Karabiner 98k

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Karabiner 98 Kurz
The Mauser Karabiner 98k
Type	Service rifle
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1935–1945
Used by	Germany, Belgium, Yugoslavia, North Vietnam, Iran, Israel
Wars	World War II, First Indochina War, Vietnam War, Six Day War, Yom Kippur War, Iran-Iraq War, Yugoslav wars, current regional conflicts.
Production history
Designed	1935
Produced	1935–1945
Number built	Over 10 million
Variants	Mauser Gewehr 98 (predecessor)
Specifications
Weight	3.7–4.1 kg
Length	1,110 mm
Barrel length	600 mm

Cartridge	7.92 x 57 mm (8 mm Mauser)
Caliber	8 mm
Action	Bolt-action
Rate of fire	Approx. 15 round/min
Muzzle velocity	745 m/s
Effective range	500 m
Feed system	5-round stripper clip, internal magazine

The Karabiner 98 Kurz (often abbreviated Kar98k or K98k) was a bolt-action rifle adopted as the standard infantry rifle in 1935 by the Wehrmacht, and was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles.

1 Description
2 Combat use
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Description

The Karabiner 98k was a bolt-action rifle with Mauser-type action holding five rounds of 7.92 x 57 mm (also known as 8 mm Mauser) on a stripper clip, loaded into an internal magazine. It was derived from earlier rifles, namely the Karabiner 98b, which in turn had been developed from the Mauser Model 1898. The Gewehr 98 or Model 1898 took its principles from the Lebel Model 1886 rifle with the improvement of a metallic magazine of five cartridges. Since the rifle was shorter than the earlier carbines, it was given the designation Karabiner 98 Kurz, meaning "Short Carbine Model 98".

The rifle was noted for its good accuracy and effective range of up to 500 meters. For this reason, it was also used with a telescopic sight as a sniper rifle, which extended the effective range to about 800 m when used by a skilled marksman. It was designed to be used with a bayonet and to fire rifle grenades. A version with a folding stock was introduced in 1941 to be used by airborne troops.

The 98k had the same disadvantages as all other turn-of-the-century military rifles: being comparatively bulky and heavy, and the rate of fire was limited by how fast the bolt could be operated. Its magazine had only half the capacity of Great Britain's Lee-Enfield rifles, but being internal, it made the weapon less uncomfortable to carry. While the Allies (both Soviet and Anglo-American) developed and moved towards standardization of semiautomatic rifles, the Germans maintained these bolt-action rifles due to their tactical doctrine of basing a squad's firepower on the unit's light machine gun and/or because Germans had little success with designing semi-automatic rifles.

In close combat, however, submachine guns were often preferred, especially for urban combat where the rifle's range was not very useful. Towards the end of the war, the Kar98k was being phased out in favor of the MP44, which fired a less powerful round but could be used like a submachine gun in close-quarters and urban fighting. There were rarely enough MP44s around, being a late war weapon. Despite this, the Mauser Kar98k rifle was still produced and used in large quantities by the Germans during World War II, and the rifle was still an effective and potent infantry weapon in the final days of the war until Nazi Germany's surrender to the Allies in May 1945.

[edit] Combat use

[edit] World War II

The Mauser Kar98k rifle was widely used by all branches of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. It saw action in every theater of war involving German forces, including occupied Europe, North Africa, the Soviet Union, Finland, and Norway. Resistance forces in German-occupied Europe made frequent use of captured German 98k rifles. The Soviet Union also made extensive use of captured Mauser Kar98k rifles during World War II, however most were replaced as Soviet forces regained territory and were able to manufacture more of their own rifles.

[edit] Post-World War II

During World War II, the Soviet Union captured millions of Mauser Kar98k rifles and re-arsenaled them in various arms factories in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These rifles were originally stored in the event of future hostilities with the Western democracies.

Most of these rifles were eventually shipped to communist or Marxist revolutionary movements and nations around the world during the early Cold War period. A steady supply of free surplus military firearms was one way that Moscow could support these movements and states.

