The MG 42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or “machine gun 42”) was a 7.92×57mm Mauser general purpose machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942. It supplemented, and, in some instances, replaced the MG 34 general-purpose machine gun in all branches of the German Armed Forces, though both weapons were manufactured and used until the end of the war.