Did the army consider using German equipment?

[Listy]

Oh be fair, we were told that Toe Tectors and hard hat would help in the event that we got hit by a tug or a forty footer.

Anything will help, it's just a question of "will it help enough".

 

[LeoRoverman]

Anything will help, it's just a question of "will it help enough".

Well one deckie found out there was enough for a couple of bin liners. RIP poor sod.

 

[OllieReeder]

When Rifkind was SoS he was taken down to (I believe) SPTA to have his obligatory photo op in DPM getting down with the lads. Obviously putting him in a Chieftain turret would have been a bit too Maggie-esque (and she’d only just left) so he was set up to do a bit of live firing with an 81mm mortar.

Unfortunately just as the cameras started rolling he attempted to insert the bomb fuse-first.

I was in MB at the time and I saw the photo

Unfortunately it was pre-Internet so I haven’t been able to find a copy.

IIRC @Bubbles_Barker has also seen it.

Oh yes. Probably still holds first place for embarrassing photos of Secretaries of State, despite Geoff Hoon's valiant efforts - the pink shirt and hands on hips whilst visiting RM on Saif Sareea, and the very small female / Gurkha sized ECBA during his first trip to theatre during Telic - on him, looked like the body armour equivalent of a boob tube. Not inappropriate, given he was a massive tit.

The one that did not get out was a certain junior minister visiting a TA unit in NI, wearing a bowler hat. He knew damned well what he was doing... v naughty.

 

[Bravo_Bravo]

A 'Dumb' from QKR for making him look silly on another thread? ....diddums

He's a bit weak for a Commissioned type.

I put the tedious twat on ignore some years ago.

 

[MOzanne]

v naughty.

"But this Orange sash brings out the colour in my eyes......"

 

[Bus Pass 01]

Slightly off tack, but some might find this picture interesting. Russian picture, caption is Soviet soldier's collecting captured or abandoned German equipment August 1942. See the Mle 1914 Hotchkiss, in use Russia front line German unit! Shows how short of kit they were? Caption also states the two small mortars are USSR 50mm captured kit in use but re-captured by the original owners!

 

[Drlligaf]

See the Mle 1914 Hotchkiss, in use Russia front line German unit! Shows how short of kit they were?

They were almost permanently short of kit, hence the use of foreign weapons from the various countries that the Wehrmacht overran, eg FN and CZ. Talking of which I read an article in an american magazine some years ago, somebody had bought a 20 mm finnish anti-tank gun, which was mounted on a sledge to be towed by reindeer. The bloke had a mixture of finnish, russian and german ammo. Apparently weapons had been captured by the Sovs, and the germans in turn had captured the gear from the Sovs.

 

[WALT]

They were also quite devious in a way. The Mauser, for example, was produced under license, before the war, by some of their surrounding neighbours, as you mentioned, FN and Czechs for example.
So for each of these countries overrun, they could count on acquiring x amount of rifles produced to German specs.
And the donating countries had already paid for the privilege!

 

[HE117]

They were also quite devious in a way. The Mauser, for example, was produced under license, before the war, by some of their surrounding neighbours, as you mentioned, FN and Czechs for example.
So for each of these countries overrun, they could count on acquiring x amount of rifles produced to German specs.
And the donating countries had already paid for the privilege!

CETME?

... leopards seldom change their shorts!

 

[Drlligaf]

They were also quite devious in a way. The Mauser, for example, was produced under license, before the war, by some of their surrounding neighbours, as you mentioned, FN and Czechs for example.
So for each of these countries overrun, they could count on acquiring x amount of rifles produced to German specs.
And the donating countries had already paid for the privilege!

Have cake and eat it?

 

[LeoRoverman]

Have cake and eat it?

That is the point of cake. It's always struck me as inane that you have cake and you can't eat it.

 

[Pteranadon]

They were also quite devious in a way. The Mauser, for example, was produced under license, before the war, by some of their surrounding neighbours, as you mentioned, FN and Czechs for example.
So for each of these countries overrun, they could count on acquiring x amount of rifles produced to German specs.
And the donating countries had already paid for the privilege!

Sorry this cunning German plan doesn't quite stack up.

Mauser was a good gun and the Belgians were producing their version made b y FN from 1889. The Czechs also adopted the rifle - from 1920,l buying off the . These weren't quite the same as the Germans K98.

Its a bit like the swedish Bofors, used with manufacturing varoiations by the British Poles and re-used by the Germans.

 

[Daz]

Slightly off tack, but some might find this picture interesting. Russian picture, caption is Soviet soldier's collecting captured or abandoned German equipment August 1942. See the Mle 1914 Hotchkiss, in use Russia front line German unit! Shows how short of kit they were? Caption also states the two small mortars are USSR 50mm captured kit in use but re-captured by the original owners!

View attachment 539978

Very short, however, it should be noted that some units tended to get a higher proportion of captured or obsolete kit than others, early SS units, for instance, were placed at the back of the queue for weapons, hence initially being issued captured or obsolete ones, ditto for the Luftwaffe Field Divisions, especially for
artillery which was often captured Russian or French examples, or obsolete such as mountain guns

 

[ugly]

The 1914 Hotchkiss was used by the allies in Normandy, several photos exist

 

[HE117]

The 1914 Hotchkiss was used by the allies in Normandy, several photos exist

View attachment 540074

The Hotchkiss was the standard issue MG for UK Cavalry Regiments in WW1..

... didn't get much use as it turned out..

 

[Themanwho]

The 1914 Hotchkiss was used by the allies in Normandy, several photos exist

View attachment 540074

As were MG34 & 42, used ad hoc due to local situations rather than general practice. e.g. Paras etc with little heavy kit, whilst more fully equipped units had little need to complicate their logistic train thanks to the firepower available to them

 

[Bus Pass 01]

The 1914 Hotchkiss was used by the allies in Normandy, several photos exist

View attachment 540074

This picture is used a lot, however, have you noticed the soldiers are not wearing any sort of equipment not even belt, water bottle or ammo pouches? odd if they are in contact? May be posed PR picture with theme enemy gun turned back on them?

 

[ericferret]

This picture is used a lot, however, have you noticed the soldiers are not wearing any sort of equipment not even belt, water bottle or ammo pouches? odd if they are in contact? May be posed PR picture with theme enemy gun turned back on them?

Then there is the strip ammunition lying in the crap, not a great idea.

 

[WALT]

Sorry this cunning German plan doesn't quite stack up.

Well. I may be overestimating their cunning, but I'm sure that the knowledge of thousands of captured weapons of the same calibre and basic type being available after an invasion was taken into account and these weapons would be very useful for rear echelon units, freeing up the K98s for the front line.

 

[WALT]

This picture is used a lot, however, have you noticed the soldiers are not wearing any sort of equipment not even belt, water bottle or ammo pouches? odd if they are in contact? May be posed PR picture with theme enemy gun turned back on them?

Definitely posed. The photographer would be directly in the open. However, re the lack of kit, the British infantry were known to ditch everything bar weapons and a few clips for short patrols in Normandy to aid their mobility. There are even some photos of them fighting in shirtsleeve order.