This guide is written for those of you who love the Sniper Elite series and also want to know more about the actual weapons and their real world performance to include in-flight and terminal ballistics. This is not a ‘how to’ guide as there are plenty of those out there. I have served in the military, (though I never was a sniper) and have some limited experience with these weapons. Plus, I researched the hell out of this subject. That said, there still may be errors in this document but I can edit this document and fix any I find or that people point out to me--and I have!

I have played all of the Sniper Elite games and loved every single one of them. Beautiful environments, authentic looking weapons, and super fun to play with adjustable difficulty levels as you increase in skill. However, the Sniper Elite series, like many games, simplify weapons and ammunition and, unlike many other games, surprisingly exaggerates ballistics for, well, reasons unknown.

This guide is based on information obtained from Jane’s Infantry Weapons, my own notes from military service, The Forgotten Weapons series of outstanding videos on both Full30 and YouTube hosted by Ian McCollum (aka Gun Jesus), and wikipedia, which I always check against other sources as information is often incomplete as nearly every article is written by a different author.

The Makers of Sniper Elite 4 obviously did a great deal of research to make their weapons and vehicles faithful to the historic vehicles and weapons of that conflict. I was seriously impressed by their attention to detail.

Origin of the Submachine Gun
The submachine gun or machine pistol (MP) basically evolved from a select fire or fully automatic pistol and used standard type pistol cartridges such as the 9mm Parabellum or the .45 ACP. The semi-automatic “Broomhandle” Mauser, or C96 is a perfect example of this when it became the full-automatic M712. Thus, the vast majority of SMGs are chambered for pistol cartridges. The European term "Machine Pistol" was their designation for a machine gun that fired pistol cartridges while the term "Submachine Gun" was the American term for the same type of weapon that fired pistol cartridges vice the rifle cartridges fired by regular machine guns. In fact, it was John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson SMG who actually invented the term "submachine gun."

Single action vs Double Action
This refers to the action of the trigger. A single action trigger does only one thing—drop the hammer (or release the spring loaded striker). A double action trigger both c-ocks (I have to do this as the format will block out some words it thinks are naughty) the hammer and releases the hammer. The trick here is that a double action trigger has a much heavier and longer trigger pull, typically making that shot more inaccurate. A single action trigger (M1911, HDM, Welrod) is typically maybe about 4-5 lbs of pressure compared to a double action trigger (such as a revolver), which can be well over 10 lbs of pressure. You can imagine the difficulty of keeping the sights on target while trying to press a 16 lb trigger. Some of these pistols are both, for example, the P-38. It is double-action on the first trigger pull and then single-action for all of the rest as the slide c-ocks the hammer after every shot.
The game does not replicate a double or single action trigger, as an actual mouse click (or trigger press) likely requires less than a pound of pressure. In fact, I don’t know of a game that does. If they did, it would have to be a delay, i.e. a half second or a full second of pressing the mouse button, maintaining your sight picture, before it fired. Now that I invented it, I think it might be a great idea, for double action triggers or even flintlock rifles that have that distinctive delay before the gun fires. I hereby copyright this concept!

Select Fire vs Full Automatic
Select fire vs Full auto deals with semi-automatic weapons only, which were weapons that used the energy of firing the bullet to work the action to eject the fired brass and cycle the next round into the chamber. As soon as they implemented this system, the full automatic option came into play. A semi-auto firearm will fire a single shot with each press of the trigger. Holding the trigger back will do nothing as the trigger must be released and come forward enough to reengage (typically the sear) for the next shot. Full automatic means the weapon will keep firing until you release the trigger or run out of ammunition. Once full-automatic became available then you could have select fire weapons or weapons that could switch from firing in a semi-auto mode to a full-auto mode.

Rate of Fire (RoF)
The rate of fire for various models of weapons could differ greatly anywhere from a low 350-400 rounds per minute (rpm) to well over 1,000 rpm. This cyclic rate of fire was determined by three things in any full automatic weapon: First, the weight and size of the bolt—lighter is faster; Second, length of travel for the bolt—shorter is faster; Last, size and strength of the spring—stronger is faster. These basic three things could determine the rate of fire for a weapon and designers would tweak these three factors to adjust their rate of fire. A few ingenious ones would come up with mechanical limiters to control the rate of fire. Some weapons were full automatic only and had no selector to switch to semi-auto fire only. A good example of this was the M3 Grease Gun.
Of course the game doesn’t give you the option (though it should!) of firing a select fire weapon on semi-auto only. All select fire weapons in the game fire on full auto only.

Open Bolt vs Closed Bolt
This is the position of the bolt before pulling the trigger and is only relative to select fire weapons. In an open bolt gun, the bolt is locked to the rear until firing when the trigger releases the bolt and it slides forward, strips a round out of the magazine, chambers, and fires that round. The advantage of an open bolt is that the weapon stays cooler, or rather the heat does not build up so quickly because when you release the trigger, the sear catches the bolt to the rear, allowing air to get into the chamber and help it cool down. The disadvantage was that you had this heavy bolt rocking forward right when you fired and it could/would affect accuracy. This was not necessarily an issue as most SMGs, especially in WWII, did not prioritize accuracy. In a closed bolt system, the bolt is already forward, the round already chambered when you pulled the trigger meaning less movement in the weapon with a significant increase in accuracy, at least for that first round out the barrel. The danger here was that if you built up too much heat in the chamber and bolt—usually by firing multiple magazines at full auto—then once you stopped firing the over-heated bolt and chamber could actually ignite the powder in the round in the chamber, without any pull of the trigger. This was called a “cook off” and could have serious negative implications, as you might imagine. All of the SMGs in the game fired from an open bolt, except for the Italian FNAB-43. Most of the semi-auto rifles fire from the closed bolt with one very unique exception--the German FG 42--that will be described in more detail later.

Round in the Chamber
Sadly, I've only found one game that dealt with this accurately (Blackfoot Studios: Ground Branch). All magazine fed weapons have the capacity of their particular magazine, and that capacity does not include the round in the chamber. So you load a magazine but that does not mean you have a round in the chamber. You must then c-ock your weapon, which loads one round out of the magazine into the chamber, ready for firing. This means, that you could remove the magazine and load one more round back in. This option was mostly ignored by soldiers that had magazine fed weapons of 20 or 30 or more rounds in the magazine, but for pistols with 7 or 8 round magazines, that one extra round could make a significant difference when you needed it. I would love to be able to pull that magazine out, after I've chambered a round so that I could top off the magazine and my P-38 or P-08 would now have 9 rounds or my M1911A1 would now hold 8. That would be sweet! I now need to figure out how to nominate that game that finally got it right first, for a Nobel Prize.

Tactical Reloads vs Combat Reloads
A combat reload is when you empty the entire magazine, drop it, and reload a completely loaded fresh magazine. A tactical reload is when, during a pause in the action, you remove your partially used magazine, keep it, and load a fresh magazine. The game, like many games, kinda lets you do both. Anytime you reload a magazine, you get a full mag loaded and your partial or empty mag goes into the "automatically-refilled-for-you-from-your-stash" pile. If you are playing on the highest difficulty level, when you reload a magazine, you automatically lose any unused rounds in the magazine you discard. I would love that you had a separate command (long press on reload button?) so that you would keep your partially used mag and insert a fresh mag, with a longer operating time to make this change happen (that break in the action thing). Then, when you have a bigger break in the fighting, you can consolidate all the partial mags or reload from fresh boxes brand new ammunition. That would be super cool and very authentic.

Left - 9mm Parabellum
Right - .22 LR

.22 LR (.22 Long Rifle)
In terms of rounds sold, this is the most popular round in the world. Invented in the 1880s, this is the least powerful round in the game and only used by the HDM. It was designed as a hunting round (for small animals) and as a target shooting round. Though not considered a “man stopper” this round was still used in self-defense because it was chambered in many concealable “pocket pistols.” As for the military, until the HDM, it was rare if this round was chosen for self defense, let alone offensive operations because of its lower lethiality. Of course, because it is low powered, it is much more easily suppressed and thus the OSS used it to develop the HDM. Real world, unless it is a head shot, you might empty the entire 10 round magazine into someone and just piss them off because of its lack of knockdown power. They might die later but not before they shot you too.
In the game this round is only fired by the HDM pistol. It should also be much quieter.

From left to right
1. 7.62mm x 25 Type P
(7.62mm x 25 Mauser virtually identical)
2. 9mm Parabellum
(9mm Glisenti virtually identical)
3. .45 ACP
4. .455 Webley Mk II



7.63mm x 25mm Mauser (7.63mm x 25) (similar to #1 above)
This German Mauser round was used in the M712 select fire pistol and the C96 pistol. This powerful cartridge had the highest velocity of any pistol round until the .357 Magnum was introduced in 1935.
In the game only the M712 shoots this round, though the Russian 7.62mm x 25 round was basically interchangeable so this Mauser round could chamber in the TT33 and the PPSh 41.

7.62mm x 25mm Type P (7.62mm x 25P) (#1 above)
This Russian bottle necked pistol cartridge was copied after the above 7.62mm x 25 Mauser round used in the Mauser C96 pistol. Pistols or SMGs chambered for this round could also chamber the 7.63mm x 25 Mauser described above. This is actually a pretty hot cartridge with a higher muzzle velocity than most other pistol cartridges even today.
In the game this round was used by the Russian TT33 pistol and the PPSh 41 SMG, but it could also chamber in the M712.

7.62mm x 38mm Rimmed (7.62mm x38R)
This very unique cartridge had the bullet fully encased in the brass with a crimp in front of the bullet. Designed for the Nagant M1985 7-shot pistol, this crimp expanded when the bullet was fired, filling that gap between the cylinder and barrel, reducing gas loss and producing a higher muzzle velocity.
In the game only the Nagant M1985 revolver shot this round.



.380 ACP (9mm short) (.380 Auto) (9mm x 17)
Introduced in 1908, this round is basically a lower powered 9mm and almost exclusively used a blow back operating system for the pistols that chambered this round. John Moses Browning designed this cartridge based off his earlier .32 ACP design.
In the game this round is shot by the Italian M1934 and the Walther PPK.

9mm Glisenti (similar to #2 above)
This Italian made round was identical in size and dimensions as the 9mm Parabellum but had a smaller powder charge making for a less powerful cartridge. This means this round could be fired from 9mm Parabellum chambered weapons but might not provide enough energy to cycle the weapon, especially if you limp wristed the weapon (i.e. did not have a firm grip). In return, 9mm Parabellum rounds loaded into Italian pistols or SMGs designed for this round could potentially cause catastrophic failures when fired (i.e. the gun would blow up in your face).
In the game this round is fired only by the Italian OVP 1918.

9mm Parabellum (9mm x 19) (9mm Luger) (#2 above)
This round was designed by Georg Luger in 1902 for his Luger semi-automatic pistol. Today, this cartridge is the most popular in the world. Virtually all the pistols that use this round employ a locking system to contain and control this higher pressure cartridge. Most of the 9mm cartridges fired a 123 grain bullet at 1100 or even 1300 fps making this bullet supersonic.
In the game this cartridge is chambered by the Luger P08, Walther P-38, Welrod, MP40, STEN Mk II, FNAB-43, and the MAB-38.

.45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) (11.43mm x 23mm) (#3 above)
This cartridge is uniquely American and was designed by John Moses Browning in 1904 and is 11.43mm in diameter. WWII .45 Ball ammunition consisted of a 230 grain bullet that traveled approximately 830 feet per second (fps) when fired from a 1911 or 950 fps when fired from an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun. This wider and heaver bullet had a much better damage or knock down ability than the 9mm Parabellum during the war. Only with today’s modern technology has the 9mm bullet been upgraded enough to be as effective as the .45. Of course, one distinct advantage the .45 has over the 9mm is its subsonic velocity.
In the game the M1911, Thompson, M3 Grease Gun, and DeLisle Carbine all shoot this exact round.

.455 Webley Mk II (#4 above)
This Brit handgun cartridge was used almost exclusively for the Webley series of revolvers and has become basically obsolete since the Second World War. It was rated superior to the .45 Long Colt (a contemporary American revolver cartridge) in stopping power. Like most revolver ammunition, it was a rimmed cartridge and it was loaded with a 265 grain bullet that traveled between 600 and 750 fps when fired.
In the game only the Webley Mk VI revolver uses this round.

