FG-42

The FG-42 or Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 or Para Trooper Rifle 42 is a select-fire automatic rifle, created in Nazi Germany during World War 2. Troops of both the Millennium Organization and the Letzte Bataillon are known to carry this weapon.

Profile
The FG-42 is a select-fire automatic rifle, designed by Louis Stange and manufactured by several companies, including Rheinmetall in limited quantities. The rifle's type 1 and 2 variants are 945 mm (37.2 in), with the type 3 variant being 975 mm (38.4 in) Type III. Types 1 and 2 possessed a weight of 4.2 kg (9.3 lb), while type 3 weighed 4.95 kg (10.9 lb), all of these guns fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition. When fired, the full automatic mode of the weapon has the bolt held back when the shooter ceases firing the weapon, while the semi-automatic mode closes it. The weapon's rate of fire varies, with the practical weapon firing 250 rounds per minute, while variants like the type 1 fire 900 rounds per minute and the type 3 fires 750 rounds per minute. The weapon was also given a spike bayonet, which could be flipped up onto the weapon, as well as a standard bipod, integrated beneath the weapon's barrel. Only real downside of this bipod was that when it was used and the gun fired, the recoil would cause the bipod to fold back up, needing the shooter to brace their hand on the legs of the bipod to stabilize it. It fires from a side-mounted magazine, which holds 20 rounds. Earlier models of the FG-42 were issued with a 45 degree angled pistol grip, but as the war continued and materials became harder to produce, a more conventional pistol grip was placed on later models.

History
During World War 2, German Paratroops were sent into combat zones without their small arms, as they would be sent in separate. Troops would sometimes never get their weapons, leading to them losing their lives. As such, the Luftwaffe requested a new weapon exclusively for their paratroops, which they could be sent in without needing to risk their lives. As such, several weapons were offered, including the STG-44, but they desired a rifle which fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser ammunition, used by most other arms at the time and not the Kurz ammunition of the STG. It would be later on that the FG-42 would come about and answered the prayers of the air force. It would be the Third Reich's eventual downfall, that caused the FG-42 to cease production altogether, however it was not the end for the weapon, as the United States began looking to merge this rifle with that of the MG-42 machine gun in early trials to create a general purpose machine gun of their own. That gun would become known as the M60.

Usage In Hellsing
Following the fall of the Third Reich, a remnant group of nazis, known as the Letzte Bataillon and the Millennium Organization had several of these weapons on hand and used them later on in their war against Hellsing and all of London.

Manga
In chapter 32 of the manga, a member of the Waffen SS was seen opening fire with an FG-42 against Alucard, but failed in his attempts to stop the vampire.