Can't really blame you there German weapons were pretty fucking good but because of allied bombing the factors it was hard to make ammo and build weapons most of the time
Actually, this is I think (if my memory doesn't fail me) a submachinegun made in german Austria which was supposed to be a copy of the Sten submachine gun, as the germans saw as a reliable cheap smg. They changed the mag down so it would be "better on combat".
I think that some of these weapon designs were a way for the weapon designers to make sure that they were not conscripted and sent to fight the soviets, they could say that they were designing weapons to win the war.
If I had been issued one of those last ditch SMGs in the final days of WWII, I probably would've sat in my crappy foxhole, contemplating how I went from waiting for a decisive victory, to fighting with a gun that looked like it was made out of scrap metal dragged from a junkyard, welded together with a lighter, and looked like it'd crumble in my hands at any minute..
Even In the years of victory,it was quite a headache . There were so many different models of trucks around that ordering parts to keep them going could be an exhaustive process. You had trucks from about 6 different truck companies in Germany,as well as captured trucks from Austria,France,Checkoslovakia,Russia,Norway,Italy,Britain and the United states. Some of these trucks used common parts,but a lot did not. They had a desperate need for trucks,so desperate that they simply had to press any available captured trucks and factories into service.
The Mauser Volkspistole (second photo) is shown with some sort of "barrel extension". It apparently came out in interviews that the pistol is NOT supposed to be assembled in that configuration. It's actually a barrel sleeve that was installed backwards. The sleeve was made to make up some barrel diameter that was machined off while they were testing the pistol with an MG42-style barrel spring, before they went back to using a normal coil spring.
and the sten is a semplificatiom of the mp28. thats its a semplification of the mp18i. so its the semplification of the semplification of the semplification of the mp18i.
The STG-45 was never issued to field troops. The photo ostensibly showing a Volkssturm soldier is based on a reenactment photo from what I have seen elsewhere.
The reason why it looks refined is because it was not a last ditch weapon. The StG-45 was the evolution of the StG-44. It's main improvement was a roller locked system as apposed to the StG-44's tilting bolt. It couldn't be put into mass production for frontline use before the war ended. A few ended up in Volkssturm use at the tail end of the war, hence the reason why people think it was meant to be a last ditch weapon.
Ghost__Gaming__ lol yeah because they were doing SUCH a great job before the US started backing them. but at any rate what I meant was that germany should have surrendered to the US rather than the soviets who instituted despotic regimes that controlled former nazi germany territories for 40 years. also when the russians came through eastern germany and into berlin they raped and pillaged anything which took twice as long for it to recover than it did on the western side.
from all of the articles i came across - the GrossfussSTG-45 was developed at the same time as the STG-45 (M) as a competition between the Grossfuss and Mauser arms companies the STG-45 (M) won the competition and the Grossfuss STG-45 project was abandoned
For the "3008" this is not a Volkssturm officer. The picture shows the commander of the SS Division Prinz Eugen in Yugoslavia Arthur Phleps. As Phleps was killed in action September 1944 this picture is also not taken in 1945. Bzgl. der "3008" ist zu sagen, daß es sich hier nicht um einen Volkssturmoffizier handelt. Das Bild stammt auch nicht aus dem Jahr 1945. Es zeigt nämlich den Kommandeur der zur Bandenbekämpfung eingesetzten SS Division "Prinz Eugen" Arthur Phleps in Jugoslawien. Phleps fiel im September 1944.
British sten guns were transported with the magazine housing rotated in the downward position to facilitate packing into air drop containers probably one supplied to yugoslavian partizans
4:30 the steyr vk was a magazine fed rifle just like the kar98, except they left the mag floorplate off the rifle and just hollowed out the stock to fit the magazine body in.
The MP 3008 looks like a Sten, but the Sten is a direct copy of the German MP28. So the Germans were going back to *their* older cheaper to make design, the one that the *Brits had copied* years before. Thats like Paul Mauser and his entire design team were caputured and forced to work in Russia after the war under a young (23) Communist designer named Kalashnikov, who only then came up with "his" new assault rifle. Most honest firearms historians know who really invented the AK47.
blows my mind that they had full power bullpup rifles in World War II! I mean it looks a little finicky, but keltec's rfb is the only other bullpup I know of being mass produced in a full power battle rifle cartridge.
I've seen a few of these on the Forgotten Weapons channel. I knew many last ditch prototypes were made but never used. Thanks for sharing. I am impressed.
why did they even bother producing pistols at a time of such emergency. what would be the point. their country was about to be over-run by hoards of tanks and armor rolling in from the east and west.
Interesting as a compilation of weapons that one can research further to see if they were actually used, etc. Most of these aren't actually "last ditch weapons," unless "last ditch" means "prototypes, and weapons used near the end of the war," but you've gotta eat, so I understand the clickbait title, even though I mildly disapprove of how misleading it is.
At 3:39 we see the higly decorated SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS (lieutenant general) Artur Phleps, commander of SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Prinz Eugen" at the time of pic and not a Volksturm Officer.
jmantime There is a very good book about the mater: "Desperate Measures. The last-ditch weapons of the Nazzi Volkssturm" by W.Darrin Weaver, but you have added much more and invaluable info. You enriched my research files. Tks a lot. Pls, more great videos like this one.