Almost all of the cartridges below are powerful “bottle necked” cartridges employing a modern pointed, or “spitzer” bullet. The game animation of the round heading down range is a perfect example of a spitzer bullet. Previous to the spitzer, most rifle bullets had a rounded tip. As you can see, almost every country fielded their own unique cartridge that though similar in performance, meant that their cartridges were not interchangeable.

7.92mm x 57mm Mauser (8mm x 57mm IS)
This cartridge was the primary military rifle round used by Germany in both World Wars. It has remained one of the world’s most popular cartridges from its inception to this day. Because of post WWI restrictions from the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was initially forced to produce this ammunition outside of Germany.
In the game this round is fired by the 98K, Gehwehr 43, FG 42, and the ZH-29.

.303 (7.7mm x 56mm R)
This was the primary cartridge used by British Commonwealth forces from 1891 until the 1950’s. This cartridge went through a number of improvements through the years and it was the Mk VII cartridge firing a flat base spitzer bullet that was the primary cartridge throughout WWII. This cartridge was very damaging as it had an aluminum core tip (or other material) under the metal jacket that made it base heavy. This was not an issue in flight as rifling kept the 174 grain bullet gyroscopically stable but once it hit flesh the lighter nose shifted the center of gravity to the rear and the bullet would tumble in the body causing more damage than a standard core spitzer bullet.
In the game this cartridge was fired by the Lee Enfield No. 4 and the Ross Mk III.

7.62mm x 54mm Rimmed (7.62mm x 54R)
Developed and introduced by the Russian Empire as their service cartridge originally for their Mosin Nagant rifle, this cartridge began service in 1891 and continues service to the present day. It remains one of the few standard issue rimmed cartridges still in military use and has had one of the longest service lives of any military issued cartridge. In fact, this cartridge is still used in the Russian Dragunov sniper rifles and PKM medium machine guns. This was one of the fastest cartridges of the war firing a 148 grain spitzer bullet at about 2838 fps.
In the game this Russian round is used by the SVT-38, Mosin Nagant M91/30, and even the Winchester Model 1895 had a version chambered for this cartridge.





.30-06 (7.62mm x 63mm) (above .30.06 Garand enblock clips with a M1923 Ammo Belt)
Pronounced “thirty-aught-six” this was the US rifle cartridge during WWII and into the Korean War. It was introduced into the US Army in 1906 and remained in service until the late 1970’s. The “.30” refers to the caliber of the bullet in inches and the “06” referred to the year the cartridge was adopted. It is a powerful round that still remains popular today. It was designated M2 Ball ammo and had a 152 grain spitzer flat-base bullet that had one of the fastest muzzle velocities of the war (2805 fps). The only round faster was Russian 7.62mm x 54R which was about 40 fps faster but fired a slightly lighter bullet.
In the game this round is fired by the M1903, M1 Garand, and the Winchester M1895. In addition, outside the game, this round was fired by the M1918 BAR and the M1919 .30 caliber machine gun using cloth belts and later metal belts.

6.5mm x 52mm Carcano (6.5mm Italian)
Developed by 1891 for use in the Italian Military. Though a smaller cartridge, it was a fast round with a flatter trajectory than comparable rifle cartridges. It also still used the older style round nosed bullet.
In the game this cartridge was used only in the Italian Carcano M91/41.


6.5mm x 55mm (left)
Introduced in the 1890’s and is still one of the most common cartridges in modern rifles built for the Scandinavian market. It was developed in a joint Norwegian and Swedish effort starting in 1891 for the new service rifles under consideration by the Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. In 1893 the cartridge was standardized and though Sweden and Norway chose different rifles, both were chambered for this cartridge.
In the game this cartridge was only used in the Swedish Mauser.

.30 Carbine (7.62mm x 32mm) (right)
This straight walled cartridge (not bottle necked) was designed specifically for the US M1 Carbine. More powerful than a pistol bullet, it was significantly less powerful (110 grain bullet going 1990 fps) than the .30-06 round (152 grain bullet going 2800 fps) of the M1 Garand. Originally meant for support troops, it did find its way into the hands of combat troops where it performed adequately.
In the game this round is fired only by the M1 Carbine.

7.92mm x 33mm Kurz (7.92mm x 33K)
This German round was specifically designed to be an intermediate cartridge between the high powered battle rifle rounds such as the 7.92mm x 57 Mauser (above) and the pistol cartridges such as the 9mm Parabellum. This round was designed for what became the precursor assault rifle of WWII, specifically the MKB 42, the MP 43 and the StG 44.
In the game this round is fired only by the MKB 42.


8mm x 56mm R (M30S)
This was the primary cartridge adopted in 1930 by Austria and in 1931 by the Kingdom of Hungary. The bullet weighed 206 grains and traveled about 2,300 fps (701 m/s). It served in Austria, Hungary, Germany, and Bulgaria during WWII. Though not currently in use by any military, it is still manufactured for hunting purposes.
In the game this round is fired only by the Mannlicher M1895.

Supersonic vs Subsonic
A bullet traveling at supersonic speeds will cause a sonic boom. This is much more noticeable when you are down range and a bullet passes by near you. You will hear a ‘snap’ or ‘crack’ as the bullet passes you but the sound comes from the bullet, not the rifle, so though it may alert you that someone is firing, it does not necessarily give you a direction to the shooter, only the direction where the bullet passed by you. Note that you will hear this 'snap' first, then you will hear the report of the rifle that fired the round. The .45 ACP ammo is inherently a subsonic round, while the basic 9mm was a supersonic round. This is the same whether it was fired from a short barreled pistol or a longer barreled SMG. As for the rifles in the game, except for the DeLisle, every dang one of them was supersonic.

The speed of sound at 32° F (0° C) is approximately 1122 fps (340 m/s). If anyone cares, that is about 740 miles per hour (1191 kph).

Muzzle velocity varied from round to round so an average is often used. Temperature, humidity and altitude also could change that average. The higher the ambient temperature, the faster the muzzle velocity and the difference in shooting at 20° F (-6.6° C) and 90° F (32° C) could be 100 to 200 fps. Humidity--the moisture in the air--would lower muzzle velocity, and higher altitudes, with thinner air, could increase the velocity. In addition, the same cartridge fired out of a longer barreled weapon often (not always) produced a corresponding higher muzzle velocity. So, a quick list based on (approximate) muzzle velocity for game weapons:


As you can see the .45 ACP cartridge is listed twice as it gets a faster muzzle velocity when fired out of a longer barrel.

I find it odd in the game that you must scavenge subsonic cartridges during a mission and only when you load them does a suppressor appear on your pistol. I would much rather they let me start the mission with my .45 ACP with a suppressor and a plentiful load of ammunition. Also, the only true subsonic rifle in the game is the DeLisle Carbine because it's already shooting a subsonic cartridge. Giving all the rest of the rifles a suppressed capability is not at all accurate (except for one other unique rifle). Though, I have to admit the weapons do look cool!

Bullet Diameter, Weight, and Velocity
Typically the bigger the diameter of the bullet, the more damage it would do to a target. The faster a bullet’s velocity would typically deliver more damage to the target. This is why .45 ACP and .455 Webley ball ammo had more knockdown power than the faster but smaller 9mm Parabellum. The higher velocity of the rifle rounds typically delivered greater knockdown than any of the pistol or SMG caliber weapons, though these rounds would often completely penetrate their target demonstrating that they still had power to spare.

Zeroing a weapon mostly applied to rifles and some submachine guns. Almost all pistols had fixed iron sight or semi-fixed, meaning they had to be drifted with a hammer if they were shooting too much to the left or right. This was because pistols basically were short range—25 meters or less, though most were effective out to 50 meters and beyond. The trick was hitting targets at those longer ranges. Rifles, however, were indeed meant to be zeroed and were usually zeroed for a specific range. The point here is matching your line of sight for zeroing with the ballistic arc of a bullet.

It’s absolutely true that if you held a bullet next to the tip of a rifle barrel and dropped that bullet at the exact millisecond that the rifle was fired, both bullets would hit the ground at the exact same time, assuming you were shooting across a flat plane. So, to compensate for this the sights of a rifle actually aim lower than the line of sight of a barrel. That way the bullet actually is fired up an angle that allows an impact on the target that is directly in line with the sights. This is called a zero and it often takes some adjustments in range (up and down) and windage (left and right) to get a happy zero. If this zero is done at closer ranges, you will find that this zero is when the bullet is still rising and then as it starts to drop, it will meet with that line of sight again at a further distance down range.

A good example of this is the modern M16A1 rifle (20 inch barrel) which the military typically zeroed with iron sights at 25 meters. This meant the bullet dropped back down and was pretty much dead on the line of sight at 375 meters. However the maximum ordinate, or rise of the bullet was 11 inches high at 225 meters. This meant if you weren’t paying attention to a target at that range, you could put your round right over his head. If you decided to take this same rifle and zero it at 42 meters instead, it would be dead on again 250 meters and the max ordinate would be about 5 inches at 175 meters. Not so much of a rise there but you would have much more significant bullet drop beyond that 250 meters.

When I was issued the M4 rifle (14.5 inch barrel) I used the 50 to 200 meter zero, meaning I zeroed it at 50 meters and knew I was dead on again right about 200 meters. What I liked about this zero is that I knew my round was within 2.5 inches of the line of sight all the way out to 225 meters. This was pretty flat shooting so I just had to keep in mind that past 225 meters my bullet drop would get more and more significant.

Scopes add a great many options allowing you to be even more accurate out to ranges beyond 200 meters but you had to pay attention to your bullet rise and bullet drop outside of your specific zeroed range. The game takes this into account letting you adjust the range on your scope effectively letting you adjust your range in the middle of the game. This simulates a scope with a range dial that let’s you set your zero range. They do a pretty good job of that, which is a new option in Sniper Elite 4. Here you will notice that if you are shooting at a target closer than your scope set range, you will be shooting high, and if you are shooting at a target further from your set range, you will be low. Just know that nobody zeros their rifle for a range of zero yards. Ok, maybe, but nobody I know.

Using ballistic calculators I tried to get the most accurate ballistic tables for a particular round, which was problematic as so many WWII era cartridges have been improved by 75 years of ballistic science and it is difficult to find data on cartridges that old. Below are my best calculations for four of the main battle cartridges used in the game:

• .30-06 cartridge for the US M1 Garand (also used in the M1903 Springfield and 1895 Winchester)
  
• 7.92mm x 57M for the German 98K
  
• 7.62mm x 54R for the Russian Mosin Nagant
  
• .303 for the venerable British Lee Enfield No. 4 Rifle

I used a 100 yard zero for all of the rifles though realistically a sniper would zero for at least 200 yards if not further. As for the difference between yard and meters, we’ll go with the close enough for horse shoes and hand grenades. I used the in-game Shooting Range to estimate ballistic drops using the Sniper Elite (Hard) difficulty setting that had the game’s ballistics, wind, and included the HUD diamond hint that helped me estimate drops. The Shooting Range was limited to 50 meter increments for ranges so it was too difficult to determine exact drops at some of the intermediate ranges. Plus, my calculator was for yards and the game range is in meters. Still, the differences would be in inches.

