Trying to ID crest on my MG42 top cover

[Torch]

Hey guys,ive been told the crest is yugoslavian but just wanted to check with the experts,thanks Sean

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Sean, your ID is correct. Yugoslavian. So correctly the gun is an M53.

Cheers, Ade.

[Torch]

Thanks Ade,for some reason I thought the M53 was made in 1953 and the 1943 date in the crest had me a bit muddled..cheers for the help!

[Adrian Stevenson]

The date is the founding date of the Yugoslav communist republic and actually has nothing to do with the date of manufacture of the gun. This often causes confusion.

Cheers, Ade.

[Torch]

Ah righto..thanks Ade

[lithgow]

Just wait until you encounter 'Factory 44' on something Yugoslav...

[HPL2008]

Just for the sake of completeness, allow me to add that the abbreviation "ФНРЈ" [= "FHRJ"] stands for "Федеративне Народне Републике Југославије" / "Federativna Narodna Republika Jugoslavija" i.e. "Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia".