J. van Limpt
Member
I've noticed in the Estab Editor that the German G-43 rifle is missing. Perhaps it can be added in a future patch?
Gewehr-43 rifle missing in Weapons
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J. van Limpt
Member
Never mind, guys. It's very easy to add it myself, as I have discovered. Nice.
402,713 Gewehr 43 (redesignated "Karabiner 43" in 1944) rifles were produced from October 1943 - 1945. In 1943, only 3,209 units were built, but in 1944 satellite facilities had picked up production as well, so that 277,862 rilfes could be produced until December 44.
The rifles were liked and disliked at the same time.
Since - for the first time - rifle units had a carbine at their disposal that could provide a higher amount of RPM, and since it allowed for fast reloads (somewhat similar to a MP-cartridge change, 10 rounds mag as bottom feed), rilfe units actually liked it for the fact that it put them on a more balanced level if they encountered Russian or American units equipped with semi-auto rifles (ie. SVT rifles and M1 Garand). Additionally, the rifle could still be loaded with clips and most of the G43/K43 had mount rails for the telescopic sight ZF4 (4x).
Late batches received a shorter barrel (500 mm) and plastic stock, which reduced the weight from 4.4 kg to 3.6 kg and which improved gun handling a lot.
It was disliked for the fact that the regular 7.92 x 57mm round would produce an often widely visible muzzle flash that would give away the rifleman's position on rifles with barrel lenghts under 600 mm (the G43's barrel was 550mm long, last batches in 1945 were shortened to 500 mm).
Due to the campaign to improve output numbers and streamline designs to more simplistic mass production designs, the rifle's muzzle threads (to hold either a grenade launcher cup or a suppressor) were canceled in 1944, some sources say that they didn't even make it into serial production, but German sources hint towards the first batch (1943, total output: 3,209 rifles) or parts of it having received muzzle threads.
Due to the streamlining of the particular factories' output and due to the fact that the level of resources for high precision rifle barrels decreased dramatically, a lower amount (as originally intended) of G43 could actually serve as sniper rifles. A German secret report created in July 1944 estimated that only 5% of the (current) G43 output could be used as sniper rifles. Basically, Hitler had personally ordered serial production of the G43 (as a sniper rifle and additional standard rifle), but in order to fulfil the order, and in order to keep the quality of the K 98 still in production, quality standards had to be lowered for the G43.
This made the G43 less precise than the K98, it could barely provide for an effective range of around 300 meters, even though the regular 7.92-mm round actually offered higher ranges with other rifles (the K98 k's effective range: 550 meters with iron sight, 1000 meters with 8x telescopic sight), so that snipers usually fell back to using the K 98 k ZF.
The G. 43 ZF sniper version was issued to sniper units, though, around 53,435 sniper versions were produced and issued. It's not clear whether these were tested (for accuracy) before they were issued to snipers or not.
So, even though the rifle was put into production as a serial production sniper rifle, snipers disliked the rifle, because of
- the mentioned muzzle flash,
- because of the missing muzzle thread (for a supressor) and especially
- because of the lower effective range, obviously caused by the high amount of substandard barrels and their actual (short) lengths.
The G43 was, just like its predecessor - the unsuccessful G41, a result of what I would call the "SVT"-shock on the Eastern Front, when German riflemen (carrying their K 98's) encountered Russian units that were equipped with SVT semi-auto rifles.
Grunts liked the G43 as it improved their unit's firepower and because usual encounters often involved exchange of fire within less than 300 meters.
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jimcarravallah
Member
Since you're modifying your Estabs to include this weapon, it'd be interesting to see if the introduction of this weapon into Axis infantry units materially changed their ability to fight under game conditions.
If the weapon's performance is very similar to or a duplicate of others available at that time and already encoded in the Estab, adding it would only increase the complexity of scenario design without offering any significant change in the combat modeling. In designing a scenario, it's difficult enough to find out which specific weapons were available to which units at a specific date let alone variations on designs that didn't materially change combat doctrine.
In theory, adding such a weapon would be beneficial, as its specs (characteristics) would (should) up the combat power of a given rifle coy. As you point out, the historical research part may be the tricky part here.
