Resistance fighters can't be fussy when it comes to choosing a weapon: when you're reliant
on clandestine supply and captured arms, almost anything will do.
It will come as no surprise, then, that you'll encounter quite the variety of weapons...
on the Enemy Front.
The smallest arms on offer are the handguns: generally only used in secondary roles or
as a backup to a rifle, they are nonetheless better than nothing.
The Americans have the classic Colt M1911: a .45 calibre hunk of steel that still remains
popular a century after its introduction.
Designed by the legendary John Browning, the short recoil, swinging link design can be
found in many contemporary semi-automatic pistols.
The similarly iconic German Luger P08 can be credited with the introduction of the 9mm
Parabellum cartridge.
An outlandish and somewhat costly design, the Luger was officially replaced in service
by the Walther P38 before the start of World War 2: but the Luger remained a popular sidearm
- and desirable war trophy.
The Mauser C96 is an unusual early semi-automatic pistol that dates to the days of the German
Empire.
It was known as the 'broomhandle' due to its rounded wooden grip, but the absence of a
detachable magazine is perhaps its most notable feature.
Instead, the 10-rounds internal supply is replenished via stripper clip: not quite as
convenient as an interchangeable magazine, but an effective enough solution for the era.
Perhaps most interesting of the handguns on offer is the British Welrod: its unusual appearance
due to an integrated suppressor and less-than-conventional mode of operation.
Designed to be as close to silent as possible, with a bolt-action keeping the chamber sealed
until manual operation.
This meant that the weapon was exceedingly quiet: ideal for assassination and covert
operations.
Shotguns are generally associated with police and civilian use, but they do occasionally
find function within a military role.
The Trench Gun is a pump action shotgun made by Winchester, also known as the Model 1897.
It proved its worth in the trenches of World War 1, and reprised its close range sweeper
role in limited use during the Second World War, as automatic weapons somewhat displaced
the shotgun's role.
Indeed, submachine guns were the close range weapons of choice in World War 2, with their
automatic fire making them much better suited to urban combat.
Few sounds are as terrifying as the chatter of the German MP40: an efficient yet effective
design, originally used by paratroopers and squad leaders but becoming increasingly desirable
in the later stages of the war.
Supplies were limited, however - despite the weapon being relatively easy to manufacture
due to its all stamped sheet metal construction.
The British Sten gun shares this trait, with its simple design requiring little machining,
nor any difficult to find materials.
Chambered in the same calibre as the MP40, the weapon could even take German 9mm magazines,
helping bolster supplies through captured salvage.
Most notably, the MkIIS variant depicted in-game comes equipped with an integral suppressor:
greatly quieting the weapon, although sustained fire will heat up the weapon rapidly - the
canvas handguard serves to protect the user in such cases.
The Polish Lightning SMG is similar to the Sten: again, designed for ease of manufacture
and its ability to use enemy magazines.
Known as the Błyskawica in Polish, it was covertly mass produced in occupied Europe
to arm the Polish resistance - proving instrumental during the Warsaw Uprising.
The Russians were also present on the Eastern front, and the PPSh41 - or the 'papasha' - was
their SMG of choice, alongside the later, cheaper PPS.
Unlike the slower firing MP40, Sten, and Błyskawica, the PPSh boasted a tremendous rate of fire
- 900 rounds per minute.
This earned it a nickname: the 'burp gun', for its furious report - and its deadly effectiveness
in close quarters.
Its drum magazine held an impressive 71 rounds, granting great staying power despite the occasional
feed issue.
The American Thompson SMG is also known for its ability to spew lead from a drum magazine,
but in a military setting it only used box magazines - lower capacity but much more reliable
in service.
The hard-hitting .45 ACP round and ample capacity for automatic fire meant the weapon was a
firm favourite amongst soldier, law enforcement and criminal alike.
Automatic rifles bridge the gap between SMGs and traditional bolt-action battle rifles,
and the introduction of intermediate cartridges saw the emergence of the assault rifle.
One of the earliest such assault rifles was the Nazi Sturmgewehr 44, firing a new Kurz
cartridge - some way between the power of a rifle and SMG.
This meant the weapon could fire full auto without being too difficult to handle: and
the increase in firepower over SMGs meant a greater effective range without diminished
performance.
While the Sturmgewehr's service ended with the fall of the Third Reich, similar weapons
such as the Soviet AK-47 would go on to become definite infantry weapons of the 20th century.
The Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, or FG 42 was another automatic rifle, developed specifically
to fill the needs of German paratroopers.
Unlike the sturmgewehr, it fires a full-power rifle cartridge, drawing from a side-fed 20
round detachable magazine.
