• I have been on the boards for a while and have noticed a curious thing.  Very few speak of the MG 42 in thier builds.  I see time after time advice being given and no mention of the unit.  On the other hand I hear people griping because the US does not have a MG unit.  So I’m assuming the MG 42 must be useful otherwise why complain that the US does’nt have one?  Cost?  Ability?  Both seem reasonable to me.

    Let me know your thoughts.


  • I think it has largely to do with snipers.  Since snipers were created, with their “Superior Camouflage” ability, MGs in my opinion have become somewhat less effective.

    As far as the griping about the lack of a US MG team, it might just be due to historical inaccuracy.


  • For Standard Games it’s mostly because of SS-Panzergrenadiers.

    For the cost of an MG42 you can have two SS-PGs.

    • Each SS-PG has +1/+1 defence and is two units, making them much more difficult to destroy.
    • The SS-PGs have the same firepower vs soldiers at short and medium ranges.
    • In most games I’ve found that you rarely make long-ranged attacks, meaning the SS-PGs are missing out on that.
    • Additionally, instead of the LR attack they get Close Assault 7 and Ruthless
    • I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve never used Suppressive Fire, or even used the threat of suppressive fire (since they can defencive fire twice normally anyway).
    • The MG42 does have 3/3/2 anti-vehicle dice, and while it’s not usually too significant it can occasionally be useful.

    Now compared to some other units:

    vs Sniper; the Sniper only has one shot, but gains some great abilities like Head Shot and Superior Camoflauge. Also except for point blank (ie short) range, the sniper generally has a better attack%, and Crack Shot cancels out the penalty for shooting at aircraft.

    vs Nebelwerfer; the Nebelwerfer may only have one shot, but gets Blast, Bombardment, and Rocket Salvo. It also works out as having a better attack.

    The MG42 can still be quite useful (eg you can pack 2 of them into a single hex for a LOT of firepower) its just that other units for a similar cost have more utility to them (Sniper), or are tougher (SS-PGs).


  • i totaly agree
    i use them in my armies all the time
    i have 2x Mg-42’s
    and 6-7x mg teams from the d-day set


  • Last night convinced me of the worth of the Sniper.  I’m still itching to get the gun teams into action perhaps a larger game if I have points left.  DL kudos to you the snipe is hust too nice of an asset.

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