U.S. M1903 Springfield & M1 Garand – 100 yard zero
(These two weapons fired the same cartridge and had the same barrel length so their ballistics should be virtually identical.)
Actual 30.06 M2 Ball|Sniper Elite 4 Cartridge

German Karabiner 98K – 100 yard zero
Actual 7.92mm x 57M|Sniper Elite 4 Cartridge

Russian Mosin Nagant M91/30 – 100 yard zero
Actual 7.62mm x 54R|Sniper Elite 4 Cartridge

U.K. Lee Enfield No. 4 – 100 yard zero
(The Ross Mk III also fired this cartridge but had about a 5 inch longer barrel. Couldn’t find muzzle velocities for the Ross Mk III.)
Actual .303 Cartridge|Sniper Elite 4 Cartridge

Just for fun I did the DeLisle which chambered a subsonic pistol cartridge:

U.K. DeLisle Carbine & U.S. M1A1 Thompson – 100 yard zero
(The DeLisle used .45 Thompson SMG barrels so these two weapons should have nearly identical ballistics. Couldn’t find a muzzle velocity for a DeLisle so I used the M1A1.)
Actual .45 ACP Ball---|Sniper Elite 4 Cartridge

As you can see Sniper Elite 4 greatly exaggerates the ballistic arc of the bullet. Real world if you fired an M1 Garand that was zeroed for 100 yards, at a 200 yard target you would be four inches low, while in the game you would be 10 feet low! I didn’t do every rifle in the game but for the ones I picked, you can see their actual ballistics are somewhat similar as are the exaggerations of the game ballistics. One thing the game did (somewhat) correct was make the DeLisle’s ballistics at least more reflective of the fact that it is shooting a pistol bullet out of a SMG barrel. Still, that weapon's ballistics were significantly exaggerated in the game as opposed to actual. The only other game sniper rifle that should be quite different from real world battle rifles (.303, .30-06, 7.62mm x54R, 7.92 Mauser) ballistics would be the M1 Carbine which should have better range than the DeLisle but no where near the rest of the battle rifles.
As for why the game’s ballistics are so far off the mark, well, I have no explanation. Maybe it was to simulate actual ballistics that a sniper must deal with at ranges of 400 yards and beyond (since the game rarely gives you an opportunity to engage targets beyond those ranges) where solid range estimation is the difference between a hit and a whiff. Not sure if that’s a legitimate reason. Actually, I’m totally sure that’s not a legitimate reason. They are incredibly consistent with how authentic their environment looks and but then are surprisingly inconsistent with actual ballistics. So, if you are thinking this game is teaching you authentic hold overs and Kentucky windage for real world—well, think again. That said, though I would love them to be more realistic in the ballistics, I still play the game through numerous times.

M1903 Springfield (US)
This was the US Military’s main rifle during WWI and because of M1 Garand shortages it was also issued at the beginning of WWII. It was chambered in .30-06 and served as a sniper rifle all through WWII and Korea and even into the Vietnam war. It was bolt action and had a 5 round internal box magazine fed by stripper clips. The version most used during WWII was the M1903A4 and had an effective range of about 600 yards or 550 meters. The Weaver scopes they used were not standardized (until later in the war) nor were they waterproof and could fog over in high humidity. It also had the exact same length barrel (24 inches) as the later M1 Garand.
In the game this weapon is more lethal than the M1 Garand, which fires the exact same cartridge. For play balance, of course. I hate play balance.

DeLisle Carbine (UK)
This incredibly unique rifle was designed by William Godfray DeLisle, an engineer for the British Air Ministry. Honestly, this rifle was so brilliant DeLisle should have received a Nobel Prize and a bear hug from the King. Based on a .22 LR bolt action prototype he made for his own personal use, Godfray presented the idea to the Army and they were sufficiently impressed with his prototype to ask him to build a 9mm Parabellum version. Godfray built his first government prototype but the 9mm version did not work well so he built his next version in .45 ACP, his original cartridge choice all along. The DeLisle Carbine was constructed from a Lee Enfield .303 rifle rechambered for the .45 ACP cartridge by using a modified M1 Thompson SMG barrel and outfitted with an integral suppressor. It was bolt action firing from a 7 or 11 round detachable box magazine (7 round was the same for the 1911). The DeLisle shockingly produced an unprecedentedly low 85 dB of noise compared to a variety of contemporary suppressed pistols which produced 117 to 140 dB. In fact, working the bolt made more noise than firing the weapon. It had an effective range of 200 meters and a maximum range of 400. Many of the initial batch of 17 carbines were tested in combat by British Commandos in cross channel raids into France. Sterling got the contract to build 500 more but was only able to turn out 150. SOE got their hands on some of them, and so, apparently, did the OSS. It is hard to find these weapons in museums and I’ve never seen one in person, most likely because the military still uses them. This is quite possibly, the coolest weapon ever designed, anytime, anywhere. Period.
In the game, this weapon fires generic rifle ammo and like all the rifles, can reach out to 500 meters and beyond, which is entirely unrealistic. Plus the slow motion animation clearly shows a rifle bullet (flat base spitzer) and not a stubby round nosed .45 ACP bullet. Realistically, you would zero this weapon for 100m, or maybe 200 as that was its maximum effective range. Slow motion animation also shows a massive muzzle flash and blast which was seriously unheard of. The suppressor on the DeLisle was so big that no flash or muzzle blast escaped. The story was that during initial testing, they fired it from a roof of a building into the Thames river while pedestrians walked by below. Not a single one noticed.

SVT-38 (Tokarev 1938) (USSR)
A self-loading, semi-automatic rifle designed by Fedor Tokarev developed in the mid 1930s and using the 7.62mm x 54R cartridge and a 10 round detachable box magazine. A complicated weapon that proved fragile in combat yet still had some successes. It was replaced by the improved SVT-40 in 1940 and hundreds of thousands were manufactured including around 50,000 scoped sniper versions. The Germans, who were at the uncomfortable receiving end of this rifle were sufficiently impressed enough to study captured SVT-38s and -40s and eventually produced the GEW 41 in 1941 and the GEW 43 in 1943.

M1 Carbine (US)
The M1 Carbine was designed to fulfill the prewar need for lighter rifle or carbine as the M1 Garand was too heavy and bulky for support troops. A semi-auto rifle, it fired from a 20 round detachable box magazine. It used the .30 Carbine cartridge that though more powerful than a typical pistol cartridge, was also obviously not as powerful as the M1 Garand’s .30-06 cartridge. The M3 version of this carbine was only version I know that was used as a sniper rifle and this was with an infrared scope on Okinawa by the US Marine Corps that required a 3 man team to spot targets and haul around the batteries. The M2 version was the select fire version and along with new 30 round magazines and was developed in direct response to the German’s effective use of full auto weapons on the battlefield. Years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of talking with a US Army veteran of the Pacific theater in WWII and he related the story of emptying his entire magazine into a charging Japanese officer and thinking he was missing every shot because the Japanese officer didn’t drop until he was just a few yards in front of him. After the ambush was complete, the veteran found that his aggressor had 20 holes in him. From that point on, that Army Captain picked up an M1 Garand every time he hit a new beach. Think Captain Winters from Band of Brothers who carried an M1 Garand even though he was likely issued an M1 Carbine.
In the game this carbine might be better categorized in the submachine gun group. It was always designed to be a weapon for issue to support troops so this might actually make a better secondary weapon for the player, especially the M2 select fire version with the 30 round magazine.

M1 Garand (US)
This 30.06 caliber (7.62mm x 63mm) semi-automatic rifle was the standard US Service rifle during WWII and was designed by French Canadian-American designer John Garand. This was the first standard issue semi-automatic military rifle and was extremely popular with the troops that used it. While the Brits, Germans, Italians, and Russians were all using bolt action rifles, the US was using a semi auto battle rifle that gave its GI’s a distinct advantage on the battlefield. It replaced the M1903 Springfield in 1936 and fired from an 8 round internal magazine loaded by an “en block” clip that held those 8 rounds in a double stacked group. Upon firing the last round, the clip would eject with a ‘ping,’ locking the bolt to the rear ready for the next reload. Also, the idea that Germans would listen for that 'ping' to tell them their enemy was reloading to make their attack, is complete and utter ♥♥♥♥♥. Seriously, you think anyone close enough to hear the ping wouldn't already be deafened by that .30.06 round going off? Besides there not being a single incident recorded by anyone of Germans actually taking advantage of that issue.
The two sniper versions of this rifle were designated the M1C and the M1D and differed only in the mounting system for the telescopic sight though both versions had their scopes mounted off center so they would allow space for the weapon to be reloaded through the top. By June 1944 the M1C was adopted as the standard sniper rifle for the US Army to supplement the venerable M1903A4 but few actually saw combat and wartime production was just under 8,000 units. The M1C saw considerable combat in the Korean war while the improved M1D did not come into production in time to see combat in Korea.
In the game this weapon appears to have less knockdown power than the M1903, which fires the exact same bullet out of a barrel the exact same length. Yeah, play balance. **sigh**

Ross Mk III (CANADA)
The Ross rifle was a straight pull bolt action .303 caliber rifle produced in Canada from 1903 to 1918. It fired from a 5 round internal magazine that was loaded by stripper clips. The earlier Ross Mk II (model 1905) was a highly accurate rifle issued to Canadian troops in the Great War but its tight tolerances and other weaknesses, including poor quality ammunition, did not lend itself to the rigors of trench warfare. By 1916 it was withdrawn from front line service in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and replaced by Lee Enfields, except for Canadian snipers who valued their Ross rifles for their exceptional accuracy. The Ross Mk III was basically an entirely new rifle and it was this version that was fitted with telescopic sights and employed by allied snipers. British snipers found it accurate out to 600 yards but it continued to be finicky and required perfectly clean ammunition or it would jam. It was again issued during WWII but generally not to front line combat troops.

Winchester 1895 (US)
The last lever action repeating firearm designed by John M. Browning that was the first Winchester rifle to feature a box magazine (holding 5 rounds) located underneath the action instead of employing the normal tubular magazine design. This allowed it to shoot military grade ammo with spitzer (pointed) bullets as it kept the pointed tips away from the primer of the next round if loaded in the typical tubular magazine of a lever action. As you can imagine, a sharp hit to the butt of your rifle with a tubular magazine full of spitzer bullets could cause rounds to catastrophically discharge in the magazine. This would be considered bad. This rifle was built in different versions for rounds such as the .303 British, the .30-06 Springfield, and even the Russian 7.62mm x 54R. The US ordered 10,000 in .30/40 Krag for the Spanish American War but it ended before they arrived at the front. Though the Winchester 1895 saw action in WWII, crazily this seemed to be by not only the US, but the Finns, Germans (issued to Volkssturm units), and Mexico! What kind of action it saw, I was unable to determine.

Swedish Mauser (SWEDEN/GERMANY)
The Swedish Mauser includes the m/1894 carbine, m/1896 long rifle, m/1938 short rifle, and the m/1941 sniper rifle. It was chambered for the 6.5mm x 55mm cartridge and was manufactured in both Sweden by Carl Gustav and in Germany by Waffenfabrik Mauser AG. The rifle was fed from a 5 round internal magazine and loaded by a stripper clip. The sniper version, the m/1941 (during WWII) and m/1941B (post WWII) were pulled from existing stocks for accuracy and converted by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarsfaktori. The initial scopes mounted on this rifle were German AJACK 4x90 (4x38mm in modern terminology) m/41 telescopic sight. AJACK stood for the German optics manufacturer Adolph Jackenroll Optische Anstalt GmbH. The AJACK scope had a bullet drop compensator in 50 meter increments for ranges from 100 to 800 meters. Because of the deteriorating war situation Germany stopped selling the AJACK scope to Sweden after 4,000 copies. From then on the m/1941 was outfitted with the AGA 2x m/42 and 3x m/44 telescopic sights manufactured by Svenska Ackumulatorfabriken Jungner.
Though Sweden remained neutral during WWII, some of their rifles sold to Finland saw action during the Winter War. As this rifle was also manufactured in Germany, it is certainly possible it saw action with German units.

ZH-29 Rifle (CZECHOSLOVAKIA)
This rifle was one of the first successful self-loading rifles and was introduced in the late 1920s and fired the 8mm x 57mm IS cartridge (aka 7.92mm x 57mm Mauser) from a detachable 5, 10, and even 20 round box magazine. Czechoslovakia was occupied by the Germans during WWII so undoubtedly this rifle could have found it’s way into the German military.

Carcano M91/41 (ITALY)
Known as the F-ucile di Fanteria Mod. 91/41 because of it’s adoption in 1941, this bolt action rifle fired from a 6 round internal magazine loaded by an en block clip and chambered for the rimless 6.5mm x 52mm Carcano round. Developed by chief technician Salvatore Carcano at the Turin Army Arsenal, the original rifle was called the M91 and produced in various versions from 1892 to 1945. It was the previous version, the F-ucile di Fanteria Mod. 91/38 that was the most used rifle by the Italians and was also considered the better rifle. In fact, many consider the M91/38 the best bolt action battle rifle of the war. The /41 was meant to be an improvement but never actually eclipsed the /38. Many of these rifles were confiscated by the Germans after Italy’s capitulation in September 1943 and they continued to occupy northern Italy which had one of the two factories. This particular Carcano saw no action in North Africa but the previous M91/38 version did. Italian troops used it all through the invasion of Sicily and Italy and continued to use it after the Italians changed sides. Since Germans held the northern factory, they continued to produce the /41 version and could supply their own troops from there and from confiscated stocks. No sniper versions of this rifle existed but during WWI a few earlier version Carcanos were fitted with telescopic sights and issued to Italian troops. Any scoped rifles used in WWII would have been one-offs or prototypes.
(Note: for some reason formatting cut out the Italian word for "rifle" before di Fanteria twice. "F-u-c-i-l-e" doesn't look close to any swear word to me so I added a dash.)