iabjudwin I read that book , that's where I got the image of the VG-3 carbine from - also next video is Palestinian-Israeli designed weapons - 1948 to 2005
my bad, i meant to say Grossfuss Sturmgewehr not Grofuss STG-45 - but yeah the Grossfuss Sturmgewehr is based on both the STG-44, it was meant to replace the STG-44 as a cheaper alternative
the mp3008 cant really be called last ditch..... as it was an exact copy of a stengun.... it was adopted for the same reason the brits adopted the sten ... reliable, easy to produce, cost 35% less than an mp40, took less training time (also why the brits stopped using the thimpson when the sten was in full production....... same goes for the U.S "grease gun".... the erma also never entered production and was just a design that was never even completes into a prototype so again not last ditch. that "volksturm" is anything but he is an ss member of the regular force..... as for the pistols none were put into production so they are simply designs.... "last ditch" would require production of the weapons...... the vk 98 is not a military designed weapon like any real militia force firearm it had been an actual hunting rife (marketed as such) that was then used as a war rifle thats repurpose not last ditch.... VG2 was again a military design that was never produced past prototype as it was never even reliable in that stage.... same with the vg3.... vg4 was a repurposed/rebranded version of german army training rifle...... produced in to many numbers to be last ditch... and never saw combat use (yet another criteria to be met to be last ditch....) hessische never went past prototyping either.... and it was designed earlier in the war before anyone thought german could loose (let alone would) same with the mall cal version as it was the same bad design just made later.... the g43 hurts again never out of prototype this time even more lear as it is marked "43" as in 1943...... you really need to do your home work before you post stupidity..... know-bremse. never even got past first stage prototype... STG-45..... not last ditch yes it went into production with only 30 made and never fielded but that rifle got the best quality metals and equipment germany had left and had the war gone on that rifle was to be in the hands of frontline troops only.... and the design never discontinues as the roller blowback design was the 2nd most popular design in the colder and into the modern era..... this weapon is the direct parent if the Cetme, HKG3, HK33,MP5, SG510.... the weapon misses so many points on the road to last ditch and nomenclature changed from year designed to year of issue the design started late 1943.....the only criteria is comes close to meeting for last ditch is cost but as it still cost double these other weapons its kills that too as the only 3 weapons in military use at the time it was cheaper than were the K98K, G43 and the stg44 it was replacing (and was more reliable than....) as for the picture you use for it well no thats likely a russian or german partisan soldier using it in soviet trials at the rifle never made it to combat as only 30 were overproduced by germany..... or as i cannot see both sides of the gun its a factory guard with an stg44M which is a totally different gun.... the great version another prototype never actually produced....same with hanel varant.....grossfuss.... mauser stg 45 idea was post war.....spz-kr was post war..... Mg15 even the watercolled was prewar for reserve forces..... mg-45 was never past prototype and was designed pre d-day so long before even the idea of last ditch..... Barnitzke machine gun- never past prototype.... all the flare gun styled launchers were made by all sides during the war.... they were all useless but everyone produced them......both pre and post war... panserfaust...... oy vey so many levels of wrong...... the germans made millions before the start of supplies became short..... they stopped making them at the end of 1944 and just issued previously made ones as they found the non reusable tubes wasted valuable building maternal in later stages of the war..... but continued in use because they continued using pre built ones from earlier in 1944..... stkg-standard issue equipment.... early on.... the only weapons that are last ditch in this are the VG-1, a g43 with a standard Mauser bolt action..... and came from an amalgamation 0f the g43 and walther-41 rifles in the area of 1944.... the volksturmgrewher-45 (you call 1-5) but was again only 50% last ditch as it was designed much earlier to free up battle rifles from reserve units.... efw46 is too.... so only what 4 are actual last ditch ........
I'm glad someone took the time to point out the glaring errors.With regard to the panzerfaust and the Volksturm.Nearly everytime they show the Volksturm training to use the Panzerfaust they use the same clip of the army officer showing a woman how to aim and fire the weapon.If you look closely at what he is doing he is reloading a variant of the launch tube that is obviously reusable,as the firing mechanism takes a 7.92 Kurz blank cartridge. Unfortunately due to editing we don't get to see the progression from loading to firing.Whether the device he is using is simply a training aid that uses a blank cartridge to propel a dummy war head or whether it is another version of the panzerfaust where the tube that is usually discarded is reused,with a blank cartridge,to fire standard panzerfaust war heads I don't know. I have always spotted this clip and studied it many times,but I am yet to see any info on whether there was a training aid that took a blank and fire a dummy projectile or if there was a version of the panzerfaust that wasn't wholly disposable.
Joe Stalin no it was designed during the war to pe a simple stupid steel disposable design that was fast and easy to mass produce.... same as the sten and mp3008
what a video. I never knew of this weapons that were not rarely seen in movies or videos. It enhanced my knowledge of what an arsenal they had. If the war persisted after 1945 wow.
11:19 that's when you know you are roasted and the war is lost 18:37 i immagine a supply officer give this poor guy what looks like an angry tube saying "here is your rifle some ammo and a flamethrower"
The Knorr-Bremse Paratrooper Rifle was not a "last ditch" weapon. It was a prototype developed to compete for the 1941 Luftwaffe requirement for a battle rifle for paratroops (the Fallschirmjägers were part of the air force rather than the Heer). The requirement was for a box-magazine fed, selective fire weapon using the standard 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge and rifle grenades. The weapon was not to exceed 1 meter in length and not to weigh unloaded much more than the standard-issue KAR-98 (9 lbs) - a very tall order. The contract was won by Rheinmetall to produce the famous FG-42 designed by Louis Stange. It is unknown whether the Knorr-Bremse rifle was ever submitted for trials, as only a few very incomplete examples survive. Production ended in 1942. The Knorr-Bremse is interesting because of its bullpup layout, but it had no influence on modern designs since the details of its operation were lost. It was among the earliest bullpups, but certainly not the first, which was the Thornycroft carbine of 1901. The French produced a semi-auto bullpup prototype in 1918.
The MP3008 was just a copy of the British sten gun with the magazine underneath insted of to the right side. I understand one of the reasons for this was to distinguish it from the sten in poor light. Germans knew what a sten looked like so if they just got a glimpse of the gun they would open fire not a very good idea
You can almost feel how the Germans were just desperately trying to pump out as many cheap guns as possible to the Volkssturm...stamped sheet metal parts and bits of pipe were all that was left at that point and they tried to make it count. My guess is that when you get handed a gun like that which was made by a company that used to build warships like the Bismarck not too long ago (Blohm&Voss), you know it's pretty much over. And over it was, thankfully.
1. I didn't know the StG-45 was EVER used in the field. I thought it was only in prototype form until the designer went to Spain, where it developed into the CETME. 2. The G43 converted to 7.92x33mm is fascinating. The G43 and the SL6 and SL7 sporting derivatives of the 1980s always interested me. 3. On the small arms overall, the Germans should have ignored pistol development at that stage (the Walthers and Lugers were enough, though I know the Germans love their pistols), and focused on one or two rifles--a 7.92x33mm and maybe a bolt-action 7.92x57mm if the regular K98s were simply that much more expensive. 4. The anti-tank grenade that looks like a shuttlecock had to be downright embarrassing to throw. But if it works, no biggie. 5. The M79-looking grenade ("mortar") launcher might have been worth producing. 6. The early MANPADS looks like a hoot!
