The FG42 is fascinating to me for a number of reasons, but I think the most impressive one is the fact it may be the only time in gun development history where a bunch of nigh-impossible specifications were given...and then basically met entirely. That just doesn't happen.
@@pleasekillyoursefyou have to keep in mind it was made for a very specific purpose, making it in the hundreds of thousands when you don't need to is more wasted resources. Of you're talking about the FG-42 that is.
In the book "Falschirmjägergewehr 42" by Dieter Handrich there was an interesting paragraph in which the geometry of the FG42 grip was addressed. On additional reason could be, that at the beginning of the war, the german parachutist had to be jumped separately from their weapons. To use the existing transport boxes of the K98 , they had to use this kind of grip.
I've always wondered why they didn't make the grip fold, like those French SMGs. The design of the plastic grip panels almost looks as if there was room for a hinge, and it would save space if the grip could fold back and lie flush with the receiver. But perhaps it would have been too fragile.
Re: transport boxes only fit that grip Is that a realistic claim? Modifying a (wooden?) box seems much simpler than compromising the design of your brand- new high tech weapon system.
This was a huge problem for them during the invasion of Crete! Turns out that Greek villagers weren't fans of Nazis paradropping to occupy their homes, and unfortunately for the Fallschirmjager, they were landing defenceless...
@@nos9784 Of course its not the main reason. But when you design a product you have to make compromises on many aspects of the weapon. In the book which i mentioned, it was said, that the grip could try to replicate the grip of K98 which allow better shooting for soldier, which already are practise in the K98. Also the author claims, that i may also be possible because if the transport boxes of the K98. From my perspective i think it could be possible because of this. The new rifle (FG42) had a restriction that it shouldn be longer than a K98, what could be a hint of the transport boxes problem. Designing a rifle which replicate existing weapon practise and allow to use existing accessorises, sounds great. Often a idea sounds very good at the beginning but then on real practise this kind of design fails and get be changed. The book from Dieter Handrich is a very good one. I dont know if this book exist also in english.
An LMG, Battle Rifle, Room-Sweeper all in 1 paratrooper package. A German marvel of engineering, incredible that they met those impossible requirements and came out with such an impressive weapon.
It really feels like a step back for the US to capture these, then take so long studying them and not replacing their ww2 small arms, before finally settling on the M14 as the standard issue infantry rifle still supplemented by ww2 carbines and smgs. Meanwhile the same process produces the M60, a resounding success of learning from the MG42 while advancing the concept in terms of weight, necessary ammo consumption, etc. Maybe we could have had a whole family of American side mag fed, angled trigger gripped, early polymer furniture, and smaller caliber FG42 based weapons that may have excelled and been expanded upon in Vietnam, perhaps delaying the M16 coming along.
The Fedorov is the same way but it was developed by the Russians so no one cares, but when Germany does it "Oh wow that amazing Tuetonic engineering!!"
@@fromthefire4176 they build around 7,000 of these, we built over 3 million M1s and 6 million M1s carbines. This thing is a novelty at best for this time period. It's like the Russians with the Fedorov, sure it's a super advanced design and a great package, but they only built like 3500 and it would've been very difficult to make enough for a full size army.
What is so amazing about this weapon, is its remarkable influence upon the world of military rifles. Given its relatively small manufacturing quantities, it changed everything post-war.
To do all of this in the middle of a war is incredible. They really took the feedback from users and made the easily one of the best rifles of its day. Probably comparable to the SCAR-H series of rifles in the 2000s.
In my opinion the fg42 is the most versatile and controllable battle rifle every created and would give every assault rifle a run for there money unless running very specific shooting challenges but for war nothing comes close. Great range . Great accuracy. Open and close bolt action. Epic handling for 8mm mauser in full auto. Compact but not to compact. Side magazine makes it so soldiers never have a problem reloading prone. Easy barrel change. The only real down side at all is the smoke that kicks in but i dont think it matters much when in actual war and not skirmishes where position and concealment is a major factor.. body armor isnt stopping this bad boy unless its like the the highest level at great range . Forgot to mention it comes with a flash hider........... Literally a flash hider in the 1942 think about that. Also a bipod that isnt garbage.
@@TannerLindbergthe reason it was t reused after the war is these still cost about 6k to produce. You could make 5 or 6 rifles for the cost of manufacturing one of these
@@FlyMysticalDJ They cost 6k to produce at small scale out of an Arizonan hobbyists machine shop, If made at an actual arms factory in mass it would be exponentially less expensive especially with the use of stamped metal
TFBTV interviewed a PSA sales rep about their stg-44 repro. The rep gave a pretty good explanation as to why you don't really see too many factory repros on the market.
Few hundred germans fallscrimjager guys dropping out of planes into your neighbourhood in the 40s must have looked like goddamn space men, coming in on parachutes that werw totaly pretty new age tech for the time, with all their entirely wacky gear, the goofy looking helmet, the wacky toggle lock gravity knife with the spike on it, and a star war space man's laser blaster with an obscene rpm that still gets a bayonet on it, crazy times man
You do not understand! German parachutes (with a single link behind the paratrooper) did not allow paratroopers to have larger weapons on them at the time of the jump. They were usually limited to just a pistol and a knife, the gravity knife being mainly for cutting parachute cords in case they got caught in trees, poles, etc. Their main weapons were parachuted into separate containers, and that was the big problem of retrieving a weapon after landing. That is why they had great losses in Crete when they were also attacked by the civilian population who caught them at the time of landing poorly armed and were able to knock them down with hunting weapons, pitchforks, sticks, etc.
What is particularly mindblowing is the short time frame in which this was developed. A totally new rifle concept, extremely challenging specifications, and production readyness was reached within two years!
I'd argue they're still entirely viable even in the modern day. It really is the ancestor of the modern-day "battle-rifle", and I'd in some ways is better than a number of battle-rifles that came far later.
@@RaptorJesus If you could mount better optics, have replacement parts in case anything went wrong, and had an ammo supply and plenty of magazines, this would be the Mercedes Benz of battle rifles.
@@josephr.3814 I was thinking more the "fully automatic and fires a full-power cartridge" concept of the battle-rifle. Though I suppose an M14 isn't *that* different from the Garand.
