Hi all.

Just a quick question...does anyone know if it would be plausible to pose two Fallschirmjaeger of the 6th FJ Regiment on Normandy June 1944 with MP40s? One has a Panzerfaust but has what looks like a KA98K slung over his shoulder, but I'd like to replace the weapon slung over his shoulder with an MP40. Would this have been a plausible weapon for the Panzerfaust operator to carry?

Also, I have the Dragon "Georgian Legion"set of surrendering soldiers (which can I guess be used to depict any Ost Batallion or regular Heer unit...would the ordinary troops in these units only carry KA98Ks or would some of them have carried MP40s?

Thanks!

Hello Mike,

1. Fallschirmjäger used the MP40 and there are photos of Fallschirmjäger in Normandy with MP40s.

2. The Panzerfaust was a one shot weapon which would be disposed after firing. This meant that there was not a special Panzerfaust operator in an infantry group but a lot of soldiers which were trained in the use of a Panzerfaust. So basicly if circumstances required it, a Panzerfaust could be used by a lieutenant, a seargent or a private. I only doubt that an officier would have volunteered to carry a Panzerfaust on the march which seems to me to more have been a privates job. Someone carrying a Panzerfaust would in most circumstances also have his original weapon with him, be it a carbine or an MP40.

3. The MP40 was a weapon which was intended to be given to Fallschirmjäger, shock tropps and junior leaders like platoon and squad leaders which would normaly range somewhere between lieutenant, NCO`s and perhaps experienced enlisted personal. Experienced enlisted men would have grabed one for sure if the opportunity arose, especially in cases where high death toll made a lot of weapons avvailable or if chaotic circumstances requiered to grab everything. So an Obergefreiter or Gefreiter with an MP40 was surely possible. Standard weapon for enlisted men was the carbine if not special dutys or appointments made them beeing given an MP. I guess that the Ostbataillone where equipped to the usual standard or more likely worse than that. So I don`t think enlisted men there would have had better access to these weapons.

To me it seem s higly unlikely to trace the way of every single weapon in World War II, so you sure have some space there. I don`t see any real problems with your plans but in the case of the Ostbataillone I perhaps would change to some russian "Beute"-MP.

Best Regards

Dennis

Thanks Dennis, I really appreciate your helpful reply. I've seen pictures of FJs with MP40s in Normandy si I'm glad that this was indeed not that uncommon.my problem is that I have a limited number of photo etch gun slings and those for the MP40 are different to those usedon the carbime which seems like a far more common weapon, so in order to use all the gun slings I have available, I'm going to have to give some figures MP40S. I'll keep away from equipping my Osttruppen wuth MP40s though. OnWe is manning an MG42 so he needs no personal weapon, the others will get carbines.

Thanks again for the help!