The anti-tank grenade that looks like a shuttlecock. Officially known as the Panzerwurfkorpper, or anti-tank grenade. It had a hollow-charge warhead. The fins were pop-out, and were used to keep the warhead facing the right direction. You held it and threw it just like a regular stick grenade. Usable range was 30-50 yards. And it proved to be so successful that the Russians copied it to replace their own less-than-successful designs.
Anyone else just fascinated by this period in history ? It shows desperation and a gun that would change the tide of the war which thankfully never happened.
Fantastic video! I enjoyed seeing the more obscure lesser known "Last Ditch" weapons you showed. Why show the Walther KampfPistole/SturmPistole as a last ditch weapon though? They began production in 1941-42 if I recall correctly. You can see one in action in Lehrfilm Nr. 541 "Männer gegen Panzer".
I'm no expert but I think you have the STG45 and the Gerat mixed up there. The gerat had a metal handle and that is the biggest identifiable difference. The pictures of the soldiers are holding different guns than the screen before.
For the Mauser HSC Volkpistole I believe you mean .32ACP (23 does not exist). .32 was a popular early caliber for early semiautomatic pistols and tooling and ready supply would have been abundant as many were still being sold and used. I also think you meant .380ACP, as .38ACP does not exist.
3:38 Damn, look at him. He was probably alive during the 1871 German invasion of France, probably fought in WWI himself and then pushed out of retirement because most of the able bodied men between 18-50 years old have already been killed or wounded. 3:58 Possibly the most unappealing SMG I've ever seen. 4:35 Single shot rifles were getting largely replaced by the 1890s. 50-60 years is a large gap for firearm development in that time, unlike now where basically the biggest advancements are using polymer, aluminum, and being able to attach half a dozen accessories to a firearm. In fact my personal opinion is that 1880-1960 was the golden age of firearm evolution. It seemed like every decade brought something fresh and new to the table! 1880s were some of the first repeating bolt actions as well as FMJ bullets and smokeless powder. 1890s brought spitzer (pointed) bullets around. Around the 1890s-1900s, a lot of cartridges that approached intermediate strength started propping up that were less than .30 calibre, including some of the first magnum-strength rifle cartridges, I believe the first is the one that the Ross Rifle was chambered in before deciding to stick with .303 British. 1910s during WWI had a HUGE amount of firearm/weapon/vehicle advancement. First SMGs, first LMGs, first tanks, first time planes used in war, first chemical warfare, most use of artillery seen, etc. As for the inter war period, there wasn't a HUGE amount of firearm advancement. The Thompson came to shine in the 20s, the MG34 might be considered the best LMG of the 30s as well as the P35 (Hi Power) for pistols, the M1 Rifle and SVT38 (which lead to the SVT40) popped up in the 1930s as well which went on to be the most-produced semi auto rifles of the 1940s, with the M1 Rifle becoming the first standard-issue semi auto, though the SVT40 would have made it there first if not for Germany invading Russia in 1941. Then the 50s was the Battle Rifle era (Though the AVT40 technically made it there first; the Russians learned early that full auto 8-9lb rifles is not a smart idea) where the FN FAL, M14, and G3 started replacing bolt action rifles and semi auto only rifles for the most part (Except the C1 and L1A1 which stuck to semi, which only makes sense with full sized rifle rounds in an 8-9lb rifle). There was also the AK47 of the late 40s which was cool, however later perfected in terms of weight/cost in the late 50s with the AKM (Currently the most produced assault rifle and AK variant on Earth), the late 50s also seen the AR design come to fruition, and then the 60s to Present has been mostly improving on older designs with lighter polymer/aluminium parts/shorter barrels, and in the case of the AKM, a smaller cartridge. So comparing firearms made in the 1950s-60s to now is mostly going to be an issue of weight than anything else if you compare apples to apples. During WWII though, using 60 year old technology (In this case, single shot rifles), is leaving you thoroughly outclassed seeing as repeating bolt actions are being met with nearly equal numbers of SMGs, semi auto rifles, and LMGs. Quite desperate. Anyways, great vid!
Actually that guy at 3:38 is wearing SS insignia, that of 7th Mountain SS "Prinz Eugen". Judging by the time and rank of SS Obergruppenfuhrer he is Otto Kumm.
Pete Gromov Either way, he should have retired a long time ago. Looks like a stiff breeze would make him fall over and break his hip. Incredibly slim as well, possibly even malnourished. This must have been in the final months of the conflict... look at the boys in the background, I think they've been yanked out of school.
The "German Volksturm Officer" is not a Volksturm Officer. He's Obergruppenfuhrer Artur Phelps, CO of the 7th SS Prinz Eugen Division of the Waffen S.S.
This is actually funny... With a much as the Germans are known for engineering everything to the Nth degree, seeing what essentially amounts to a series of "garage project" guns is just mind-boggling. Half of these things look like they were thrown together with plywood and irrigation pipe.
The Germans actually manufactured 30,000+ smg's that were direct copies of the Sten mk 2, right down to using the same proof marks. Many of them were taken into the inventory of the British army, who thought they were re-capturing British-made Sten guns. The gun in the picture you are referencing is NOT a Sten gun. For one, the magazine on this gun feeds from the bottom, not the left side as it does on a Sten.
Gee, I wonder where the Americans got the idea for the M 79 from? And I wonder where the Russians got the idea for the AK-47 from? And I wonder where the Russians got the idea for the RPG two and RPG seven from?
Actually the AK-47 was created in my dad's basement back in 1994. AK stood for "American Killers" and the 47 stood for the number of beers that my dad drank when he created the rifle. I don't know where these people get this crazy shit that it was created by some Russian guy name Kalishnikov or that some nigga in Uganda designed it.
Correction here, the VG-k98 or VG-5 is not a single shot rifle, it's a 5 shots bolt action rifle. the Kar-98k but cheap, Forgotten weapons talk about this.
