Heavy weapon team very effective against infantry. Must be set-up to attack.
The MG34 Team is the standard heavy machine gun (HMG) team weapon unit of the DAK, and is available from the Light Support Kompanie.
As with all weapon team units, the HMG must be set-up before it can be fired. Once set-up, it can only fire within its arc of fire. As with all weapons crews their larger target size makes it easier for them to be hit. This combination, combined with their set up nature, means they are vulnerable to flanking and artillery.
As with any other HMG, infantry units fired upon will quickly become suppressed, which can progress to pinned status if they continue taking sustained fire.
The MG34 team is very similar to the Wehrmacht's
The main difference compared to the MG42, is that the MG42 is slightly better as it offers better DPS at all ranges due to its much higher rate of fire. Due to this higher rate of fire, the Wehrmacht HMG generally suppresses troops faster.
The MG34 Team gains the active ability Fire Discipline upon reaching veterancy level 1, which when activated increases accuracy, damage, and rate of fire at the cost of reducing suppression and burst length.
Similar to other HMGs, they also have a Reload ability that simply forces them to reload their HMG, disabling their ability to fire for a few seconds. CoH features a reload mechanic for every weapon in the game, which essentially is a cooldown on attacking. This ability allows a player to ensure the HMG is ready to fire a full burst, instead of potentially reloading immediately after firing for a second or less. While not necessary to make use of HMG teams, it can be helpful for those who can keep up with additional micro of units on the field, as it can prevent awkward situations where an HMG does not suppress fast enough due to reload timers.
As with other weapons teams, if the entire squad is killed the HMG will drop to the ground and can be picked up by any player, including the enemy!
500 XP
1500 XP
3000 XP
Fire Discipline: Active ability. When activated, the team weapon temporarily gains increased accuracy, damage, and rate of fire at the cost of reducing suppression and burst length. Similar to the Vickers ability, it essentially trades suppression for more damage against its targets. Keep in mind the duration cannot be cancelled, so be wary that the loss of suppression can have unintended consequences if you suddenly need to suppress a target. On the other hand, this ability is great for increasing damage and forcing losses or a retreat if the target is already suppressed, as the reduced suppression is less of an issue at that point.
180
6.5
Reload: When activated the HMG team will be unable to fire for a few seconds as it reloads. This ability helps ensure the HMG is ready to fire a full burst upon enemy contact, helping to avoid awkward scenarios where it only fires a partial burst that is less effective.
1.6 'Coral Viper' April 2 2024
MG 34 HMG suppression against suppressed targets increased from 0.4 to 0.5.