@@josephr.3814 the m1 is not even comparable to this. This is a true full on battle rifle detachable mag pistol grip rail mount for scope. The m1 is just a cool rifle but it’s not revolutionary at all
Having spoken to Fallshirmjaeger veterans back in the day, they said that the whole "main weapons in the drop canister" thing was largely dropped after the Crete campaign. Canisters were not only dropped in random locations, the rocky terrain of Crete made it that much more difficult to get to their weapons. They started tying ropes to their larger weapons and dropping them just before the PLF... SMG's were sometimes stuck into the parachute harnesses. All while jumping at low altitudes, with no reserve. Those guys were truly bad-asses. Of course, major jumps were also no longer made after Crete (except for the Bulge in Dec.'44), but several insertion jumps like Sicily happened, and company-sized special drops were used in mainly the eastern front to help relieve pockets of troops. Anyhoo! History :) Thanks Ian for a great look at a ground-breaking weapon! I only had the Japanese metal non-gun replica of this model to admire for a while. I wish I had it handy to compare with your video & see if they got all the internal parts correct.
Thanks for giving this absolute gem the attention it deserves. My Grandpa carried one of these and its about the only thing from that time he remembered quite fondly. Keep up the great work !
This is a bookmark. I hope to hear more of this story. My grandfather was still young, born in 1927. He seems to have been part of the german occupation in denmark for the last bit of the war. Not too many stories. Food seems to have been tight, already during training. Meat aspic that was all aspic and a single pig's hair, and sugarbeat leaves as food. They also stole the truck driver's food on the way to the pow camp. (yeah, riding a truck sounds like nonstandard luxury...) I really need to kindly squeeze my great-aunt for more details. After the war, he scrapped and upcycled plane wrecks at a field airstrip near our home. (or, maybe, an emergency landing site) We still have some stuff made from that... nothing recognizable, though. Just some sheet metal that may have been a bulkhead or skin, and a ~100mm steel sphere that was an oxygen bottle before it got turned into a weight filled with lead.
@@nos9784 Very interesting, and I think the oxygen bottle may have come from a FW 190, it had 9 spherical oxygen bottles that I believe are about 10cm in size.
Your officer yelling fix bayonets has got to be absolutely terrifying knowing it’s the last ditch effort. Not that it wasn’t already before. Like the charge of the light brigade, just running or riding face first into almost certain death
Bayonets are nesdisiroy last ditch efforts. Fixing bayonets and advancing on an enemy position is a perfectly normal occurence even when you have the advantage. It tends to allow you to take ground without much of a fight as most troops withdraw in the face of enemies advancing with bayonets attached. For some reason, espeically lesser trained, soldiers fear bayonets more than gunfire. Something that keeps getting proven over and over again. Physiologists think it's an instinctual fear of sharp objects
in the game Combat Arms, this weapon is classified as a light MG. on my time playing it, I kept being unable to find a reason for using it, when having other MGs like the M60, the G36 or the K3, that covered pretty much all scenarios: one heavy MG for defense, one light MG for forward support, and a mid point for comfort. it wasn't until I put my settings fine enough to control recoil, that I could see the pattern in the spread: where other MGs would spread up and down, the FG spread side to side... which made it perfect for low-clearance fire at ground level, or in between bunker shooting slits. So, I started packing this weapon whenever there was trench warfare involved,.... in addition to the M60, and heavy explosives. wasn't long until players stopped playing those maps altogether.
Years ago, in a previous life, I had the opportunity to fire one of these (at RMCS Shrivenham). It was memorable for being comfortable to hold, easy to fire, controllable and it just felt right.
I have a photo of my Öncle Geörg (who died recently) as a Fallschirmjäger in May 1942 with an FG-42, shortly before he was committed to battle in Normandy. His squad fought until they ran out of ammo and food. They saw an armored car coming their way, assuming it was German, and at the last moment saw the white star. Realizing their predicament, they wisely surrendered, and Geörg spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Texas. Afterwards he was sent to England where he was required to work on a farm for two years, finally returning to Germany in 1947.
Damn good thing he wasn't sent to the Eastern Front where he would have been abused eight ways to Sunday by the dirty Soviets had he fallen afoul of the same situation.
Thank you Ian for showing us a beautiful piece of history, and thank you for making me aware of this gun, as I would have never known of it's existence without this video
That this was descended from the Lewis and the basis for the M60 was something I'd never heard and very interesting. Truly original firearms are few and far between, most borrow and modify to fit whatever they are wanting to do with them.
Having had the pleasure of full auto mag dumps with the 8x57 FG42 in full auto; it is remarkable how low the recoil and controllable it is compared to other "full power" rifles like the M -14 or FN-FAL which are almost useless in FA.
Quite demoralizing to land and then watch your equipment bundles drift away off to BFE (see Market Garden). Also check out the famous photos of the Crete drop, there is a jumper with a streamer going in, center of photo
I think almost anyone with knowledge of WWII weapons if they had to be dropped randomly on some WWII front and pick a single small arm to fight and survive, it would either be this or an Stg44, nothing compared back then.
This rifle is one of the standouts in the mid-to-late game stage of Return To Castle Wolfenstein and, appropriately, the first time you encounter (and subsequently appropriate into your arsenal) the FG-42 is on the receiving end from a group of paratroopers dropping in, and it really painfully shows its effectiveness when first used against you by them (of course the game's version is souped up a bit). I didn't know until you mentioned it that it was designed primarily for paratroopers; but remembering that they first showed up in that classic game used by them, is something I find rather cool, since generally you don't encounter paratroopers (and as the player it becomes part of your arsenal as just a great high-rate shoulder rifle with relatively large capacity).
For some context to Ian's mention of Fallschirmjaegers and their lack of weapons on drops, listen to Keith Elliott VC describe how he and his men led "bayonet charge after bayonet charge" into the Germans who had dropped onto Malame airfield in Crete. Sobering stuff.
Best gun ever. Definitely my favorite gun of all time. This basically has all I could hope for an elegant yet effective weapon combined together in one package. The side-mounted magazine sure is unique, and my favorite configuration since the MP18 from WW1. Damn, these guns look gorgeous. If I could understand it, the Type E was a more expensive version of the FG42, and the Type G was a more cost effective variant. I really like the Type E more, but some design features of the Type G were very eye catching to me, especially the magazine well of the Type G. To be a full-powered rifle and yet be incredibly controlable is something really impressive. Too bad this rifle did not see much further development after the war. Focus shifted to Assault Rifles, such as the AKs and HKs, and weapons that took design cues from it were LMGs, such as the Rambo Gun (M60), but no rifle being designed from it emerged afterwards, at least to my knowledge. Too bad, this design had such potential, and it actually could be resurrected as a new modern weapon. (to any gunsmiths who have the patience to bear with me for a moment) I would do a few (by few I mean A LOT of rework) design changes to this to make it even better, such as the baynoet being an SKS-style folding cruciform bayonet, the muzzle-break/grenade launcher/ flash hider of the post-war Italian copy of the M1 Garand, the barrel and barrel shroud of the FR F2, replacing the semi-auto with a two-round burst like the AN94, the folding charging handle like in the HCAR, the HK416 buffer tube within the OG stock, an FAL-style gas tube regulator and StG44-style iron sights. Some more aesthetic features of the Type G FG42 would be added, but I still prefer the Type E, and this would be my dream version of it, especially with picattiny rails all around it to use more modern military equipment, such as the underbarrel grenade launcher used in the M4A1 or the Kalashnikov rifles. Perhaps I would even try to disguise the Bipod in the front of the weapon as an axtention of the handguard, something similar to the Steyr Scout rifle, also mounting the top integral Weaver rail and bottom UIT rail at the forend. Making it look like a Gewehr 43 with a few design cues of the FG42 wold be a top priority for me.
