German
Rifle Drill
By Jonathan Bocek
Below you
will find the basic German rifle commands and the
proper ways to execute them. Illustrations from
an original German manual. Hopefully you will find this to be an
easy explanation of German rifle drill. I would
like to thank the 1.SS
Panzer Division for
providing the detailed instructions for the movements
involved.
| GEWEHR,
AB! (Rifle,
Down) |
ge-VAIR,
ab!
|
|
When
ordered to "Angetren" (Fall in), always
stand at "Order Arms" and at
"Attention" with heals together and toes out
at a slightly less than 90-degree angle. The weapon is held on the
right side with butt plate on the ground next to the
right foot. The lower end of the butt plate
should be aligned with the right toe of your boot.
Right hand fingers should be extended and joined,
grasping the rifle at the top barrel band with
knuckles facing the front, elbow slightly out from the
side. Left arm in the "Attention"
position with palm of hand on upper thigh and elbow
slightly out from the side.

Note: men
with weapons other than the rifle should fall in as
follows:
| 1. |
Maschinenpistole
/ Sturmgewehr - Gewehr, Umhangen (sling
arms, right shoulder). |
| 2. |
Machinengewehr
- Weapons grounded with bipod on right side
of gunner. |
| 3. |
Granatwerfer
- Mortar is placed directly in front of
the last man in the mortar team. |
| 4. |
Panzerfaust
or Schreck - Grounded on the
right side of gunner with the front end
forward. |
| 5. |
Ammunition
Boxes - Grounded to the bearer's right
side with the latched end forward and the
end of the box even with the muzzle end of
the machine gun. |
| DAS
GEWEHR, ÜBER! (The
Rifle, Up) |
das
ge-VAIR, oober!
|
|
The German
army shouldered the rifle to the left shoulder instead
of to the right unlike many other armies of the world.
From the "Ab" (order) position, the weapon
is brought directly in front of the body with the
right hand just below the chin and the
left hand catching the rifle just below the right. The
weapon is approximately one foot from the chest and in
line with the tunic buttons. The bolt of the
rifle is facing to the soldier's right and the left
side of the weapon is toward the body. To move
the weapon to the left shoulder, the right hand drops
to the bolt, rotates the rifle 90 degrees counterclockwise
while simultaneously moving the left hand to the butt
of the stock and raising the weapon onto the left
shoulder. The trigger guard should be at just
about the armpit. When the weapon is correctly placed on
the left shoulder, the heel of the butt is pulled in
against the side of the body just below the belt of
the tunic, and the left elbow is slightly out from the
body. The weapon should appear nearly vertical
to the body. At the moment the weapon is in
place, the right hand is dropped sharply to the right
side, returning to the "Attention" position.

Note: when
this command is given, the following weapon in
addition to the rifle is affected:
| 1. |
Maschinengewehr
- Left shoulder arms with pistol grip
resting on chest and left hand supporting
butt stock as with the rifle. |
 |
|
|
| 2. |
All
other weapons and boxes remain where they
are positioned. |
ACHTUNG!
PRÄSENTIERT
DAS - GEWEHR!
(Attention!
Present the, Rifle) |
akh'-tung!
Pray-sen-TEERT,
das ge-VAIR!
|
|
This
command was only given when the soldier was at
"Left Shoulder Arms." At the command
bring the right hand up to the comb of the stock with
fingers extended and joined, and simultaneously rotate
the butt of the weapon with the left hand 90 degrees
in a clockwise motion. This will place the right
side of the weapon facing away from the body and the
left against the body. Rotate the weapon another
90 degrees clockwise with the right hand which was on
the comb of the stock and at the same time release the
butt of the stock with the left hand. Move the
left hand up along the left side of the stock and
grasp the weapon next to the lower sight. The
left hand should have fingers extended and joined with
knuckles facing away from the body and the thumb
pointing up along the left side of the weapon.
Simply straighten the extended and joined four fingers
of the right hand just below the trigger guard,
leaving the thumb up under the bolt next to the body.
Weapon location should be directly over the left
breast pocket parallel to the body with trigger guard
facing away from the body. The top barrel band
should be level with and centered on the left eye.

| DAS
GEWEHR, ÜBER! from
"Present Arms"
(The Rifle, Up) |
das
ge-VAIR, oober!
|
|
After
"Present Arms," the soldier is ordered to
the "Left Shoulder Arms" position. It
is done in near reverse order. Release the left
hand and move it back down to the butt of the stock
while simultaneously rotating the weapon 180 degrees,
counterclockwise, with the right hand still on the
comb of the stock. With the left hand on the
butt of the stock and the right hand as a guide, place
the weapon back on the left shoulder. When the
rifle is in place, bring the right hand sharply back
to the side in the position of "Attention."
| GEWEHR, AB! from
"Left Shoulder Arms"
(Rifle,
Down) |
ge-VAIR,
ab!
|
|
This
command is given while at "Das Gewehr, Über"
(Left Shoulder Arms). It enables the soldier to
bring the rifle from the left shoulder and place the
butt of the rifle on the ground. At the command,
simultaneously drop the left arm, rotate the rifle to
the right and grasp and top barrel band with the right
hand. Then, release the rifle stock with the
left hand and simultaneously swing the rifle to the
right, with the right forearm parallel to the ground.
The last movement is to place the butt of the rifle
onto the ground, even with the toe of the right foot.

| GEWEHR,
UMHÄNGEN! (Rifle,
Hang) |
ge-VAIR,
oom-haehng-en!
|
|
This
command is only given when weapons are at "Ab"
(order arms). At the command, the sling is
loosened and the weapon is slung over the right
shoulder. The right hand should hold the sling
up near the right breast pocket with the thump running
up the inside of the sling and the elbow should
be pulled into the side.
Note: when
this command is given, the following weapons in
addition to the rifle are affected:
| 1. |
Maschinengewehr
-
Slung over right shoulder, barrel up, and
bipod folded. |
|
 |
|
|
| 2. |
Granatwerfer
- Carried on the right side of the soldier
by the base plate. |
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|