Volksgewehr / Gustloff

VG 1-5 Semi-Auto Carbine in 7,62x33mm Kurz_Germany

Cal: 7.92x33mm
Operating System: Gas operating, open bolt, Selective Fire
Weigth (Empty): 4.27Kg
Lenght: 960mm
Barrel: 380mm
Capacity: 32 Rounds (StG44 Magazines)
Description: One of the last Nazi weapons. Fast and rude rifle. Called "Gustloff" too.
Other Names: Volkssturm-Gewehr 1-5 or Versuchs-Gerat 1-5

"The VGI-5 is an unusual and rare firearm that only saw use in the late stages of WWII as part of the Volksturm series of weapons, and was used on the Eastern front as German Armies and Home Guard fought to defend their homeland from the onslaught of the Red Army. 
Externally, the weapon appears nearly identical to the MP 35, but is much cruder in construction. The VGI-5 was made as a delayed blowback-operated semi-automatic carbine firing the 7.92mm Kurz (short) round. Cheap, easy to operate, and easy to manufacture, the VGI-5 played a near-forgotten part in WWII. 
The rifle was quickly developed by Chief Designer Herr Barnitzke of Gusloft-Werke as part of the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm of 1944 and was used by the Home Guard (Volksturn) and possibly by the postwar Werewolf Nazi guerrilla movement. Only small production occurred from January 1945."

Information and pictures from: Henry Alfredo Penaranda Cervantes and Roger Desbois

Website by: E-Image Agency