Reid Thomas For the naysayers who say comrade Kalashnikov couldn't have been helped by Hugo Schmeisser in the design of his AK-47 rifle because he started working on his project in 1944 and the German inventor only arrived in the Soviet Union in 1946: you forgot a little detail, my friends. And that is Schmeisser's StG-43/44 was already in service and issued to German troops in 1944. Not coincidentally, it was the same year Kalashnikov started his work on the AK-47. So here is an easy question for you: on who's desk do you think the first Stg-43/44 captured by the Soviet troops on the battlefield landed once it arrived in the Moscow? You don't need to be a rocket scientist to guess the answer: the Kalashnikov bureau of reverse engineering, or however the Russkies may have called it at the time. Soviets also copied their first turbojet engines from Germans, a pair of reversed engeneered BMW 003 s and later from England with the purchase and reverse engeneering of Rolls royce Nene engines.The Soviet aviation minister Mikhail Khrunichev suggested to Premier Joseph Stalin that the USSR buy the conservative but fully developed Nene engines from Rolls-Royce for the clandestine purpose copying them in a minimum of time. Somewhat logically, Stalin is said to have replied, "What fool will sell us his secrets?
Nobody looked happy testing the anti-tank pistols...
"There's a tank, here's a pistol. Good luck!"
the german last ditch weapons are among the ones that interest me the most, really the axis weapons in general interest me
Can't really blame you there German weapons were pretty fucking good but because of allied bombing the factors it was hard to make ammo and build weapons most of the time
i think it's their appearences and lack of spot-light that makes their last-ditch interesting to me
I guess you _could_ call these Pistols *"Mickey Mausers"*.
😜🤣🤣🤣🤣
Get off the stage!
This makes me think about my latest school project where we had to make useful stuff out of scrap metal.
Fuck school all it teaches kids nowadays is how to be a sheep
Ja
dude i would have made a sten gun or somthing aahahahaha
I would have made something resembling a Vietcong gun
A bb gun would've been cool
1:59 it looks like Sten with magazine turned down
That is pretty much what it is.
That is what the mp3008 basically is and they all have different stocks based on different areas of manufacturer.
Because THIS IS sten with mag turned down
Actually, this is I think (if my memory doesn't fail me) a submachinegun made in german Austria which was supposed to be a copy of the Sten submachine gun, as the germans saw as a reliable cheap smg. They changed the mag down so it would be "better on combat".
It is lol
I think that some of these weapon designs were a way for the weapon designers to make sure that they were not conscripted and sent to fight the soviets, they could say that they were designing weapons to win the war.
Most of these guns (besides the stg-45 ) I never knew existed and honestly it’s just baffling as to how desperate they were to do anything to win
If I had been issued one of those last ditch SMGs in the final days of WWII, I probably would've sat in my crappy foxhole, contemplating how I went from waiting for a decisive victory, to fighting with a gun that looked like it was made out of scrap metal dragged from a junkyard, welded together with a lighter, and looked like it'd crumble in my hands at any minute..
@@SerenOctave depended in which part of Germany you ended up
Yeah, especially the "Erma EMP 44" that thing looks like complete shit.
huh? most of them are pretty solid firearms albeit without a long expected service lifetime
would've used it on myself at that point lol 😂
Don't worry, Steiner's assault will fix everything.
would hate to have been a supply officer in the German army
tim neaves "What the fuck are you giving me " would be a little too common
Dude, i was just thinking that. now imagine being the small arms repairman
Even In the years of victory,it was quite a headache . There were so many different models of trucks around that ordering parts to keep them going could be an exhaustive process. You had trucks from about 6 different truck companies in Germany,as well as captured trucks from Austria,France,Checkoslovakia,Russia,Norway,Italy,Britain and the United states. Some of these trucks used common parts,but a lot did not. They had a desperate need for trucks,so desperate that they simply had to press any available captured trucks and factories into service.
The Mauser Volkspistole (second photo) is shown with some sort of "barrel extension". It apparently came out in interviews that the pistol is NOT supposed to be assembled in that configuration. It's actually a barrel sleeve that was installed backwards. The sleeve was made to make up some barrel diameter that was machined off while they were testing the pistol with an MG42-style barrel spring, before they went back to using a normal coil spring.
The MP 3008 is literally a simplified STEN. Yes, Germany can simplify already basic firearms.
and the sten is a semplificatiom of the mp28. thats its a semplification of the mp18i. so its the semplification of the semplification of the semplification of the mp18i.
It's actually more like a sten with ergonomics.
Tankadar the fact that Germany can something simple gives me hope
they made it go from 10 cents to manufacture to 5
@@tankadar simplified
Not semplified
The STG-45 was never issued to field troops. The photo ostensibly showing a Volkssturm soldier is based on a reenactment photo from what I have seen elsewhere.
StG-45 actually looks quite modern and refined for a last ditch quantity over quality weapon.
I said the same thing when I found it
The reason why it looks refined is because it was not a last ditch weapon. The StG-45 was the evolution of the StG-44. It's main improvement was a roller locked system as apposed to the StG-44's tilting bolt. It couldn't be put into mass production for frontline use before the war ended. A few ended up in Volkssturm use at the tail end of the war, hence the reason why people think it was meant to be a last ditch weapon.
CPHannigan I never knew they had fielded the StG-45s at all
***** CPHhannighan said they fielded them at the tail end of the war
***** The Ak works completely different from the STG-44 man the STG-44 is a tilt bolt an Ak is not a tilt bolt
'Desperate times call for desperate measures'.
should've just surrendered to the US.
+Mack implying the US was the reason nazi Germany's failed. If it wasn't for the Russians Europe would be a nazi country right now
Ghost__Gaming__ lol yeah because they were doing SUCH a great job before the US started backing them. but at any rate what I meant was that germany should have surrendered to the US rather than the soviets who instituted despotic regimes that controlled former nazi germany territories for 40 years. also when the russians came through eastern germany and into berlin they raped and pillaged anything which took twice as long for it to recover than it did on the western side.
from all of the articles i came across - the GrossfussSTG-45 was developed at the same time as the STG-45 (M) as a competition between the Grossfuss and Mauser arms companies the STG-45 (M) won the competition and the Grossfuss STG-45 project was abandoned
Britain says; we can make a submachine gun that is cheap and easy to make.
