Small Arms of the Second World War, Part 2: Germany · 7:30am Jun 19th, 2014
This blog/list will not contain all of the weapons used by Germany, but will try to list most of those that saw widespread service during the war. Prototypes or limited service/production weapons will usually not be listed, unless I deem otherwise. This list is in no way a complete inventory of the weapons used by the German military during WWII, and should not be treated as such.
Pistols:
Walther P38
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action: Semi-automatic, short recoil
Feed System: 8 round detachable magazine
The P38 was developed to become the new service pistol of the Wehrmacht, to replace the costly Luger. The Walther became the standard sidearm of the Bundeswehr (Current German Army) in the late 50's, and served in modernized versions until the design was completely phased out of service in 2004.
Luger P08
Caliber: 7.65mm or 9mm Parabellum
Action: Semi-automatic, short recoil
Feed System: 8 round detachable box magazine
The Luger was the standard German sidearm in WWI and WWII (To some extent). The 9mm Parabellum round was designed for this weapon. This pistol was a widely sought after war trophy in both world wars, and German soldiers often booby trapped "discarded" pistols to catch Allied soldiers unaware.
Rifles:
Gewehr 43
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Action: Semi-automatic, gas-operated
Feed System: 10 round detachable box magazine
In response to other nations equipping their armies with semi-auto rifles, the Germans developed the Gewehr. The Gewehr 43 was an improved version of the Gewehr 41 with a new gas system inspired from Soviet SVT-40 rifles. Some of these rifles were fitted with telescopic sights or scopes for sniper use.
Karabiner 98K
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Action: Bolt action
Feed System: 5 round internal box magazine
The Kar98K was the standard service rifle for Germany throughout WWII, and was the culmination of a long line of Mauser rifles. Rifles that were found to be exceptionally accurate during factory testing were mounted with scopes and issued as sniper rifles. Over 14 million Kar98K rifles were manufactured from 1935-1945.
FG42
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Action: Selective fire, gas-operated
Feed System: 10 or 20 round detachable box magazine
RoF: 750-900rpm (Full-auto)
The FG42 was designed exclusively for paratrooper use to augment their firepower. As a result, only around 2000-3000 rifles were made to fill this niche role. Due to the weapon firing a full-powered rifle cartridge from a side mounted magazine, the weapon was often unbalanced and automatic fire was hard to control, even in small bursts. The small magazine size also didn't do the design any favors.
StG 44
Caliber: 7.92x33mm Kurz
Action: Selective fire, gas-operated
Feed System: 30 round detachable box magazines
RoF: 550-600rpm (Full-auto)
The Sturmgewehr, or "storm rifle", was the world's first true assault rifle. With an intermediate cartridge specifically developed for it, the StG had the firepower of an SMG and the accuracy and power of a rifle. The famed AK-47 and its round were inspired (at least in part) by the developments made by the StG 44.
Sub-machineguns:
MP 40
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action: Fully-automatic, blowback
Feed System: 32 round detachable box magazines or 64 round dual magazines
RoF: 550rpm
The MP 40 was a simplification of the MP 38 design which used stamped metal parts to simplify production. Despite popular culture, MP 40s were usually only issued to squad or platoon leaders and paratroopers. The MP40 also suffered occasional feeding problems due to its double-column single-feed magazine insert.
Machineguns:
MG 34
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Action: Fully-automatic, recoil operated
Feed System: 50 or 250 round belts, 50 round drum, or 75 round drum magazine
RoF: 800-900rpm
Generally considered the world's first general purpose machinegun, it could be carried by one man, or mounted with a bipod or tripod. It remained the main support weapon of the German army until it was supplanted by the MG 42. Still, it served until the end of the war with distinction.
MG42
Caliber: 7.92x57mm Mauser
Action: Fully-automatic, recoil operated
Feed System: 50 or 250 round belts
RoF: 1200rpm
Nicknamed, "Hitler's buzzsaw" due to its high rate of fire, the MG 42 was the replacement of the MG34 as a general purpose machinegun. It too, could be man-portable, or fire from a bipod or tripod. Modernized versions of the weapon are still in use today by the German military under the designation; MG 3.
Anti-tank and other:
Panzerschreck
Caliber: 88mm
Action: Single shot, RPG
Feed System: Reusable tube, 88mm rockets
This tank terror was reverse engineered from the American Bazooka, and was easily the better of the two. The Panzerschreck could penetrate 100mm of armor, which was more than sufficient for most Allied tanks. Due to this weapons success, the Americans hastily tried to improve their bazooka design.
Panzerfaust
Caliber: 149mm
Action: Single shot, RPG
Feed System: Pre-loaded single shot RPG
The Panzerfaust was a cheap anti-tank weapon that was easy to use. Unlike the Panzerschreck, the tube was discarded after firing the warhead. When used correctly, the "tank fist" could take out just about any tank fielded by the Allies during WWII. Late in the war, it wasn't uncommon to see German conscripts armed with nothing else.
Flammenwerfer 41
Capacity: About 3 gallons
Burn time: 10 seconds
Range: 32 meters
German flamethrower used to clear out bunkers, buildings, and trenches. It is an upgrade to the Flammenwerfer 35 flamethrower. It used a tar and gasoline mixture for fuel.
This concludes part two, thanks for reading!
I believe the STG-44 was the first assault rifle to be created ever during the war. I might be wrong, but
I know I read that somewhere. As for the pistols, I have never seen them before. Nice to see them now!
2219369 Yep. The StG 44 was the first assault rifle ever produced, during the war and the rest of history.
Learning is always great, right?
Hello again! Do you know a lot about Sniper Rifles? I have this strange idea. What if the scope was taken away from a rifle... right? And it was left with only the lens. of course they would be sustained by a metal line and it would go around the lens like a frame. The rifle itself could even have canted lenses of different zoom levels. Is this idea worth seeing through?
37.media.tumblr.com/6fa71da46c51f5c4dfa75dea62bf0666/tumblr_n7qxzjlA7T1reo8sso2_r1_1280.jpg
I have drawn a concept that may not be up to the good visuals but is still a rough concept that I have pondered about recently.
2234245 That is a very interesting idea.
I don't know absurd amounts of info about sniper rifles or lenses, but I think the basic concept could work. I'm sorry I can't help you further.
Don't most modern telescopic sights or scopes have multiple levels of zoom already? Even if you could get the concept to work perfectly, I don't think there'd be many buyers for it, unless it has some great advantage over other modern optics.
I can also see some drawbacks as well. Such as; multiple pieces, fragile, possible difficulty of mounting the optics, increased glare from the amount of glass (since it's all exposed), and the size/ergonomics.
All in all, it is a very cool idea, in my opinion. But I just can't see it becoming more than a novelty, even if it does work perfectly. Sorry to be such a downer, but I'm just trying to look at it from a realistic perspective.
On the plus side though, your sketches are amazing!
You can draw so much better than I can. I'm now slightly jealous...
Nono, I like to see critiques like that. I never thought of how sensitive it could be. Or how it could have more glare. Thanks for the input!