For Patrick who brought up the subject of VS rifles used in 1945. Due to the massive amount of rifles seized by the Heer and SS over the Continent, N Africa, and into Russia there were a multitude of rifles and calibers to choose from: German K98ks, G-41s, G-43s, STG-44s, VG 1-5s, Lee Enfields, Lebel-Berthiers, Mosin-Nagants, and many Mannlichers from Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, and Rumania! Trouble was the right rifle and caliber. Germany chose the Italian Carcanos due to massive supply (400,000 rifles) and started to convert them from 6.5 and 7.35mm over to 7.92mm. That meant 13 factories had to work hard to change the barrel, bolt, and mag resulting in a single-fire weapon that had a wicked flash, strong recoil, and less accuracy. However, since 16,000 of them had been converted, they were shipped to the VS for training and use. It is called the "Unofficial VS rifle"... but that is based on production numbers and cannot be proven by the photographic record. The VS took anything they could get and that even involved German civilian shotguns, drillings, hunting rifles, pistols, and .22 training rifles.

*Jags= Jaegers (Infantry but lit. hunters)