Now this might be the first Bullpup gun ever. It’s a stretch I know, but considering that it has Magazine behind the trigger as well as ejector. It has long gun barrels, despite the profile is actually quite compact.
I've never gotten to handle or see one in person. I guess I had always assumed it was way bigger along the lines of the other WW2 full power semi autos. At the beginning of the video I actually thought it was a scaled down replica.
Thanks, as always, for providing such awesome documentation and information on yet another super rare and interesting firearm. It really is crazy to think how they were able to fulfill such a huge set of features requested, and they were actually able to get it done, and it's still in full size 8mm Mauser. I also think it's pretty commendable that the family is willing to send the bayonet and magazines if they find them. I'm sure they're buried in the house somewhere.
@@WellBattle6 hmmm. Yes. But... There is the mass of the body of the rifle directly above it. Reminiscent of 'thumbhole' stocks, which I *have* handled, and found to be quite awkward.
A late model fully transferable FG42 with the conventional pistol grip sold at auction maybe 2-3 years ago for like $150k. I think Ian reviewed it here too.
As an old M-60 gunner back more than 50 years ago, I had a few flashes of deja vu watching this video. I continue to be impressed by the inventiveness of German engineers and scientists. We can all be thankful they didn't wait a few years before starting the War.
@Ed Wells lmao get off the internet bro. If you think france and Britain would ever have sided with Germany. Let alone hitler wanting to work with them lmao
Note the Notch on the Ejection port for using K98k Stripper clips for filling the magazines whilethere in the gun (maybe for replace a seperate adapter by simply put it into the Gun)
I know a guy who has an FG-42 that he bought from an estate collection that is an unissued, transferable GI bring back. The lady selling her husband’s guns didn’t know much about them and thought the couple of 1911’s and Henry’s were what was most valuable. The guy bought the whole collection for $30K. He couldn’t believe his luck. He is a Class 3 armorer who I have had work on my MP-40 and M-60. He also does some MG-34 conversions to semi auto so they can be sold to the general public among other things.
What a guy. Rather than telling the lady what she has in value in her husband's guns, he screws her outta a ton of money knowing what he's getting and what she's losing. Quite a guy...
@@miked815 That was exactly my thought. "hey greaving widow, that gun is worth shitloads, I shall now take advantage of your ignorance of weapon values".
I was incredibly amazed when i picked this thing up, it looked almost alien like, as if the aliens rumors, it was like aiming a sniper yet shooting a machine gun. Reloading it was frequent & the magazine size was highly unreasonable. Man i feel like picking up call of duty again just to shoot this thing. :)
The DLT-19 is based on the MG-34. The FG-42 is in Star Wars too though, as the Valken-38x. They made it into ONE THING it didn't work as in real life: A sniper rifle. 😄
I love the fact that FG42s were chambered in full house 8mm, but it would’ve been so cool if they updated it alongside production of the STG44 to use the same magazines with 8mm kurz.
The similarity to the m60 is astonishing. If you take off the top cover and front guard of an m60 you can still see similarities in exterior appearance. The internals only being slight redesigns aswell.
Interestingly, most of the post-war GPMGs are basically upside-down versions of older guns. M60 is FG-42, PK i an upside-down AK (duh), and FN MAG/M240 is essentially an upside-down BAR.
Hands down my most favorite firearm ever besides the stg44 or the mg42,I would cherish just to hold one and examine up close ,thank you Ian for the superb video!
I've seen a video called "Luftwaffe 1946" discussing mainly aircraft, but it leads me to wonder if the airborne Luftwaffe troops would have ever thought to produce an FG42 type weapon chambered in 7.92x33mm Kurz. I am also glad that the WWII German army never got the G3, or something similar.
You gotta love that excpect of WW2, the techonolgy they were creating. And sometimes also in what conditions they were thought off/created (during extreme bombing/low points in battles/under siege/cost wise)
Ian’s really brave taken some of the guns apart some are rare and big money all the history and information he gives is like what Dr. William atwater does.
with modern manufacturing processes [CADCAM] along with availability of alloys, coupled with the genius of the original designs, a "modern" semi auto rifle with a few added features [i.e. a pic rail] would be amazing as I saw the video of Ian firing the full auto mode and it was STEADY!! I can only imagine the rifle in semi and how well it would perform.... .308 caliber using G-3 or M-14 mags would be awesome: I would buy one.
FG in the hot 6.8x51 round would be supremely entertaining, and useful in prone once you get past the side feed situation since the mag is not jutting down. It needs a revisit, but I really don't want to see the super cheapo plasticizing that I have seen elsewhere. Also the quad stack magazine from the Spectre M4 revisited.
Easily my favourite gun in any WW2 shooter it's included in. Some games are shockingly lacking in FG-42 inclusivity sadly but it's just a thing of beauty, inside and out.
