More small arms variety

[Ts4EVER]

Well we would have to think about this on a weapon by weapon basis. When it comes to rifles (especially those that use non-German ammo), I would expect them to be more in the rear area. Automatic weapons are different, due to their usefulness in combat. And some, like the Beretta MPs, are equivalent or better than their German made counterparts, so I see no reason not to use those as substitutes, especially if they use the same ammunition.

[Anthony P.]

Asking for something to be introduced based on assumption and speculation isn't really the right way to go about it from what I've gathered.

[Ts4EVER]

In historical science you base your theories on sources. I provided examples of some. However, usually you will have to extrapolate from these using common sense and circumstantial evidence, since the source record is not without gaps. In this instance, there are (too my knowledge), no documents that for example let you see what every single soldier was issued or how and when exactly each weapon is used. There might be some anecdotal evidence to support this or that reading (I mentioned for example Günther Grass' memoir, where he recounts being issued a Beretta smg as an SS tanker in 1945), but you will not be able to get a complete chain of evidence.

From what I see in these sources (and if someone can produce evidence to the contrary, that would be great of course) we can tell:

- The G41 rifle was still the predominant semi auto rifle in German hands in the time frames of FI, RT and BN

- The Germans did have captured weapons in their divisions, many of them close to German designs or using the same ammunition

We also know that:

- The Germans had a notorious lack of all kinds of war materials, especially towards the end of the war

- The German army was often in positions where it had to fight for life with "all hands on deck". It fought a "poor man's war".

- The German bureaucracy was a bloated mess, with parallel forces, organizations and supply chains popping up left and right, in need of weapons (SS, Volkssturm, Reichsarbeitsdienst etc)

The conclusion I draw from this is that it would be cool and not historically inaccurate to include some of the more common substitute standard weapons (MG26(t), Beretta MP, refurbished board weapons) into the game, especially in light of the fact that there is already an option to set equipment to "poor" and some rather sketchy forces like Luftwaffe ground troops and Kriegsmarine crews are already ingame. Also note that several refurbished French equipment used by the 21st Panzer in Normandy was also added in the pack.

Finally some more, hopefully interesting, circumstantial evidence (make of it what you will):

Fallschirmjäger in Normandy:

Forum thread about an American veteran who captured a Beretta M38/42 in the Battle of the Bulge and brought it home:

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?113-Beretta-MAB-38-42-vet-history

Hard to make out, but this American landing craft leaving Normandy has a captured Tokarev SVT40 in it (low in the picture, sticking over the edge)

MG81 in use by Luftwaffe soldiers in Normandy...

... and by Volkssturm in 1945:

 

[Big Boss]

An MG 151/15 machine-gun on the outskirts of Königsberg in February 1945. Original Agfacolor photo.

[c3k]

Great stuff! I'd love to see a Weapons Pack based on the same concept as the Vehicle Pack.