"Best" individual infantry weapon of WW2?

The guy using it.

I agree with General Patton. The M1 is what I'd want to have.

GERMAN MG 42 MACHINE GUN

HOWARD J said:

GERMAN MG 42 MACHINE GUN

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That is a crew-served weapon.

GBExpat said:

That is a crew-served weapon.

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It kept your head down better than any weapon----one man carried it--the whole squad carried the ammo

HOWARD J said:

GERMAN MG 42 MACHINE GUN

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OP asked for "individual" weapon ... best and worst

"of WWII" meaning it was used at that time? The 1911 is certainly the most successful individual small arm that was used in that war from a commercial-success standpoint. I'm not saying it's the most effective force-multiplier or most effective weapon, but if I were to pick a winner based on which patent I'd want to own, it would be that one. All the others are relics. All of them. The Garand, M1 or M2 Carbine, the K98, the Thompson, the grease gun, the Sturmgewehr, the Luger, the P-38, are all just relics today. We could say the Stg. 44 was the father of assault rifles, but it's hardly the same thing as the AK-47 or AR-15. The K-98 is really the only other design besides the 1911 that continues to be used in practically the same form, just with sporter stocks and tapered barrels.

Which was the best one to have an army equipped with? The Garand.

Which was the most innovative and futuristic? The Sturmgewehr and the P-38.

The M1 Carbine has to be given credit for making an outsized difference and could even be credited with engendering the genre of lightweight, short, semi-automatic carbines that are so popular today (as in semi-automatic AR-15's with 16 inch barrels). If the M-16 A1 had not been given a lot of M1 Carbine features, AR-15's wouldn't be nearly so popular today.

HOWARD J said:

It kept your head down better than any weapon----one man carried it--the whole squad carried the ammo

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He couldn't fire it without an AG feeding ammo; besides running out quick with short belts, they will jam with long belts. Then there is the barrel changing quandry. It is not an individual weapon. One man can carry an M2HB also, (I have done it) but it is not an individual weapon, either.

To answer the question, and to paraphrase a WWII poster, "The M1 would do MY talking...."

Worst; there are so many. I still vote Arisaka.

Mauser 98 those germans kept up a good fight with a bolt against the M1 Garand MHO.

Supported by MG42's, yes. Or more correctly, the other way around.

Truth, I don't have a clue,wasn't born till four years after WW II.

Well, if picking a weapon means I have to go to that army….....K31.

However, if you mean I actually have to do some fighting with it, M1 Carbine.

Worst would be the flamethrower.

Lugging around 100lbs of unreliable, highly explosive, bullet magnet doesnt sound like fun to me at all.

The best individual infantry firearm was the Soviet PPSh-41 sub-machinegun. It's incredible rate of fire (900 rpm), 71 round drums, reliability, and the fairly potent 7.62x25 made for a fantastic weapon, especially in urban environments, and delivered awesome suppressive fire.

The worst was the Fusil Model 1907/15, the Lebel Berthier rifle firing from a 3 round en bloc clip.

Best
rifle: M1
Carbine: M1
Sub gun: PPs/sten (I know, I know. But they work and cost a nickel to make)

Worst
Rifle: German 41 auto loading rifles
Carbine: ? Most carbines i can think of worked fine.
Smg: That Swiss infernal machine Lmg-Pist 41/44 or the Rising smg.

And a special place in heaven for flamethrower men.

Probably the Garand. But if I were personally in urban/close combat, I think I would prefer a carbine.

My Dad was assigned the BAR when he went into combat as a replacement. He was big (for the time) at 5'11" and 190 pounds...plus the old timers didn't want to carry it because of the weight. He said you learned early to take off the carry handle and bipod and toss them into the woods. He got to where he really liked it, carrying it for the last 6 months of the European war. Carried two bandoliers of magazines "Pancho Villa-style" as he referred to it.

Bwana John said:

What do you consider the best individual infantry rifle, carbine or submachine gun, ect of WW2 regardless of nationality?

Only one stipulation... if you chose the StG 44 you are getting sent to the Eastern Front with it.

How about the worst?

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Best:
The one the other guy has.

Worst:
The one you were issued.

Since we are looking at the best individual equipment, I would say an M3 sub gun and a Japanese knee mortar. The M3 for its simplicity, and its ability to drop a Japanese sniper from the tree tops, as well as engage in the bocage and city fighting.

The knee mortar was a brilliant piece of engineering, perfect for the Japanese areas of conflict.

The worst would be a sharpened bamboo stake or 5 rounds of Mosin-Nagant ammo. No gun, just pick one up from a fallen Soviet soldier.

entropy said:

Worst; there are so many. I still vote Arisaka.

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Over the Carcano?

An awful lot of European Theatre combat area photographs seem to show a lot of GIs carrying the M1 Carbine. So, not bad for a pistol replacement really intended for more rearward personnel.

There's a story about Audie Murphy clearing a building and blasting away with his M1 Carbine when a mirrored image of himself suddenly appeared around a corner.