Уважаемый Ян, огромное Вам спасибо за это видео. После такого долго перерыва, снова 17 минут сказочного удовольствия об этом красавчике. MG42 и FG42, это шедевры немецкого оружия пехоты. Только первый стал серийным, а второго "не пустили" в серию. Моё НЕ профессиональное замечание: штамповка и сварка, это 41-42г.г., не! вторая половина войны. И, первый прототип FG42 был изготовлен по технологии MG38 (т.е. оочень сложным в производстве), но!, уже второй прототип Луис Штанге представил изготовленным с помощью штамповки и точечной сварке. Вооружение, это "политика". Очень! жестокая и жёсткая. И, после войны понаписано очень много сказок "задним числом". FG42 НЕОБХОДИМО сравнивать с Gustloff MKb-42(G) model 206 и Kar98k, а вот MKb-42(H)-1, необходимо сравнивать с Mauser Gerat 06 и ERMA EMP 44. Так будет максимально корректно "правильно", если думать мозгами (особенно инженерными), а не идти на поваду у сказочной писанины послевоенных историков ( с литературным образованием). Удачи Вам и Вашему каналу. Верю, что ещё появятся видео, как вы наслаждаетесь этим чудом (FG42) на стрельбище или проводите очередные очень интересные совместные стрельбища с другими образцами стрелкового вооружения (даже современными)))
Dear Jan, thank you so much for this video. After such a long break, again 17 minutes of fabulous pleasure about this handsome man. MG42 and FG42 are masterpieces of German infantry weapons. Only the first became serial, and the second was "not allowed" into the series. My NOT professional remark: stamping and welding, this is 41-42, no! second half of the war. And, the first prototype of the FG42 was made using the MG38 technology (i.e., very difficult to manufacture), but!, Luis Stange already presented the second prototype made using stamping and spot welding. Armament is "politics". Very! cruel and harsh. And, after the war, a lot of fairy tales were written "backdating". FG42 MUST be compared with Gustloff MKb-42(G) model 206 and Kar98k, but MKb-42(H)-1 must be compared with Mauser Gerat 06 and ERMA EMP 44. This will be the most correct "correct" if you think with your brain ( especially engineering), and not follow the fabulous writings of post-war historians (with a literary education). Good luck to you and your channel. I believe that there will still be videos of how you enjoy this miracle (FG42) at the shooting range or hold the next very interesting joint shooting ranges with other types of small arms (even modern ones)))
The bipod situation you talk about around 8:30 is kinda amusing to me since the very reason for the increased accuracy with a front-mounted bipod is literally the constrains in swivel due to where the point of leverage is located xD
Everytime I see this gun, I’m returned to my childhood, playing return to castle Wolfenstein on the PS2. Dealing with German paratroopers was a lil spooky now that I realize who I was fighting back then XD
the largest scale operation undertaken by the german paratroopers, was the operation ''merkur'' (hermes) . this was the code name for the air landing in crete . they didn't have the FG-42 on may 1941. so crete, became the grave of the paratroopers ... they were never used on such large scale operations again . but, the FG-42 was a brilliant rifle
“These guns were used in colder weather…or they were going to be,”. Hilarious! Hogan’s Heroes moment. I love it. Fascinating gun. I had never heard of this. Only the MG 42. Great show, brother!
I’d love to see an exhaustive look at the convergent evolution the Johnson LMG and FG-42 shared. They’re just so incredibly similar in design, layout, and doctrine that it makes one question how they could possibly have been exclusive developments.
Well the Johnson was developed before the FG-42. They also had different operating systems but the Johnson Diasy Mae did have a simple gas system and was used by a guy in the Pacific
The FG42 is fascinating to me for a number of reasons, but I think the most impressive one is the fact it may be the only time in gun development history where a bunch of nigh-impossible specifications were given...and then basically met entirely. That just doesn't happen.
Those are the best ones with a higher probable out 😊
Not only that, but it actually led to a gun that wasn’t a horrid mess
The Cetme rifle was that way too, and it was never even used.
Not really, it was too expensive and complex to mass produce, its kind of an AN90 situation
@@pleasekillyoursefyou have to keep in mind it was made for a very specific purpose, making it in the hundreds of thousands when you don't need to is more wasted resources. Of you're talking about the FG-42 that is.
In the book "Falschirmjägergewehr 42" by Dieter Handrich there was an interesting paragraph in which the geometry of the FG42 grip was addressed. On additional reason could be, that at the beginning of the war, the german parachutist had to be jumped separately from their weapons. To use the existing transport boxes of the K98 , they had to use this kind of grip.
I've always wondered why they didn't make the grip fold, like those French SMGs. The design of the plastic grip panels almost looks as if there was room for a hinge, and it would save space if the grip could fold back and lie flush with the receiver. But perhaps it would have been too fragile.
Re: transport boxes only fit that grip
Is that a realistic claim?
Modifying a (wooden?) box seems much simpler than compromising the design of your brand- new high tech weapon system.
This was a huge problem for them during the invasion of Crete! Turns out that Greek villagers weren't fans of Nazis paradropping to occupy their homes, and unfortunately for the Fallschirmjager, they were landing defenceless...
@John V Not entirely defenceless. They jumped with MP40s and P38s but in an open field against defenders with rifles they were certainly outclassed.
@@nos9784 Of course its not the main reason. But when you design a product you have to make compromises on many aspects of the weapon.
In the book which i mentioned, it was said, that the grip could try to replicate the grip of K98 which allow better shooting for soldier, which already are practise in the K98.
Also the author claims, that i may also be possible because if the transport boxes of the K98.
From my perspective i think it could be possible because of this. The new rifle (FG42) had a restriction that it shouldn be longer than a K98, what could be a hint of the transport boxes problem.
Designing a rifle which replicate existing weapon practise and allow to use existing accessorises, sounds great.
Often a idea sounds very good at the beginning but then on real practise this kind of design fails and get be changed.
The book from Dieter Handrich is a very good one. I dont know if this book exist also in english.
An LMG, Battle Rifle, Room-Sweeper all in 1 paratrooper package. A German marvel of engineering, incredible that they met those impossible requirements and came out with such an impressive weapon.
It's almost like an AR15 but the jack of all trades kit :)
And an DMR when equiped with telescopic sight.
It really feels like a step back for the US to capture these, then take so long studying them and not replacing their ww2 small arms, before finally settling on the M14 as the standard issue infantry rifle still supplemented by ww2 carbines and smgs. Meanwhile the same process produces the M60, a resounding success of learning from the MG42 while advancing the concept in terms of weight, necessary ammo consumption, etc. Maybe we could have had a whole family of American side mag fed, angled trigger gripped, early polymer furniture, and smaller caliber FG42 based weapons that may have excelled and been expanded upon in Vietnam, perhaps delaying the M16 coming along.
The Fedorov is the same way but it was developed by the Russians so no one cares, but when Germany does it "Oh wow that amazing Tuetonic engineering!!"
@@fromthefire4176 they build around 7,000 of these, we built over 3 million M1s and 6 million M1s carbines. This thing is a novelty at best for this time period. It's like the Russians with the Fedorov, sure it's a super advanced design and a great package, but they only built like 3500 and it would've been very difficult to make enough for a full size army.
My favourite rifle of the WWII era, I'd love to see an episode on the other rifles that competed to become the FG42 one day. Thanks again Mr McCollum.
*favorite
@@Clown_the_Clown both are fine, one is British English, the other is American English.
@@Celene1312 nah
One is English, one is wrong English.
Believe it or not, the guy called "Clown" is wrong.
For those wondering, Morphy's guide price for this gun is $175,000+. The record for one is over $300,000.
woof.
I'd buy that for a dollar.
Dealer in the uk had both type 1 and type 2 for sale in 2022, price £34,000 each.
yeah it's basically the holy grail of WWII guns. I would rather pay 300k for this than 2Mio for a picture showing a pile of crap
@The13thRonin he’s not talking about the worth of your mom.
What is so amazing about this weapon, is its remarkable influence upon the world of military rifles. Given its relatively small manufacturing quantities, it changed everything post-war.
