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| © 2012 Soldiers Memorial |
Caliber: 8mm
Length: 43.6 in
Weight: 8 lbs, 9 oz
Rate of Fire: 15 rounds per minute
- More than 14 million of these weapons were produced by German Arms Manufacturer Mauser in 1935, this particular rifle was captured by an American soldier during the Allied invasion of Salerno, Italy.
- Relatively bulky and heavy with a smaller magazine than most other European rifles of the time.
- Though a relatively reliable weapon, a serious disadvantage was the Karabiner's low rate of fire, especially as the Allies began to introduce more semiautomatic weaponry. The German military was reluctant to switch over to the newer and more expensive weaponry, though it would have greatly aided their military in the field.
- Millions of these rifles were captured by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and subsequently supplied to its Communist allies throughout the Cold War, including satellite nations throughout Eastern Europe and the North Vietnamese.
- The solid construction of this weapon can be seen in the fact that US troops in Iraq have repeatedly encountered the Karabiner 98K in the hands of Iraqi insurgents.
References:
"K98k Rifle Data." The K98 Mauser Page & Mauser Shooting Association. 1999. http://www.mausershooters.org/k98k/k98kframe.html (Accessed May 2012).