Gewehr 43 (Karabiner 43) (G43) (GERMANY)
This was a 7.92mm x 57 Mauser semi-automatic rifle fed from a 10 round detachable box magazine and was developed from the earlier Gewehr 41, which in turn was inspired by copies of captured Russian SVT-40 semi-auto rifles. The resulting G41 did not meet expectations and was unreliable in combat. In 1943 Walther combined the gas system of the SVT-40 with aspects of the G41 and created the Gewehr 43 and over 400,000 were produced. This included over 50,000 sniper rifles which were fitted with the Zielfernrohr 43 (ZF 4) telescopic sight with a 4x magnification. Because of pressures of being at the approaching end of a losing war, the quality of the Gewehr 43 did not meet the normal high standards of German pre and early war weapons.

Karabiner 98K (GERMANY)
The Karabiner 98 kurz (for short) was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 7.92mm x 57mm Mauser cartridge and was adopted as the standard service rifle for the German Wehrmacht in 1935. The 98K was fed from a 5 round internal magazine that was loaded through the top by stripper clips. In 1941 a small scope, the 1.5x Zielfernrohr 41 (ZF41) long eye relief telescopic sight, was fitted over the rear sight element to some exceptionally accurate 98k rifles for use by designated marksman. This was the first attempt to provide the ordinary infantryman with a rifle capable of a higher level of accuracy. The ZF41 was meant to be zeroed at 100 meters and had a range dial that went out to 800 meters marked in 50 meter increments. At 1.5 magnification, the ZF41 was never meant to be a sniper scope but it did perform very well as a designated marksman rifle. In addition a muzzle mounted HUB-23 suppressor was manufactured and though it weighed just over a pound, it produced a 75% noise reduction using a special subsonic Nahpatrone (near cartridge) round. I couldn’t find any ballistic data for this unique round but surely it had similarities to SMG ballistics.
Sniper versions of the 98K were selected for being exceptionally accurate during factory tests and were fitted with a telescopic sight. These 98K sniper rifles had an effective range of up to 1,000 m when employed by a skilled sniper and used the German Zeiss Sielvier 4x (ZF-39) telescopic sight that had a bullet drop compensation in 50 meter increments for ranges from 100 to 800 meters or in some variations from 100 to 1,000 meters. There were also Zeiss Zielsechs 6x and Zielacht 8x telscopic sights available and sights by various other manufacturers like the Ajack 4x and 6x, Hensoldt Dialytan 4x, Kahles Heliavier 4x and Opticotechna Dialytan 4x. Like most battle rifles, the 98K was not designed to accept scope mounts so attaching such a scope required machining by a skilled armorer.

Lee Enfield No. 4 (UK)
This was the workhorse of the British Army during WWII and used the .303 cartridge. It was bolt action with a 10 round internal box magazine loaded by 5 round stripper clips. This rifle, in its various versions, served the British Empire from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957. The No. 4 was the primary rifle for the British Army and the Commonwealth all through WWII in both the European and Pacific theaters of war. It was stronger and easier to mass produce than its predecessor, the No. 1.
During WWII standard No. 4 rifles were selected for their accuracy during factory tests and were modified by the addition of a raised cheek rest on the buttstock and telescopic sight mounts designed to accept a No. 32 3.5x telescopic sight. This scope had a bullet drop compensation range drum on the top of the scope graduated in 50 yard increments from 0 to 1,000 yards. These rifles were designated as the No. 4 Mk I (T). These rifles could all place 7 out of 7 shots in a 5 inch circle at 200 yards and 6 of 7 shots in a 10 inch circle at 400 yards. The rear battle sight was ground off to make room for the scope mount.

Mannlicher M1895 (AUSTRIA)
This was a straight-pull bolt action rifle that fired from a five round internal magazine that was loaded by an en block clip. Originally chambered for the round nosed 8mm x 50mm R cartridge almost all of these rifles were rechambered for the more powerful spitzer 8mm x 56mm R. The Mannicher was the main battle rifle for the Austro-Hungarian Army throughout WW I. It saw action in WWII particularly by second line troops, reservists and even partisan units in Romania, Yugoslavia, Italy, and to a smaller extent, Germany.
The sniper versions of this rifle had the scope mount offset so that it could still be loaded from the top with the en bloc clips.

Mosin Nagant M91/30 (Mosin’s Rifle) (USSR)
Mosin’s Rifle was a bolt-action rifle chambered in 7.62mm x 54R that held five rounds fed by an internal magazine. It is one of the most mass produced military bolt action rifles in history since its inception in 1891. Captain (later Major General) Sergei Evanovich Mosin was the primary contributor to this rifle. Nagant also claimed ownership of the design and could file patents as a civilian that Captain Mosin could not because Captain Mosin served in the Imperial Russian Army. It was well known that Nagant copied some of Mosin’s designs which is why Russians call this “Mosin’s Rifle” and only in the West is this known as the Mosin Nagant. At the beginning of WWII the 91/30 was the standard issue weapon of Soviet troops who made up the largest mobilized army in history.
Since 1932 sniper rifles were manufactured initially with German produced mounts and scopes and subsequently with Russian designs. From 1942 onward it was issued with 3.5 x PU fixed focus scopes. This rifle was used by Vasily Zaitsev (225 confirmed kills), Lyudmila Pavlichenko (309 confirmed kills), Ivan Sidorenko (500 confirmed kills), and Roza Shanina (59 confirmed kills). An earlier version of this rifle (M28/30) was used by Simo Häyhä, the Finnish sniper who was credited with 505 kills against Soviet soldiers during the Winter war. This guy was such a hard case he did it with iron sights.

Thompson (M1A1) (US)
This select fire semi-auto SMG used 20 and 30 round detachable box magazines, had a 10.5 inch barrel, and chambered the .45 ACP round. This was the iconic US SMG from WWII. It was invented in 1918 by John T. Thompson and originally designated the M1921. It became famous for its use by organized crime, the FBI, and the military before, during, and after Prohibition (1920 to 1933). The 1921 had a high rate of fire of about 800 rpm which was considered too high by the US Navy so Auto Ordnance produced the 1928 version with a rate of fire of 600 rpm. It was adopted by the US military during WWII and was used in basically three versions. The first, the M1928A1, could take box and drum magazines, had a Cutts compensator on the end of the barrel, cooling fins on the barrel, had the charging handle on the top of the receiver, and employed a delayed blow back operating system. The second and third version were the M1 and M1A1, which had a barrel without cooling fins, could only use box magazines, had the charging handle on the side, and employed a straight blow back operating system. It had a fixed buttstock and though it could not be folded it could be completely removed on the 1928A1 verions, but not the M1 or M1A1 versions. The two major difference between the M1 and the M1A1 was the M1 had a hammer actuated firing pin while the M1A1 had a fixed firing pin, and the M1 had a rate of fire close to 900 rpm vice the 600 rpm of the M1A1! Over 1.5 million were produced during WWII. Its major disadvantages were its weight (10+ pounds) and reliability issues in dirty or jungle environments. The game model is the M1 or M1A1 model though much more likely to be a M1A1 versions as the M1 versions were only in production about 6 months before they were improved to the M1A1 version. In fact, M1 versions are very rare.
I’ve shot the M1928A1 version and though it had a solid kick, its heavy construction and high rate of fire allows it to more easily be kept on target—and yes, it is super cool.

M3 Grease Gun (M3 Submachine gun) (US)
Adopted in 1944, the M3 SMG used the same .45 ACP round fired by the Thompson it was meant to replace as it was cheaper to produce and much lighter (8.15 lb as opposed to the Thompson’s 10.8 lb). Nicknamed the “grease gun,” because of it’s similarity to a mechanic’s tool, it was actually less accurate than the Thompson, was full auto only, and had a lower rate of fire of about 450 rpm. GM’s Guide Lamp produced over 600,000 units between 1943 and 1945. It also featured a collapsible wire buttstock. Around 1000 9mm versions were produced for the OSS who used them for behind the lines operations as 9mm was more easily obtained in occupied countries. This was the version the OSS supplied to the French and Norwegian resistance. In addition, the OSS ordered 1000 suppressed versions in .45 ACP. Supposedly this suppressor was not as efficient as the Brit’s suppressed version of their STEN SMG, namely the Mk IIS. The suppressor was also integral to the barrel and could be screwed on and off, just like the original barrel.
In the game only the unsuppressed version is available--sadly. I’ve shot this weapon and at longer ranges it is difficult to keep this full auto only weapon on target because it is a light weapon and its heavy bolt rocking back and forward during firing rocks the weapon up and down spreading your group. Though its rate of fire is slow enough that you can pretty easily let loose single shots. I never shot the suppressed version but I would expect it was easier to keep on target because of the suppressor capturing most of that expanding gas.

M30 Drilling (M30 Luftwaffe drilling “triple”) (GERMANY)
This was a survival weapon issued to Luftwaffe crews (not pilots) during WWII and was primarily given to airmen operating in North Africa. The M30 featured two side by side 12 gauge shotgun barrels on top and a 9.3mm x 74mm Rimmed rifle barrel below. The left shotgun barrel was unchoked for shooting slugs while the right barrel was choked for shot shells. The rifle barrel chambered for the powerful 9.3mm 74R was probably better suited to the wild game on the African plains such as Lions, Water Buffalo, Rhino, and even Elephants! This extremely rare weapon was also issued in an aluminum case weighing 32 pounds and was intended to be be retrieved after a crash landing, thus it had to survive the crash landing before being usable for any surviving crew. This rifle was made from 1941 to 1942 and only 2,500 were produced. Props to the game for researching this weapon and putting it in the game. Obviously it is not remotely a submachine gun but rather an odd man out secondary weapon, much like the Trench Gun.
In the game when you fire it the first two shots are shotgun and the third is the rifle. Then it reloads all three. Perhaps a better way to handle that was to switch between the shotgun and the rifle like you switch between ammunition types. I'm thinking if you have to carry this around, you're in trouble!

STEN Mk II (UK)
STEN was a family of British submachine guns in chambered in 9mm Parabellum. It used a side mounted 32 round detachable box magazine and was select fire and blow back operated. On full automatic it had a rate of fire from 500-600 rounds per minute. STEN is an acronym from the names of the weapon’s chief designers: Major Reginald V. Shepherd and Harold Turpin, and EN for the Enfield factory. Over 4 million were produced in various versions during WWII making it the second most produced SMG of the war, behind the PPSh-41. The British needed weapons to replace their losses from Dunkirk and their primary SMG was the American Thompson. While a Thompson might cost up to 200 dollars a copy, the STEN was designed to meet the need for a SMG as cheaply as possible. Designed quickly and made from stamped metal and minor welding requiring minimal machining and manufacturing. In the end this weapon was costing the Brits 11 dollars a copy (or $4 or $9 dollars depending on your source). The Mk II was the most common variant with over 2 million copies produced. Though some of the early models may have had reliability issues, and the British Army had a love/hate relationship with the weapon, it was perfect for dropping to resistance organizations and it continued in service with the British military until 1953. SOE requested a suppressed version and was issued the STEN Mk IIS (pic below) in 1943. This version had a ported barrel producing a subsonic muzzle velocity of 1001
fps. The barrel heated up quickly with full auto fire and so was fitted with a laced canvas cover to protect the firer’s supporting hand.
I’ve fired this weapon (over two decades ago!) and found that like most suppressed weapons, it was easier to keep on target when firing full auto bursts. Of course I fired it full auto though original documentations recommends firing the suppressed version in semi-auto mode only. Ergonomically, it was not that comfortable to shoot but comfort was never one of the requirements of this iconic weapon.
In the game only the standard version is available. Missed opportunity there for the suppressed version.