To do all of this in the middle of a war is incredible. They really took the feedback from users and made the easily one of the best rifles of its day. Probably comparable to the SCAR-H series of rifles in the 2000s.
In my opinion the fg42 is the most versatile and controllable battle rifle every created and would give every assault rifle a run for there money unless running very specific shooting challenges but for war nothing comes close. Great range . Great accuracy. Open and close bolt action. Epic handling for 8mm mauser in full auto. Compact but not to compact. Side magazine makes it so soldiers never have a problem reloading prone. Easy barrel change. The only real down side at all is the smoke that kicks in but i dont think it matters much when in actual war and not skirmishes where position and concealment is a major factor.. body armor isnt stopping this bad boy unless its like the the highest level at great range . Forgot to mention it comes with a flash hider........... Literally a flash hider in the 1942 think about that. Also a bipod that isnt garbage.
@Hunter Senpai hey dude if it were so good it would still be used. Pretty much all of our gear today is better in almost every way than the fg42
@@TannerLindbergthe reason it was t reused after the war is these still cost about 6k to produce. You could make 5 or 6 rifles for the cost of manufacturing one of these
@@TannerLindbergI think he meant it's comparable in what it achieved in it's respective time. Not that it's comparable to today's rifles.
@@FlyMysticalDJ They cost 6k to produce at small scale out of an Arizonan hobbyists machine shop,
If made at an actual arms factory in mass it would be exponentially less expensive especially with the use of stamped metal
The shape and ergonomics are so iconic. I really wish there was a mass produced recreation or reproduction of the fg42. Like smg arms on bigger scale.
Wish it could happen to; I've heard the gun as a whole is really expensive to make though, especially the receiver
TFBTV interviewed a PSA sales rep about their stg-44 repro. The rep gave a pretty good explanation as to why you don't really see too many factory repros on the market.
Not really possible, at least not for any less than the -6k- (edit) _7k_ SMG Guns is asking.
Way too much machining required.
I'd like an airsoft or pellet version, that would be cool.
@@BigWheel. look up "VintageAirsoft" :)
Few hundred germans fallscrimjager guys dropping out of planes into your neighbourhood in the 40s must have looked like goddamn space men, coming in on parachutes that werw totaly pretty new age tech for the time, with all their entirely wacky gear, the goofy looking helmet, the wacky toggle lock gravity knife with the spike on it, and a star war space man's laser blaster with an obscene rpm that still gets a bayonet on it, crazy times man
You do not understand! German parachutes (with a single link behind the paratrooper) did not allow paratroopers to have larger weapons on them at the time of the jump. They were usually limited to just a pistol and a knife, the gravity knife being mainly for cutting parachute cords in case they got caught in trees, poles, etc. Their main weapons were parachuted into separate containers, and that was the big problem of retrieving a weapon after landing. That is why they had great losses in Crete when they were also attacked by the civilian population who caught them at the time of landing poorly armed and were able to knock them down with hunting weapons, pitchforks, sticks, etc.
What is particularly mindblowing is the short time frame in which this was developed. A totally new rifle concept, extremely challenging specifications, and production readyness was reached within two years!
It really is impressive. This is the kind of tech that starts development during a war and doesn't get adopted until after the fighting ends.
Almost as if the Nazis were brilliant and crafted a well running, wealthy and advanced civilization.
Crazy.
They were high tech tactical for the time period. Bipod as well. Thanks Ian
I'd argue they're still entirely viable even in the modern day. It really is the ancestor of the modern-day "battle-rifle", and I'd in some ways is better than a number of battle-rifles that came far later.
@@RaptorJesus Just sayin', but an M1 Garand is also a battle rifle, and predates the FG42.
@@RaptorJesus If you could mount better optics, have replacement parts in case anything went wrong, and had an ammo supply and plenty of magazines, this would be the Mercedes Benz of battle rifles.
@@josephr.3814 I was thinking more the "fully automatic and fires a full-power cartridge" concept of the battle-rifle. Though I suppose an M14 isn't *that* different from the Garand.
@@josephr.3814 the m1 is not even comparable to this. This is a true full on battle rifle detachable mag pistol grip rail mount for scope. The m1 is just a cool rifle but it’s not revolutionary at all
Having spoken to Fallshirmjaeger veterans back in the day, they said that the whole "main weapons in the drop canister" thing was largely dropped after the Crete campaign. Canisters were not only dropped in random locations, the rocky terrain of Crete made it that much more difficult to get to their weapons. They started tying ropes to their larger weapons and dropping them just before the PLF... SMG's were sometimes stuck into the parachute harnesses. All while jumping at low altitudes, with no reserve. Those guys were truly bad-asses. Of course, major jumps were also no longer made after Crete (except for the Bulge in Dec.'44), but several insertion jumps like Sicily happened, and company-sized special drops were used in mainly the eastern front to help relieve pockets of troops.
Anyhoo! History :) Thanks Ian for a great look at a ground-breaking weapon! I only had the Japanese metal non-gun replica of this model to admire for a while. I wish I had it handy to compare with your video & see if they got all the internal parts correct.
Thanks for giving this absolute gem the attention it deserves.
My Grandpa carried one of these and its about the only thing from that time he remembered quite fondly.
Keep up the great work !
Ayo?
your grandpa must hear the other grandpa's talking about storming Normandy and be like:"you guys were going UP the hill?
This is a bookmark.
I hope to hear more of this story.
My grandfather was still young, born in 1927. He seems to have been part of the german occupation in denmark for the last bit of the war.
Not too many stories.
Food seems to have been tight, already during training. Meat aspic that was all aspic and a single pig's hair, and sugarbeat leaves as food.
They also stole the truck driver's food on the way to the pow camp. (yeah, riding a truck sounds like nonstandard luxury...)
I really need to kindly squeeze my great-aunt for more details.
After the war, he scrapped and upcycled plane wrecks at a field airstrip near our home. (or, maybe, an emergency landing site)
We still have some stuff made from that... nothing recognizable, though. Just some sheet metal that may have been a bulkhead or skin, and a ~100mm steel sphere that was an oxygen bottle before it got turned into a weight filled with lead.
@@nos9784 Very interesting, and I think the oxygen bottle may have come from a FW 190, it had 9 spherical oxygen bottles that I believe are about 10cm in size.
Based
When Ian is being visibly ginger with a gun, you know the price tag is going to be extreme.
Nothing quite scratches that itch of Ian talking about ahead-of-the-curve German guns :)
There are 2 FG-42's in the NZ Army museum, one very early first type and the later type.
