Carabiner 98k
| Carabiner 98k | |
|---|---|
 Carabiner 98 short
|
|
| general information | |
| Country of operation: | Germany |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Mauser |
| Development year: | 1898 (Gewehr 98) / 1934 |
| Manufacturer country: | Germany |
| Production time: | 1934 to 1945 |
| Model variants: | Kar98k, G33 / 40 |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1110 mm, with bayonet 1355 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | approx. 3.7 kg |
| Barrel length : | 600 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.92 × 57mm , 8 × 57IS |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 5 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Integrated magazine box , loaded with 5-round loading strips or individually. |
| Cadence : | Max. 15 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Single fire |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right, 240 mm, 29.3 calibers, 6.17 ° |
| Visor : | Curve sight 100–2000 m |
| Closure : | Mauser System 98 |
| Charging principle: | Bolt action rifle |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Karabiner 98 for short , often abbreviated as Karabiner 98k or K98k and also incorrectly referred to as K98 , is a repeating rifle for the 7.92 × 57 mm Mauser cartridge that was introduced by the Wehrmacht on June 21, 1935 as a standard service rifle. It remained the most widespread handgun of the German armed forces until the end of the Second World War in 1945.
Locking system
The repeating rifle is based on the Mauser System 98 locking system , which, together with the Gewehr 98, was the standard weapon of the German army as early as the First World War . It has a magazine capacity of five rounds and can be loaded with a loading strip or individually from above through the openings in the locking sleeve.
Development history
The development of the rifle cartridge 7.92 × 57 mm was commissioned by the German Army Command as early as 1887, as France had introduced the first low-smoke rifle ammunition with nitrocellulose in 1886 . As a result, the German Army feared falling behind. With the new ammunition, a new standard rifle became necessary, which was developed by Mauser in Oberndorf am Neckar after problems with the Gewehr 88 introduced in 1888 . The 1240 mm long Gewehr 98 (G98), which was manufactured from 1898, became the standard weapon of the German Army during the First World War . In addition, from 1900 there were also shorter variants for the cavalry ( Karabiner 98 Cavalry ) and the artillery ( Karabiner 98 Artillery ), which were later issued slightly modified as Karabiner 98A . The 98AZ (K98AZ) carbine, introduced in 1908m, was used by the storm troops towards the end of the First World War , as its shorter length (1090 mm) made it easier to use in narrow trenches than the long version of the rifle.
After the First World War , the provisions of the Versailles Peace Treaty imposed severe restrictions on its army strength and armaments industry. Since carbines were less restricted than rifles, the K98AZ (it was now referred to as K98a (small a!)) Was increasingly used in the Reichswehr . In addition, in 1923 a slightly modified rifle 98 was introduced as the 98b carbine . In order to pass through as a carabiner , the curved chamber handle was used and side strap holders were attached. Many G98s have been converted to 98b carbines .
The Mauser Standard Karabiner , created by Mauser around 1924 for export to other countries , was also procured in Germany from 1933, officially in the name of the German Reichspost as Karabiner 98 DRP . In reality, most of these weapons ended up in the hands of the SA of the NSDAP and later the SS .
In the course of rearmament in the early 1930s, a uniform orderly weapon was sought for the armed forces that were to be founded . Since no fully developed German self-loading rifle was available, it was decided to use a slightly modified version of the Karabiner 98 DRP . Due to its total length of 1110 mm, the Karabiner 98 was briefly less a real carbine than a universal rifle comparable to the Lee-Enfield No.4 (1129 mm) or the Springfield M1903 (1055 mm). Was still called the carbine 98k as carabiners, has probably the reason that Adolf Hitler the carabiner 98AZ , repeatedly praised, with which he had himself been equipped during the First World War. Mauser hoped that the Karabiner 98k would be accepted more quickly . Because of the length of 1110 mm, there were fewer problems with the strong muzzle flash. The new cartridge Infantry Spitz-Schwer (sS cartridge) introduced in 1933 helped to get this problem under control and also improved the range for shorter barrels. In order to also save lead, the sS cartridge was largely replaced by the SmE cartridge (a pointed bullet with an iron core) from 1940.
The Karabiner 98k was built with only minor modifications until the end of the war and remained the most common handgun of the German armed forces until the end of the Second World War in 1945 . The successors, the Gewehr 43 self-loading rifle and the 44 assault rifle , did not reach the production figures of the Karabiner 98k by far. Selected 98k carbines were equipped with a telescopic sight and used as a precision and sniper rifle . Because of the greater effective range and better precision, the German soldiers preferred the Karabiner 98k over the Gewehr 43. Towards the end of the war, a simplified Volkskarabiner 98 was also made for the Volkssturm .
variants
Since there are many variants and versions, the production of the karabiner 98k in Germany can only be roughly divided into:
- the pre-war model: burnished with a flat butt plate
- The transition model: burnished with shoe shaft cap, trigger guard and magazine box cover made from stamped sheet metal parts
- the war models (from 1944): phosphated , simplified production without cleaning rod, without bayonet mount or partly without stamp plate, but hole in the butt plate
From 1938, instead of walnut, beech plywood was also processed into shafts, which led to an additional weight of approx. 400 grams compared to walnut.
A variant of the 98k carbine, the Gewehr 33/40 , was introduced as a compact weapon for the German mountain troops on November 16, 1940. It is actually a replica of the Czech carbine 16/33, but is largely identical to the carbine 98k. However, the barrel was shortened to 490 mm and the visor adjusted accordingly. In addition, a protective plate was attached to the piston and the bolt stem head was hollowed out at the bottom.