I've read somewhere that it was planned to equip (only) 19 (!) soldiers of each rifle coy with the Gewehr 43, designated Karabiner 43 later on, and that even this rather low goal was never accomplished, because the planned monthly output number (100,000 G43 per month) was never accomplished either. I am too lazy to dig out my KStN (required strength sheets), so it's hearsay for now, until the number 19 would be confirmed. Since the majority of the G43 production went to units on the Eastern Front, and the rest to other theaters, it's possible that some units in Russia received way more G43, while others went almost without or had to fall back to the G43's predecessor, the unsuccessful Gewehr 41, which was sent to units in Russia for field tests and still circulating.
In Russia, many German troops also grabbed Russian PPSh 41's, wherever possible, to up their firepower, according to numerous veteran accounts, even if many of their superiors didn't like the fact, that Germany didn't produce a similar weapon that would still fire even after it had been dropped into the Russian mud, and the Russian SVT, despite not having a flawless design, was often captured and used by German troops.
Interestingly, for instance, the KStN from July 1st, 1944, required to have each platoon's "Zugtrupp" (may translate to "platoon HQ") leader
(he provided support for the platoon leader, the Zugtrupp consisted of 7 soldiers: the Zugtrupp leader, 1 driver, 2 messengers, 1 stretcher-bearer, 1 mittlerer Schützenpanzerwagen (2cm) (Sd.Kfz.251/17), 1 gunner, 1 loader, all Zugtrupp troops were armed - except for the driver, the radio operator was provided by the Coy's signal platoon)
of a Panzergrenadier Coy 44 or a Tank Recon Coy 44 to be equipped with a Gewehr 41, even though production had pretty much phased out - only 24.532 units were produced in 1944, while the 3 groups
(each: 1 group leader, 1 deputy group leader, 4 riflemen, 2 LMG gunners, 1 mittlerer Schützenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251/1), 1 driver/2 co-drivers - each armed with a pistol, 1 Co-driver could provide fire support with the halftrack's fixed LMG, the other co could grab the vehicle's MP 40 and dismount as well to support the group, if necessary)
in each platoon were supposed to use K98s and LMGs. Only a deputy group leader was supposed to have a scoped K98 or G43. Whatsoever, it can be assumed that a non-scoped G43 was issued to the Zugtrupp leader, if a 41 was not available, and that the riflemen tried to obtain some G43s, if they were available, in general.
Other examples of rather unusual or mixed loadouts would be the first and second platoon in Füsilier-Coys (bicycles), assault platoons in Panzergrenadier Coys or the Grenadier escort platoon in PzJg-Abteilungen (tank "hunter" Bns, means AT Bns), which appeared to be equipped with StG 44s, throughout, at one point.
So, as you pointed out, the required strength (for the weapon loadout) may have greatly differed from a given unit's actual available loadout.
Example: during the first 6 months of 1944, the Germans lost more than 1 million carbines, due to the Allied onslaughts in Russia and Italy. In a desperate attempt to fill this gap, the Germans started to issue the Russian Gewehr 91/30 (G. 254(r)), the Italian rifle Fucile Modello 41 (G. 210(i)), the French Lebel rifle (K. 551(f)) 1886 and the Danish Gewehr 98 (G. 311(d)) which had a length of 1330 mm !
Old rifles, (partially) with lenghts that turned gun handling into a cumbersome process that could give away the position or increase the reload time.
The original German Gewehr 98, replaced by the K98 in 1935 in Wehrmacht units and either put in storage or delivered as military aid to Axis allies, was re-issued to Wehrmacht units. This rifle was 1250 mm long, and while featuring a lower weight (4.09 kg) than say the M1 Garand, and a similar weight as the Springfield 1903, it was - with a length of 1250 mm - still 150 mm longer than the american rifles, thus a rather outdated and bulky thing to handle, as well.
While many of these rather obsolete rifles went to Volkssturm units, Wehrmacht units also had to fall back to using a substantial number of them. Afaik, the numbers were never documented in the KStN, but can be extracted from unit diaries, army ordnance depot delivery sheets, and can even be sometimes found on the individual units' monthly actual strength reports, sometimes even meant as hint for superior echelons, that better weapons are needed.
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