I never realized how intense the angle was on the grip
Can't imagine it being comfortable
The later models had a straighter grip
It's the Chinese Mak90 angle
100% that is totally comfortable
Your hand sets palm on the side and its only about the trigger finger anyway
Your officer yelling fix bayonets has got to be absolutely terrifying knowing it’s the last ditch effort. Not that it wasn’t already before. Like the charge of the light brigade, just running or riding face first into almost certain death
Bayonets are nesdisiroy last ditch efforts. Fixing bayonets and advancing on an enemy position is a perfectly normal occurence even when you have the advantage. It tends to allow you to take ground without much of a fight as most troops withdraw in the face of enemies advancing with bayonets attached.
For some reason, espeically lesser trained, soldiers fear bayonets more than gunfire. Something that keeps getting proven over and over again. Physiologists think it's an instinctual fear of sharp objects
This is soemthing that happened alot in both world wars, but also in modern conflicts like the British bayonet charges in Afghanistan.
in the game Combat Arms, this weapon is classified as a light MG.
on my time playing it, I kept being unable to find a reason for using it, when having other MGs like the M60, the G36 or the K3, that covered pretty much all scenarios: one heavy MG for defense, one light MG for forward support, and a mid point for comfort.
it wasn't until I put my settings fine enough to control recoil, that I could see the pattern in the spread: where other MGs would spread up and down, the FG spread side to side... which made it perfect for low-clearance fire at ground level, or in between bunker shooting slits. So, I started packing this weapon whenever there was trench warfare involved,.... in addition to the M60, and heavy explosives.
wasn't long until players stopped playing those maps altogether.
No
The concept for the FG42 was pure cojones, as well as the execution.
Respect.
The idea of a Fallschirmjäger spinning like a falling maple seed while he tries to fire his FG42 is my favorite mental image of the day
Years ago, in a previous life, I had the opportunity to fire one of these (at RMCS Shrivenham). It was memorable for being comfortable to hold, easy to fire, controllable and it just felt right.
Probably the most assault rifle-like not-assault-rifle ever created
Gloves have been usually used (also by other MG gunner) to prevent burning on hot parts after intensive use.
mechanically speaking probably the coolest mass produced rifle of ww2, easily in my top 3 guns produced in the war along with the pps43 and stg44
More FG-42 content. I love it.
I have a photo of my Öncle Geörg (who died recently) as a Fallschirmjäger in May 1942 with an FG-42, shortly before he was committed to battle in Normandy. His squad fought until they ran out of ammo and food. They saw an armored car coming their way, assuming it was German, and at the last moment saw the white star. Realizing their predicament, they wisely surrendered, and Geörg spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Texas. Afterwards he was sent to England where he was required to work on a farm for two years, finally returning to Germany in 1947.
Damn good thing he wasn't sent to the Eastern Front where he would have been abused eight ways to Sunday by the dirty Soviets had he fallen afoul of the same situation.
Wtf is a öncle geörg
Das Fallschirmjäger Gewehr 42, eines der berühmtesten Gewehre der Welt.
Thank you Ian for showing us a beautiful piece of history, and thank you for making me aware of this gun, as I would have never known of it's existence without this video
That this was descended from the Lewis and the basis for the M60 was something I'd never heard and very interesting. Truly original firearms are few and far between, most borrow and modify to fit whatever they are wanting to do with them.
Having had the pleasure of full auto mag dumps with the 8x57 FG42 in full auto; it is remarkable how low the recoil and controllable it is compared to other "full power" rifles like the M -14 or FN-FAL which are almost useless in FA.
You wouldn’t believe how long I was waiting for FG42 disassembly video. Thank you Ian!
The Battle of Crete showes all the problems of having the main weapon dropped separately from the soldiers.
Quite demoralizing to land and then watch your equipment bundles drift away off to BFE (see Market Garden). Also check out the famous photos of the Crete drop, there is a jumper with a streamer going in, center of photo
@@TomP-nw4wu agreed. Will check out the image. Thanks for the info👍
That... and landing amongst a Battalion of Maoris.
@@TomP-nw4wu large Jumps do tend to have the odd mishaps in the historical images and footage.
I think almost anyone with knowledge of WWII weapons if they had to be dropped randomly on some WWII front and pick a single small arm to fight and survive, it would either be this or an Stg44, nothing compared back then.
This rifle is one of the standouts in the mid-to-late game stage of Return To Castle Wolfenstein and, appropriately, the first time you encounter (and subsequently appropriate into your arsenal) the FG-42 is on the receiving end from a group of paratroopers dropping in, and it really painfully shows its effectiveness when first used against you by them (of course the game's version is souped up a bit). I didn't know until you mentioned it that it was designed primarily for paratroopers; but remembering that they first showed up in that classic game used by them, is something I find rather cool, since generally you don't encounter paratroopers (and as the player it becomes part of your arsenal as just a great high-rate shoulder rifle with relatively large capacity).
A brilliant insight into a rare and impressive piece of engineering - thank you
For some context to Ian's mention of Fallschirmjaegers and their lack of weapons on drops, listen to Keith Elliott VC describe how he and his men led "bayonet charge after bayonet charge" into the Germans who had dropped onto Malame airfield in Crete. Sobering stuff.
Always enjoyable seeing these rare weapons from WWII and hearing their history ,Thank you
Best gun ever. Definitely my favorite gun of all time. This basically has all I could hope for an elegant yet effective weapon combined together in one package. The side-mounted magazine sure is unique, and my favorite configuration since the MP18 from WW1. Damn, these guns look gorgeous.
If I could understand it, the Type E was a more expensive version of the FG42, and the Type G was a more cost effective variant. I really like the Type E more, but some design features of the Type G were very eye catching to me, especially the magazine well of the Type G. To be a full-powered rifle and yet be incredibly controlable is something really impressive.
Too bad this rifle did not see much further development after the war. Focus shifted to Assault Rifles, such as the AKs and HKs, and weapons that took design cues from it were LMGs, such as the Rambo Gun (M60), but no rifle being designed from it emerged afterwards, at least to my knowledge. Too bad, this design had such potential, and it actually could be resurrected as a new modern weapon.
(to any gunsmiths who have the patience to bear with me for a moment)
I would do a few (by few I mean A LOT of rework) design changes to this to make it even better, such as the baynoet being an SKS-style folding cruciform bayonet, the muzzle-break/grenade launcher/ flash hider of the post-war Italian copy of the M1 Garand, the barrel and barrel shroud of the FR F2, replacing the semi-auto with a two-round burst like the AN94, the folding charging handle like in the HCAR, the HK416 buffer tube within the OG stock, an FAL-style gas tube regulator and StG44-style iron sights. Some more aesthetic features of the Type G FG42 would be added, but I still prefer the Type E, and this would be my dream version of it, especially with picattiny rails all around it to use more modern military equipment, such as the underbarrel grenade launcher used in the M4A1 or the Kalashnikov rifles.
