French Rifles in German Hands

A Study of the German Use of Captured French Rifles During WW2

by Danny

German arms production and military expansion took off after the Austrian Corporal and his party of socialists took control of the German government. No longer concerned with the Treaty of Versailles, the Wehrmacht started purchasing armament and ordering arms production on a scale not seen since the Great War. But when material reality did not meet demand and the new World War stretched beyond the ability of German industry to keep up, the Wehrmacht had to look for other sources of arms. So, when France surrendered in June of 1940 and millions of French arms were in German control, these French weapons were not wasted. In fact, the German military used captured foreign arms, equipment, and tanks from almost every nation it conquered and occupied.

It is pretty well known that the Germans captured and used large numbers of Russian weapons, especially the SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle and PPSh-41 submachine gun. These Russian weapons tended to fill desperately needed roles for German troops which their own arms production could not provide. This doctrine is slightly different when it comes to the German usage of French arms. French guns were intended to alleviate the arms shortages caused by the massive attrition and severe strain on supply. As new German arms production tended to go eastward, to a front that was increasingly turning against Axis forces, French rifles were issued to a variety of soldiers where more advanced weaponry was not necessary. These auxiliary and occupation troops could be armed with almost anything to satisfy their non-combat roles.

However, some French rifles did see usage with German combat troops. Combat troops can be differentiated by their non-combat counterparts by their gear and insignia. Typically, if a soldier has only one ammunition pouch, or none at all, then you can assume they are not primarily a combat unit. However, if both pouches, a helmet, gas protection gear, and other field items are present then it is safe to assume the unit was equipped for combat. See the above picture as reference to an early war Heer full combat loadout.

It seems from photographic evidence that most of the rifles issued to German troops were Berthier rifles and carbines due to their high production numbers before and during WW1. The Berthier, being more advanced and quicker to load, was most likely favored over the older M1886 Lebel by the Germans. German troops used their standard issue 3-pocket ammo pouch to carry the 8x50mmR ammunition and en blocs.

Since almost every rifle and pistol in French inventory ended up in German hands, they were issued out in some way or another to support the German war effort. Some of these French rifles were issued to the Milice Française, a French paramilitary organization used by the Germans to fight French partisans. 30,000 French troops were organized by the Vichy regime for this purpose. They were later folded into the 33rd Waffen SS Charlemagne division. The Germans also sent French guns east to the Balkans to arm locals for anti-Partisan activities.

By August of 1944, there were 87,088 French machine guns still in German inventory. It is fair to assume that the Germans had many more rifles than machine guns in inventory so most likely there were hundreds of thousands of French rifles in Wehrmacht service before the Allies liberated France. *

German designations for foreign arms followed a pattern of a model designation, number, and a country letter in parentheses. Gewehr is the designation for rifles, and Karabiner is used for carbines. The "(f)" is the first letter of the German spelling of a countries name, in this case Frankreich (France).

The following are the German designations for various French rifles*:

7.5mm M1907/15 M34 Berthier = Gewehr 241 (f)

7.5mm MAS-36 = Gewehr 242 (f)

8mm M1886/93 Lebel= Gewehr 301 (f)

8mm M1907/15 Berthier = Gewehr 302 (f)

8mm M1886-R35 Lebel = Gewehr 303 (f)

8mm M1916 Berthier = Gewehr 304 (f)

8mm M1907 Berthier = Gewehr 305 (f)

8mm M1890 Berthier = Karabiner 551 (f)

8mm M1892 Berthier = Karabiner 552 (f)

8mm M1916 Berthier = Karabiner 553 (f)

Before June of 1944, France was used as a place to rest and refit German divisions that were decimated on the Eastern Front. In the confusion and overwhelming pressure put on German forces by the Allied landings on D-Day, some of these French rifles were pushed into hasty combat roles or simply left behind as the Germans retreated to their own borders. German usage of French machine guns is documented up until the end of the war, but less is known about the quantities of French rifles. Most likely the majority of them stayed in France, their role of arming troops in occupied France now being void.

What we learn from the extensive German usage of French arms is the shear desperation of the Wehrmacht for weapons. One could only imagine the thoughts of a young German recruit ,being raised on Nazi propaganda, as he is issued a nearly obsolete foreign rifle. The myth of German superiority would have undoubtedly been shaken in any recruit's mind. The extensive use of foreign arms and equipment by the German military in World War 2 proves just how overly ambitious their leadership was, and how unprepared they were for a war of attrition.

* S.I. Publicates BV. Captured Arms (Beutewaffen), 2017

All pictures in this article are scans of original photographs that I own.