OVP M1918 (ITALY)
The Italians were among the first to employ submachine guns on the battlefield and their first was the Villar Perosa M15 made by Officine di Villar Perosa (OVP) that remained in service until the end of the first World War. Originally meant to be used by the observer in a military aircraft, it was adopted for ground troops and became part of the order of battle for Italian Infantry battalions in May 1917. Many considered this the first true submachine gun. After the Great war OVP was asked to produce a more practical weapon and the OVP 1918 was the result. This SMG, chambered in 9mm Glisenti, was classed as a delayed blowback with a top fed detachable 25 round box magazine and at 900 rpm had a high rate of fire. It was select fire with two triggers, the forward trigger for semi-auto and the rear trigger for full auto. Because it was top magazine fed, the iron sights were offset to the left and the rear sight actually had two sights, one above the other, which were unmarked with the lower sight obviously set for a closer range (50m?) and the upper site for a longer range (100m?) Only about 500 copies of this weapon were made and though it saw some service in the Abyssinian war and with Italian units in North Africa in 1941, it appears it was largely withdrawn from service before the Allied Invasion of Sicily.
In the game this weapon should be found only rarely as it was obsolete by this time.

PPSh-41 (USSR)
Designed by Georgy Schpagin as a cheaper and more reliable version to the Soviet’s previous PPD-40. It was a magazine or drum fed selective fire SMG chambered for the powerful 7.62mm x 25 P cartridge featuring a wooden fixed stock. Russians nicknamed this weapon the “papasha” meaning “daddy,” and it it was also called the “burp gun” because of its high rate of fire (900-1000+ rpm). It was a blowback weapon firing from the open bolt and fed from 35 round detachable box magazines or 71 round drum magazines. German captured versions used a 32 round box magazine. It was primarily chambered for the 7.62mm x 25P cartridge which meant
it could also chamber the 7.62mm 25 Mauser. There were also versions chambered for the 9mm Parabellum. Schpagin designed this for quick production with stamped metal parts and produced his first few hundred in November of 1941. By the spring of 1942 Russian factories were producing over 3,000 units a day. The Germans captured so many of these weapons that they rechambered many for the 9mm Parabellum and called it the MP41(r). Unconverted weapons were designated the MP7171(r) and supplied with 7.62mm x 25 Mauser ammo.
As the game is set in Italy, I still wonder why this is available at all. Though it is handy in multiplayer.

FNAB-43 (ITALY)
Designed in 1942 Fabbrica Nazionale d’Armi di Brescia produced approximately 7,000 units between 1943 and 1945. The FNAB-43 was a select fire 9mm Parabellum SMG, with a folding stock, firing from a 10, 20, or 40 round detachable box magazine and used a lever delayed blowback system firing from a closed bolt position. It had a relatively slow rate of fire of 400 rpm and the magazine can be folded forward to lie under the barrel for compactness. Of course, it cannot fire when folded this way. It was expensive to manufacture as it required extensive
milling and precision engineering. The lever delayed blowback system allowed a controllable 400 rpm without having to use a heavier bolt that would affect accuracy in full automatic mode.
In the game any Italian soldiers armed with SMGs would be primarily carrying this weapon.


MAB-38 (Beretta Model 38) (ITALY)
First introduced in 1938, the MAB 38 (Moschetto Automatico Beretta) and its variants were a series of SMGs used by the Italian Army during WWII. The MAB-38 was a 9mm Parabellum blowback operated weapon firing from a 10, 20, 30, or 40 round detachable box magazine. It was a select fire weapon and like the FNAB-43 used two triggers, the front trigger was semi-auto and the back trigger produced 600 rpm full auto fire. It was an extremely robust SMG and proved very popular with Axis forces as well as Allied troops who were able to acquire them through capture. Many elite German units such as the Waffen-SS and Fallschirmjäger preferred this weapon. In fact, production of this quality weapon was so slow that it didn’t become available in large numbers until 1943 after the fascist regime fell.
In the game it should be periodically found in the hands of the Fallschirmjäger along with some Italian soldiers.

MKB 42 (Maschinenkarabiner 42(H)) (GERMANY)
This was an early German assault rifle designed in 1940-41 by Hugo Schmeisser working at C. G. Haenel Waffen und Fahrradfabrik during WWII. The (H) stood for Haenel and there was an MKB 42(W) produced by Walther but the (H) model was much more successful. The MKB 42(H) fired from an open bolt with a detachable 30 round box magazine. It was a select fire rifle and had a rate of fire of 600 rpm. The Army asked Haenel to incorporate improvements including a few from the Walther version and this resultant rifle was named the MP 43, which became the predecessor of the later Sturmgewehr 44 or StG 44 Assault Rifle. The Germans were among the first to look at the current battle rifle rounds, including their 7.92mm x 57 cartridge, and determine than they were more powerful and had longer ranges than the typical soldier needed. Since most combat took places at ranges less than 400 meters, if a less powerful round were available, then soldiers would be able to carry more of the smaller round. A new 7.92mm x 33mm Kurz (short) round was designed for this rifle.
The game is accurate in that this weapons is sometimes found carried by German elite troops.

MP 40 (Maschinenpistole 40) (GERMANY)
Designed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer and inspired by his previous MP 38 it was typically issued to paratroopers, armored vehicle crews, and squad and platoon leaders in the infantry (Wehrmacht). It was often called the "Schmeisser" by allied troops after Hugo Schmeisser who designed the MP 18 but who also had nothing to do with Vollmer’s iconic weapon. Over a million were produced by Erma Werke. It fired the 9mm Parabellum cartridge from the open bolt using a 32 round box magazine. Though generally reliable the MP40 had one major weakness and that was the magazine which, though double stacked, fed from a single stack vice the staggered feed of, say, the M1A1 Thompson, and this sometimes caused feed failures. This weapon was deployed in significantly higher numbers after the Battle of Stalingrad where the Germans found themselves outgunned by entire Russian units armed with the fully automatic PPSh-41 SMG in the nasty close quarter combat that was Stalingrad.

M1911 (US)
This .45 ACP semi-auto pistol designed by John M. Browning used a 7 round detachable box magazine. It was the only weapon in the US inventory that had a left twist in the barrel rifling rather than a right. This pistol is over a hundred years old and is still extremely popular. This was THE pistol for the US Army in WWII and the G.I.s loved it as did Brit Commandos and SOE operatives. Though you can put a suppressor on this pistol, it is a bit of a trick because it uses a rising barrel locking system and the weight of the suppressor can interfere with cycling. The M1911 (pictured left) with a straight mainspring housing, and longer trigger was used all throughout the First World War and a slightly modified version (pictured top), the M1911A1 (curved mainspring housing, shorter trigger) was produced starting in 1926. This was a single action trigger which mean it had a shorter, lighter trigger pull than most double actions and thus it was more accurate. This meant when it was c-ocked and ready, the hammer was back.
I've fired this weapon and absolutely love it. It is tough, reliable, hard hitting, ergonomic, and proven. Historically, it is one of those rare weapons that is over one hundred years old and still going strong.
In the game, this pistol (the A1 version) just looks super cool and authentic as hell and I’m not biased at all, in spite of the thousands of rounds I’ve fired out of a .45.

Luger P08 (GERMANY)
Georg Luger’s iconic semi-auto P08 chambered for the 9mm Parabellum round he also designed, was fed from an 8 round detachable box magazine with the magazine release near the trigger. It was adopted by the Germany Army in WWI and was their primary issued pistol during the Great War. By 1938 it was replaced by the Walther P-38 but still saw service in WWII as production continued until 1943 based on wartime demands. Known for its exceptional fit and hand finish, it was a very accurate handgun. About 3 million were manufactured.
In the game this weapon should typically only be found on officers and would be found in significantly lower numbers than the Walther P-38s. Officers who carried it would be justifiably proud that they owned one.

Army Pistol P38 (Walther P38) (GERMANY)
Carl Walther’s 9mm Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Germany army in 1938 but didn’t go into full production until 1940. It was fed by an 8 round detachable box magazine with the magazine release on the butt. It was the first semi-auto pistol that used a locked breech and a double-action/single action trigger. That meant the first trigger pull was a longer, heavier double action, but every trigger pull there after was a single action as the trigger was c-ocked after every shot. Walther’s previous PP and PPK pistols used that same double-action/single-action trigger but used an unlocked blowback design because it was a less powerful cartridge (.380 auto or .32 ACP). Though this type of trigger is very popular today, the P38 was the very first.
In the game this should be the most common pistol carried by German officers.

Webley Mk VI (Webley No. 1 Mk VI) (UK)
The official service pistol for the British military during WWII was the .38 calibre Enfield No. 2 Mk I revolver but critical shortages meant the older Webley Mk VI in .455 caliber and the Mk IV in
.38/200 calibre were issued to troops. The Mk VI was a six shot revolver, break open, meaning, it would open at a hinge just forward of the trigger allowing complete access to the cylinder for reloading. Its big .45 calibre bullet was hard hitting but the fact that this was a revolver meant that reload times were never quick.







Welrod (Welrod Mk I) (UK)
Designed by Major Hugh Reeves at the Inter-Services Research Bureau based near Welwyn Garden City. Supposedly the original model Mk II, in .32 auto, (inset, below left) was built first and
didn’t perform well so the Mk I in 9mm was developed. The Welrod was designed as a bolt action pistol to reduce the potential sound made by the cycling of a semi-automatic. It is very quiet, especially the first round as it shot through multiple solid rubber gaskets including one at the end of the suppressor. Subsequent shots would be louder and because the rubber gaskets holes would get wider but this was designed into it as the gaskets were meant to be replaced. The barrel was also drilled to let off excess gas and reduce the supersonic 9mm Parabellum round to subsonic velocities.
I had the chance to fire this weapon at the same time I was firing a suppressed H&K USP and a suppressed Mk 23 SOCOM pistol. I was surprised that this weapon, as old as it was with very old wipes in the suppressor, was as quiet, or quieter than both of the modern pistols. I was also very impressed by its accuracy. One minor issue is that the trigger was so far forward that it was a bit awkward to reach with your trigger finger. Still, this may be the coolest weapon I ever had the privilege of shooting.

HDM (High Standard Model HD) (US)
Introduced in 1944 specifically for the OSS. Built from the popular High Standard pistol, it featured an integral suppressor and was fed from a 10 round detachable box magazine firing the .22 caliber Long Rifle (.22LR). It is the least powerful cartridge though the game treats it with pretty much the same damage capability as all other pistols. In reality it should be treated as the least damaging pistol cartridge. It was quieter than other suppressed pistols (except for the Welrod) but in the game it is the only other integral suppressed pistol.
I’ve shot a couple of these pistols and they are indeed very quiet (as old as these ones were) and it is accurate at least out to 25 meters. This was a sweet piece of work.

Mauser M712 (M712 Schnellfeuer “rapid fire”) (GERMANY)
The M712 was the select fire (semi-auto and full auto) version of the German C96 pistol. The C96 was manufactured from 1896 to 1937 and fired from an integral 10 round box magazine forward of the trigger, which had to be loaded via stripper clip. Apparently there were detachable box magazine versions of the M712 that used 10 and 20 round magazines. The M712 and C96 fired the high velocity 7.63mm x 25 Mauser cartridge and the M712 was issued to the Wehrmacht during WWII thus it was the select fire M712 rather than the older semi-auto C96 that saw more combat in WWII.
In the game the Mauser M712 fires from a 20 round detachable box magazine and indeed has a high rate of fire.

Walther PPK (GERMANY)
Designed by Carl Walther, the PP (Polizeipistole) pistol was produced starting in 1929 specifically for police use and remains in production today. It was one of the first double action single action pistols ever produced. The PP and it’s smaller version, the PPK (Polizeipistolekriminal) were chambered in .32 ACP and .380 Auto (or 9mm short). Both used a detachable box magazine with the .32 ACP version holding 8 rounds and the .380 version holding 7 rounds for the PP, and the PPK holding one less of each particular round. I’ve not found information that the PP or PPK were issued to the Germany military in either caliber but they were issued to police officers and Hitler shot himself with his .32 Auto PPK. It is certainly possible that this pistol was available to the German military.
In the game the PPK is .380 caliber vice .32 Auto based on the number of rounds it can fire from a magazine.

