Rifles, SMGs & MGs

Name: Mauser K98, Caliber: 7.92mm (8mm), Length: 43.6 inches, Weight: 9lbs
Maximum Range: 1200 meters, Feed System: 5 round integral box magazine, Rate of fire: 15rpm

 Every soldier who fought for Germany in the Second World War trained with this rifle. In fact for many this was their only weapon throughout the war. The K98k could also be used as a sniper rifle when a ZF41 2.5x Scope or a ZF42 5x scope was attached. The K98k could also fire both explosive and armor piercing grenades by the attachment of a shot cup to the end of the rifle. This was done by one man in a rifle squad who was trained to set up and fire them and carried the ammunition. The Wehrmacht entered World War II with a total number of 2,769,533 K98k rifles. The practical rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute. A total of 14 million rifles were produced. This weapon, despite plans to replace it with weapons of greater firepower and lower production costs, remained the primary infantry weapon for the entire conflict.

Name: G41/G43, Caliber: 7.92mm, Length: 45 inches ,Weight: 10lbs 4oz.Maximum Range: 1200 meters, Feed System: 10 Round Detachable Magazine, Rate of fire: 50rpm

Originally, Mauser was given the task of giving the German armed forces with a self-loading rifle. On this occasion Mauser failed its task, and planning was switched over to Walther, who made a more reliable weapon. The entire undertaking of making the weapon was justified by the fact that existing rifles were too slow, and a new self-loading rifle might be able increase the amount of fire directed towards the enemy while not costing a lot more. The Gewehr 41, literally "Gun 41", proved to be ineffective, expensive and unreliable. However later versions (G43, K43) proved otherwise. The G41/GK43 was intended for the role of sharpshooting, which it did quite effectively, even though it did not reach its full foreseen potential as the new infantryman's weapon.

Name: MP40, Caliber: 9mm, Length: 33.5 inches ,Weight: 9lbs
Maximum Range: 300 meters, Feed System: 32 Round Detachable Magazine, Rate of fire: 400-500rpm

As late as 1940 in the Western campaign there were only 3 machine pistols per company of troops. The models available were mostly World War I relics which were, when they were developed, cutting edge weapons, but were now rather out of date. Earlier models of the newly developed MPi38 were prone to jams and misfiring which could cause lethal accidents.  The problem with the misfires was fixed very simply by adding a notch in the casing for the hammer to latch on to, which acted as a safety. Once the technology was advanced to an extent, the new designation of MPi40 was was given to the MPi38. It was very economical in the fact that it was made almost entirely of milled parts, which were easy to produce and perfect for wartime conditions. It was also very effective for close range fighting, because of its rapid rate of fire. The MP 40 was produced in huge numbers up until the fall of the Reich, as it was an extremely simple and effective weapon.

Name: MP43/44, Caliber: 7.92mm, Length: 37 inches, Weight: 11lbs
Maximum Range: 800 meters, Feed System: 30 Round Detachable Magazine, Rate of fire: 500rpm

The MP 43/44 was the first assault rifle ever made, of a field which is now a very potent part of any armies firepower. With all its abilities combined it could basically replace machine guns. Its ammunition had a perfect balance between penetration power and recoil: It could handle most battle ranges while being moderately easy to hold on target for short bursts. It could fire single shots, or full automatic. The full automatic was especially valuable as soldiers knew that, whether they were attacking or defending, they could bring a large amount of fire on a target in a short time. Also, with these new weapons the need for a support machine gun was eliminated, making teams much more mobile. Once it's worth was proved to such an extent in combat, urgent requests poured in from front line troops. The MP44 was listed as a different weapon when in reality there were few changes between the two weapons.

Name: MG34, Caliber: 7.92mm, Length: 48 inches, Weight: 26.5lbs
Maximum Range: 800 meters, Feed System: Belt or Drum Fed, Rate of fire: 900rpm

The MG34 is still regarded as one of the best machine-gun designs ever. Using the Modell 1929 and the MG 15 as the basis, Mauser designers at the Obendorff plant developed a new type of machine-gun, the general-purpose machine-gun. An infantry squad could carry the gun and fire it from a bipod or on a heavier tripod for continuous fire for a long time. The mechanism was of the all-in-line kind and the barrel could be replaced quickly for cooling. Two types of feed could be used: from a belt feed or the saddle-drum magazine housing 75 rounds (also used by the MG 15). In addition to all these features, the MG 34 was capable of a high rate of fire and thus effective against low-flying aircraft. The MG 34 was an immediate and enormous success and put directly into production for all the different branches and auxiliaries of the German armed forces, and even the police. Right until the end of the war the demand for the MG 34 stood high, and production frequently failed to meet the demand. Different versions included the MG 34m with a heavier barrel jacket to be mounted on AFVs, and the shorter MG 34s and MG 34/41 with automatic fire against aircraft.

Name: MG42, Caliber: 7.92mm, Length: 49 inches , Weight: 24lbs.
Maximum Range: 800 meters, Feed System: 50 Round Belt, Rate of fire: 1200rpm

The MG42 was meant as a more efficient replacement to the expensive and hard to produce MG34. The designers at Mauser were confident in the stamped metal technique used for the MP40, and decided that this extremely efficient and cost effective technique should be employed to its fullest on their new machinegun. Working with captured Polish and Czechoslovakian weapons Mauser was able to come up with the MG39/41, which after further testing became the MG42. The MG42 was marginally lighter, fired faster, had an easy to remove barrel (for when the gun barrel overheated), and most importantly, was much more cost effective and easier to produce than the MG34. The MG42 was used on all fronts, and was used in great numbers. If allied troops mentioned their biggest fears the MG42 would be at the top of the list. Because of the extremely high rounds per minute rating of the MG42, its gunners were trained to fire in short one second bursts so as to increase accuracy and lower the amount of rounds used.

Name: FG42, Caliber: 7.92mm, Length: 35 inches, Weight: 9lbs.
Maximum Range: 600 meters, Feed System: 20 Round Detachable Magazine, Rate of fire: 600 rpm

It was an advanced weapon for its time and could either be used in the semi automatic or fully automatic modes. It was manufactured by Rheinmettel-Borsig AG and came into service in September 1943 and was first used in the Gran Sasso raid to rescue Mussolini. Its final production number was only around 6000 as production had started on the new MP44 assault rifle, which took manufacturing precedence. It fired the old style 7.92x57 Mauser round. Spare magazines were carried by the gunner in specially made ammunition bandoleers which were worn around the neck and attached to the mans belt. Its small size and light weight made it an ideal weapon to be used as an LMG or automatic rifle and was not as cumbersome to man handle as the MG-34/42.

Name: P08, P38 etc.  Caliber: 9mm or 7.65mm

In 1942, it was required to purchase a pistol for wear or wear an issue weapon.  The available issue German Manufactured side arms from supply houses were the 9mm Pistols P08 or P38, 7.65 Mauser, Sauer&Son, Walther or Schmeisser.  The foreign manufactured side arms permitted were the 7.65 Belgian Browning M37 and 9mm Pistol Belgian Armeemodel. (This information obtained from "Air Organization of the Third Reich, The Luftwaffe" by Roger James Bender published in 1972.)