List of World War II infantry weapons

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of World War II infantry weapons.

Australia[edit]

Two Australian soldiers equipped with Owen submachine guns

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Belgium[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Medium machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Brazil[edit]

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force, under US command, served in Italy from 1944.

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Shotguns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Medium machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Bulgaria[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

State of Burma[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Canada[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons and explosives[edit]

China[edit]

A Chinese Nationalist Army soldier equipped with a ZB vz. 26 and a German M1935 helmet. Before the war broke out, China sought support from, and often traded with Germany and relied on both military and economical support.

Weapons used by the National Revolutionary Army, as well as Communist forces and Chinese warlords

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

  • M3 submachine gun (Lend-Leased to the National Revolutionary Army, along with the Thompson, to replace the outdated Chinese copies of the MP 18 and MP 28 submachine guns used during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the early years of the Chinese Civil War)
  • Thompson submachine gun (American Lend-Lease and local production)
  • United Defense M42 (American Lend-Lease and local production)
  • Sten submachine gun
  • Erma EMP-35 (Limited)
  • SIG M1920 (Locally produced copy with a downward facing magazine known as the Tsing Dao Submachine Gun)
  • MP 34
  • PPD-40

Rifles[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Medium machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Independent State of Croatia[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Automatic rifles[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Czechoslovakia[edit]

Czechoslovakian soldiers with a ZB vz. 26 and a ZB vz. 24

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Denmark[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Shotguns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Egypt[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Estonia[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Ethiopia[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Finland[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Automatic and battle rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Mines[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Anti-aircraft weapons[edit]

France[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Shotguns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Mines[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Guided explosive weapons[edit]

Nazi Germany[edit]

German paratrooper carrying a MG 42

In addition to the weapons listed here, German armed forces also used a wide variety of weapons captured from defeated enemies.

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

  • Walther P38 (Replacement for Luger P-08, completely overtook Luger production by 1942.)
  • Luger P-08 (Original standard issue military pistol, was intended to be replaced by the Walther P-38 as it was cheaper to produce, the P08 however was still produced until 1942 because of production movement to different factories.)
  • Mauser C96 (Rarer than the Luger P-08.)
    • M712 Schnellfeuer (fully automatic variant, issued to the Waffen-SS with a wooden stock-holster)
  • Mauser HSC
  • Reichsrevolver
  • Sauer 38H
  • Walther PP and PPK (German police standard-issued sidearms)

Foreign weapons produced under occupation[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

  • MP 38/MP 40 (Standard-issued SMG of the German army)
  • MP 18/MP 28
  • Erma EMP-35
  • MP35
  • MP41 - Combination of an MP-28 stock and the rest of an MP-40
  • MP 3008 (also known as Volks-MP.3008, Gerät Neumünster) and Gerät Potsdam - copies of the Sten, used by the Volkssturm
  • Suomi KP/-31 - Finnish produced weapon bought from Finland, some captured from other countries.
  • MP-41(r), - (Soviet PPSh-41 rebarreled for 9x19mm Parabellum)
  • MP717(r) - (Soviet PPSh-41 with Soviet ammuntion/Grass Is Greener Syndrome.)

Foreign weapons produced under occupation

Automatic rifles[edit]

  • StG 44 assault rifle
  • FG 42 automatic rifle, issued to Fallschirmjäger units in small numbers and a very, very, VERY, few amount given to SS troops because of supply issues and miscommunication.

Rifles[edit]

Foreign weapons produced under occupation[edit]

  • Gewehr 24(t) (vz. 24)
  • Gewehr 29/40(ö) (modified version of Karabinek wz. 1929, produced in Poland under Austrian management)
  • Gewehr 33/40(t) (modified version of vz. 33)
  • Gewehr 211(n) (Krag-Jørgensen)
  • Gewehr 311(d) Danish version of the Krag-Jørgensen

