Guns and Money, a WW2 Price List; Rifles and Machine-guns

In 1941, World War II was going well for Germany. The forces of the Third Reich had successfully overrun the Greek islands and Balkan states, and the Fuhrer was beginning to size up further prizes.

There was a finely balanced choice between taking on the British Royal Navy, expanding across the Mediterranean and into the Middle East, or perhaps taking on a Soviet Red Army still reeling from Stalin’s recent purges. Germany’s biggest asset was the size and expertise of its continental land army, so invading the Soviet Union with the addition of Finnish and Romanian divisions looked like the best way forward.

Without doubt, Operation Barbarossa had initial successes, but it also changed the way the German army used firearms, accelerating the production and use of the MP 40 Maschinenpistole.

German soldier with an MP 40 on the Eastern Front, 1944. By Bundesarchiv – CC BY-SA 3.0 de
German soldier with an MP 40 on the Eastern Front, 1944. By Bundesarchiv – CC BY-SA 3.0 de

At the Battle of Leningrad (present day St. Petersburg), German troops toting their assault rifles were met by return fire from Soviet submachine guns. The siege that followed has resulted in classic sniper tales with a focus on rifle sights, and serves to highlight the very different battle functions of both firearms.

Antiaircraft-gunners firing at the enemy in besieged Leningrad.
Antiaircraft-gunners firing at the enemy in besieged Leningrad.

Rifles

The role of the rifle in battle had changed dramatically since its mass introduction as a marksman’s lead gun in the trenches of World War I, where an enemy would be engaged at a distance. In WWII rifles served in a supporting role to machine guns and SMGs. There were some effective innovations, including the addition of a grenade launcher to the Mauser 98k.

Karabiner 98k in mint condition, made in 1940.
Karabiner 98k in mint condition, made in 1940.

The Mauser 98k was the standard issue rifle for the German army, and production costs at the beginning of the war were around $28 per unit. A collectible WWII Mauser in good condition today will cost you between $2,000 and $4,000.

Private of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division Großdeutschland with Karabiner 98k and mounted Schießbecher. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-732-0123-15 / Pfeiffer / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Private of the Panzer-Grenadier-Division Großdeutschland with Karabiner 98k and mounted Schießbecher. Photo by Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-732-0123-15 / Pfeiffer / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Millions of these rifles were captured by Soviet forces, and so many others were manufactured and then stored that they continued to be used in battle for decades after WWII. Mausers were even being used during the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s, during the breakup of Yugoslavia.

The U.S. Army had the M1 Garand rifle which, in 1942, cost the U.S. government $83 each. Following years of cost-reduction engineering, that price dropped to $31 in 1945.

John Garand points out features of the M1 to army generals.
John Garand points out features of the M1 to army generals.

Legendary General George S. Patton, Jr. said of the M1, “In my opinion, the M1 rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.” Indeed, the elegance of the walnut stock and the fine balance of the Garand’s design has sent some into fits of lyricism.

An American gun reseller provides one such example: “There will never be again such a rifle, so brimming with the genius of an individual mind, so well-constructed to outlive us all, so sculpted as to ask the hand to caress.”

M1 Garand with en bloc clips Photo by Curiosandrelics CC BY-SA 3.0
M1 Garand with en bloc clips Photo by Curiosandrelics CC BY-SA 3.0

Machine Guns

The years before WWII saw the development of two of the deadliest heavy machine guns which would be used during the war. If a person was unfortunate enough to get in the way of either gun it would definitely make an impression.

Possibly one of the most expensive general machine guns was the American M2 Ma Deuce 1945, coming in at a budget-busting $1,560, but few who have used it have quibbled with the price.

A U.S. soldier in Normandy stands guard with the M2HB installed on a dual-purpose mounting.
A U.S. soldier in Normandy stands guard with the M2HB installed on a dual-purpose mounting.

The design was the brainchild of firearms genius John Browning and went on to be perfected by the engineers at Colt, who delivered a six-foot-long, belt-fed, air-cooled, recoil-operated machine gun with incredible stopping power and an upward range limit of four miles.

MG34
MG34

While the German MG34 was relatively inexpensive at $131 in 1942, the quality of the parts required was so high that supply could not keep up with demand from the front for replacements and spare parts.

Despite that, the “Nazi Zipper” was a feared and respected weapon. No one in their right mind wanted to go up against a gun that could spew more than 800 rounds a minute.

German soldiers with an MG 34 in France, 1944 Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-721-0386-15 / Jesse / CC-BY-SA 3.0
German soldiers with an MG 34 in France, 1944 Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-721-0386-15 / Jesse / CC-BY-SA 3.0

By the end of the war, the MG38 had been replaced by the less expensive MG 40 at $100 apiece. The prices of the German guns, however, come with the caveat that they were produced in large part by unpaid slave labor.

Read another story from us: Birth of the Assault Rifle – The Sturmgewehr 44

These days, a nice clean example of an MG38 will sell at auction for more than $20,000, while for roughly half that, you can purchase your very own M2 Ma Deuce. It might be worth your while to take a look at that pile of junk in the back of grandpa’s garage–you never know what valuable souvenirs lie beneath the dust.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE