The WW2 German infantry weapons were well-made, reliable, and varied, enabling the Wehrmacht soldier to keep up with the mobile warfare of the Blitzkrieg. Although their firearms were on the same level as other country's infantry rifles and pistols were, the German infantry possessed the most reliable machine guns, with highest rate of fire, in the world and the most powerful anti-tank guns in World War II. These weapons were also employed by the Luftwaffe's Fallschirmjäger, who were the German paratroopers.
Firearms
98K Mauser Karabiner. The standard issue German infantry rifle. It was a 7.92-mm, bolt-action rifle, which had been designed at the end of the 19th century and used in WW1. This WW2 version, however, had a shorter barrel, hence, the designation 'Karabiner'.
FG-42 Rifle. It was a 7.92-mm automatic rifle issued to the Fallschirmjäger units. It was fed from a detachable box magazine and fired the same round employed by the 98K rifle: 7.92x57mm Mauser.
Gewehr 41/43. Two models of the German 7.92-mm semiautomatic rifle. It employed a ten-round non-detachable magazine. However, it was not massively produced and only special units were issued with this rifle.
MP-40 Machine Pistol. Known as 'Schmeisser', it was a reliable submachine gun. It fired the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge and was fed from a 32-round detachable magazine. It had a blowback system for the reloading and ejection of casing.
Walther P-38 pistol. It was the standard issue handgun employed by German officers. It was semiautomatic and was chambered for the 9mm Parabellum.
Below, the basic German soldier infantry weapons: 1) the K98 Mauser rifle, 2) the MP-40 submachine gun, 3) the Walther P-38 pistol, and 4) standard German hand grenade.