Sniper rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

  • MG 13 Light machine gun (Fairly limited usage by early war second-line troops and by the Volkssturm, replaced by the MG-34)
  • MG 34 General-purpose machine gun (German army main fire support weapon until superseded by the MG 42 because of ease of manufacture and high fire rate, still used after.)
  • MG 42 General-purpose machine gun (Main fire support weapon of the German army after 1942-1943 after replacing MG-34.)
  • Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun used by volkssturm
  • MG 08 (Limited)
  • MG 15
  • MG 35-36A "Knorr-Bremse"

Foreign weapons produced under occupation[edit]

Grenades & Grenade launchers[edit]

Mine[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Anti-aircraft rocket launcher[edit]

Guided explosive weapons[edit]

Greece[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Medium machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

  • churnat

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Hungary[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Mines[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

India[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Iran[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Iraq[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Italy[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Medium machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Japan[edit]

Japanese soldiers with a Type 92 machine gun during the 1941 Battle of Changsha

See also: List of Japanese military equipment of World War II

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Semi-automatic rifles[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Grenade dischargers[edit]

Mines[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Guided explosive weapons[edit]

  • I-Go (Remote-controlled explosive machine)

Latvia[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Lithuania[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Luxembourg[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Manchukuo[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenade dischargers[edit]

Mengjiang[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Mexico[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Mongolia[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Montenegro[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Nepal[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Netherlands[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

New Zealand[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Norway[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Philippines[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Shotguns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Grenade launchers[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Poland[edit]

Polish infantry marching with their rifles

Before Germany conquered Poland the Polish army was chiefly equipped with weapons of its own making. After the German and Soviet occupation, the Polish government continued in exile. Polish armed forces in the West were equipped by the Western Allies, principally the UK and those formed in the East under the USSR were equipped with Soviet equipment. Within occupied Poland the Polish resistance forces were equipped with weapons from many sources.

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine gun[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Grenade launchers[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Romania[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

  • MAN 1939 (Polish wz.33 offensive and defensive grenades produced under a license)[30]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Slovak Republic[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Light machine guns[edit]

Heavy machine guns[edit]

Mortars[edit]

South Africa[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Soviet Union[edit]

Edged weapons[edit]

Handguns[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Automatic rifles[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

  • DP-27 (Erroneously called DP-28 in the west, standard issued LMG of the Red Army)
  • Maxim M1910 (Main fire support weapon of the Red Army)
  • Goryunov SG-43
  • DShK machine gun (Main heavy machine gun of the Red Army, Mounted as a top-mounted machine gun for the IS-2)
  • DTM-4
  • DS-39 (Production discontinued after the German invasion)
  • RPD (Limited use in 1945)
  • Lewis Mk I (Lend-Lease)
  • MG-34 (Captured from the Germans)

Grenades[edit]

Grenade launchers[edit]

Mines[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Thailand[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Grenade dischargers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

United Kingdom (including colonies)[edit]

British soldiers at Tobruk, equipped with Thompson submachine guns and Lee-Enfield rifles

Edged weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Sniper rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Obstacle clearing explosive charges[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Remote controlled demolition devices[edit]

United States[edit]

A U.S. Marine armed with a M1 carbine
Two U.S. soldiers with M1 Garand rifles

Blade weapons[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Shotguns[edit]

Commonly used by the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific theater, limited use in Europe.

Submachine guns[edit]

  • Thompson submachine gun (Standard-issued SMG of the US army, various variants used by Army and Marine Corps)
  • M3 'Grease Gun' (M3 variant was the main variant used during the war. Introduced as low cost replacement for Thompson, but never completely replaced it.)
  • M50/M55 Reising (Used used by USMC 1941-1943 in the Pacific, and supplied as Lend-Lease to USSR and other countries)
  • United Defense M42 (supplied to resistance and partisan groups, also issued to some OSS members, but not in great quantities.)

