ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

World at War: German Infantry Weapons of World War II

Updated on September 12, 2013

German Infantry Weapons of WWII

German Infantry with MP40
German Infantry with MP40 | Source

Books about the German Army

The German Infantry

The quality and economy of German equipment was as an important a factor to American success in World War II, as the quality and economy of our own. Naturally, a lot of study went into German Infantry Tactics, and especially the nature and quality of German infantry weapons. In the paragraphs below, I will give you some information about the mainstay arms of the German Army, the Heer.

While German infantry rifles may have seemed technologically outdated, their focus on machine guns as tools of attrition and maneuver made them quite effective against Russian arms. At the same time, German tanks were able to provide much needed maneuver support that helped put an end to American weapon and equipment superiority.

Walther PP

Walther PP
Walther PP | Source

Walther PP

The Walther PP is known throughout the world, mostly for its appearance in the James Bond franchise. However, few realize that this favorite pistol of a very British (at least to Americans) super-spy got its start in the Wiemar Republic. This became the standard sidearm of German Officers, State Personalities, and special forces during the Nazi era.

The weapon uses a 7.65 mm projectile, commonly, and operates via gas pressure causing blow-back and re-chambering. It is semi-automatic, and has a comparable pistol range (roughly 100 m effective at best).

Karabiner 98k

Standard German Infantry RIfle Circa WWII
Standard German Infantry RIfle Circa WWII | Source

Karabiner 98k

The Karabiner served as the German Infantry Rifle for the Second World War. It was used primarily by forces of the German Army, though some limited naval use as well. The Karabiner, while reliable, was inferior technologically when compared to the M1 and other semi-automatic firearms. It could only fire one round, before it required manual action to fire the next, as opposed to semi-automatics, which fired, reloaded, and readied as one action cycle. It is possible to imagine that this decreased volume of firepower might have actually made German forces less capable in defensive roles, and especially in urban combat.

This was acceptable, though, as more resources were used to develop other arms that were essential to the success of the German Blitzkrieg. And certainly the campaigns of the early war, all the way up to the end of the German advance during Barbarossa, was testament to this.

MP40

MP40
MP40 | Source

Submachine Guns

Known as 'Machine-Pistols', these weapons are between the size of a pistol and a carbine. More importantly though, they fire pistol ammunition, and are automatic. High Volumes of fire from these and german machine guns allowed for maneuverability for infantry elements during the war.

It is estimated by many that the material and ammunition needs of these weapons quickly outpaced the ability of German industry to feed them. As a result, these weapons remained mostly in the hands of NCOs and special operatives.


MG34

MG34
MG34 | Source

Assault Machine Gun

The MG34 was the standard Light (or 'Assault') machine gun. Meant to be carried by one soldier, including ammunition, it was capable to be transported by foot, and set up in a matter of moments, to provide suppressive fire. This allowed the weapon to be used in offensive operations, and it was a key part of the infantry role during Blitzkrieg.The weapon is gas operated, and fires a round almost 8mm at fully automatic rates. They utilize drums instead of belts, to prevent ammunition bands from getting corrupted and for easier fitting. 

MG42

German MG42
German MG42 | Source

Hitler's Bonesaw

The MG 1942 (MG42) was one of the most distinctive and feared weapons of the second world war, no matter which front, or whom it was fighting. Known as Hitler's Bonesaw or the Devi's Chainsaw, the weapon featured a very high rate of fire, which coupled with its 7.92 ammunition, give it a high-pitched sound much like a chainsaw. 

The weapon was recoil-operated, with gas assist, meaning that the actual momentum of the weapon's recoil was used to blow the bolt back, and chamber another round. The gas expelled from a cartridge was used to assist in this process, possibly as a redundant action, which might account for the weapons purported reliability.

In terms of Doctrine, the weapon was used primarily as a Light Machine Gun, though it broached the upper end towards a medium machine gun. This meant usually the weapon could be operated by one person, and carried by infantry, however sometimes an assistant was given to help carry ammunition, or it might be mounted on a vehicle of some sort.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)