Nazi Germany says; hold my drink.
For the "3008" this is not a Volkssturm officer. The picture shows the commander of the SS Division Prinz Eugen in Yugoslavia Arthur Phleps. As Phleps was killed in action September 1944 this picture is also not taken in 1945.
Bzgl. der "3008" ist zu sagen, daß es sich hier nicht um einen Volkssturmoffizier handelt. Das Bild stammt auch nicht aus dem Jahr 1945. Es zeigt nämlich den Kommandeur der zur Bandenbekämpfung eingesetzten SS Division "Prinz Eugen" Arthur Phleps in Jugoslawien. Phleps fiel im September 1944.
Bernd F. K. Goddamn are you a historian?
British sten guns were transported with the magazine housing rotated in the downward position to facilitate packing into air drop containers probably one supplied to yugoslavian partizans
16:04 Looks like a RPG-2 (РПГ-2), for people who didn't knew what weapon is, is the father of the RPG-7 (РПГ-7).
More like the rpg 2 looks like the panzerfaust 150. Or more accurately, a drirect copy.
4:30 the steyr vk was a magazine fed rifle just like the kar98, except they left the mag floorplate off the rifle and just hollowed out the stock to fit the magazine body in.
11:05 looks like a MP-40 and Geweher 43 mixed
At what point does the degradation of quality weapons tell common soldiers "I'm loosing this war."?
Fuel shortage, experience pilots hasty retreats ..... did not take a genius to figure out they were fucked
9:04 first bullpup
i was gonna put that "primitiv waffen programm" info in the video but window movie maker wouldn't let me use anymore large text boxes :)
The MP 3008 looks like a Sten, but the Sten is a direct copy of the German MP28. So the Germans were going back to *their* older cheaper to make design, the one that the *Brits had copied* years before. Thats like Paul Mauser and his entire design team were caputured and forced to work in Russia after the war under a young (23) Communist designer named Kalashnikov, who only then came up with "his" new assault rifle. Most honest firearms historians know who really invented the AK47.
Hugo Schmeisser that was kidnaped , not paul mauser - Hugo Schmeisser was influenced by Vladimir Fedorov the designer of the Fedorov Avtomat
blows my mind that they had full power bullpup rifles in World War II! I mean it looks a little finicky, but keltec's rfb is the only other bullpup I know of being mass produced in a full power battle rifle cartridge.
+Josh Callejas imagine the things they could have invented if the Allies werent constantly blowing up factories and stealing/killing their scientist.
A nations last struggle...
An evil regime'$ death throes, and we will crush you the next time, too.
And good riddance
@@donkeyslayer677 Brainwashed Donkey
@@luftwaffe9787 you are the brainwashed donkey here, mein freund.
@@krizhernandez4154 commie
I've seen a few of these on the Forgotten Weapons channel. I knew many last ditch prototypes were made but never used. Thanks for sharing. I am impressed.
A lot of them are just prototypes. Prototypes do not necessarily mean they were 'Last Ditch'.
why did they even bother producing pistols at a time of such emergency.
what would be the point.
their country was about to be over-run by hoards of tanks and armor rolling in from the east and west.
You never know when you can catch a random patrol off guard and then take their weapons
that officer with the mp 3008 was probably thinking "this psycho expects us to fight with these? we're so fucked"
Exactly my thoughts!
Ha ha ha, he's thinking
"what the fuck is this shit."
The mp3008 wasn't that bad considering the Japanese had to use single shot muskets as last ditch weapons.
Interesting as a compilation of weapons that one can research further to see if they were actually used, etc.
Most of these aren't actually "last ditch weapons," unless "last ditch" means "prototypes, and weapons used near the end of the war," but you've gotta eat, so I understand the clickbait title, even though I mildly disapprove of how misleading it is.
@ 3:28 that isn’t a volksstum officer. That would be Waffen SS General Artur Phelps. The gun he is holding is a captured Sten Gun.
Interesting the number items was more than I thought.
Great video!
You can see how the design of some of these firearms carried through well after the war.
At 3:39 we see the higly decorated SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS (lieutenant general) Artur Phleps, commander of SS-Freiwilligen-Division "Prinz Eugen" at the time of pic and not a Volksturm Officer.
I know that now , but the website I got the image from was made in 2001
jmantime
There is a very good book about the mater: "Desperate Measures. The last-ditch weapons of the Nazzi Volkssturm" by W.Darrin Weaver, but you have added much more and invaluable info. You enriched my research files. Tks a lot. Pls, more great videos like this one.
iabjudwin I read that book , that's where I got the image of the VG-3 carbine from - also next video is Palestinian-Israeli designed weapons - 1948 to 2005
And then there was the 'Wasserballoon' thrower. Quite effective against Russian messenger pigeons.
Lord Humungus IVe lmao
Lol
Fascinating ! The early bullpup, as well as some other ideas shout out innovation as well as desperation.. ! Great collection.
Nice collection. Thanks for sharing.
your welcome
my bad, i meant to say Grossfuss Sturmgewehr not Grofuss STG-45 - but yeah the Grossfuss Sturmgewehr is based on both the STG-44, it was meant to replace the STG-44 as a cheaper alternative
the mp3008 cant really be called last ditch..... as it was an exact copy of a stengun.... it was adopted for the same reason the brits adopted the sten ... reliable, easy to produce, cost 35% less than an mp40, took less training time (also why the brits stopped using the thimpson when the sten was in full production....... same goes for the U.S "grease gun"....
the erma also never entered production and was just a design that was never even completes into a prototype so again not last ditch.
that "volksturm" is anything but he is an ss member of the regular force.....
as for the pistols none were put into production so they are simply designs.... "last ditch" would require production of the weapons......
the vk 98 is not a military designed weapon like any real militia force firearm it had been an actual hunting rife (marketed as such) that was then used as a war rifle thats repurpose not last ditch....
