As most students of the FN FAL-series rifles know, the German Bundeswehr adopted the FAL is its standard rifle about 1956. The rifle was called the Gewehr 1 (or Gew 1 or G1) and the Belgian firm of Farbrique Nationale delivered 100,000 rifles to the German Army.
Negotiations between German and Belgium for licensed production of the G1 fell through. Although Germany bought more G1 rifles for issue to its Border Guards (Bundesgrenzgechutz), the German Army started looking about for a replacement rifle.
Three candidates were considered: (1) the Swiss SIG 510-4 called the Gewehr 2 or G2, the Spanish CETME/German Rheinmetall entry called the Gewehr 3 or G3, and the American Armalite AR-10, produced by the Dutch firm of Artillerie Inrichten, as the Gewehr 4 or G4. At the conclusion of the trials, the Spanish/German G3 was adopted for issue to the German armed forces as its standard NATO rifle. (Interestingly, production of the trials G3 rifles was done in the Netherlands, but production of the G3 would be done by Rheinmetall and Heckler & Koch in Germany). The Spanish/German co-production of the CETME probably had some influence in the selection.
Above: A late production Gewehr 1. This was the first rifle of the German Bundeswehr and was superseded by the G3 rifle about 1960-1961.
Below: The Gewehr 2 was the Swiss-produced SIG 510-4 rifle. Like the winning CETME/G3 design, the SIG 510-4 uses roller locking and a fluted chamber. The Swiss rifle also has an integral bipod like the G1. Front and rear sights fold down.
Above: The winner of the German Army rifle trials became known as th Gewehr 3 or G3. Trials rifles resembled the CETME Model B rifle with a slotted metal handguard. Early production G3's had wooden butt stocks and handguards with plastic grips. Later production G3 rifles received all-plastic furniture.
Below: The American Armalite AR-10 was called the Gewehr 4 in the trials. The Dutch firm of Artillerie Inrichten built the trials rifles. Not selected by the Germans, about 10,000 rifles were delivered to Portugal and the Sudan. These rifles fought in the civil wars in the Portuguese African colony of Angola and in the Sudan. Small numbers of AR-10 rifles were also delivered to Cuba before its 1959 revolution.
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