We always hear that the British Army left behind an incredible amount of equipment, and I’m interested in knowing to what extent various pieces of equipment was integrated into or at least used by to an extent, the German armed forces.
Thanks
Absolutely. The evacuation of Dunkirk left over 10,000 vehicles such as tractors and trucks, which were then pressed into German service. Horses, artillery pieces, small arms; anything left added to German surplus. The designation for foreign equipment was Fremdgerätz; lit. Foreign equipment, with their own names such as Gewehr 249(e) for the M1903 Springfield. It would've been a waste not to use them. The Germans did the same with Poland and France with the enormous amount of captured war material early into WW2. The equipment of best quality was issued to German units, whereas less servicable equipment would be resold or supplied to their allies, or given to less 'important' units such as garrisons or training units. Among captured British equipment were dozens of the Bren Gun Carrier/Universal Carrier, which the Germans experimented with as an Anti Tank weapon due to it's small frame and speed, rather than its conventional role as troop transport. Bren 731(e) was the German designation for the vehicle, and a couple hundred served in German units through the war. Captured Dunkirk artillery pieces would serve in coastal defense as their ammunition was not replacable, freeing German artillery to serve at other fronts. Interestingly, the Vickers 3.7″ (German designation 9.4cm FlaK M 39(e)) was so impressive to the Germans that they began a manufacturing line for it's ammunition, and in 1944 at the Battle of Walcheren Causeway the weapon saw use by both sides. In conclusion, the Germans certainly put to use any captured equipment as it would be foolish not to.