Artist's commentary
The Hitler Garand
Prismacolor Colored Pencils and Micron Ink Pens.
Germany was ahead of most countries participating in World War II in several technological areas including tanks, machine guns, and rocketry. However, the Third Reich lagged badly behind the US and Russia in the development of semi-automatic rifles to replace the bolt-actions then commonly in use. As a result, the famed but antiquated Mauser Kar98k would soldier on in the hands of Wehrmacht troops until the end of the war. Here, pictured are what semi-automatic rifles Germany did develop that chambered the standard German 7.92x57mm Mauser rifle cartridge and actually did see front line service. From top to bottom;
Gewehr 41 (M) as developed by Mauser Obendorf- Ten round non-detachable box magazine was loaded from the top with the bolt open, using two five round chargers as used with the Kar98k bolt-action rifle. The bolt did not reciprocate when the gun was fired, yet functioned as a bolt for loading like on a bolt-action rifle. Like on the Walther G-41 shown below it, the barrel was not drilled for a gas port as per a ridiculous German army requirement, so a muzzle cone siphoned gas from the expended round to rework the action- a system developed in Denmark about half a century earlier. This caused numerous reliability problems and the Gewehr 41 (M) was probably hated by everyone to whom it was issued. Today due to its rarity, a Mauser Gewehr 41 (M) would be worth many of thousands of dollars on the collector market. Production began in 1941 and would have ended by 1943.
Gewehr 41 (W) as developed by the Walther Company. LIke the Mauser G-41 (M), the Walther rifle loaded from the top with two five round stripper clips into its non-detachable 10 round magazine. It fared better than it's Mauser competitor but still far from ideal performance. Nontheless, the G41 (W) was well received by troops desiring a semi-automatic rifle, if for all else there being nothing else available. Far more Gewehr 41 (W) rifles were built than Gewehr 41 (M) rifles. Both G-41 rifles took a standard Kar98k bayonet. This rifle was produced from 1941-1943.
Gewehr 43 Rifle- Developed by Walther when the German high command lifted the ban on drilling a gas port into the barrel. Introduced in 1943, improvements included a detachable 10 round magazine, and a gas system developed from captured Russian Tokarev SVT-40 rifles. Unlike the G-41s, and perhaps a testament to modern warfare, the G-43 was not equipped to take a bayonet. A side mounted rail allowed for sliding on a 4x ZF4 scope, these being far more common on G-43 rifles than the a 1.5x ZF-41 scope mounted on a Gewher 41.
Gewehr 43 Rifle with ZF4 scope- Some G-43s had plastic Bakelite handguards, and this one has the ZF4 scope mounted. Most German snipers preferred the more accurate and reliable Kar98k bolt-action rifle for sniping purposes. While a vast improvement over the earlier G41s, the G-43 was not nearly as durable or reliable as the American M1 Garand. Production began in 1943, but did not begin to outnumber the G41 rifles until after D-Day. Thanks to very fast and inexpensive production, the G-43s were issued one or two to a squad by the time of the Battle of the Bulge and into early 1945. Production continued until war's end. After the War, some ex-German G-43s were used by Czechoslovakia.