KGS Weapons

WEAPONS USED BY THE GERMAN ARMY

RIFLES

Mauser K-98 Rifle (click on the image to a picture of a K 98 in action)

The K-98K Rifle is the mainstay of the German Infantry forces being issued to all Grenadiers or Jager ranks. I know the machine guns are more exciting but unfortunately to portray the units correctly the K98 will be the weapon most in evidence especially for the Grenadiers. The K98 was produced by Mauser during the war where over 14million Rifles were produced. It fired a 7.92mm round from a magazine of 5 rounds via a bolt action and was considered to be the best Bolt action rifle ever produced. It could also be fitted with a snipers scope. It weighed in at just over 8lbs & could be fitted with a long bayonet for close quarter fighting. In Re-enactment terms THIS will probably be your first weapon if you choose to portray the Infantry units.

PISTOLS

LUGER P-08

Probably one of the most famous pistols ever produced and a high prize amongst Allied souvenir collectors during the war. The 9mm Luger pistol was the main Officer sidearm in the German Army. It was a semi automatic pistol using an 8 round magazine which fed into the pistol grip. It was also issued to Fallschirmjäger (all FJ ranks carry a pistol as well as their main weapon) NCOs' and Machine gun crews. Although it was starting to be replaced by the P38 (see Below from 1938 the lugers accuracy and reliability kept it a favourite amongst the troops. Re-enactors portraying Fallschirmjäger may use a Luger however only Machine gun crews, NCOs' or Officers may carry a Luger

WALTHER P-38

The Walther P38 pistol was introduced in 1938 to be a replacement for the Luger. Being simpler in design it was easier to mass produce without drawing away from accuracy and firepower. As with the Luger the P38 was a 9mm , * round magazine fed Pistol however the P38 was the first pistol to introduce the "double Trigger" mechanism. This meant a round could be chambered and the hammer let down by incorporating the barrel -locking mechanism. which uses a wedge shaped block in the breech the recoil as the ejected round would force the hammer back to the firing position while another round was chambered a feature found in most modern handguns. In terms of re-enacting The P38 follows the same rules as he Luger above

SUB-MACHINE GUNS and ASSAULT RIFLES

MP -40 (click on the image for picture of Mp 40 in action)

The Mp40 machine pistol or sub machine gun was initially issued only to Fallschirmjäger and assault platoon or squad leaders. Being more expensive to manufacture there were limited numbers of this superb weapon. Designed by Heinrich Vollmer in 1938 this 9mm weapon had a superb rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute fed from its 32 round magazine. Over 1 million of these weapons were produced and it made history by being the first weapon to utilise plastic in its construction. In terms of re-enactment Fallschirmjäger and NCOs' are the ones most likely to be seen with this weapon

STG / MP 44 ASSAULT RIFLE

Realising the urgent need for a fast firing infantry rifle to combat the growing number of all SMG equipped Soviet units in 1944 The German army ordered the Mp43 later to become MP44 Rifle. After a test firing by Hitler this rifle was re designated the Stg or SturmGewehr (Assault Rifle) 44. This weapon fires a shorter 7.92mm round from a 30 round "banana" style magazine firing an impressive 600 rounds per minute. In terms of re-enactment however this is a late war weapon only being first seen in larger numbers in the Ardennes offensive.

LIGHT MACHINE GUNS

MG 34

The MG34 was Germanys' main Machine gun during the early years of the war. Using twin 75 round drum magazines the MG34 could be fired "off the hip" by a single soldier. It was also a belt fed weapon firing its 7.92mm rounds at a rate of 600-1000 rounds per minute by way of a selector on the pistol grip.. Eventually being replaced in the infantry divisions by the MG42 the MG34 still remained the main machine gun used in the Panzers , Kreigsmarine and Luftwaffe and remained in a lot of infantry units throughout the war. In the roles of re-enactment MG34's are the must for early war portrayal and can be used quite extensively for early period battles or on vehicles

MG 42 (click on the image to view an MG 42 firing)

The MG42 Machine gun was undoubtedly one of Germanys greatest successes of WWII. Staying in production and used by many countries long after the end of the war. This 7.92 mm Machine gun entered the German Army in 1942 replacing the MG34 at the time. It had a reputation for accuracy reliability and an extreme rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute from either a 50 or 250 round belt. MG42's were deployed in large number and were usually manned by a team of 3 men, an operator (usually an unteroffizer), a loader and a spotter. Though this platoon could be up to 6 men with another carrying the tripod and two more carrying spare ammunition boxes which through sustained fire the MG42 would exhaust very quickly. The MG42 had only one weakness which was its need for a barrel change, this could normally take up to 40 seconds to complete by a trained crew and the Allied forces quickly realised this window was the best time to assault the MG42 positions. These machine guns were the mainstay of German defensive positions often being found dug into well prepared pill boxes or machine gun nests often mounted on a lafette tripod mount In terms of re-enactment no platoon would be complete without its MG42 crew!

INFANTRY USED ANTI TANK WEAPONS

Panzerfaust

The Panzerfaust was a throw away holo charge anti tank weapon issued to all German forces from 1943. Although having a much shorter range than the Panzerschrek the Panzerfaust or tank fist still took a heavy toll on allied armour. Being employed mainly in an ambush role this weapon was perfect for the defensive battles in the heavy hedgerows of Normandy. Later being distributed to the civilian population in Germany as a part of civil defence against the tide of Russian Armour. Panzerfaust would certainly not be out of place in any re-enactment unit portraying later war units.

Panzerschrek

The Panzerschrek was an 88mm shoulder fired re-usable rocket propelled anti tank weapon developed in late 1941. Firing a HEAT (high explosive anti tank) round the Panzerschrek became a fearsome weapon in the hands of speciality anti tank hunting squads in the Bocage territory of Normandy. As far as Re-enactment go's it would not be unusual to have at least one Panzerschrek team for any unit portraying the Normandy battles.

WEAPONS USED BY THE GERMAN ARMY

LIGHT MACHINE GUNS

KGS Information

Unit Information