VG2 was again a military design that was never produced past prototype as it was never even reliable in that stage.... same with the vg3....
vg4 was a repurposed/rebranded version of german army training rifle...... produced in to many numbers to be last ditch... and never saw combat use (yet another criteria to be met to be last ditch....)
hessische never went past prototyping either.... and it was designed earlier in the war before anyone thought german could loose (let alone would) same with the mall cal version as it was the same bad design just made later....
the g43 hurts again never out of prototype this time even more lear as it is marked "43" as in 1943...... you really need to do your home work before you post stupidity.....
know-bremse. never even got past first stage prototype...
STG-45..... not last ditch yes it went into production with only 30 made and never fielded but that rifle got the best quality metals and equipment germany had left and had the war gone on that rifle was to be in the hands of frontline troops only.... and the design never discontinues as the roller blowback design was the 2nd most popular design in the colder and into the modern era..... this weapon is the direct parent if the Cetme, HKG3, HK33,MP5, SG510.... the weapon misses so many points on the road to last ditch and nomenclature changed from year designed to year of issue the design started late 1943.....the only criteria is comes close to meeting for last ditch is cost but as it still cost double these other weapons its kills that too as the only 3 weapons in military use at the time it was cheaper than were the K98K, G43 and the stg44 it was replacing (and was more reliable than....) as for the picture you use for it well no thats likely a russian or german partisan soldier using it in soviet trials at the rifle never made it to combat as only 30 were overproduced by germany..... or as i cannot see both sides of the gun its a factory guard with an stg44M which is a totally different gun....
the great version another prototype never actually produced....same with hanel varant.....grossfuss.... mauser stg 45 idea was post war.....spz-kr was post war.....
Mg15 even the watercolled was prewar for reserve forces.....
mg-45 was never past prototype and was designed pre d-day so long before even the idea of last ditch.....
Barnitzke machine gun- never past prototype....
all the flare gun styled launchers were made by all sides during the war.... they were all useless but everyone produced them......both pre and post war...
panserfaust...... oy vey so many levels of wrong...... the germans made millions before the start of supplies became short..... they stopped making them at the end of 1944 and just issued previously made ones as they found the non reusable tubes wasted valuable building maternal in later stages of the war..... but continued in use because they continued using pre built ones from earlier in 1944.....
stkg-standard issue equipment.... early on....
the only weapons that are last ditch in this are the VG-1, a g43 with a standard Mauser bolt action..... and came from an amalgamation 0f the g43 and walther-41 rifles in the area of 1944.... the volksturmgrewher-45 (you call 1-5) but was again only 50% last ditch as it was designed much earlier to free up battle rifles from reserve units.... efw46 is too....
so only what 4 are actual last ditch ........
I'm glad someone took the time to point out the glaring errors.With regard to the panzerfaust and the Volksturm.Nearly everytime they show the Volksturm training to use the Panzerfaust they use the same clip of the army officer showing a woman how to aim and fire the weapon.If you look closely at what he is doing he is reloading a variant of the launch tube that is obviously reusable,as the firing mechanism takes a 7.92 Kurz blank cartridge.
Unfortunately due to editing we don't get to see the progression from loading to firing.Whether the device he is using is simply a training aid that uses a blank cartridge to propel a dummy war head or whether it is another version of the panzerfaust where the tube that is usually discarded is reused,with a blank cartridge,to fire standard panzerfaust war heads I don't know.
I have always spotted this clip and studied it many times,but I am yet to see any info on whether there was a training aid that took a blank and fire a dummy projectile or if there was a version of the panzerfaust that wasn't wholly disposable.
Joe Stalin that would make the ak47 a last ditch weapon......
Joe Stalin no it was designed during the war to pe a simple stupid steel disposable design that was fast and easy to mass produce.... same as the sten and mp3008
JACKSONLEWISOFCANADA
ERMA EMP 35 has entered into production both in Germany and Spain (Under Licence)
MP3008....so a last ditch gun. They replaced a superior gun with it.
Very enlightening video. Your research was detailed enough even for this cannon - cocker to become fascinated. Thank you!
:)
The volkspistoles were actually automatic not semi
what a video. I never knew of this weapons that were not rarely seen in movies or videos. It enhanced my knowledge of what an arsenal they had. If the war persisted after 1945 wow.
Nice touch with the "Ode to Joy".. :-)
ive been waiting for this comment , will repost !
Germany in 1944: Me-262 jet, missiles, assault rifle, Tiger II heavy and you name it
Germany in 1945: here is metal stick from junkyard
11:19 that's when you know you are roasted and the war is lost
18:37 i immagine a supply officer give this poor guy what looks like an angry tube saying "here is your rifle some ammo and a flamethrower"
11:19 me making something out of left over lego pieces
Thanks for the nice music! Very enlightening information. Had no idea how many companies were designing and producing.
Well done, thank you. I enjoyed it very much.
The Knorr-Bremse Paratrooper Rifle was not a "last ditch" weapon. It was a prototype developed to compete for the 1941 Luftwaffe requirement for a battle rifle for paratroops (the Fallschirmjägers were part of the air force rather than the Heer).
The requirement was for a box-magazine fed, selective fire weapon using the standard 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge and rifle grenades. The weapon was not to exceed 1 meter in length and not to weigh unloaded much more than the standard-issue KAR-98 (9 lbs) - a very tall order. The contract was won by Rheinmetall to produce the famous FG-42 designed by Louis Stange. It is unknown whether the Knorr-Bremse rifle was ever submitted for trials, as only a few very incomplete examples survive. Production ended in 1942.
The Knorr-Bremse is interesting because of its bullpup layout, but it had no influence on modern designs since the details of its operation were lost. It was among the earliest bullpups, but certainly not the first, which was the Thornycroft carbine of 1901. The French produced a semi-auto bullpup prototype in 1918.
I thought it was odd that they would make another paratrooper rifle as a last ditch weapon. Guess that's why.
Thankyou for the introduction to such awesome music, and also great video!
Very interesting video, thanks. You can almost feel the desperation when looking at the designs of these weapons, especially the submachine guns.
