Enemy weapons of WW1

Gewehr 98 Rifle The standard German Army rifle since 1898, this example has all matching serial numbers and is marked "Amberg 1915" on the top of the receiver.


Donor: Rick Williams of Spooners Aviation Collectables
		Click the thumbnails to enlarge

WW1 Original 1915 Hook Quillion Turkish Bayonet


Length: Total length 65 cms (25½") Blade length is 52 cms (20½") Markings: Arabic scroll with the 1333 - ۱۳۳۳ - in arabic numerals which denotes the year 1915.Sultan's Togra is marked on the handle and a star with crescent is on the top of the blade.

German "quill" bayonet from WW1, similar to the British model is length and design

WW1 German "butcher" bayonet & scabbard. Note the comparatively short length of approx 8 inches when compared to the Allied bayonet of 18 inches.

Another, much longer bladed "butcher" and scabbard. Dozens of variations existed. Many were altered, particularly by shortening, after manufacture. Approval for these alterations was not always sought or supplied. Many things were done at local level that High Command never heard about.

This is an original example of a trench club obtained from a long-standing collection. The club is made from turned hardwood and pressed with hobnails. The head has been drilled out and filled with lead. There is no way to know if this is a German or Allied trench club. Contrary to popular myth, these clubs were not produced by individuals. They were produced in mass by units in the field utilizing regimental carpenters and welders etc to produce large amounts of the same pattern of club.

Model 1915 Stick Grenade ("the famous potato masher") was designed for offensive operations. For defensive operations, a "Ball" grenade and the smaller "Egg" grenade were developed. All three are displayed here.

German Grenades (images not to scale)

"Egg" grenade	"Disc" or "Turtle" grenade

Kugel or "Ball" grenade	Incendiary grenade

This is a beautiful example of the famous P08 "Luger". The Luger is marked "DWM" (Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken) and is dated "1916" on the top of the toggle slide. Note. The Germans never called this weapon a Luger, that was an anglicized name.

This is a nice example of the famous P08 Artillery Luger. This pattern of Luger with an 8 inch barrel was used primarily by Artillery troops. Note. The Germans never called this weapon a Luger, that was an anglicized name.

Maschinenpistole (MP) 18, I. (Schmeisser)

In 1915 the German Rifle Testing Commission at Spandau identified a set of requirements for a new weapon for use in the specialized conditions of the trenches. It was to be an individual weapon, light in weight, and capable of fully automatic fire.

The weapon was to be optimized for close combat at ranges of no more than 200 meters, as simple in construction as possible, and to be chambered for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge.

Type: Submachine gun (Machine Pistol)
System of Operation: Blowback
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Capacity: 20 rounds (or 32 snail drum magazine)
Sights front: Blade
Sights, rear: Two position flip v-notch(100/200m)
Length: 52"
Weight (unloaded): 11.5 lbs
Barrel: 22.8"

Two designers, Andreas Schwarzlose in Berlin, and Hugo Schmeisser in Suhl, turned their talents to the weapon's development. Schmeisser's gun, under the sponsorship of Waffenfabrik Theodor Bergmann, was selected by the Commission in 1918. The weapon was designated Maschinenpistole (MP) 18, I.

Plans were laid to incorporate six machine pistol detachments per infantry company. Each detachment was to consist a shooter and an ammunition carrier. Each detachment was to have a basic load of 2,500 cartridges, some of which would be carried in magazines and the rest in collapsible boxes. As it often turns out with the best laid plans of mice and men, it did not come to fruition. By Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, fewer than 10,000 MP18,I's had made it to the front.

Nevertheless, their impact had been significant. After Waffenfabrik Bergmann ceased production of the MP18,I, it came to a licensing agreement with the Swiss Industrial Company (SIG), which was based in Neuhausen, Switzerland. The MP18, I continued to be produced in numbers by SIG into the 1920's for foreign sales, most notably to Japan. From http://www.cruffler.com/historic-july00.html

Short handled German trench pick. Although designed as a tool these were often used in the hand to hand fighting of the trenches.