Technically...
The MG42 roller lock was a design based upon a captured Polish prototype. The weapon that served as a basis for the HK design was the Gerat Stg45(M). Before the design could be refined into a production weapon Germany surrendered and the Mauser engineers went to Spain where they eventually produced the CETME rifle.
At the insistence of the Russians the Mauser factory in the French sector of Germany was destroyed, it was not bombed during the war like many believe. Several former Mauser employees bought the property and began producing sewing machine parts since the tooling is similar to that which would be needed for firearms production. When Germany was permitted to resume arms production Mauser built their new factory down the road from the old location and Heckler, Koch and Seidel established the firearms firm Heckler and Koch.
The German military did adopt the FN FAL as the G1 rifle but were refused a license to produce the weapon (as you noted). The CETME was to be the G2 but they did not have to buy the design from Spain, they still owned it but simply produced the rifle in Spain and the Spanish military did adopt it and continued production of the CETME.
By the time Heckler and Koch began firearms production they intended to manufacture the G2 (CETME) rifle but they incorporated some design changes and that resulted in the new designation of the G3.
Those are the only corrections I can find.
Originally Posted by SteyrAUG
Technically...
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