Nagant M1895 (USSR)
This was a seven shot, double action, gas sealed revolver designed by Leon Nagant, a Belgian, for the Russian Government in the late 1880’s. It used the 7.62mm x 38 Rimmed round and is the only weapon in the game to use this absolutely unique cartridge. Virtually all revolvers necessarily have a small gap between the cylinder and the barrel that allows the cylinder to rotate. However this gap allows a loss of propellant gas as the bullet crosses that gap, resulting in a lower velocity for the bullet (up to 75 fps lower). Nagant designed the cylinder to be forced against the barrel when it was c-ocked, and this along with the crimp in front of the bullet, meant that the round lost virtually no propellant when the bullet traveled from the cylinder to the barrel. This also meant that this pistol could be suppressed and often was. I don’t know if there were suppressed versions of this in WWII but they certainly found such versions during the Vietnam War. The one great disadvantage of this pistol, like all revolvers, was the very slow reload times.

Tokarev TT33 (USSR)
Designed by Fedor Tokarev in the 1930’s to replace the Nagant M1895 revolver though both pistols were issued to Russian troops during WWII. Tokarev borrowed some of the design from Browning’s FN Model 1903 semiautomatic pistol (pic below) and used the short recoil tilting
barrel locking system from Browning's M1911 pistol. Still, Tokarev included his own unique features such as a removable hammer/sear assembly. The TT33 fires the 7.62mm x25 cartridge from an 8 round detachable box magazine. It is a robust and reliable pistol that served Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union until replaced by the Makarov. Germans issued captured TT33 pistols to their own troops because their 7.62mm Mauser round was compatible with this pistol.

M1934 (ITALY)
This compact Beretta, fired the .380 ACP cartridge from a 7 round detachable box magazine, was the primary pistol for the Italian military all through WWII. Tough and reliable, it suffered from a low powered cartridge compared to the 9mm Parabellum and the .45 ACP. The Italians called this 9mm short cartridge the 9mm Corto and Beretta manufactured this weapon from 1934 to 1991.
In the game this should be the pistol carried by all Italian officers.

All the following weapons, though they can be found and used on the battlefield, are not available to the player during his premission loadout.

FG 42 (Fallschirmjägergewehr 42) (GERMANY)
Developed specifically for German Paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) as a light machine gun. It was shorter than the Kar 98K but considerably heavier and bulkier. Still this is considered one of the most advanced weapon designs of WWII and it influenced many post war designs. The FG 42 fired from a side mounted detachable 10 or 20 round box magazine and was gas operated with a rotating bolt locking system. A select fire weapon it fired full auto at 900 rpm (early model) or 750 rpm (late model). The FG 42 fired semi auto from the closed bolt and, with unique innovation, fired from the open bolt during full auto operation. It was mostly well received by the paratroopers who tested it, but it did have drawbacks. The side mounted magazine made the weapon unbalanced and controllable bursts were difficult, making full auto fire less effective. Because of its shorter barrel, its resulting muzzle blast and noise levels were much greater than other similar weapons.
Perhaps comparable to the US M1918 BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) as both shot full power cartridges, were select fire weapons, and filled the role of what later became known as the squad automatic weapon. While the BAR (pic below) fired the same round as the M1 Garand, the
FG 42 fired the same round as the Kar 98K. Much lighter than the BAR, which weighed in at 16 lbs, the FG 42 weighed either 9.3 lbs (early version) or 10.9 lbs (later version). It was also shorter over all at 37 inches (early) or 38.4 inches (late) compared to the BAR’s 47.8 inches. Production could not keep up with demand and so there were never enough FG 42s to arm most Fallschirmjäger but a large number of what was available went to the 2nd Parachute Division and saw action after D-Day at Carentan and the Falaise Pocket.
In the game the ammunition, though the same as the Karabiner 98K rifle, is categorized as LMG ammo, completely separate from the actual ammunition it uses and thus must be scavenged separately. The player character will pick this ammo up whether he is carrying the weapon or not.

Trench Gun (M97) (US)
Designed for use in the trench warfare of World War I, the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.) used the reliable and tested Winchester Model 1897 “Riot” pump action 12 gauge shotgun. It used a 20 inch barrel with a cylinder bore. It could hold 5 rounds in the tubular magazine plus 1 round in the chamber. What made it a ‘Trench’ Gun was the addition of a bayonet lug that could use the standard M1917 bayonet, a ventilated metal handguard, and sling swivels that could take standard service rifle slings. This weapon was very popular with American Doughboys and so extremely unpopular with the Germans that they lodged an official protest claiming it violated the Hague Convention and therefore they threatened to execute any captured U.S. soldiers armed with the shotgun. To which, the U.S. Government replied it was indeed legal and they would seek reprisals if any U.S. Servicemen were executed. There were no known instances where the Germans carried out their threat.
In the game you cannot chose this weapon during initial loadout but you can pick it up on the battlefield, along with the ammunition to supply it. Your character will pick up ammo for it even if he is not carrying the weapon.

Panzerfaust 60 ("Tank Fist" or "Armor Fist") (GERMANY)
This cheap, single shot, recoilless German anti-tank weapon consisted of a small, disposable pre-loaded launch tube firing a high-explosive shaped charge anti-tank warhead and could be fired by a single soldier. The Panzerfaust 60 was the most common version and came into use in early 1944. Though its range was very short, putting the firer in extreme danger, it was a very effective weapon and could knock out almost any tank on the battlefield. The Panzerfaust was meant to be held under the armpit (pic below) with the firer using the flip up sight as the rear sight and the top of the warhead as the front sight. After firing the tube was discarded. Later model tubes were meant to be used up to ten times but these came out near the end of the war and did not see widespread use. Allied troops, including the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division captured many of these weapons and finding them more effective than their bazooka, put them to use during the Battle of the Bulge.
In the game the player character incorrectly fires this weapon from the shoulder, similarly to the US Bazooka. The arc shown as you aim is actually authentic in depicting the very short range of this weapon.

MG 34 (Maschingewehr 34) (GERMANY)
First introduced in 1934 and issued to troops in 1936 this machine gun was a revelation and pretty much introduced to the world the first Einheitsmaschinengewehr or "universal machine gun," better known as the general purpose machine gun (GPMG). Allied troops erroneously nicknamed it the "Spandau" because of the MG 08 machine gun from the First World War that was manufactured at Spandau Arsenal. The MG 34 fires the 7.92mm x 57 Mauser round (also fired by the Karabiner 98K, Gewehr 43, and the FG 42). It was light enough (26.7 lb) to be carried by one man and could fire at a rate of 900 rpm. It was a complex weapon and difficult to mass produced so it was supplemented by the cheaper and simpler MG 42. Both of these iconic machine guns remained in production throughout the war. Its maximum range was 4,700 meters and typically was fed from a non-disintegrating belt of 50 or 250 rounds, with the shorter belts often contained in a 50 or 75 round drum. Surprisingly, this MG was select fire with a unique double crescent trigger that allowed semi-auto fire if you pulled the top half of the trigger and full automatic if you pulled the bottom half (pictured below). E=Einzelfeurer "semi-auto"; D=Dauerfeuer "full-auto."
In the game this weapon is unavailable to the player but I included it here because it is mounted in so many pillboxes and is the coaxial and hull machine gun in the Pzkw Mk III tank. In fact it was mounted on almost every German tank and so many armored cars and half-tracks that you cannot help but be on the receiving end of it.

Neunfaust R1
This weapon was based on a real weapon that barely made it off the drawing boards. The Fliegerfaust "plane fist," or Luftfaust "air fist," was a German prototype of an unguided, man-portable, multi-barreled ground-to-air rocket launcher designed to engage low flying ground attack planes. The first version was the Fliegerfaust A had four 20mm barrels that each fired a small 90 gram rocket with 19 grams of explosives. The Fliegerfaust B had nine barrels, each of which were longer than the A version. It was not a successful weapon because it never reached its planned effective range of 500 meters and the dispersion of its rocket projectiles was too large. Only 80 were ever produced and they saw very little action and all in the closing months of the war.
In the game (set in 1943) the Neunfaust R1 was clearly ahead of its time. It can be found in one of the DLC missions and is effective and accurate. Perhaps too accurate, though there were no low flying aircraft to engage.
Three Fliegerfausts can be identified in the photo above, in the lower portion of the rubble at the Hotel Adlon, Berlin, 1945.

Model 1924 (M24) (GERMANY)
Evolved from the M1915 Stielhandgranate of the First World War, the M24 "Stick Hand Grenade" used a friction fuse that was ignited buy unscrewing the base and yanking the cord. This cord activated the friction igniter giving you 4.5 seconds before detonating the 6 oz. TNT charge. The stick gave the soldier leverage to throw the grenade greater distances and also allowed him to carry grenades stuck right though his belt, though it did reduce the overall number he could carry. This became the standard way to carry grenades until later in the war soldiers were advised to carry them in a different manner as they were too exposed to any kind of explosion that could cause a sympathetic detonation. This grenade was primarily an anti-personnel weapon as it relied on concussion as it lacked fragmentation and explosive power to do any damage to buildings or armored vehicles. This concussion effect was much more effective in closed buildings and inside armored vehicles and often had a tendency to stun, rather than wound or kill. In open spaces, it was less effective. The friction igniter also took longer to activate that allied hand grenades such as the Brit Mills bomb, the French F1 grenade and the US Mk 2 grenade. Of course all of these allied grenades suffered from one similar problem and that was that they continued to roll after landing, a problem that the M24 did not share. The M24 also had problems igniting in cold weather as was discovered in the Eastern Front. This was remedied by the K variant with a cold resistant fuse. The letter "K" (Kalt = cold) was painted on these M24s. There was also a smoke grenade version (Nebelhandgrante = fog hand grenade) that had the explosive material replaced with a smoke material that would emanate from holes cut in the bottom of the metal head. This grenade was distinguished by markings on the charge head and by a white band painted on the handle. To deal with armored targets and buildings or bunkers, German soldiers used an improvised bundle charge consisting of one stick with anywhere from four to six charge heads attached. Though somewhat effective, it was awkward to carry and required soldiers to move dangerously close to their target.

S-mine (Schrapnellmine, Springmine, Spittermine) (GERMANY)
This German anti-personnel mine was known as the "Bouncing Betty" by western Allies and as "frog mine" by the Russians on the Eastern Front. It is the most popular of the bounding mines, that is mines that when triggered are launched into the air and detonate above ground. This mine exploded at about 1 meter height, which was designed to inflict the most damage across a wider area. First developed in the 1930s it was used extensively throughout WWII against Infantry targets. The detonation mechanism could use various fuses to include pressure (15 lbs/7 kilos or greater), pull, and tension release. The entire mine weighed 8.8 lbs (4 kilos) though the explosive charge was around 6.4 oz depending whether it was powdered or poured TNT.
I could not find information on a German Trip mine so it is possible that the mine in the game is simply the S-mine fitted with a trip wire fuse detonator.

Teller mine (Tellermine) (GERMANY)
This anti-tank mine had approximately 5.5 kilos of TNT and was detonated by 200 lb (91 kilos) of pressure. It could blow the tracks off of any WWII era tank rendering it immobile, or it could destroy lightly armored vehicles such as half-tracks, or armored cars. These mines were also often equipped with anti-tampering devices to hinder demining operations. There were four versions of the Teller mine, all named by the year they entered into service.
In the game this mine can be detonated by personnel, though realistically this would not always be the case as a soldier might not exhert the 200 lbs of pressure necessary.

