WWII Saw the first widespread use of semi-automatic battle
rifles. The U.S. M-1 Garand, Soviet SVT 38 & 40, and the German
G-43 all saw action. There were other designs in use as well but
they were not mass-produced or issued for general military use.
Added to this history is another design that could have ended up
on either side of the conflict but instead spent the war on the
design table. I am referring to the Fabrique National model 1949
rifle. It is also known as an SAFN (semi-automatic Fabrique
National) model of 1949. It was actually designed just before
the outbreak of WWII. Dieudonne Saive, chief design engineer at
FN in the 1930s came up with the design for a self-loading rifle
that used a fixed magazine. Unfortunately for Saive and FN,
Germany occupied Belgium in May, 1940. Mr. Saive vowed he would
never work for the Nazis or allow his design to fall into their
hands. He fled Belgium, taking the plans for the design and
several other FN engineers with him. He ended up in England and
went to work in