Germany

=German WWII infantry weapons=
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Physics of German Weapons
MG42 The MG42 is a 7.92mm universal machine gun developed in 1942. It operates between 1200 and 1500 rpm’s. The MG42 is a roller-locked and recoil- operated gun with gas assist. A roller – lock system allows the ammunition to be fed in through the side of the weapon, using a rolling technique to keep them feeding in fast. Also, the bolt and barrel lock in place to ensure no movement of parts or ammo occurs when firing. The type of recoil that this gun has is a short recoil system. This means the barrel and the lock slide very quickly over a small distance. The fact that this weapon is gas assisted means that a gas is applied to reduce the force of the recoil. The gas acting against the guns recoil relates to the conservation of momentum. Also, since the MG42 has such a high rate of fire it is only a fully automatic weapon.

MP 40 The MP40 was a submachine gun used by mainly squad leaders. It is an open bolt, blowback automatic. It had a low rate of fire so single shots were able to be fired even though it was a fully automatic gun. Open bolt means the parts are in the back of the gun and when it is fired a bolt forces the bullet through the gun. Blow back refers to the operating system. Combustion occurs and causes pressure to build up in the cartridge case, which is then pushed onto the bolt through the cartridge.

Pros: Very little recoil, lightweight, accurate Cons: low rate of fire, not a good holding place, jammed easily

StG 44 The StG 44 was the first assault rifle in the world developed by Germany. It was capable of firing both in the automatic mode or the semi-automatic mode. It had a selective firing mechanism. This means that it was able to shoot, a burst shot, semi auto, or fully auto. The rate of fire is 500 rounds per minute. A variation of the stg 44 included a curved barrel. This was used for shooting around walls. To allow the bullet to follow the curved path, there were a series of holes punched into the barrel, which slowed the bullet down. Not only did the air slow the bullet down, but centripetal force enable the bullet to follow the curved path. With the original speed of the bullet, it would go straight through the side of the barrel.