Panzer III (Panzerkampfwagen III) (Pzkw III) (GERMANY)
This prolific vehicle was one of the primary tanks of the German Panzerwaffe (Armored Corps). This medium tank was developed by Daimler-Benz in the 1937 and served in the German military from 1939 to 1945. This tank also incorporated a larger three-man turret, inspired by the British Vickers Medium Mark I tank. That third man was the commander who didn't have an alternate role as loader or gunner, and therefore could concentrate on combat awareness of the battlefield. This made all the difference! The Pzkw III was meant to be the primary battle tank of Germany while its partner tank, the Mk IV was intended to support infantry with its 75mm main gun firing HE rounds. The 50mm main gun served as the German's main battle tank until the Soviet T-34 medium tanks and KV-1 heavy tanks disabused them of that idea. Early Ausf A-G models were armed with a 37mm main gun but enemy tank improvements meant the Mk III needed a larger gun so later versions (Ausf F-M models) were armed with 50mm canons. The final versions (Ausf J+) mounted a 75mm main gun. In addition the the Pzkw III carried 2 or sometimes 3 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns. Early models had 15mm of all around armor while later models had 30mm all around and the final J+ versions had 50mm all around. It was powered by a 12 cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM 300 PS engine that produced 296 hp. Its maximum speed off road was approximately 12 mph (20 km/h), while on roads it could reach 25 mph (40 km/h). It weighed 23 tons and its 300 or 320 liter fuel tanks gave it a range of approximately 103 miles (165 km). The Pzkw III saw action in Poland, France, the Soviet Union and North Africa and many were still in service against Western Allied forces at Anzio, Italy and Normandy, France. In North Africa the Pzkw III was effective against British Crusader and US supplied M3 Stuart light tanks but not so effective against the British Matilda and the American M3 Lee/Grant tanks from 1942 and on. In fact, the hull mounted 75mm gun of the Lee/Grant or the turret mounted 75mm of the M4 Sherman could easily destroy the Mk III at ranges far beyond the latter's effective range. This same Pzkw III with the 50mm main gun soon found itself outclassed by the Soviet T-34 Medium tank during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was this poor performance that inspired the upgunning of the Pzkw III with a 75mm main gun. The crew consisted of five men: commander, gunner, loader, driver, and radio operator/bow machine gunner. Approximately 5,774 were built and this does not include the StuG III built off the same chassis.
In the game there are two versions of the Mk III tank. The Pzkw III Ausf. N mounting a short barreled 7.5 cm main gun and an Ausf. J mounting a 5 cm main gun. The Ausf. N is often operational and very dangerous (with the same turret number "825") while the Ausf. J is just a prop that is already damaged or under repair. Teller Mines or Panzerfausts can cause a mobility kill, and a second shot or mine or TNT will destroy the vehicle. The driver and gunner can be killed with well placed shots through their view ports but the bow machine gun cannot be killed until the entire tank is destroyed.

Panzer III Ausf.N
The Ausf.N weighed 23 tons and was powered by the Maybach HL 120 TRM V-12 gasoline (petrol) engine that produced 285 horse power and could move the Ausf.N at a top speed of 25 mph (40 kph). It had 60mm of armor on the front and 16mm on the sides and rear. Between 614 and 750 of this version were manufactured.
Armament
7.5 cm Kwk 37 L/24 main gun
7.92mm MG 34 Coaxial machine gun
7.92mm MG 34 Bow machine gun
The short-barrel 7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone ("tank cannon") was a low-velocity gun primarily designed to fire high-explosive shells against infantry targets. The Kwk 37 was also the main gun for the Panzer IV. If the Mk III Ausf.N had to engage armored vehicles it could fire a Panzergranate armor-piercing (AP) shell but this round was only effective at short ranges. Later in the war crews were able to use a new HL-granaten 39 hollow-charge high-explosive round (HEAT) which had a greater effect against enemy armor. Starting in May 1943 Schurzen 5mm armor plates were mounted on the hull sided and 10mm plates to the turret to protect against Soviet 14.5mm AT Rifle fire.

Panzer III Ausf. J
The Ausf. J version was the most common variant of the Panzer III that served in North Africa and the Eastern Front. Hull and turret front armor was increased to 50mm. The later versions with the longer 50 cm gun were redesignated Ausf. L and even later had stand off armor plates added.
Armament
(early) 5 cm Kwk 38 L/42 main gun
(late) 5 cm Kwk 38 L/60 main gun (longer barrel)
7.92mm Maschinengewehr 34 (MG 34) Coaxial
7.92mm MG 34 bow gun
Rate of fire for the main guns was about 20 rpm due to a semi-automatic breech with a horizontal sliding block.

AB 41 (Autoblindo 41) (ITALY)
The Autoblindo 41 was one of a series of Italian armored cars manufactured by Fiat-Ansaldo. The first version (AB 40) was ordered in 1940 and only built in small numbers (24!). This version was armed with two 8mm machine guns in a turret and it was quickly determined that this was insufficient. The AB 40 was redesigned as the AB 41 which was the same vehicle with a new turret armed with a 20mm autocannon. Almost all of the AB 40s were converted to the 41 model. The AB 41 was four-wheel drive with all four wheels being steerable though that was not without its problems. The spare wheels fitted between the drive wheels could rotate and thus helped the vehicle navigate difficult terrain and keep it from getting high centered. The AB 41 had a crew of 4, a commander, a gunner, and 2 drivers, one facing forward and one facing rear as the 41 had 6 forward gears and 4 reverse gears and a top speed of 45 mph (70 km/h) giving it good cross country performance. It had excellent 15mm armor on the front but the engine was difficult to reach, the fuel tank was unprotected, and the turret was 1-man. In spite of some of these shortcomings it was considered one of the best armored cars of its era. About 550 were constructed. Plans to upgrade the turret to a 47mm AT gun (AB 43) were cancelled due to the Italian Armistice in September of 1943. Germany also employed this vehicle, no doubt confiscated from the Italians.
Armament
1 x 20mm turret mounted Breda mod. 35 autocannon
1 x 8mm turret mounted coaxial (alongside the main gun) Breda mod. 38 machine gun
1 x 9mm rear hull mounted Breda mod. 38 machine gun
The Breda mod. 35 autocanon was adopted in 1935 as an anti-aircraft gun and manufactured by the Societa Italiana Ernesto Breda of Brescia company. It fired a 20mm x138B shell at about 240 rpm at a velocity of 2,800 fps (840 m/s). The AP rounds could penetrate 30mm of armor at 500 meters and was fed by a 12 round strip. This weapon saw a great deal of service in numerous countries and even the Brit LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) used captured trailer versions on their vehicles.
In the game the AB 41 is often operational and presents a danger with its turret mounted gun and its forward and rear facing machine guns. It can be destroyed by mines, Panzerfaust, or well placed shots through the driver's view port can result in a mobility kill, while shots through the turret view port can kill the gunner. Machine gunners can also be killed with accurate shots through view ports.

MAS (Motoscafo Armato Silurante or torpedo-armed motorboat) (ITALY)
The MAS was a class of fast torpedo boats used by the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) during both world wars. The MAS of WWII displaced 20-30 tons (depending on class), had a maximum speed of 45 knots, carried two 450mm torpedoes and a single machine gun. They saw action throughout the Mediterranean and during a number of engagements successfully torpedoed both cargo ships and warships. Later in the war they became obsolete and were replaced by improved versions called MS (Moto Siluranti). Besides the torpedoes, they could be armed with either a 13mm heavy machine gun, or 20mm or 30mm autocanons.
In the game the MAS patrols the water near the objective in numerous missions. This boat can spot you if you're close to the shore and its rear mounted heavy machine gun or cannon can be deadly.

Sd.Kfz.222 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 222) (Leichter Panzerspahwagen Sd.Kfz.222) (GERMANY)
The Sd.Kfz.221 was the first in what became a series of light reconnaissance vehicles. It was powered by a Horch 3.8 V8 engine that produced 89 horsepower. It could travel at 50mph (80km/h) on improved roads and 25 mph (40km/h) cross country. It had 14.5mm of armor in the front and 5mm all around. The original 221 was armed with a single machine gun and had a crew of two, driver and gunner. The much improved 222 had a crew of three, commander, gunner, and driver. The 222's primary armament was a single 2cm KwK 30 L/55 auto cannon in the turret with a coaxial MG34 machine gun mounted to the left of the main gun. By 1943 the Kwk 30 cannons were upgraded to the longer barreled Kwk 38 firing the same 2cm (20mm) ammunition. The top of the turret was open (unarmored!) but but did have a mesh grating to keep out unwelcome hand grenades.
In the game the vehicles mounts an Italian auto cannon (Breda 35) and no coaxial MG. I could not find information that any 222s mounted this Italian auto cannon but neither could I refute it.

Sd.Kfz.251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) (GERMANY)
Designed by the Hanomag company, this armored half-track and armored personnel carrier was based on its earlier unarmored Sd.Kfz.11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz.251 was designed to transport German Mechanized Infantry (Panzergrenadier) into battle. It was the most recognizable and widely produced German half-track of the war. The basic version had a crew of two and could carry up to ten troops. It was powered by a 6 cylinder Maybach HL42 petrol engine that produced 99 horsepower that gave it a maximum speed of 32.5 mph (52.4 kh/h). Front armor was 14.5mm thick and the angled side armor was 8mm thick. The open top provided both exceptional visibility and a vulnerability to grenades, Molotov cocktails, and mortar rounds. Generally it was armed with either one or two MG 34 or MG 42 machine guns. There were 4 main versions of this vehicle (Ausf.A-D) and multiple subversions of these to include mortar carriers, anti-tank gun mounts, ambulances, command vehicles, rocket launchers, and pioneer (engineer) vehicles.
In the game the Sd.Kfz.251 has a MG 34 in a turret but I could not find any information on this particular version. The gun looks much bigger and longer than an MG 34, however the rate of fire and impacts appear to be that of an MG 34.

Flakvierling 38 (Flak 38) (GERMANY)
Was a 2cm (20mm) quadruple mount light towed AA (anti-aircraft) gun designed by Mauser originally for naval use but also produced for the army. It had a 360 degree traverse and an elevation arc of -10 to 100 degrees. It's effective ceiling was 7220 ft (2200m) and it fired a quarter pound projectile at 2952fps (900m/s). Though this weapon could not reach high altitude allied bombers, it was very effective against low flying or strafing aircraft. Firing at ground targets it had a range of 5,783m. Originally the crew was consisted of a commander and seven men (four of whom were loaders), though in August 1944 that was reduced to six plus a commander. Minimum crew for this weapon was four men. Though often towed, it was also mounted on vehicles and trains, in addition to being placed on flak towers to protect vulnerable targets. There were numerous types of ammunition for for this weapon to include HE-T (high explosive tracer), HEI-T (high explosive incendiary tracer), HEI, APHE-T (armor piercing high explosive tracer), and API-T (armor piercing incendiary tracer), most of which had a self-destruct of about 5.5 seconds, at which it had nearly reached max range of 2000m. This four barrelled weapon had a cyclic rate of fire of 1,800 rpm but reloading kept the practical rate of fire at about 800 rpm. Each gun was fed by a 20 round detachable box magazine, which you can imagine, kept the loaders busy during engagements.
In the game this weapon is either a prop or an objective to be destroyed.

8.8cm Flak 18/36/37/41 (Flak 88) (GERMANY)
This 88mm AA and AT (anti-tank) gun was one of the most recognized and effective German weapons of World War II. The name above applies to a series of weapons the first being the 8.8cm Flak 18, then the improved 8.8cm Flak 36 and 8.8cm Flak 37. The word "Flak" is a contraction of the German word Flugabwehrkanone. Flak then became the popular term used by allied air crews for this type of system. Primarily designed as an anti-aircraft system it had a 360 degree traverse and an elevation range of -3 to 85 degrees. It had a hydro-pneumatic recoil system that would eject the fired shell making it ready for the next round to be handloaded. The crew consisted of 10 men and it was a towed system that could be detached from its wheels and emplaced in 2.5 minutes. It fired an 88mm x 571R shell at about 2,690 fps (840m/s) and had a practical rate of fire of 15-20 rpm. It was also found to be an effective anti-tank weapon and could engage ground targets while still on its wheels. It was so effective as an AT weapon that the gun was adapted to be the primary canon for a number of tanks. This gun was designated the 8.8cm KwK 36 (Kampfwagen-Kanone) and was the main armament of the Tiger I (Pzkw Mk VI), Elefant (Sd.Kfz.184), Jagdpanther (Sd.Kfz.173), and Tiger II. The 8.8cm PaK 43 was an anti-tank gun only using this same cannon.
In the game this weapon is a prop or an objective for the player character to destroy. There are also some coastal gun versions with a large semi-enclosed gun shield. One thing missing, ok, two things missing are the large vehicles (like a Sd.Kfz.9 half-track) needed to tow this system, the wheels that would be stored nearby, --ok three things--and something resembling the crew. Also, some of these weapons are placed in positions that cause you to think, how the heck did they get that up here?

