Death from Above-The German FG42 Paratroop Rifle
by Thomas B Dugelby and R Blake Stevens
New Expanded Edition, 2007
228 pages, 278 illustrations
The First Edition of this ground-breaking study of the Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 (FG42) was published in 1990. Now long out of print, it contained 160 pages and 156 illustrations.
When a re-issue was first contemplated, the intention was to simply reprint the book as it had originally appeared. Luckily, however, a great deal of important new information has recently come to light. Hence this New Expanded Edition, which includes everything from before plus an Addendum containing 68 more pages and 122 new illustrations.
This book depicts and describes seven basic models of the FG42, from the earliest prototype (the Type `A') through the first or `early' production series (the Type `E') with its distinctively swept-back handgrip and intricately machined receiver, then the initial Rheinmetall redesign utilising a stamped receiver (the Type `F'), followed by the ultimate if extremely short-lived final series-production model, the Type `G'. Amazingly, virtually none of the Type `G' components will interchange with their lookalike Type `F' counterparts. This includes magazines.
The 2007 Addendum challenges everything previously known or assumed about the timetable of FG42 development, thus solving some long-standing dilemmas but introducing even more new questions about these fascinating arms. It also includes a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the serial numbers of every FG42 known to exist all over the world.
