FG 42: is a German automatic rifle. Its called FG 42 for short its official name is Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 or in English its paratroop rifle model 1942. This rifle was produced by Fallschirmjäger airborne infantry.The weight of this weapon varies between 4.2kg and 4.95kg .Its length also varies between 945mm-975mm and its barrel length 500mm. The cartridge 7.92x57mm Mauser. At the time of the
Operation Mercury, German Fallschirmjäger were equipped with the same assortment of small arms as the German army, carrying only pistols and hand grenades on them during airborne jumps, with sub machine guns, rifles and crew-served weapons stored separately in containers that were dropped from the wing of the exit craft. The German parachute harness, with a single strap attached to the body making the paratrooper land on his hands and knees in a forward roll, did not allow for heavier equipment such as rifles and machine guns to be safely carried during jumps. At Crete, long-range rifle and machine gun fire from dug-in Commonwealth defenders (largely New Zealanders from 5 Brigade's 22nd Battalion) inflicted heavy casualties upon the outgunned German paratroopers in the early stages of battle as they attempted to retrieve their support weapons from containers were all over the war zone. These early combat experiences demonstrated that standard weapons were not ideal for airborne operations.