Manufacturers and users
The Karabiner 98k was not only manufactured in Germany by Mauser , but in at least 8 other locations. Mauser carbines were also manufactured under license in several states, including Sweden , Argentina , Spain , Persia (now Iran ), Peru , Chile and Mexico . They usually differ in caliber and in minor details adapted to the needs of the troops. As a result of the Versailles Peace Treaty, Poland , the former Czechoslovakia and Belgium had production facilities for the Gewehr 98, which were also used to manufacture various carbine variants, some of which were almost identical to the 98k carbine.
After the end of the war, the 98k carbine was temporarily continued to be produced in Germany for the occupying powers. Copies and modifications continued to be made in what was then Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia . The 98k carbine was still used militarily in the Korean War , the Vietnam War and in Israel until after the 1973 Yom Kippur War . As the Zastava M 98/48 it was still in use as a sniper rifle in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s.
The barracked people's police in the Soviet occupation zone and the "industrial combat groups" in the communist sphere of influence wielded the Karabiner 98k alongside other weapons of the German Wehrmacht . In the Federal Republic of Germany , customs and border guards were initially equipped with the 98k carbine, as were units of the riot police . The so-called "Zollkarabiner" based on the Karabiner 98k appeared in the 1950s.
The guard battalion of the Bundeswehr does not use the assault rifle introduced in each case for ceremonial occasions, but still uses the 98k carbine today. These carbines can no longer be fired.
There are also civil conversions of the 98k carbine as a hunting weapon .
Manufacturer codes between 1934 and 1945
The following arms factories in the German Reich produced the carbine 98k between 1934 and 1945. The codes indicate the manufacturer.
- Arms factory Mauser / Oberndorf (1934 - 1945): Code S / 42 K, S / 42 G, S / 42, 42, byf and svw
- Waffenfabrik Mauser / Berlin (1935-1944): Code S / 243 G, S / 243, 243, ar
- Sauer & Sohn , Suhl (1934 - 1944): Code S / 147 K, S / 147 G, S / 147, 147, ce
- ERMA-Werke , Erfurt (1935 - 1942): Code S / 27 G, S / 27, 27, ax
- Berlin-Suhler Waffenwerke, Suhl (1937 - 1939): Manufacturer abbreviation (no code!): BSW
- Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik , Lübeck (1936 - 1942): Code S / 237, 237, duv
- Gustloffwerke , Weimar (1939-1945): Code 337, bcd
- Steyr-Werke , Steyr (1939 - 1945): Code 660, bnz., (Possibly also swj)
- Waffenwerke Brno I (1940 - 1945): Code 945 (1940 and 1942 only Gewehr 33/40 ), dot, swp
- Waffenwerke Brno II (1941 - 1945): code dou. (1941 and 1942 G 24 (t))
Web links
literature
- Dieter Storz: Gewehr & Karabiner 98, Die Schußwaffen 98 of the German Reichsheeres from 1898 to 1918. 2006, Verlag Militaria, ISBN 978-3-902526-04-5 .
- Friedrich Graf: Karabiner 98 short. Technical study of the changes made by Mauser Werke AG Oberndorf / Neckar to the Karabiner 98 short (K98K) in the war years 1939 to 1945. 2000, Journal Verlag Schwend, ISBN 978-3-936632-14-9 .
- Reiner Lidschun, Günther Wollert: Infantry weapons yesterday (1918–1945). Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world. 1998, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, ISBN 978-3-89488-036-1 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans-Dieter Götz: The German military rifles and machine guns 1871-1945 . 3. Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-87943-350-X .
- ^ Karl R. Pawlas: Waffen Revue No. 6 Sept 1972 . 1st edition. Journalistic Archive for the Military and Arms, Nuremberg 1971.
- ^ WHB Smith: Small Arms of the World The Basic Manual of Military Small Arms . 6th edition. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PN (English).
- ↑ Development of the 7.92x57 cartridge. In: waffeninfo.net. Archived from the original on July 14, 2003 ; accessed on May 30, 2016 .
- ^ Hans-Dieter Götz: The German military rifles and machine guns 1871-1945 . 3. Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-87943-350-X .
- ↑ Niel Grant: Mauser Military Rifles . 3. Edition. Osprey, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4728-0594-2 (English).
- ↑ Niel Grant: Weapon Volume 39 Mauser Military Rifles . 1st edition. Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2015, ISBN 978-1-4728-0594-2 (English).
- ^ Hans-Dieter Götz: The German military rifles and machine guns 1871-1945 . 3. Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-87943-350-X , p. 162 .
- ↑ Niel Grant: Mauser Military Rifles . 3. Edition. Osprey, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4728-0594-2 .
- ^ Hans-Dieter Götz: The German military rifles and machine guns 1871-1945 . 3. Edition. Motorbuch Verlag, 2004, ISBN 3-87943-350-X .
- ↑ Obeying the need. The final war production of the carbine 98 k and VK 98 . In: Deutsches Waffen Journal Heft 9 (1998) pp.1408-1415 .
- ^ Friedrich Graf: Karabiner 98 short. Technical study on the changes made by Mauser Werke AG Oberndorf / Neckar to the Karabiner 98 short (K98K) in the war years 1939 to 1945. Journal Verlag Schwend, 2000, ISBN 978-3-936632-14-9 .
- ^ Karl R. Pawlas: Waffen Revue No. 6 Sept 1972 . 1st edition. Journalistic Archive for the Military and Arms, Nuremberg 1971.
- ↑ Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Infantry weapons Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world until 1945 . 2nd edition edition. Parragon Books, Königswinter, ISBN 978-1-4454-3816-0 .