While it only ever saw limited service, the weapon would influence later light machine
gun designs - with the American M60 taking some influence during its development.
The Maschinengewehr 42 was Nazi Germany's general purpose machine gun, alongside the
earlier MG34: providing the ability to lay down sustained fire from a defensive emplacement.
It is perhaps best known for its terrifying level of output - at around 1200 rounds per
minute of unrelenting fire, it became known as 'Hitler's Buzzsaw'.
The Poles had their own home-grown automatic rifle in the Wz.28: a Polish-made version
of the American Browning Automatic Rifle.
It was a powerful weapon, firing a full rifle cartridge at a rate far beyond typical battle
rifles of the era.
Its detachable magazine did limit ready firepower between reloads, however - with only 20 rounds
on tap.
Despite great advancements in small arms during the war, most regular infantry would be equipped
with rifles: accurate, powerful and already available in great supply.
The Karabiner 98k was the Nazi's primary service rifle throughout the war, with over 14 million
produced during its lifetime.
Its design is based on the earlier Gewehr 98, in service from 1898 until the shortened
K variant replaced it in 1935.
It suffers in close quarters due to its slower rate of fire, but when used from a covered
position as part of a squad, the powerful Mauser round is effective out to 500 metres
with iron sights: or up to a kilometre with a telescopic sight attached.
The Gewehr 43 was a semi-automatic rifle of the same calibre: an attempt to improve potential
fire output without compromising a rifleman's power.
To this end it was successful, although the reduced recoil and select fire of the Sturmgewehr
eventually found greater favour.
The G43's gas system took influence from the Soviet SVT-40, an earlier semi-automatic rifle
fielded by the Russians.
It displaced the bolt-action Mosin Nagant, although the Soviet's ability to manufacture
the newer rifles waxed and waned under wartime stresses.
The Americans had a semi-automatic battle rifle at their disposal quite some time before
the war: the M1 Garand entered service in 1936.
Its most recognisable feature is the absence of a detachable magazine: instead, rounds
are inserted in an en-bloc clip into a fixed 8-round internal magazine.
Upon expenditure of these rounds, the weapon would automatically eject the clip with an
audible 'ping': alerting the user to their need for a reload.
One of the more exotic weapons you'll encounter is the British De Lisle Carbine: the action
was based on a Lee Enfield rifle, but the carbine boasted an integral sound suppressor
- and was chambered for a subsonic .45 ACP round.
This meant that the weapon was very quiet indeed: and, much like the Welrod pistol,
the noisiest part of its operation was not the shot - but the manual cycling of the action.
The Polish Wz.35 Anti-Tank Rifle is perhaps less subtle: a high-powered bolt-action design
intended to pierce through early tank armour.
Although based on a standard rifle action, the cartridge fired carried a much greater
charge - vastly increasing muzzle velocity, and allowing the bullet to punch through thick
armour.
Unfortunately, advances in tank designs meant that such armour-piercing rifles became obsolete
- and so arms designers turned to a more explosive means of despatching tracked vehicles instead.
Unbridled detonation is a potent destructive force: anything can be reduced to smouldering
rubble with the application of enough TNT.
However, there are more efficient means of delivery: and even a relatively small charge
can deal huge damage when its force is focussed.
The single-use Panzerfaust gave Nazi soldiers the means to tackle armoured opposition: and
rather than rely on the projectile's kinetic energy, the warhead uses a shaped charge to
punch through armour more efficiently.
The explosive is shaped into an hollow inverse cone, and lined with ductile copper.
Upon detonation, the explosive force is directed onto a single point, and the resultant jet
of molten metal is capable of surprising penetration.
The American Bazooka was similar in effect, although more capable against thicker armour,
and able to reach targets further away.
Its more durable construction also meant that it was reusable, but much heavier and more
expensive as a result.
For resistance fighters, these advanced anti-tank weapons were not as commonly available - and
so improvised arms such as the Molotov cocktail were the best available tools for disabling
enemy vehicles.
Little more than a combustible fluid in a frangible container, the resultant deflagration
wasn't effective against armour - but could choke engine intakes, emit blinding smoke
- and effectively disable the vehicle.
Finally, another handheld explosive option is the Nazi Stielhandgranate - the long handle
giving the grenade a distinctive appearance, as well as providing a lever to aid long-distance
throws.
A pull cord initiates a 5-second fuse, and after such time the main charge would detonate
- ruining the day of anyone caught within the blast radius.
Thus covers most of the arms you'll encounter in Enemy Front: a mix of some classic World
War 2 weapons, with some interesting rare and exotic choices.
In a time when even regular forces had strained supplies, it's no wonder resistance partisans
readily adopted whatever resources were at hand.
Thanks for watching, and until next time: farewell.