The MP3008 was just a copy of the British sten gun with the magazine underneath insted of to the right side. I understand one of the reasons for this was to distinguish it from the sten in poor light. Germans knew what a sten looked like so if they just got a glimpse of the gun they would open fire not a very good idea
This video:Exist
Dice:write that down write that down
You can almost feel how the Germans were just desperately trying to pump out as many cheap guns as possible to the Volkssturm...stamped sheet metal parts and bits of pipe were all that was left at that point and they tried to make it count. My guess is that when you get handed a gun like that which was made by a company that used to build warships like the Bismarck not too long ago (Blohm&Voss), you know it's pretty much over.
And over it was, thankfully.
Germany had plenty of man power not enough supply
The grenade launcher at 17:40 looks like the granddad of the M-79. Seems like a "similar" design.
Nice touch with the "Ode to Joy"...
1. I didn't know the StG-45 was EVER used in the field. I thought it was only in prototype form until the designer went to Spain, where it developed into the CETME.
2. The G43 converted to 7.92x33mm is fascinating. The G43 and the SL6 and SL7 sporting derivatives of the 1980s always interested me.
3. On the small arms overall, the Germans should have ignored pistol development at that stage (the Walthers and Lugers were enough, though I know the Germans love their pistols), and focused on one or two rifles--a 7.92x33mm and maybe a bolt-action 7.92x57mm if the regular K98s were simply that much more expensive.
4. The anti-tank grenade that looks like a shuttlecock had to be downright embarrassing to throw. But if it works, no biggie.
5. The M79-looking grenade ("mortar") launcher might have been worth producing.
6. The early MANPADS looks like a hoot!
The anti-tank grenade that looks like a shuttlecock. Officially known as the Panzerwurfkorpper, or anti-tank grenade. It had a hollow-charge warhead. The fins were pop-out, and were used to keep the warhead facing the right direction. You held it and threw it just like a regular stick grenade. Usable range was 30-50 yards. And it proved to be so successful that the Russians copied it to replace their own less-than-successful designs.
Not a single angry vile argument going on? pff, well done, your doing history discussion right haha
:)
Anyone else just fascinated by this period in history ? It shows desperation and a gun that would change the tide of the war which thankfully never happened.
Fantastic video! I enjoyed seeing the more obscure lesser known "Last Ditch" weapons you showed. Why show the Walther KampfPistole/SturmPistole as a last ditch weapon though? They began production in 1941-42 if I recall correctly. You can see one in action in Lehrfilm Nr. 541 "Männer gegen Panzer".
I read wrong info on the website I got the photo's from since it wasn't in English :)
No problem, I was just curious. I didn't mean to nit pick. A great video nonetheless.
tb7771 no porblem
I'm no expert but I think you have the STG45 and the Gerat mixed up there. The gerat had a metal handle and that is the biggest identifiable difference. The pictures of the soldiers are holding different guns than the screen before.
For the Mauser HSC Volkpistole I believe you mean .32ACP (23 does not exist). .32 was a popular early caliber for early semiautomatic pistols and tooling and ready supply would have been abundant as many were still being sold and used. I also think you meant .380ACP, as .38ACP does not exist.
2:07, basically a sten with a different mag angle
The mauser stg 45 looks usable actually
11.24. If I were a Volkssturm militia, and the higher-ups gave me that thing, I probably would've wished I could surrender to the Allies.
10:03, there was the gerat 06 and the gerat 06h. no the o6h would be the correct variant.
Theres some of these weapons on some maps on the mod Forgotten hope 2 like the Steyr Volksgewerh VK98
The mp3008 is obviously a reworked Sten with mp38/40 magazine.
Rashid Hakim the Sten n is a MP28 Copy.
9:05 looks like the black ops 1,1960s era fammas
You know things are messed up when you are commissioned to make an EVEN SIMPLER version of the Sten
The german submachine gun may have been capable of 500 rpm but what hp is that thing putting out at that rpm, I bet not much.
3:38 Damn, look at him. He was probably alive during the 1871 German invasion of France, probably fought in WWI himself and then pushed out of retirement because most of the able bodied men between 18-50 years old have already been killed or wounded.
3:58 Possibly the most unappealing SMG I've ever seen.
4:35 Single shot rifles were getting largely replaced by the 1890s. 50-60 years is a large gap for firearm development in that time, unlike now where basically the biggest advancements are using polymer, aluminum, and being able to attach half a dozen accessories to a firearm. In fact my personal opinion is that 1880-1960 was the golden age of firearm evolution.
It seemed like every decade brought something fresh and new to the table! 1880s were some of the first repeating bolt actions as well as FMJ bullets and smokeless powder. 1890s brought spitzer (pointed) bullets around. Around the 1890s-1900s, a lot of cartridges that approached intermediate strength started propping up that were less than .30 calibre, including some of the first magnum-strength rifle cartridges, I believe the first is the one that the Ross Rifle was chambered in before deciding to stick with .303 British. 1910s during WWI had a HUGE amount of firearm/weapon/vehicle advancement. First SMGs, first LMGs, first tanks, first time planes used in war, first chemical warfare, most use of artillery seen, etc.
As for the inter war period, there wasn't a HUGE amount of firearm advancement. The Thompson came to shine in the 20s, the MG34 might be considered the best LMG of the 30s as well as the P35 (Hi Power) for pistols, the M1 Rifle and SVT38 (which lead to the SVT40) popped up in the 1930s as well which went on to be the most-produced semi auto rifles of the 1940s, with the M1 Rifle becoming the first standard-issue semi auto, though the SVT40 would have made it there first if not for Germany invading Russia in 1941. Then the 50s was the Battle Rifle era (Though the AVT40 technically made it there first; the Russians learned early that full auto 8-9lb rifles is not a smart idea) where the FN FAL, M14, and G3 started replacing bolt action rifles and semi auto only rifles for the most part (Except the C1 and L1A1 which stuck to semi, which only makes sense with full sized rifle rounds in an 8-9lb rifle).
There was also the AK47 of the late 40s which was cool, however later perfected in terms of weight/cost in the late 50s with the AKM (Currently the most produced assault rifle and AK variant on Earth), the late 50s also seen the AR design come to fruition, and then the 60s to Present has been mostly improving on older designs with lighter polymer/aluminium parts/shorter barrels, and in the case of the AKM, a smaller cartridge. So comparing firearms made in the 1950s-60s to now is mostly going to be an issue of weight than anything else if you compare apples to apples. During WWII though, using 60 year old technology (In this case, single shot rifles), is leaving you thoroughly outclassed seeing as repeating bolt actions are being met with nearly equal numbers of SMGs, semi auto rifles, and LMGs. Quite desperate.
