M1 Garand in German Use?

Hello friends,

All WWII armies realized the benefits of rapid firing weapons, from automatic cannons to semi-automatic rifles for the average infantryman. In the latter case especially, the advantages are many and obvious. A soldier whose rifle is manually worked is at a sharp disadvantage to a soldier carrying a self-loading rifle. No one capitalized on this fact more than the Americans and their M1 Garand and M1 Carbine. The Russians introduced the SVT-40, which never materialized on the scale of the Garand, and the Germans produced the complicated and tempermental G41/43. Accounts and front-line photos of German troops carrying russian semi-auto rifles are relatively common, but information on the German use of the American Garand is, apparently, much more scarce.

Perhaps some of you omniscient members can help me when I ask, what were the Germans' feelings towards the Garand and did German soldiers pick one up whenever they could? The Garand was, and is, a wonderful weapon, a little heavy, but presumably much more desireable than the K98, at least in a soldier's point of view.

Thank you very much.

 

I have seen photographs of German troops using the M1 carbine, but not the M1 Garand.

 

yes me too ricky ,i think ss troops in what i assumed was the bulge offensive ,unless it was forbidden ,i would expect germans to switch to the garand if ammo supplies allow it ...certainly we see pics of germans with russian tommmy guns on the ost front...

 

everything

the germans used any captured weapons they got in large enough numbers. it didn't matter what if it was useable they used it for something.

 

Not sure about the Germans but the Japanese did quite a bit of studying the Garand and made a few prototyes. I imagine the Germans did something similar. Then again, with the introduction of the StG-44, they may have felt they didn't need them.

 

I think every gun counts on the battlefield. Every one that you can carry, that is, which might be a rifle or carbine, and a pistol.

 

for what it costs in weight a pistol and ammo are useless on the battlefield...better to carrie th weight in grenades or extra rifle ammo

 

I haven't seen any wide-spread usage of the M1 on photographs, most likely because sufficient quantities of rifles, and more importantly ammunition, were not captured.

The Germans did have a prototype copy of the Sten-gun, but other than that, they relied heavily on their own engineers.

The foreign rifle which saw most usage was the Italian 6,5 mm rifle, re-chambered to 7,92 mm ammunition (which made it kick like a mule), for usage by the Volksturm.

 

Yeah, extra grenades can be useful for taking out vehicles and multiple enemies. They're also nice forest firestarters that can block off your enemy with flames (although you'd probably be trapped as well).

 

grenades in real life are for killing enemy troops in the open while you are in a hole ...or vice versa....attacking vehicals or starting fires would be mostly holliwood fiction...if both are in the open ,you throw it as far as you possibly can then you lay with face and bodie pressed hard to the dirt ...do not ever try to watch the explosion as it makes only a very small flash and puff of smoke and is not as portrayed in movies at all...if you see the flash , it will likely be the last thing you will see on this earth...(my dad used to teach grenade course at benning)

 

I thought the idea of a grenade was to wound a soldier or to take out enemy positions when you cant put your head above and properly aim the gun.

 

But wouldn't a few grenades be able to take out a jeep or truck?

 

It depends where you aim, if you manage to get it near the fuel tanks... Kaboom! But Grenades against a Tiger - Useless. Then again it depends upon the type of grenade...

 

If you can hit it. Remember, a truck moves a lot faster than entrenched infantry.

(Nice to see you Panzerkampfwagen, aka churchillmk2!)

 

Aaah, that i forgot to put down. Nice t'see you again

 

German use of allied weaponry.

One explanation of why the German's appeared to use so little British or American weapons is that, generally speaking, the Allies were normally on the attack and thus the Germans were being pushed back and away from easily renewable stocks of munitions.
BG

 

Much the same reasoning as why there were relatively few T-34/85's in German use

 

how come the japanese didn't succsesfully make a semi auto rifle

 

The Japanese copied the Garand, and called it the Ype 5.

The sad reality is that during the war years the japanese did not have the industrial capacity to sustain complicated weaponry. As the war drew to a near, simpler, cheaper (resource wise) and cruder weapons were sought and developed.

I would assume that the M1 Garand was just that bit heavy and chunky for the average Japanese infantryman.

In regards to the grenade, most movies and computer games give one the weirdest concept of how a grenade should be used.

Grenades as above are used to 'stun', clear holes, bunkers, buildings gun positions or to be lobbed around a corner. Once thrown you are out of harms way. To start a fire with a grenade in a forest is a pretty hopeful desire.

Kym

 

my dad as a young second leutenant taught thosands of army trainees ,in throwing technique with actual live grenades ,he said it was by far the most dangerous job he ever had , some guys would freeze up others turned to jelly ...

dad says that ,unlike in movies ,grenades acually make a very small flash and no flame and if you are silly enough to try to see the flash it will very likely kill you , no matter how far you throw it

also tossing one into a mud and thatch hut ie. viet nam , and then standing tight against the doorjamb as seen in ww2 brick buildings in western europe was not a wise move .