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German assault rifle

Discussion in 'Small Arms and Edged Weapons' started by EagleSquadron12, Feb 9, 2017.

  1. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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    What is it like to actually fire a Sturmgewehr 44?



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMK5OGEIbwk&t=606s
     
  2. George Patton

    George Patton Canadian Refugee

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    My opinion: Similar to an AR15. The inline stock and buffer absorbs recoil nicely, with fairly low muzzle rise. It is controllable on full auto if fired in short bursts.
     
  3. OhneGewehr

    OhneGewehr New Member

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    Not much different to a G3 (which is a modified StG 45) i guess. Which was an accurate weapon up to 250m.
    As good as the M16.
     
  4. harolds

    harolds Member

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    RE: Who they were issued to and when: In his book, "IN DEADLY COMBAT-A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front", the author, Gottlob Herbert Bidermann mentions his division, the 132 Infantry, had been issued at least some StGs in early 1944. That means that some regular IDs were issued these weapons and not just SS or VS units.
     
  5. Triple C

    Triple C Ace

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    According to the Americans, StG-44 rifles were often carried by assault troops that supported SP assault guns in the Ardennes Campaign, so there might have been some effort made toward concentrating their issuance.
     
  6. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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    As noted earlier, what the high command envisioned as ideal distribution for the rifle didn't seem to make it down to the area commanders who actually controlled who got what. They appear to have been distributed in a fairly random pattern, which I suspect is more a result of interrupted supply lines than anything else.

    One 'schwerpunckt' unit of the Ardennes campaign was a kampfgruppe of the 1st Waffen SS under Joachim Peiper. Peiper had a single company of Fallschirmjaeger with him, that were armed with the STG44. I find that really odd, since the paratroopers had their own advanced rifle in the FG42, yet here they have the STG...? This (I think) just reflects how chaotic the supply situation was by that point in the war. All these units were marshaled and armed near Cologne before advancing and apparently there were no FG42s available, so they were given STG44.
     
  7. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    Only if you consider "supply" in conjunction with production.

    Sources vary, but the total FG42 production was around 7,000-9,000, but most settle around 7,000-7,500.
     
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  8. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

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    Ah, I didn't realize so few were produced. Still, I wonder how they got to the head of the line for the STG in this campaign?
     
  9. TiredOldSoldier

    TiredOldSoldier Ace

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    By late 1944 German "paratroopers" were not jump capable but were amongst the best line infantry the Germans still had, a couple of steps above VG units as the LW still had some manpower reserves while the army was scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill the ranks, IIRC the FJ retained the 3 battalion regiments long after the Heer had cut it down to two. So I would not be surprised if a company or two earmarked for the spearhead got the best of the pick in weapons.

    After the debacle of the LW field divisions, that were a significant waste of valuable manpower, they were equipped with whatever the LW could scrape up and had only very few experienced cadres and mostly disintegrated as soon as the red army engaged them, late war FJ were ser up with more or less the same equipment as the regular army though it was still supplemented by LW specific weapons like the (few) FG42 ant the MG15 adapted for ground use.
     
  10. Sarge

    Sarge Member

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    I shoot an MP 43 with some regularity. I like it! It is very accurate AND controllable on full auto.
    I can consistantly put 10-15 rds in a 2 foot circle at 200 yds on FA.
    I have an MP 43, MP 44 and an Stg 44. Some day - IF I'm real lucky - I'll find an MP 43/1 and an Stg 45.
    Here is the heard with spare parts.
    Sarge
    MP 43-44.JPG
     

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