Perhaps I would even try to disguise the Bipod in the front of the weapon as an axtention of the handguard, something similar to the Steyr Scout rifle, also mounting the top integral Weaver rail and bottom UIT rail at the forend. Making it look like a Gewehr 43 with a few design cues of the FG42 wold be a top priority for me.
Now this might be the first Bullpup gun ever. It’s a stretch I know, but considering that it has Magazine behind the trigger as well as ejector. It has long gun barrels, despite the profile is actually quite compact.
yeah, still one of the most interesting and coolest Firearms of all time. :)
This man has been an absolute blessing to us. Been watching for years, thank you Ian for what you do!
To me, it was the most futuristic looking gun of the war. Performance wise, I'll leave it up to gun Jesus.
Never knew it was that small always looked bigger but sitting on the desk there you can tell it's true size, great video
this just looks so timeless and fantastic
Another one I was totally unaware of. Great historical work you do on this channel.
I've never gotten to handle or see one in person. I guess I had always assumed it was way bigger along the lines of the other WW2 full power semi autos. At the beginning of the video I actually thought it was a scaled down replica.
That grip angle is intense.
I just can't get over how compact it is
I never thought about that having a side mounted mag allows you to make the gun shorter.
Thanks, as always, for providing such awesome documentation and information on yet another super rare and interesting firearm. It really is crazy to think how they were able to fulfill such a huge set of features requested, and they were actually able to get it done, and it's still in full size 8mm Mauser.
I also think it's pretty commendable that the family is willing to send the bayonet and magazines if they find them. I'm sure they're buried in the house somewhere.
The unicorn of unicorns... Vastly desirable.
The angle of the pistol grip messes with my head, though. I've never held one, but it looks awkward.
Looks about the same angle as a bolt action rifle grip.
First thing I noticed as well. Very peculiar shoulder rest too which looks like it may get in the way of aiming in a conventional way.
Probably helps when you're prone with it and it's probably not as likely to be in the way when you jump.
But thats just my cold hard speculation.
@@WellBattle6 hmmm. Yes. But... There is the mass of the body of the rifle directly above it. Reminiscent of 'thumbhole' stocks, which I *have* handled, and found to be quite awkward.
You hold over the grip so it makes sense to me tbh
Thank you for reviewing in the flesh my favorite paratrooper rifle in Return to Castle Wolfenstein 👍😀
A late model fully transferable FG42 with the conventional pistol grip sold at auction maybe 2-3 years ago for like $150k. I think Ian reviewed it here too.
I think it was closer to $250k
If I recall, the original video Ian did on the FG42 sold for like $325k, and the one that he had a video shooting full auto sold for like $250k
@@Sreven199 You guys are probably closer. Somehow 150 is the number stuck in my head.
@@DaIssimo I think that’s what that original MKB42 sold for he did a video on
Half a million this time i think :)
Never knew it was so compact. Always been a fan on the games it's featured in. But it comes across bigger. Love to fire one for real. Thanks Ian.
Really really cool that the m60 burrows from this design that’s why I love this channel
The M-60 is basically a mix of FG-42 action with MG-42 belt feed.
As an old M-60 gunner back more than 50 years ago, I had a few flashes of deja vu watching this video. I continue to be impressed by the inventiveness of German engineers and scientists. We can all be thankful they didn't wait a few years before starting the War.
They would have been steamrolled by the Soviets if they didn't
@@chrispekel5709 nah, at that point it would have been France, Germany, Britain vs USSR
@Ed Wells lmao get off the internet bro. If you think france and Britain would ever have sided with Germany. Let alone hitler wanting to work with them lmao
Note the Notch on the Ejection port for using K98k Stripper clips for filling the magazines whilethere in the gun
(maybe for replace a seperate adapter by simply put it into the Gun)
Ian's love for these things is legendary...
I know a guy who has an FG-42 that he bought from an estate collection that is an unissued, transferable GI bring back. The lady selling her husband’s guns didn’t know much about them and thought the couple of 1911’s and Henry’s were what was most valuable. The guy bought the whole collection for $30K. He couldn’t believe his luck. He is a Class 3 armorer who I have had work on my MP-40 and M-60. He also does some MG-34 conversions to semi auto so they can be sold to the general public among other things.
I will forever be so jealous of that man
What a guy. Rather than telling the lady what she has in value in her husband's guns, he screws her outta a ton of money knowing what he's getting and what she's losing. Quite a guy...
@@miked815
That was exactly my thought. "hey greaving widow, that gun is worth shitloads, I shall now take advantage of your ignorance of weapon values".
Your guy's a prick.
always a pleasure to have another fg42 video
Imagine an 8mm Kruz version
Definitely one of my favorite rifles from the time period, when I was younger I didn’t know whether to classify it as a support weapon or rifle lol
I was incredibly amazed when i picked this thing up, it looked almost alien like, as if the aliens rumors,
it was like aiming a sniper yet shooting a machine gun.
Reloading it was frequent & the magazine size was highly unreasonable.
Man i feel like picking up call of duty again just to shoot this thing. :)
I love the “featureless” hand grip
Also the base for the Galactic Imperial DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifle in the Star Wars franchise.
The DLT-19 is based on the MG-34.
The FG-42 is in Star Wars too though, as the Valken-38x. They made it into ONE THING it didn't work as in real life: A sniper rifle. 😄
My fav ww2 gun, probably my fav gun of all time. So cool. The design and functionality get the highest of marks. Truly impressive.
Love the looks, and how modern it was comparatively. If only I had the chance (and money) to buy a reproduction ...
I love the fact that FG42s were chambered in full house 8mm, but it would’ve been so cool if they updated it alongside production of the STG44 to use the same magazines with 8mm kurz.
Kurt = name, kurz = short
@@AndreasGassner my bad, corrected it.
The similarity to the m60 is astonishing. If you take off the top cover and front guard of an m60 you can still see similarities in exterior appearance. The internals only being slight redesigns aswell.
Interestingly, most of the post-war GPMGs are basically upside-down versions of older guns. M60 is FG-42, PK i an upside-down AK (duh), and FN MAG/M240 is essentially an upside-down BAR.
I always marvel at the German engineering. Even if at times it's over engineered. Very cool weapon to see. Thank you for sharing.
For PC Game related trivia, the FG-42 was featured in Return to Castle Wolfenstein in 2001
It looks so awesome and futuristic
A really interesting video.
As a teen bought WW2 tanks, planes to soldiers.
One set was paratroopers one had Mg34, and another the fg42.
It can be somehow disguised as an assault rifle or lmg, weird but it is still considered as rare weapons and it is very unique
Very cool. I remember seeing this in the German paratrooper's hand in one of the WWII documentaries, battle of Monte Cassino I believe.