One example of the Soviet Union providing the Mauser Kar98k rifle (as well as other infantry weapons captured from the Germans during and after World War II) to its communist allies during the Cold War period occurred during the Vietnam War with the Soviet Union providing military aid to the armed forces of North Vietnam and to the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.

A considerable number of Soviet-captured Mauser 98k rifles (as well as a number of 98k rifles that were left behind by the French after the First Indochina War) were found in the hands of Viet Cong guerrillas and North Vietnamese Army soldiers by U.S. and Allied forces alongside Soviet-bloc rifles like the Mosin-Nagant, the SKS, and the AK-47.

In the years after World War II, a number of European nations that were invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany used the Mauser Kar98k rifle as their standard-issue infantry rifle, due to the large numbers of German weapons that were left behind. Nations like France and Norway used the Mauser Kar98k rifle and a number of other German weapons in the years after World War II. Firearms manufacturers like Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Belgium, Česká Zbrojovka (CZ) in Czechoslovakia (as P-18 or puška vz. 98N, the first being the manufacturer's cover designation of the type, the second official army designation - rifle model 98, N for německá - German) and the Zastava plant in Kragujevac, Serbia, Yugoslavia, continued to produce the Mauser Kar98k rifle after 1945. From 1950 to 1965, Zastava produced a near-identical copy of the Kar98k called the Model 1948 (M48) which differed only from the German rifle in that it had the shorter bolt-action of the Model 1924 series of Mauser rifles. Yugoslavia sold many of these rifles to Algeria, Egypt and Iran during the 1950s and '60s. Many surplus M48s have been sold in the United States, Australia and Canada in recent years.

[edit] The Persian Brno

The Czechoslovak variant of the Mauser rifle found its way into Iran very quickly where it became known as the 'Brno', following the name of the city of Brno, Czechoslovakia where the rifles were originally manufactured. The Mauser rifle was selected for the Iranian Army during the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, however Iran never ordered any from Germany instead preferring Czechoslovak variant.

[edit] Israeli Mauser Kar98k rifle

Close-up of the K98k action

A number of non-European nations used the Mauser Kar98k rifle as well as a few guerrilla organisations to help establish new nation-states. One example was Israel who used the Mauser Kar98k rifle from the late 1940s until the 1970s.

The use of the Kar98k to establish the nation-state of Israel often raises a lot of interest among people and rifle collectors today. Many Jewish organizations in Palestine acquired them from post-war Europe to protect various Jewish settlements from Arab attack and used them to carry out guerrilla operations against British military forces in Palestine. The use of this weapon, closely associated with Nazi Germany, by early Israel is viewed with some irony.

The Haganah, who later evolved into the modern-day Israeli Defence Forces, was one of the Jewish organisations in Palestine that brought large numbers of Mauser Kar98k rifles and other surplus arms (namely the Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle) from Europe during the post-World War 2 period.

One of most important purchases was a January 14th 1948 $12,280,000 worth contract with Czechoslovak Government including 4,500 P 18 rifles, as well as 50,400,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Israeli version of the Mauser Kar98k rifles differ from the original German version in that they have had all of the Nazi Waffenamt markings and emblems defaced with overstamped Israeli Defence Force and Hebrew markings as part of an effort to ideologically "purify" the rifles from their former use as an infantry weapon of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. The Mauser Kar98k rifles produced by Fabrique Nationale post-World War II have Israeli Defence Force markings on the rifle as well as the emblem of the Israeli Defence Force on the top of the rifle's receiver. The FN-made Kar98k rifles with the IDF markings and emblem on the rifle were produced and sold to Israel after Israel established itself as an independent nation in 1948.

During the late 1950s, the Israeli Defence Force converted the calibre of their Mauser Kar98k rifles from the original German 7.92 mm round to 7.62 mm NATO after the Israeli Defence Force adopted the FN FAL rifle in 1958. The Israeli Mauser Kar98k rifles that were converted have "7.62" engraved on the rifle receiver. Rifles with original German stocks have "7.62" burned into the heel of the rifle stock for identification and to separate the re-chambered Kar98ks from the original 7.92 mm versions of the weapon then in service or held in reserve, though some 98k rifles were fitted with new, unnumbered beech stocks of recent manufacture. All of these converted rifles were proof-fired for service.

