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Group of Luft issued K98s with M35 Luft DD helmet

bruce98k

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Helmet from local show. Just got back on trade (stupid me) the no-letter block 15 numbers away from
its brother. Mauser must have shipped quite a few K98s into Luftwaffe inventory in 1939 starting in the no-letter block and into and past the 's' block (3rd gun in set).
The liner is LBA37 dated. I had posted the close consec. SN 42 codes on Gunboards before the data loss.
 

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Absolutely gorgeous. While I'm finding the history of the late-war stuff fascinating, there's no denying the beauty of high-gloss bluing and nicely finished walnut...and Luftwaffe marked to boot...
 
42/1939 Luftwaffe marked 98k

Hello Bruce:
Very nice group of 98k's! I have one (42/1939) with an E/L in the
"d" suffix with a walnut stock. Like you said, a lot of 42/1939 made
98k's were sent to the Luftwaffe. Interestingly, I have a S/42 1938
E/L with a Laminated flat buttplate stock (I got this one from you)
and a byf 41 E/L with a laminated flat buttplate stock also.
Tks,
Bob
 
Answer for BOB

Here is data from the documents supplied by Jon Speed. Of note is the drastic change
in early 1940 to majority laminated. Then it evens out in early 1941.

From October thru December 1939:

Laminated: 13574
Solid Wood: 68826


From Jan. thru March 1940:

Laminated: 77900
Solid Wood: 20625

From Jan. thru March 1941:

Laminated: 54247
Solid wood: 59178

I will see if Jon can locate any more "Nachkalkulation" sheets not covered here.

Mauser used the German terms "mit Nussbaumshaft" and "mit Buchenschichtholzschaft" to describe the stock raw material.
 
Sweet set of rifles! I love the walnut stocks. What can you tell me about the helmet? I ask because I was over a friend of friends house last night so he could help me and my wife with planing an up coming trip to Germany since he has been there and has a lot of books and such ,and he pulls out a Luft helmet that looks just like yours. He got it as a gift for helping the neighbor of
a vets widow sell some of the things the vet brought back from the war. He said the vet was in the oss! I think he may want to sell it as he is not a collector of things or guns but of books and knowledge. Could you give me a price range?
 
Yummy 3X!

Bruce, any general trend for Luft rifles to be in better condition than Heer of the same year? Also, '39 stocks (by MO) tend to be predominately walnut. Any speculation on the Wal/Lam ratio?

Here's another 1939 Lw rifle that just finished and there is still yet another that is still going.

[URL="http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=164969640"]http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=164969640[/URL]

JPS also has a cluster of Lw rifles in the N and O blocks (at least) of 39.

I can't believe that rifle hit $2,300 with those purty holes in the stock. :facepalm:

Great pics Bruce!
 
42/39 luft

auction rifle was listed as an ' i ' block and it's an 'l' block.. Of note 42/39 luft rifles. I just sold an "i" block
and own a 'c' block.. Just to keep things strait..Yes there are alot of luft m.o. and m.b. rifles in 38 and 39
It seems the build up of the luft had something to with it..
 
Very nice! I have a nice M42 Luft helmet and it's my favorite... just need a luft 98k to go with it.
 
Luft K98s

I would guess that the Luftwaffe was building their ground combat field divisions. Any large demand for rifles would need a corresponding manpower equivalent. It is generally known that 2nd line weapons were issued for reserve or non-front line use (ie. airfied, POW,etc.).

What else would explain the large demand in the 38-41 time frame for Luft issue guns.

Drum in here guys - would love to hear your take on this.
 
DROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

I only HAD one Luftwaffe example - a Borsigwalde, sold YESTERDAY.

I have another Luft coming though, so makes me happy (especially since I am a Pilot by profession). I have Luftwaffe, Heer, and Kreigsmarine, and all pre-1940.