Hands down my most favorite firearm ever besides the stg44 or the mg42,I would cherish just to hold one and examine up close ,thank you Ian for the superb video!
I so want a airsoft FG-42 like this. It’s such a cool and fascinating piece of technology. Amazing video as always Ian!
Just buy a 3d printer- propably cheaper than any airsoft replica :D
@@nos9784 probably so. I have a guy I can talk to about printing up something but before this I’m making a gewehr-43
This and the Colt Monitor are my absolute dream weapons
As a former M-60 gunner, so much of these parts look familiar.
I've seen a video called "Luftwaffe 1946" discussing mainly aircraft, but it leads me to wonder if the airborne Luftwaffe troops would have ever thought to produce an FG42 type weapon chambered in 7.92x33mm Kurz. I am also glad that the WWII German army never got the G3, or something similar.
You gotta love that excpect of WW2, the techonolgy they were creating. And sometimes also in what conditions they were thought off/created (during extreme bombing/low points in battles/under siege/cost wise)
Ian’s really brave taken some of the guns apart some are rare and big money all the history and information he gives is like what Dr. William atwater does.
with modern manufacturing processes [CADCAM] along with availability of alloys, coupled with the genius of the original designs, a "modern" semi auto rifle with a few added features [i.e. a pic rail] would be amazing as I saw the video of Ian firing the full auto mode and it was STEADY!!
I can only imagine the rifle in semi and how well it would perform.... .308 caliber using G-3 or M-14 mags would be awesome: I would buy one.
FG in the hot 6.8x51 round would be supremely entertaining, and useful in prone once you get past the side feed situation since the mag is not jutting down. It needs a revisit, but I really don't want to see the super cheapo plasticizing that I have seen elsewhere.
Also the quad stack magazine from the Spectre M4 revisited.
Easily my favourite gun in any WW2 shooter it's included in. Some games are shockingly lacking in FG-42 inclusivity sadly but it's just a thing of beauty, inside and out.
Уважаемый Ян, огромное Вам спасибо за это видео. После такого долго перерыва, снова 17 минут сказочного удовольствия об этом красавчике. MG42 и FG42, это шедевры немецкого оружия пехоты. Только первый стал серийным, а второго "не пустили" в серию. Моё НЕ профессиональное замечание: штамповка и сварка, это 41-42г.г., не! вторая половина войны. И, первый прототип FG42 был изготовлен по технологии MG38 (т.е. оочень сложным в производстве), но!, уже второй прототип Луис Штанге представил изготовленным с помощью штамповки и точечной сварке. Вооружение, это "политика". Очень! жестокая и жёсткая. И, после войны понаписано очень много сказок "задним числом". FG42 НЕОБХОДИМО сравнивать с Gustloff MKb-42(G) model 206 и Kar98k, а вот MKb-42(H)-1, необходимо сравнивать с Mauser Gerat 06 и ERMA EMP 44. Так будет максимально корректно "правильно", если думать мозгами (особенно инженерными), а не идти на поваду у сказочной писанины послевоенных историков ( с литературным образованием). Удачи Вам и Вашему каналу. Верю, что ещё появятся видео, как вы наслаждаетесь этим чудом (FG42) на стрельбище или проводите очередные очень интересные совместные стрельбища с другими образцами стрелкового вооружения (даже современными)))
Dear Jan, thank you so much for this video. After such a long break, again 17 minutes of fabulous pleasure about this handsome man. MG42 and FG42 are masterpieces of German infantry weapons. Only the first became serial, and the second was "not allowed" into the series. My NOT professional remark: stamping and welding, this is 41-42, no! second half of the war. And, the first prototype of the FG42 was made using the MG38 technology (i.e., very difficult to manufacture), but!, Luis Stange already presented the second prototype made using stamping and spot welding. Armament is "politics". Very! cruel and harsh. And, after the war, a lot of fairy tales were written "backdating". FG42 MUST be compared with Gustloff MKb-42(G) model 206 and Kar98k, but MKb-42(H)-1 must be compared with Mauser Gerat 06 and ERMA EMP 44. This will be the most correct "correct" if you think with your brain ( especially engineering), and not follow the fabulous writings of post-war historians (with a literary education). Good luck to you and your channel. I believe that there will still be videos of how you enjoy this miracle (FG42) at the shooting range or hold the next very interesting joint shooting ranges with other types of small arms (even modern ones)))
The bipod situation you talk about around 8:30 is kinda amusing to me since the very reason for the increased accuracy with a front-mounted bipod is literally the constrains in swivel due to where the point of leverage is located xD
The ejection port is only in front of left handed shooters faces Ian
Almost perfect, just the Umlaut got you. The 'ä' in Jäger. Ja- vs Jä-ger.
That's the long kind like the -ay in 'say' or the Ai in 'Air'.
Great video.
And everyone in America knows the correct pronunciation when they think of "Jagermeister".
Everytime I see this gun, I’m returned to my childhood, playing return to castle Wolfenstein on the PS2. Dealing with German paratroopers was a lil spooky now that I realize who I was fighting back then XD
the largest scale operation undertaken by the german paratroopers, was the operation ''merkur'' (hermes) . this was the code name for the air landing in crete . they didn't have the FG-42 on may 1941. so crete, became the grave of the paratroopers ... they were never used on such large scale operations again . but, the FG-42 was a brilliant rifle
“These guns were used in colder weather…or they were going to be,”. Hilarious! Hogan’s Heroes moment. I love it. Fascinating gun. I had never heard of this. Only the MG 42. Great show, brother!
I wonder if the FG42 was what inspired Stoner for the 63
Just looking at that grip is giving me carpal tunnel.
I am glad nobody told the tank manufactories that you can conduct trials before putting something into the field. Looking at you, MAN.
The hardcore Forgotten Weapons fans have been waiting for this a very very long time.
Thanks for pulling through Ian, as always.
In Germany its called "Eier legende Wollmilchsau (Egg laying Woolmilkpig)" for something that has to do everything.
There’s a reason Star Wars blasters are based on German guns like this. Even in the 1940’s these things looked Space-age.
So impressive they made 12 of them and it ended up not mattering.
I’d love to see an exhaustive look at the convergent evolution the Johnson LMG and FG-42 shared. They’re just so incredibly similar in design, layout, and doctrine that it makes one question how they could possibly have been exclusive developments.
With one major difference that they used a completely different action -- the Johnson was recoil operated and the FG42 was gas operated.
Well the Johnson was developed before the FG-42. They also had different operating systems but the Johnson Diasy Mae did have a simple gas system and was used by a guy in the Pacific
The Johnson would also go onto to be a huge influence on the AR platform