The Kar98k rifle was used by the reserve branches of the Israeli Defence Force well into the 1960s and 1970s and saw action in the hands of various Israeli Army support and line-of-communications troops during the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

[edit] Usage today

The Mauser Kar98k rifle, in all of its guises and origins, is very popular among many rifle shooters and gun collectors the world over. Besides the obvious historical interest, these rifles derive their popularity from the fact that they remain long range marksmens' rifles which benefit from a plentiful supply of cheap and easily obtained surplus ammunition.

The Kar98k rifles that were used by Germany during World War II are highly sought after collector's items in many circles.

The Mauser Kar98k rifle is very popular among many rifle shooters and military rifle collectors due to the rifle's historical background, as well as its ability to obtain both new and surplus 7.92mm ammunition, also know as 8mm Mauser. The military version of the Mauser does NOT fire the 7.62 NATO or .308 caliber ammunition. Some of the sporter variants are available in other chamberings, but most are large-bore hunting calibers. The exception to this is the Israeli version of this rifle, which was re-chambered in the 7.62 NATO round.

As of 2005, the Mauser Kar98k rifles that were captured by the Soviets during World War II and refurbished during the late 1940s and early 1950s have appeared in large numbers on the military surplus rifle market. These have proven popular with buyers in the United States and Canada, ranging from ex-military rifle collectors to target shooters and survivalists, due to the unique history behind the Soviet capture of Mauser Kar98k rifles.

The Bundeswehr still uses Kar98k rifles in the Wachbataillon for military parades and show acts.

During the 1990s, the Yugoslavian Kar98k rifles and the Yugo M48 and M48A rifles were used by all warring factions of the Yugoslav wars, alongside modern automatic and semi-automatic rifles. There are a number of photographs taken during the war in Bosnia, showing combatants and snipers using Yugoslavian-made Mauser rifles from the high-rise buildings in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. Many Third World nations still have Kar98k rifles in their arsenals and it will most likely be encountered in regional conflicts for years to come.

The Mauser Kar98k rifle (along with the Mosin-Nagant series rifles and carbines) has also been encountered in Iraq by US and Allied forces in the hands of Iraqi insurgents alongside modern infantry weapons like the AK series rifles and the SKS carbine.

[edit] See also

German-made firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms (Pistole)
Mauser C96 \| Luger \| Walther P38 \| Walther PPK \| Sauer 38H \| Mauser HSc
Rifles & carbines (Gewehr & Karabiner)
Karabiner 98k \| Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 \| StG44/MP44 \| FG42 \| StG45(M)
Submachine guns ( Maschinenpistole )
Bergmann MP18 \| MP38/MP40 "Schmeisser" \| MP3008 "Volks MP"
Machine guns & other larger weapons
MG08 \| MG34 \| MG42 \| Faustpatrone \| Panzerfaust \| Panzerschreck Flammenwerfer 35 \| Panzerbüchse 39 \| Granatwerfer 36 \| Granatwerfer 42
Notable foreign-made infantry weapons
P.640(b) \| Vis.35 \| Vz.24/G24(t) \| MG26(t) \| Panzerbüchse 35(p)
German-made cartridges used by the Wehrmacht
7.92 x 57 mm \| 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser \| 7.92 mm Kurz \| 7.65 mm Luger \| 9mm Luger

Norwegian service rifles

Kammerlader, Remington M1867, Krag-Petersson, Jarmann M1884, Krag-Jørgensen, Lee-Enfield No. 4 (used during World War II), Pattern 14 Rifle (used during World War II), Karabiner 98k (spoils of war), Selvladegevær M1 (Garand), M1917 Enfield rifle (replaced the Lee-Enfields), AG-3, Våpensmia NM149