Waffen of the Wehrmacht
Introduction
On this page, all the basic weapons used by the Wehrmacht are listed in the photo gallery below. Each of these weapons, in some way, was an essential part of the German small arms doctrine. The Germans believed that the best way to overcome an enemy was to strike them as quickly and smoothly as they can or "Blitzkrieg." To achieve this, machine guns with incredibly high rates of fire were given to one man in a squad to lay down suppressing fire. The majority of firepower was provided by the machine gun; the riflemens' job was to either provide cover fire for the machine gun or to storm an enemy position under the machine gun's fire. Therefore, most German weapons were designed for this purpose. Many of the later rifles such as the Gewehr 43 and the STG 44 were created as Hitler and the OKW felt that the previous tactics needed to be amended to fit the new style of warfare that was being developed, which involved more individualistic and close-quarter combat.
Introduction
Click the images below for more information!
Karabiner 1898 Kurz
Notes
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For those interested in starting a German impression with us, the Kar98k is the first weapon that you MUST obtain! This was the standard issue rifle of the German army; most soldiers were issued one. We CANNOT have every man in the unit running around with SMGs, pistols, or other unique weapons. Once you are well entrenched in the hobby, then you may look to purchasing and utilizing other period correct weapons in the field. Alles Klar?
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When it comes to your selection of a Kar98k, you must make sure that the Kar98k you choose is accurate looking if you wish to reenact in our unit. There were many Kar98k variants made before, during, and after the war that appears similar to the German Kar98k but is not. For example, the Yugoslavians had a variant known as the M48 which is similar but features a wooden cover over the rear sights. The best bet is to find an original German wartime Mauser or a re-stamped German Mauser from another country. Do the best you can. Prices are going up and average about $800 as of 2017. We will not rush you into getting a rifle so it is encouraged that you take your time saving up and or find a good deal on one.
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While automatic or semi-automatic weapons are fun to operate at reenactments, it is important to be aware that these weapons have a hard time cycling blanks.