How dare Mike pollute the boards with that late war puke when there is pure sex like these? Some like refined, intellectual but horny women, others like rough gutter tramps.... They all serve a purpose:) :) :) :)
 
I believe the first LW Field Divisions date to winter 1941? Kampfgruppe Meindle and it was probably one of the better ones?
Think the rest were formed in summer of 1942 and later? Interestingly, in my search for details on the LW ordnance facilities, and higher organization, I could find no schools for training or support for these units.. not sure how they were organized (Wehrkreis-Luftgaue structured) or trained (I know they had a lot of trouble with leadership and NCO's) but I assume they used the FJ schools to a degree or perhaps had some access to Army facilities.

Perhaps what I found is just lacking in depth, and didn't focus on these organizations but everything within the Luftgaue seems to revolve around flight (ground support and aircraft), Flak units, and FJ facilities and schools.

Too bad so little is available on this subject as it’s a fascinating, - how these Field Divisions were formed, but most of what you find is about the units and how they preformed during the war. Not so much on how they were trained or supported. And when they do mention the Field Divisions training and organization, they rarely say much more than lacking NCO's and Officers suitable for ground combat- which should have surprised no one!

I think a lot of the “early” demand for rifles came from the need to defend the airfields and facilities during the advance into Russia, - more bases, dangerous surroundings, vulnerable supplies and machines equals more soldiers to defend them.

Russia would have been increasingly dangerous for airfields, supply dumps, etc.. and in my article on the Lithuanian rifles, I came across a good deal about the problems (and German solutions) for dealing with the increased threat posed by partisans.

Offensive operations are incredibly demanding, and that is one of the reasons I always find it annoying when people who watch too much “history channel” start commenting on how the soviets won WWII.. which is as far from the truth as any myth about WWII.

The soviets wouldn’t have been able to support any significant level of offensive operation without US and British logistical support. Tanks and men are just piles of steel and flesh without the trains, trucks, jeeps, fuel, food, and raw materials to make munitions.

I would guess that the Luftwaffe was building their ground combat field divisions. Any large demand for rifles would need a corresponding manpower equivalent. It is generally known that 2nd line weapons were issued for reserve or non-front line use (ie. airfied, POW,etc.).

What else would explain the large demand in the 38-41 time frame for Luft issue guns.

Drum in here guys - would love to hear your take on this.
 
LW issue

Jon sent me records of shipments broken down by Heer and Luft and I will check those and try to
summarize - hopefully there are total numbers listed.

Certainly the Luftwaffe as Paul stated would have supplied troops for airfield protection and related use.

The issue numbers associated with the surviving rifles would lead me to believe that large numbers (in the 10s of thousands) were shipped to the Luftwaffe - 1938 through 1941 (at least 'E/L' accepted).

Paul or Ham might glean some insight into Luft para units and when they formed. At any rate, I will go
back and see if I can glean any more data from the documents that I have from Mr.Speed.
 
Generally what Paul said. The ground units morphed from airfield security/anti-partisan activity in the East, though that was not why they were formed. They were formed due to the Eastern Front need for boots on the ground. Other than the HG Regt., then div., these were put together through shifting ground crew personnel and regular means of recruitment. Training was many times Heer NCOs and officers, who were also cadre for these units. They performed poorly because they were not as well trained, experienced, or armed when fielded and expected to perform the functions of normal Heer infantry and pzgr. functions.

By 1943-44 it was planned that what was left of these units be assimilated into Heer units due to manpower loses and to build up new divisions.

I think the rifle contracts of 1938-1941 were simply a result of needed small arms due to increased manpower needs in the Luftwaffe generally, i.e., not only airfield defense, but flak crews. Remember, the 88s were Luftwaffe guns used in conjunction with ground ops and units and those crews needed to be armed. Those guns were the artillery/AT backbone of German operations.

Regards,
HB
 
Gorgeous rifles!

I don't know if field divisions can explain the large numbers purchased in 1938-1941 since the major Luft field divisions were not formed until September/October 1942. There were ad hoc units in the winter 41/42 (and probably Alarmeinheiten before that) but nothing like the efforts later. See below for a brief history (in German) of these from Tessin's "Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg" for those who can read it.
 

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