stop it twisting or snagging when the gunner was on the move. The gun’s internal feed mechanism pulled the belt out of the drum; to load it the gunner coiled the belt into the drum manually – there is no internal spring mechanism.
MG34 Gurttrommel 34 recovered from positions occupied by SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment 21 on the slopes of Hill 112 Normandy.
Finished in Dunkelgrau (dark/panzer Gray) and traces of white stencilling to the lid with a bullet hole in the side – a fantastic relic from the battlefield.
magazine is in super relic condition with lots of original paint remaining. The lid still opens but side cover does not.
The fighting involving SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 21 (of the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg) on Hill 112 was some of the most brutal, close-quarters infantry combat of the entire Normandy campaign. Commanded by SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Paetsch, the regiment was tasked with holding the absolute centre of the German line on the hill's forward slopes and plateau.
The unit's defining crucible occurred during Operation Jupiter on 10–11 July 1944, when they faced the main assault of the British 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. The Gurttrommel 34 (belt drum) is a 50 round ammunition container designed for the MG34 & later MG42 machine guns. Introduced to increase infantry mobility during assaults its purpose was to hold a tightly coiled 50 round belt, to stop it twisting or snagging when the gunner was on the move. The gun’s internal feed mechanism pulled the belt out of the drum; to load it the gunner coiled the belt into the drum manually – there is no internal spring mechanism.
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