The FG 42 in action

Немецкие парашютисты в ходе боевых действий на территории Италии, осень 1943 года
In the shadow of a shattered church, two Fallschirmjäger engage Allied troops with their FG 42s. The soldier on the right, seen here changing the 20-round magazine of his weapon, has an FG 42/I, with the bipod legs folded up beneath the barrel. Like his comrade, he is using the eight-pouch FG 42 ammunition bandolier, each pouch taking one magazine. Note the simple perforated muzzle brake of the first model of the FG 42. The soldier on the left has one of the newer FG 42/II models, instantly identifiable by the muzzle-mounted bipod (as opposed to mounted just in front of the gas piston), a less steeply angled pistol grip and a ribbed muzzle brake. He is delivering fire in 4–5-round bursts, each burst separated by a couple of seconds’ pause. This mode of fire provided decent volumes of suppression, while also reducing the risks of the gun overheating and rounds ‘cooking off’.