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Gewehr 43

From Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
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Gewehr 43 - 7.92x57mm Mauser
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Gewehr 43 with ZF 4 scope - 7.92x57mm Mauser

The Gewehr 43 was one of three semi-automatic rifles issued by Germany (the others being the FG 42 and the Gewehr 41) during WWII. This weapon itself was an evolution of the Gewehr 41 (made by Mauser and Walther). The Gewehr 43 was made exclusively by Walther and addressed many of the problems the G41 encountered during the invasion of the Soviet Union (in particular, the gas system and use of stripper clips instead of a removable box magazine), taking many design cues from captured examples of the Soviet SVT-40. Like the SVT-40, the Gewehr 43 was usually issued with two spare magazines, so reloading with clips remained.

It is known that the transitional G41/G43 prototypes were tested with 25-round MG13 magazines, but the final rifle received a 10-round one of its own design. All other conversions are modern and there is no evidence of their use during the war. 20-round G43 extended magazines are also known to exist; it is not known for sure whether these were the results of experiments at the end of the war, or only post-war versions.

The Gewehr 43 was never mass-produced, and although a better rifle than the G41, it was still known for its mechanical malfunctions, mainly due to cheap parts and exposed extracting spring, causing jams if not cleaned constantly. When parts wore out or broke, it was difficult to get replacements in the field and many German soldiers simply got rid of it when this happened. It was also a complicated design, and required some practice to know how it all worked. When put up against the U.S. M1 Garand, it was apparent that the G43 was outclassed by the M1's superior machined parts, extremely reliable design, better gas system, better sights, more reliable en-bloc clip system, simplicity, and ease of maintenance, as well as it being general issue to all infantry; whereas for every 50 Mauser rifles produced by Germany during the war, they only produced one G43 rifle. The German High Command saw this, and decided to only issue three G43 rifles for every platoon, two of which were to be used as sniper rifles away from frontline action, fitted with a Zeiss ZF 4 scope.

According to accounts and testimony from German veterans of WWII, many German soldiers disliked the G43, and preferred the tried and true Mauser 98k, or, if they were lucky enough, scavenged American M1 rifles and Carbines whenever possible, despite this being officially against regulations. However, as a sniping platform, many German snipers liked the Gewehr 43's semi-automatic abilities, good range, good ammo capacity, and accuracy, however extreme long-range sniping was best left to the more accurate bolt action Mauser rifles.

Specifications

(1943 - 1945)

  • Type: Battle Rifle
  • Caliber: 7.92 x 57mm Mauser
  • Weight: 9.7 lbs (4.4 kg)
  • Length: 44.5 in (113 cm)
  • Barrel length: 21.7 in (55 cm)
  • Capacity: 10-round detachable box magazine (may be loaded with 5-round stripper clips); rare 20-round magazines are known to have existed.
  • Fire Modes: Semi-Auto

The Gewehr 43 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title Actor Character Note Date
The Enforcer John Kellogg Vince With sniper scope 1951
Go for Broke! German soldier 1951
Suddenly Frank Sinatra John Baron With sniper scope 1954
Christopher Dark Bart Wheeler
Between Heaven and Hell Japanese soldier 1956
Dark Sun (Temné slunce) Terrorist With sniper scope 1982
Saints and Soldiers German soldier 2003
Brother's War German soldier 2009
Everyman's War German soldiers 2009
Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed German soldier 2012
Company of Heroes Chad Michael Collins Nate Burrows With sniper scope 2013

Television

Show Title Actor Character Note Air Date
Combat! German soldiers 1962 - 1967
Black Cats (Chyornye koshki) German paratroopers Seen in documentary footage; including a sniper version 2013

Anime

Title Character Note Date
Seven Cities Story: Arctic Front Aquironia soldiers 1994
Najica Blitz Tactics 2001

Video Games

Title Appears as Mods Note Date
Medal of Honor: Underground With ZF 4 scope 2000
Commandos 2: Men of Courage 2001
World War II Online: Battleground Europe 2001
Battlefield: 1942 Fitted with ZF 4 scope 2002
Medal of Honor: Frontline Fitted with ZF 4 scope 2002
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault With ZF 4 scope (expansion packs only) 2002
BloodRayne "G33" With ZF4 bracket, but no scope Anachronistic 2002
Forgotten Hope With and without scope 2003
Commandos 3: Destination Berlin 2003
Day of Defeat 2003
Hidden & Dangerous 2 2003
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory With and without scope, optionally suppressed 2003
Call of Duty: United Offensive Anachronistically used at Kursk and Kharkov 2004
Call of Duty 2 With and without ZF 4 scope Anachronistically used at Stalingrad 2005
Sniper Elite With ZF 4 scope 2005
Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45 With and without scope 2006
Call of Duty 3 2006
Commandos: Strike Force 2006
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 With and without ZF 4 scope 2006
Medal of Honor: Vanguard Only available in multiplayer 2007
Medal of Honor: Airborne With and without ZF 4 scope 2007
Forgotten Hope 2 With and without ZF4 scope 2007
Call of Duty: World at War 2008
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway With and without ZF 4 scope 2008
Velvet Assassin With scope, shown as a bolt-action rifle 2009
Call of Duty: Black Ops Without scope 2010
Karma Online 2011
Cry of Fear "G43 semi-auto" 2012
Sniper Elite V2 2012
Company of Heroes 2 Anachronistically used at Stalingrad 2013
Enemy Front 2014
Sniper Elite III 2014
World of Guns: Gun Disassembly Gewehr 43 ZF 4 scope 2014
Heroes & Generals With and without ZF 4 scope 2016
Sniper Elite 4 2017
Call of Duty: WWII "Gewehr 43" Added in Winter Siege event (2017) 2017
Post Scriptum 2018
Battlefield V "Gewehr 43" 2018

Animation

Title Voice Actor Characters Notation Date
What If...? - Season 1 HYDRA soldiers "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?" (S1E01) 2021
German soldiers
HYDRA soldiers Fictional HYDRA Customization; "What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?" (S1E01)
Sebastian Stan Bucky Barnes
Neal McDonough Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
None James Montgomery Falsworth
None Gabe Jones
None Jim Morita
None Jacques Dernier