"DEATH FROM ABOVE" GERMAN WW2 PARATROOPER AIRBORNE FG-42 RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK

Description

OUT OF PRINT FROM THE PUBLISHER!
German paratroopers shocked the world in 1940 with their success in Norway, and then overwhelmed Belgian and Dutch defenses in a series of swift blitzkrieg airborne assaults. After their spectacular jump on Crete, they went on to fight in North Africa, Italy, and Normandy, and were renowned for their tenacity and fighting spirit. In the German method of airborne assault, paratroopers jumped at low altitude with equipment bundles dropped nearby containing their rifles and LMGs. Although the Fallschirmjager jump on Crete was ultimately successful, the German paratroopers suffered heavy casualties, as they were quickly engaged by staunch British and Australian defenders, and the SMGs and pistols they carried on the jump were outranged by the Commonwealth .303 Enfields and machine guns. The Fallschirmgewehr 42 (FG-42) rifle was developed to combine the best features of a service rifle, sniper rifle, and LMG in a compact arm capable of being carried on a jump, allowing the paratrooper to land ready to fight. The FG-42 was carried by German paratroopers and commandos during the Gran Sasso raid in September 1943 to rescue Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from his captors (200 well equipped Caribinieri guards), and continued to be used in combat by German paratroopers in the Mediterranean and ETO. The FG-42 has been of great interest to collectors for decades, leading Thomas B. Dugelby and R. Blake Stevens to write an authoritative reference book on the subject in 1990, reprinted in an expanded second edition in 2007. This "DEATH FROM ABOVE" GERMAN WW2 PARATROOPER AIRBORNE FG-42 RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK is in near mint, unread condition, with only some light scattered storage wear evident (most pictured). Otherwise, the book is in near mint shape, with no other damage. Most interestingly, it boasts an elegantly illustrated dust jacket over hardcovers, and sports 216 pages full of descriptive text, period pictures, and black and white photographs of the German FG-42 paratroop rifle of WW2, with a strong emphasis on design, development, production history, serial numbers, specific measurements, details on disassembly, parts such as the spike bayonet, mags, and the GwZF4 telescopic sight and mount, and a plethora of other invaluable information. A beautiful example of a "DEATH FROM ABOVE" GERMAN WW2 PARATROOPER AIRBORNE FG-42 RIFLE REFERENCE BOOK. With apologies to our valued international clients, we must restrict bidding to US bidders only. Now celebrating over 20 years on eBay. Bid with confidence and please view our other great military, aviation, and sporting classics, including a German WW2 MWC LUFTWAFFE PILOT B-UHR AUTOMATIC WRIST WATCH in MINT, unworn, new in the box condition, sporting a crisp 60 minute/12 hour (outer/inner) white numbers black dial, and featuring the classic big "onion" crown and sweeping seconds hand with hacking function.
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