Please help identify this MG mount?

[reb62]

Greetings all,

Found this pic in one of my books and would like to know if anyone can help me identify it's intended use?

From what I can tell, it appears to be a fixed double yoke collar for the MG34, which would rigidly support the 34 from the barrel shroud and float the receiver and pistol grip. But then again, I may be totally way off base here and not even close in my assumption and may be some sort of craddle support for something else.

Anyone know what armor it may have been used on as well?

Danke.

[TactAdv]

Unfortunately, I think rather than something unusual for the MG-34.....it is the rather more mundane fold-down travel-lock apparatus for a common high-gain field radio antennae.

Your picture is clearly taken inside one of the myriad common armored fighting vehicles, and while only an educated guess, judging by the size, shape, and positioning of the armor plates shown, it appears that this vehicle may well be an example of one of the multitude of conversions of the ubiquitous 'SonderkraftFahrzeug 251' type "half-track" vehicles, or similar. Without more of a picture, it's really hard to tell, but both the size and shape of the tubular device appears close to others I have seen, and the layout, size, and shape of the fighting compartment also appear close to the common Sdkfz 251/3 IV 'Kommandopanzerwagen' variant that was used as a Command Vehicle and supported field communications with a rather long and heavy collapsible radio aerial that could be taken down; when moving with the antenna up, the travel-lock was raised to add support for it. What you see pictured appears identical to those folding supports for the radio aerial mast.

-TomH

[Bil]

First prize!! I tried to post when this was first asked,but the net went down. I had never seen one of these up close until a few weeks ago,this was at a re-enactment in Mass. It is exactly as described above,for the vehicle as above.It is somewhat like the one for the 42 J Baum was selling,but not as heavy.It has a heavy spring inside to take up the recoil,and the front oiece is for it to rest on if needed in travel,and also to keep the gun from being lowered enough to hit the vehicle when shooting! This particular piece was rebuilt and modified from an original,which also had been modified.More pics if needed. ---bil PS-the one in your picture looks like it also uses the front mount,and is in the 'tail gunner' position.

[reb62]

Bil,

Thank you for posting this. Yes, I would like to see more pics of this unusual mount and would like to see the 42 mount that you described that J Baum selling if any pics are still available?

[Bil]

Here are 3 more of that mount.The close-up you can see the spring inside.You can also see it is not a factory made item,or if it is,it has been welded up again. No picture of Johns mount yet,I think I have a pic somewhere,but the actual mount is buried away under the pile of 34s and ammo. ---bil