Gewehr 41

Infobox Weapon
name= Gewehr 41


caption=Gewehr 41 (Walther version)
origin=flagcountry|Nazi Germany
type= Semi-automatic rifle
is_ranged=yes
service=1941-1945
used_by=Nazi Germany
wars=World War II
designer=
design_date=1941
manufacturer=
production_date=
number=
variants=
weight=
length=
part_length=546 mm
cartridge=7.92x57mm Mauser
action=Gas-operated
rate=20 to 30 rounds per minute
velocity=775 m/s (2,328 ft/s)
range=400 m
feed=10-round non-detachable magazine
sights= The Gewehr 41 rifle, commonly known as the G41, was a semi-automatic rifle used by Nazi Germany during World War II

Background

By 1940, it became apparent that some form of a semi-automatic rifle, with a higher rate of fire than existing bolt-action rifle models, was necessary to improve the infantry's combat efficiency. The Wehrmacht issued a specification to various manufacturers, and both Mauser and Walther submitted prototypes that were very similar. However, some restrictions were placed upon the design:

* no holes for tapping gas for the loading mechanism were to be bored into the barrel;
* the rifles were not to have any moving parts on the surface;
* and in case the auto-loading mechanism failed, a bolt action was to be included.

Both models therefore used a mechanism known as the "Bang" system (after its Danish designer Soren H. Bang). In this system, gases from the bullet were trapped near the muzzle in a ring-shaped cone, which in turn pulled on a long piston rod that opened the breech and re-loaded the gun. This is as opposed to the more common type of gas-actuated system, in which gases are tapped off from the barrel, and push back on a piston to open the breach to the rear. Both also included inbuilt 10-round magazines that were loaded using two of the stripper clips from the Karabiner 98k, utilizing the same German-standard 7.92x57mm Mauser rounds. This in turn made reloading relatively slow.

The Mauser design, the G41(M), failed. Only 6,673 were produced before production was halted, and of these, 1,673 were returned as unusable. The Walther design, the G41(W), is in outward appearance not unlike the Gewehr 43. Most metal parts on this rifle were machined steel, and some rifles, especially later examples utilized the Bakelite type plastic handguards. The Walther design was more successful because the designers had simply neglected the last two restrictions listed above.

These rifles, along with their G41(M) counterparts, suffered from gas system fouling problems. These problems seemed to stem from the overly complex muzzle trap system becoming excessively corroded from the use of corrosive salts in the ammunition primers, and carbon fouling. The muzzle assembly consisted of many fine parts and was difficult to keep clean, disassemble, and maintain in field conditions. The rifle was redesigned in 1943 into the Gewehr 43 utilizing a gas system somewhat similar to that on the SVT-40 and a detachable magazine.

G41(W) rifles were produced at two factories, namely Walther at Zella Mehlis, and Berlin Luebecker. Walther guns bear the AC code, and WaA359 inspection proofs, while BLM guns bear the DUV code with WaA214 inspection proofs. These rifles are also relatively scarce, and quite valuable in collector grade. Varying sources put production figures between 40,000 and 145,000 units. Again, these rifles saw a high attrition rate on the Eastern front.

References

*" [http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/german-semiautomatic-rifle.html New German Semi-Automatic Rifle] ," Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 27, June 1943.