Anyways, great vid!
Actually that guy at 3:38 is wearing SS insignia, that of 7th Mountain SS "Prinz Eugen". Judging by the time and rank of SS Obergruppenfuhrer he is Otto Kumm.
Pete Gromov Either way, he should have retired a long time ago. Looks like a stiff breeze would make him fall over and break his hip. Incredibly slim as well, possibly even malnourished. This must have been in the final months of the conflict... look at the boys in the background, I think they've been yanked out of school.
NormanMatchem Iron Crosses-'nuf said!
wOcka flOcka The Germans got pretty desperate back in the day.
One of the Rockets used by the Panzerfaust 150 really looks like the AP-Round of the Today used ,,Panzerfaust 3´´..
This is best put simply as "When you try your best but you don't succeed"
It's actually a good topic for a book. Would be weird if none has been published until now.
11:19 they didn't even have enough resources to make a pistol grip, they just used the magazine
The "German Volksturm Officer" is not a Volksturm Officer. He's Obergruppenfuhrer Artur Phelps, CO of the 7th SS Prinz Eugen Division of the Waffen S.S.
Volkssturmgewehr VG 1-5 is an assault rifle not a carbine!
That last musical movement at 18:45 is "The Seven Rules of Attention and Nine Orders of Discipline", the Chinese People's Army march. Ironic.
pgm3 lol, I couldn't find a german song long enough for this video , so I used some royalty free Chinese music :)
Is the knorr bremse paratrooper rifle maybe the first bullpump assault rifle?
I laughed so hard when I saw the first photo of the grenade launching pistol.
Who wouldn't? Imagine being a nazi with this and the tank you are about to shoot is laughing
Neat HEAT warheads... crazy how these little tubes influenced our infantry anti armor weapons for decades to come.
This is actually funny...
With a much as the Germans are known for engineering everything to the Nth degree, seeing what essentially amounts to a series of "garage project" guns is just mind-boggling.
Half of these things look like they were thrown together with plywood and irrigation pipe.
3:40 isn't that a genuine Sten the officer is studying?
selector is the bit of wire of a genuine sten?
The Germans actually manufactured 30,000+ smg's that were direct copies of the Sten mk 2, right down to using the same proof marks. Many of them were taken into the inventory of the British army, who thought they were re-capturing British-made Sten guns.
The gun in the picture you are referencing is NOT a Sten gun. For one, the magazine on this gun feeds from the bottom, not the left side as it does on a Sten.
Gee, I wonder where the Americans got the idea for the M 79 from? And I wonder where the Russians got the idea for the AK-47 from? And I wonder where the Russians got the idea for the RPG two and RPG seven from?
Also I wonder how the Americans got the idea for the M-202 quad rocket launchers.
For all of you that dont already know, the ak47 was originall designed in uganda, by babatunde kalashnikov, cousin of mikhail.,
Actually the AK-47 was created in my dad's basement back in 1994. AK stood for "American Killers" and the 47 stood for the number of beers that my dad drank when he created the rifle. I don't know where these people get this crazy shit that it was created by some Russian guy name Kalishnikov or that some nigga in Uganda designed it.
Caspian Wint the ak and stg/mkb share nothing apart from small minor parts.
How do you change the battery on an AK47?
That German officer looking at the sub machine gun is thinking, " we're doomed"..
EXCELLENT VIDEO
The mp 3008 looks alot like the Sten, and the prototype you showed is a sten
The sten was nothing but a cheap copy of the MP28, so things come full-circle.
There's never been a .23 ACP.
You need to edit yourself. This is very sloppy.
Correction here, the VG-k98 or VG-5 is not a single shot rifle, it's a 5 shots bolt action rifle.
the Kar-98k but cheap, Forgotten weapons talk about this.
the volksgewehr VG- 1 looks really cool
8:59 must be 1 of the first bullpup rifles!
Beethoven nice touch. Fits the Video well. Although Beethoven was from Austria not Germany. However I always appreciate a classic.
Was the VK98 single shot or bolt action? It appears to have an internal magazine. Bolt action is not the same thing as single shot.
never underestimate dwarvish weapons...
Imagine being handed these and yet be lied to, being told that you will win the war.
the mp-3008 is actually just a british STEn with other triger mechanisms and the magazine faced down not to the side
The Sten is nothing more than a cheap copy of the MP28, so things come full-circle.
You can tell the end was near with the rushed quality of these weapons compared to earlier weapons they produced.
I'm struck by the similarity between the assault rifles and the AK 47. I wonder if the Russians improved on the captured German stock?
Reid Thomas For the naysayers who say comrade Kalashnikov couldn't have been helped by Hugo Schmeisser in the design of his AK-47 rifle because he started working on his project in 1944 and the German inventor only arrived in the Soviet Union in 1946: you forgot a little detail, my friends.
And that is Schmeisser's StG-43/44 was already in service and issued to German troops in 1944. Not coincidentally, it was the same year Kalashnikov started his work on the AK-47.
So here is an easy question for you: on who's desk do you think the first Stg-43/44 captured by the Soviet troops on the battlefield landed once it arrived in the Moscow?
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to guess the answer: the Kalashnikov bureau of reverse engineering, or however the Russkies may have called it at the time.
Soviets also copied their first turbojet engines from Germans, a pair of reversed engeneered BMW 003 s and later from England with the purchase and reverse engeneering of Rolls royce Nene engines.The Soviet aviation minister Mikhail Khrunichev suggested to Premier Joseph Stalin that the USSR buy the conservative but fully developed Nene engines from Rolls-Royce for the clandestine purpose copying them in a minimum of time. Somewhat logically, Stalin is said to have replied, "What fool will sell us his secrets?
Tommy gun, BAR, PPSH-41, SVT-40, M1 Garand:
*laughting*
Your spelling: *Laughing*
Buddy, I need an original musik used later for this video. Keep me a link on it, PLEASE!!!!!