Automatic Rifles[edit]

  • M2 Carbine (Only used in the final battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the pacific)

Rifles[edit]

Sniper rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Grenade launchers[edit]

Obstacle clearing explosive charges[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Mortars[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

Yugoslavia[edit]

Sidearms[edit]

Submachine guns[edit]

Automatic rifles[edit]

Rifles[edit]

Machine guns[edit]

Grenades[edit]

Flamethrowers[edit]

Anti-tank weapons[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Association, National Rifle. "An Official Journal Of The NRA | Handguns Of A Forgotten Ally". An Official Journal Of The NRA. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b McCollum, Ian (4 October 2014). "Vintage Saturday: Pipe-Smoking Snakes". Forgotten Weapons.
  3. ^ "鳶け斻 – 犖栠條馱釦". www.chinesefirearms.com. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
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  5. ^ "The Revelli-Beretta Model 1918 Automatic Carbine - Small Arms Review". 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Beretta 1918/30".
  7. ^ "MP-28: Hugo Schmeisser Improves the MP18". 22 August 2017.
  8. ^ https://twitter.com/Royal_Armouries/status/1460579437649539075[bare URL]
  9. ^ a b "REVOLVERS & PISTOLS PART 4: Beretta, CZ and miscellaneous". JAEGER PLATOON: FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945 WEBSITE. 19 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  10. ^ Thompson, Leroy (23 March 2017). The Suomi Submachine Gun. Weapon 54. Osprey Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 9781472819642.
  11. ^ a b "FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: MACHINEPISTOLS PART 1". www.jaegerplatoon.net. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  12. ^ Bellec, Olivier (June 2000). "L'équipement et l'armement des corps francs". Militaria Magazine (in French). No. 179. Histoire & Collections. pp. 39–44.
  13. ^ a b c "SIG Bergmann Model 1920 submachine gun". firearms.96.lt. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  14. ^ Bielecki, Zygmunt (1990). Wojsko Polskie 1939-1945: barwa i broń (Wyd. 2 popr. i uzup ed.). Warszawa. ISBN 83-223-2550-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ Bielecki, Zygmunt (1990). Wojsko Polskie 1939-1945: barwa i broń (Wyd. 2 popr. i uzup ed.). Warszawa. ISBN 83-223-2550-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ Bielecki, Zygmunt (1990). Wojsko Polskie 1939-1945: barwa i broń (Wyd. 2 popr. i uzup ed.). Warszawa. ISBN 83-223-2550-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ Bielecki, Zygmunt (1990). Wojsko Polskie 1939-1945: barwa i broń (Wyd. 2 popr. i uzup ed.). Warszawa. ISBN 83-223-2550-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Bruce, George (1972). Warsaw Uprising. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-246-10526-4 p. 145
  19. ^ "ปืนพก แบบ 78 ขนาด 9 มม". Royal Thai Police Ordinance (in Thai). Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  20. ^ "ปืนพก แบบ 79 ขนาด 9 มม". Royal Thai Police Ordinance (in Thai). Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  21. ^ "ปืนพก แบบ 80 ขนาด 9 มม". Royal Thai Police Ordinance (in Thai). Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  22. ^ "ปืนพกลูกโม่ แบบ 82 ขนาด .38 นิ้ว". Royal Thai Police Ordinance (in Thai). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  23. ^ ทหารหน้า, จ่าน้อม (March 2005). "กำเนิด 11 มม. ตัวแรกของไทย" [How was Thailand's first 11mm (.45 ACP) pistol came to be.]. ThailandOutdoor (in Thai). Archived from the original on 11 November 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "ปลส. 83" [Type 83 Japanese Carbine]. Royal Thai Police Ordinance (in Thai). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  25. ^ ครูเล็ก ราชบุรี. "เรื่องของปืนพระราม 6 ...ปืนเสือป่า" [The history of Rama VI rifle (Wild Tiger rifle)] (PDF) (in Thai). Retrieved 3 March 2023. เมื่อกองเสือป่าถูกยกเลิกไป ปืนพระราม 6 ได้ถูกโอนไปให้กรมตํารวจใช้ ต่อมา กรมตํารวจได้ขายออกไปทั้งหมด
  26. ^ แจ้งความพระราชทานปืนแบบพระราม 6 แก่เสือป่า (PDF) (Report). Royal Thai Government Gazette. 2 November 1919. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  27. ^ Smith, Joseph E. (1969). Small Arms of the World (11 ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. p. 310. ISBN 9780811715669.

Bibliography[edit]

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