Krupp 28cm Kanone K5 (E) Heavy Railway Gun (GERMANY)
This railway gun could fire a 562 lb shell a distance of 40 miles at a muzzle velocity of 3,675 fps (1,120m/s). Because it was so large its rate of fire was about 15 rounds per hour, which was about 1 round every 4 minutes. These railway guns had limited traverse so they typically operated on a curved portion of track that they could use as their traverse mechanism. The Germans only built two of these large 28 cm K5(E) guns which were nicknamed Leopold and Robert. Leopold fired on Allied troops landing at Anzio, Italy, in June 1944. The allies nicknamed these two guns "Anzio Annie," and "Anzio Express." Germany built 25 of the smaller 28 cm Kanone 5(E) (E stood for Eisenbahnlafette "iron railway"). Both Leopold and Robert left the Anzio area after firing all their ammunition but they ended up being abandoned in Civitavecchia, Italy after their crews attempted to destroy them. Both damaged guns were captured by the allies and Leopold (pictured above) now is on display at the US Army Ordnance Museum in Fort Lee, Virginia. Railway guns were first fielded in the American Civil War but by the First World War
all major combatants were fielding these type of long range artillery.
In the game this railway gun is an objective for you to destroy and there are no crew that man this weapon as it fires. Though I could find no numbers on the actual crew needed to operate this system, I'm pretty sure it wasn't "zero." This weapon also fires once about every 25 seconds which is significantly faster than it could actually fire. Nevertheless, props to Rebellion for including an authentic weapon that actually operated in Italy.

28 cm SK C/34 Naval Gun (GERMANY)
This naval gun fired a 283mm shell and was typically placed in a turret with one or two other naval guns to make a two or three barreled turret and was used on the Scharnhorst class battleships. It was also planned for the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte super-heavy tank (see Sniper Elite III). When the Gneisenau's turrets were upgraded to 38 cm, her three old turrets were established as coastal defense at Fjell festning in Sotra, Norway, Austratt, Norway, and Battery Rozenburg in the Netherlands. These 283mm guns (11.1 inch) could fire a 741 lb shell 2,900 fps (890 m/s) to a distance of over 30,000 yards (27,432m). This was a fast loading gun and could fire a round about every 17 seconds. I could not find information on the crew needed to operate one of these turrets though the 16 inch three gun batteries on the US Navy's Missouri class battleship needed 79 men.
In the game these two gun turrets appear as objectives to be destroyed though every time they fire it provides a sound masking opportunity for the player. Also, I kinda doubt a single satchel charge would even put a dent in one of these turrets.

Pantherturm or Panzerturm (GERMANY)
The Pantherturm was basically a tank turret mounted on a cement bunker foundation. It was a defensive fortification typically part of a much larger defensive line. Though they were fixed positions, they were cheaper to manufacture and could be built relatively quickly with semi-skilled labor. The Gothic Line, established by German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring in northern Italy was his last major line of defense in the Apennine Mountains against the allied advance under General Sir Harold Alexander. The turret from a Pzkw Mk V Panther tank was often used (giving it the name "Pantherturm") though Pzkw Mk IV tank turrets were also used but that would make them a "Panzerturm."
Armament
7.5cm KwK 40 L/48 main gun or 7.5cm KwK 40 L/43 (long barreled)
7.92mm MG 34 coaxial machine gun
The L/48 main gun was typically meant to be a support weapon firing HE rounds at Infantry targets while the L/43 long barreled canon was meant to fire anti-tank rounds at armored targets.
In the game the turret depicted appears to be the Pzkw Mk IV with the long barreled 7.5cm KwK 40 L/43 meant for anti-tank work. This could also fire regular HE rounds for attacking infantry or lone enemy snipers who are sneaking around and wreaking havoc.

Dornier Do 217 E-5 (GERMANY)
This aircraft was a more powerful version of Dornier's Do 17 that was know as the Fliegender Bleistift ("flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber but not designed for long range missions which were meant for the Heinkel He 177, production began in 1941 and it became widely available by 1942. The Do 217 had larger payload and range than the previous Do 17 (3,500 kg vs and 2,145 km vs 1,176 km) and was faster with a higher operational ceiling. Of course, the term "heavy bomber" was a German designation and did not equal the Brit Lancaster, or the American B17 Flying Fortress or B24 Liberator which were the definition of heavy bomber. Do 217s usually had a crew of four that included a single pilot, an observer/bombadier/forward gunner, a radio operator/dorsal gunner, and a flight engineer/ventral gunner. All of the crew were positioned in the cockpit forward of the wings. Armament varied but included 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns in the nose, lower rear cockpit, and sides of the cockpit. The E-5 version could carry a Henschel Hs 293 radio guided anti-ship missile under one wing with a fuel tank under the opposite wing for balance (see pic above). The Do 217 was produced in numerous variants including level and dive bomber, night fighter, and maritime support from 1940-1943 and served to the end of the war with nearly 2,000 manufactured.
In the game the Do 217 appears in the pre-mission cut scene for San Celini mission as the launch platform for the radio guided anti-ship missile that sinks the Orchidea. The game Do 217 is a bit of a mashup but inspired by real aircraft, namely the E-5 version that could carry a Henschel Hs 293 guided missile (pictured left), and the Do 217E night fighter that featured a Matratze ("mattress") 32-dipole radar antenna (pictured right) for its UHF early model Lichtenstein BC AI radar gear. It looks like Rebellion just put the radar system onto the Do 217 E-5 version. The game's fictional "Razor" Ms300 Anti-Ship missile was obviously inspired by the real, Hs 293 and it actually was rocket powered so that it would fly forward of the launching aircraft so that the radio control operator could see it and guide it to its target. The real Hs 293 was a dangerous weapon, sinking and damaging numerous ships though the launching aircraft was also vulnerable as it had to stay within sight of the target. I love that Rebellion seriously did some homework and that their story is based on real systems.

JU 87D Stuka (Sturzkampfflugzeug "dive-bomber") (GERMANY)
The Junkers Ju-87 low-wing single-engine monoplane was used by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) from 1937 to 1945. It had a crew of two consisting of a pilot and a rear gunner. It was effective in the first part of the war but after the Battle of Britain in 1941, where it fared poorly against Brit Hurricanes and Spitfires, it was mostly withdrawn from service in France against Great Britain. It did see action in North Africa and performed much better on the eastern front especially when it was armed with two under-wing 37mm cannon pods, which made it a dangerous anti-tank weapon. It first saw action in the Spanish Civil War and then the invasions of Poland and France. Sirens were mounted on the fixed landing gear for psychological effect, in addition cardboard sirens were mounted to bombs to provide a similar effect as the fell to their targets. Maximum speed was a slow 210 mph (335 kmph). Germany continually attempted to improve its performance as there were no other dive bombers available and nothing even in planning stages.
Note: The Germans never used this as a Close Air Support aircraft, meaning, it did not directly support Infantry on the ground. Close Air Support was basically invented in WWII by Lieutenant General Ellwood "Pete" Quesada, an American Army Air Force Officer as he used US fighter-bomber aircraft, mostly the P-47 Thunderbolt, to great effect directly supporting allied troops on the ground.
Armament
1x 500 kg bomb under-fuselage mounted or:
1x 250 kg bomb under-fuselage mounted, plus 2 x 50 kg bombs mounted under each wing
2x forward firing 7.92mm machine guns
2x rear firing 7.92mm machine guns manned by a rear gunner
In the game the Stuka appears in the San Celini island mission as pairs fly overhead and sometimes give you a noise masking opportunity. You can actually shoot at them and cause them to smoke but I haven't been able to shoot one down. Plus, you'll see the same smoking aircraft continue to make passes over the Island. You'll also find them lining the airfield in the final mission.

P-51D Mustang (USA)
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang became one of the iconic long rang fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed in April 1940, the prototype air frame rolled out 102 days later. Originally designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine, the P-51 ended up with poor high altitude performance. It was replacing the Allison engine with the Rolls-Royce Merlin that made all the difference and transformed what had been a mediocre aircraft into a legend. From late 1943, P-51B and C models flown by the United States Army Air Force escorted bombing raids over Germany. It was the D model, outfitted with a bubble canopy and six AN/M2 .50 caliber machine guns, that became the definitive version of the P-51 with over 8,102 built. The two inner guns had 400 rounds while the four outer guns had 280 rounds each. Reconnaissance versions were designated F6D and had two cameras mounted in the rear fuselage, one facing the pilot's left and slight forward and the second facing downwards from the fuselage. Most F6s retained their guns.
In the game, which is set in 1943, the mid-1944 P-51D is a bit anachronistic. In the 3rd mission Regilino Viaduct, a downed prototype photo reconnaissance P-51D serves as a objective to be destroyed. Realistically, a prototype aircraft would never be flown over enemy territory, but a downed photo recce aircraft/pilot/film canister would be a legitimate objective for the player.

Boeing B17G Flying Fortress (USA)
This US four engine heavy bomber was developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps. From its introduction in 1938 it continued to be improved to the final version, the B-17G. The B-17 was primarily used as a daylight strategic bomber against German industrial, military, and civilian targets. The US Eighth Air Force operated out of England and the Fifteenth Air Force was based in Italy. Though it carried a smaller bomb load and had a shorter range than the B-24 Liberator or Avro Lancaster, the B-17 had a reputation for extreme toughness and ability to get to the target and get its crew back home base in spite of unbelievable damage (see photo below of B17 that survived a mid-air collision with a German fighter). It also dropped more bombs on Germany than any other US bomber (42.6% of the total). The B-17G model was powered by four Wright R-1820 "Cyclone" turbosupercharged radial engines that each produced 1,200 hp! It cruised at 182 mph (293 km/h) and had a maximum speed of 287 mph (462 km/h). Its service ceiling was 35,600 ft (10,850 m). Its payload of bombs was 8000 lb (3,600 kg) for short missions of less than 400 miles or 4,500 lb (2,000 kg) for missions up to 800 miles. The crew consisted of 10 men: Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Bombardier/nose gunner, Flight engineer/top turret gunner, Radio operator, 2 Waist gunners, Ball turret gunner and Tail gunner.
Armament
The first B-17Cs were armed with 4 .50 caliber M2 heavy machine guns (HMG) and one .30 caliber machine gun but these numbers were continually increased until the B-17G which was armed with 13 M2 HMGs. The Germans called them fliegendes Stachelschwein or "flying porcupine."
In the game the B17 appears fleetingly in the mission completion cut scene as they conduct a low level bombing run on Lorino Dockyard, destroying the dockyard and, apparently, the Typhus vaccines you went to so much trouble to locate for the resistance. They are from the 483rd Bomb Group, in the Fifteenth Air Force, which served in Italy from April 1944 to April 1945. Realistically, B-17s would NOT conduct a low level bombing raid as that negates their purpose: High-altitude precision bombing. This would be a mission for B-25 Mitchells, B-26 Marauders, or other allied medium bombers.

Avro Lancaster (UK)
Designed by Roy Chadwick, this heavy bomber was introduced in 1942 and was one of three 4-engine bombers used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the others being the Handley Page Halifax, and the Short Stirling. It had a long large bomb bay and could carry the largest RAF bombs including 4,000 lb, 8,000 lb, and 12,000 lb blockbuster and became one of the most heavily used heavy bombers of the war. Primarily a night bomber, like all RAF bombers, the Lancaster also conducted daylight precision bombing particularly with the 12,000 lb Tallboy and the 22,000 lb Grand Slam earthquake bombs. The Lancaster was powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, each producing 1000 hp for initial versions then up to 1,800 hp later in the war. These were the same engines that powered the iconic Supermarine Spitfire, and the North American P-51 Mustang. Standard crew for the Lancaster was seven men: Pilot, Flight engineer, Bomb aimer/nose turret gunner, Navigator, Wireless operator, Mid-upper turret, and Tail gunner.
Armament
The first Lancasters were equipped with four hydraulic turrets in the nose, tail, ventral, and dorsal areas of the aircraft. All these turrets were armed with two Browning .303 Mk II machine guns except for the tail turret, which was armed with four. Each of these guns had 1,000 rds of ammunition. The ventral turret proved impractical as it was fired by the gunner viewing through a periscope, which had a very poor field of view. In addition, it traversed too slowly to track enemy fighters so it was removed. By the end of the war all of the .303 inch MGs had been replaced with .50 inch Brownings (M2 HB heavy machine gun).
In the game Colonel Weaver mentions 617 Squadron during a cut scene and 617 Squadron was famously known as "The Dam Busters." The cut scene of them in action shows them flying at low level, which would leave them vulnerable to even the lightest anti-aircraft systems, instead of flying at their normal high altitude for precision bombing. Plus, the P-51Ds flying escort would not fly under them while they were on final for their bombing run.
Note: I went to an Airshow years ago at Virginia Beach and one of these Lancasters made a flyover as part of the show. It was one of only two still flying and was based out of Canada. It was magnificent!