Dragoon 45
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Joined: 8/10/2004
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Alby,
Let's say the original 2000 rifles were issued to the Fallschrimjager Battalions. 2000 rifles would be more than enough to equip 4 battalions of troops. Out of the next 5-7000 produced of the FG-42-2 model say 4000 were issued. That is another 8 battalions of troops so equipped. So there is easily enough rifles to equip one full division of troops. Remember not everyone in the infantry would carry this rifle, some squad members would be carrying the MG-34/42, some carrying machine pistols, and some armed with probably the Gewehr-43.
All the references I have state the FG-42 either version was a successful weapon. Its main fault was a tendency to cant when aimed due to its side mounted magazine. The German Army didn't like the weapon due to its expensive manufacturing costs, mainly costs associated with the machining of various parts. Cost of the weapon was the main reason it was not produced more numerously.
I tend to place faith in Ian V. Hogg, a retired British Army Master Gunner and Military Historian, when dealing with small arms and artillery. He has many good things to say about the weapon in general and does bring up the issue of its instability in automatic fire. That said only a very desperate soldier fires his weapon on auto fire if the weapon is so equipped. I can not think of a single assault rifle or submachine gun that is accurate in automatic fire. All of them are too light weight. That is why a lot of modern assault rifles and submachine guns now are fitted with a selector that permitts three round bursts. The Three Round Bursts are easier to control and have a better chance to hit the target with more than one round. Even the BAR was hard to control on automatic fire. Good gunners learned how to fire in 3-5 round bursts so they would have more accuracy and not over heat the barrels.
The Gewehr-43 and FJ-42 were semi-automatic rifles that used full size cartridges. Both of these rifles gave the individual infantry man a marked increase in firepower over the Kar-98 bolt action rifle. It is perhaps a blessing that only a limited number of these weapons were actually produced. If every German Infantry Man had been equipped with a semi-automatic, detachable magazine fed rifle, the casaulities on the Allied side would have been much higher.
Having carried an M-60 as both the Gunner and A-gunner, I find your web site reference a little off. I also attended the Foreign Weapons Identification Course taught by the Special Forces at Ft Bragg in the early 80's. I have fired just about every machine gun, assault rifle, and submachine gun produced in the last 50 years. The M-60 is a much more reliable MG than a lot of the other models out there. The initial models were a little shakey, but they were improved and the final versions were very good guns. I have found out a lot of the so-called experts on military small arms have never served in the military. Their only experience with the guns are a lot of times shooting worn-out models on a range. Soldiers quickly learn what works and what doesn't work with their individual weapons. They tend to find ways to quickly emphasis the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Alby
quote:
ORIGINAL: FlashfyreSP
1. As a possible solution, we could arm Unit #158 with the FjG42 (Slot1) and the MP38/40 (Slot2), reassign its Date from May 42 to sometime in 43, and rearm Unit #159 with the Kar98k (Slot1) and the MG42 LMG (Slot2). This would give us an FJ unit from 43-45 w/the FjG42 rifle, the period of its use; as I understand the history of this weapon, only 5000 were made by the end of the war. Since Unit #159 covers the post-war "hypothetical" German Army, I would think the Kar98 and the MG42 would have been more readily available for arming any "hypothetical" force.
"The FG-42 (Fallschirmjagergevehr 42, or Paratrooper's rifle, model 1942) is rather interesting, yet unsuccessful development in small arms of the Hitler's Germany."
And....
"In the original form, also known as FG-42 1st model or FG-42-1, this rifle was made in limited numbers - no more than 2 000 rifles in 1st modification were delivered to Luftwaffe. It soon became apparent that the lightweight rifle lacked the necessary strength to handle powerful rifle ammunition in full automatic mode; it also was too expensive to manufacture. Recognizing that, Krieghoff engineers by the early 1944 redesigned the FG-42 into so called 2nd model. Being heavier and slightly longer, the FG-42-2 was still too light to be effectively fired in full auto, even from integral bipod, and still too expensive, especially compared to the contemporary Stg.44 assault rifle. Before the end of war about 5 000 2nd model FG-42 rifles were produced by Krieghoff and several other minor manufacturers. The FG-42 made no direct impact on the postwar developments in small arms, except that it served as a basis for relatively unspectacular American M60 machine gun."
So after reading this, I still would not have the weapon available until sometime in 1944 since only 2000 of the first model were Issued. and the second model, where some 5-7000 (this site states 5000) were produced..
Note it says produced, not issued. for model 2
Your Thoughts???
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Artillery always has the Right of Way
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