Editing FN FAL (section)

=== Germany ===
[[File:West German FN FAL.jpg|thumb|upright|Two West German [[Fahnenjunker|cadets]] on a joint exercise in 1960. [[West Germany]] used the FN FAL designated as G1.]]

The first German FALs were from an order placed in late 1955 or early 1956, for several thousand FN FAL so-called "Canada" models with wood furniture and the prong flash hider. These weapons were intended for the ''[[German Federal Police|Bundesgrenzschutz]]'' (border guard) and not the newly formed ''[[Bundeswehr]]'' (army), which at the time used M1 Garands and M1/M2 carbines. In November 1956, however, [[West Germany]] ordered 100,000 additional FALs, designated the G1, for the army. FN made the rifles between April 1957 and May 1958. The G1 user modifications included light metal handguards and an integral folding bipod, similarly to the Austrian version.<ref name=":9">{{harvnb|Cashner|2013|p=16}}</ref> Neither Germany nor Austria adopted the heavy-barreled FAL, instead using the [[MG 3 machine gun|MG3]] (the modernized [[MG 42|MG42]] in 7.62×51mm NATO) as its [[General-purpose machine gun|general purpose machine gun]] (GPMG).<ref name=":9" />

The Germans were satisfied with the FAL and wished to produce it under license.<ref name=":9" /> The Belgians, however, refused. Being subject to two German occupations in the space of two generations ([[German occupation of Belgium during World War I|1914–1918]] and [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II|1940–1945]]), the Belgians insisted on the Germans purchasing only FN-made FALs.<ref name=":9" /> Under the German occupation during World War II, FN was taken over by the major German arms manufacturer ''[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]'' (DWM), its directors arrested, and the assembly lines run by [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II#Deportation and forced labour|slave labour]] after only 10% of the Belgian factory workers showed up when ordered to do so.<ref name=":9" />

After the [[Operation Overlord|Normandy landings]], the Germans stripped the FN factories of everything useful and sent it back to augment German industries, destroying what they couldn't carry.<ref name=":9" /> FN tried to recoup its losses immediately after liberation near the end of 1944 by refurbishing Allied weapons and producing cheap, easily produced spare parts such as tank tracks.<ref name=":9" /> To make matters worse, the Germans tried to destroy the FN factory with [[V-1 flying bomb|V1 flying bombs]], achieving two direct hits.<ref name=":9" /> The memories of the Nazi occupation were still far too fresh in 1956.<ref name=":9" />

Based on political and economical considerations, but also national pride,<ref name=":10">{{harvnb|Cashner|2013|p=17}}</ref> the Germans aimed at a weapon they could produce domestically and turned their sights to the Spanish [[CETME rifle|CETME Modelo 58]] rifle.<ref>{{cite web|title=Europe|url=http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/europe/europe/firearm-379/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427012535/http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/weapons/index.php/tour-by-region/europe/europe/firearm-379/index.html|archive-date=2017-04-27|access-date=2017-06-26|website=web.prm.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> Working with the Germans, the Spanish adopted the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, and a slightly modified version of the CETME went on to be manufactured in [[West Germany]] by [[Heckler & Koch]] (H&K) as the [[Heckler & Koch G3|G3]] rifle, beginning production in 1959. The G3 would become the second most popular battle rifle in the Free World, "used by some 50 nations and license-manufactured in a dozen".<ref name=":10" /> Without the G3, the FAL may have completely dominated the militaries of the West during the Cold War.<ref name=":10" />

The G1 featured a pressed metal handguard identical to the ones used on the Austrian Stg. 58, as well as the Dutch and Greek FALs, this being slightly slimmer than the standard wood or plastic handguards, and featuring horizontal lines running almost their entire length. G1s were also fitted with a unique removable prong flash hider, adding another external distinction. Of note is the fact that the G1 was the first FAL variant with the 3&nbsp;mm lower sights specifically requested by Germany, previous versions having the taller Commonwealth-type sights also seen on Israeli models. The German FAL had access to high quality Hensoldt Optische Werk F-series scopes with Zeiss-equivalent optics; having 4x magnification, with a 24&nbsp;mm (0.94&nbsp;in) objective lens.<ref>{{harvnb|Cashner|2013|p=29}}</ref>

The majority of the German G1 rifles were sold as surplus to the [[Turkish Land Forces|Turkish Army]] in the mid-1960's, and some G1s found their way to [[Rhodesia]] and [[Portuguese Colonial War|Portugal]].<ref name=":10" />{{sfn|Cashner|2013|p=43}}<ref name=":11" />