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#Post#: 87--------------------------------------------------
The 1898 German Mauser
DIR By: allmanav
Date: February 25, 2020, 8:34 am
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During the opening days of WWI, the modern, clip-loaded Model
1889 Mauser chambered in 7.65x53 mm was used by Belgian troops
to slow down the German onslaught. It was superior Belgian
marksmanship and the Model 1889 that gave the French and British
time to pull off the "Miracle of the Marne."
Origins of the Model 1889 Mauser
Belgium began pursuing the concept of adopting a repeating rifle
in the early 1880s. By 1887, the quest had led to international
trials, which continued through 1889. Both domestic as well as
international contenders were vying for military contracts
including Pieper, Nagant and Mannlicher, among others. Mauser
was a late entry in 1888.
The rifle requirements were developed through a process of
lengthy trials and included, most notably, the box magazine that
could be loaded by stripper clip or by individual rounds, the
barrel jacket, and the smokeless small caliber 7.65 mm
cartridge. The Mauser design was ultimately adopted by majority
vote. Trials were conducted with 7.65x53 mm rimmed cartridges.
Although the caliber and its ballistics had been selected, the
debate continued about “rimmed” versus “rimless” cartridges. The
rimless case was ultimately selected.
Before the model was adopted, several reputable arms
manufacturers joined forces in order to effectively supply the
Belgian government. These armsmakers, many of which competed in
the trials with their own designs, formed the corporation
Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre (FN or "National War
Weapons Factory"). Although the trials had not been concluded
and the rifle model had not been selected, the armsmakers agreed
to produce and sell the future rifle of choice at a fixed price
of 79 francs.
Paul Mauser agreed to have the rifles produced in Belgium and
sold the manufacturing license to the Belgian government. The
government gave FN the license while retaining the rights to
manufacture the model in state arsenals. The task of producing
the contract was immense: buildings had to be erected, a
workforce had to be hired and equipment had to be purchased. No
expense was spared and only the most modern machinery was
acquired.
Factory construction was still ongoing when rifle production
began, and the first rifles were completed on Dec. 31, 1891. The
Model 1889 Mauser rifle effectively gave birth to the arms giant
Fabrique Nationale.
It did not take long for the Belgian army to request a shorter
version, which led to the standard Model 1889 carbine. The
standard carbine was received with mixed reviews by the various
military branches. Many branches opted to have their own
versions made. That led to several models, most based on the
standard Model 1889 carbine. The Belgian military adopted the
rifle in 1889, but the Belgian Garde Civique (civil guard)
waited until 1895 to conduct its own trials. Ultimately the
Model 1889 was selected, and compatibility with army rifles was
obviously a key consideration.
FN was the sole manufacturer of the Model 1889 rifle in the 19th
century. Belgian state arsenals started making parts in order to
repair guns. By 1913 this led to the assembly of complete
rifles. FN grew through the years and added numerous product
lines, but the Model 1889 rifle was never changed and its only
customers were the Belgian army and the Belgian Congo.
The Belgian Congo adopted the rifle for its Force Publique
(Public/Police Force) in 1910. However, only 40 percent of the
Force Publique’s native soldiers were issued the Model 1889
rifles. Constant mutinies in the ranks of the Force Publique
created distrust with the officers who were concerned with
having repeater rifles in the hands of native soldiers.
At the outbreak of war in 1914, the Belgian military was
completely equipped with Model 1889 rifles and carbines. The
Garde Civique was mostly using the Model 1889 rifle, although
some outdated Comblain Model 1882 single-shot rifles were still
in use.
The Great Impediment
When thinking of the Great War, we often envision the stagnant
conditions of trench warfare; but before the stalemate was the
German race to capture Paris. When tensions rose, the Germans
enacted the 1905 Schlieffen plan in order to capture the French
city. For Germany to succeed, France needed to be defeated in
six weeks. The overconfident German military did not recognize
the shortcomings of its plan, after all, there was not much in
the way. Neutral Belgium would certainly not resist, so it
reasoned.
The first hurdle manifested itself when the Belgian government
refused to give the German army free passage to France. Germany
responded by invading Luxembourg and Belgium on August 4, 1914,
confident that the Belgian army would be swept aside, causing no
delays. After the Franco-Prussian war, Belgium had built a
network of strategically positioned fortifications, and forts
were built around many cities. The city of Liège was surrounded
by 12 forts—a defensive network the Germans had to cross.
There, the German first wave of 35,000 men was met with stiff
resistance. Liège and its forts were defended by the Belgian 3rd
Division. Belgian foot soldiers were armed with Model 1889
rifles while fortress personnel were armed with Model 1889
artillery fortress carbines. The Germans massed on the eastern
bank of the Meuse River, and attempts to cross the river
resulted in heavy fighting.
The Germans quickly became aware of the excellent marksmanship
of the Belgian riflemen. This turned to frustration as Belgian
rifleman employed multiple tactics that often allowed them to
remain unseen while firing. Combat spilled into the city's
streets and suburbs, including into Herstal where FN's
facilities are located. Belgian soldiers were fighting within
sight of the plant where their rifles were manufactured.
The superior marksmanship of the Belgian soldiers was a result
of pre-war competitions. Tireurs d’Elite (sharpshooters) were
not a select few, but could be any soldier who succeeded in
competition. Pre-war competitions extended to various
marksmanship challenges including hitting the target at 500
meters. The Belgian army did not have any dedicated snipers, nor
did it utilize telescopic sights.
The Germans eventually realized that the Liège forts could not
be captured by infantry, so heavy artillery was brought in to
destroy them. Many of the fortress soldiers endured
bombardments, and some even fought the Germans in the tunnels of
the forts with their Model 89 carbines.
The Germans had planned to take Liège in three days, but it
required 11! The Belgian 3rd Division retreated, and combat
spread throughout the countryside. Belgian operations were a
blend of traditional military strategy and guerrilla tactics.
Riflemen performed hit-and-run operations, a necessity as
Belgian soldiers were frequently outnumbered five-to-one by
their German counterparts.
The delays and constant harassment caused frustration within the
German command. Reprisals were brutal, towns and villages were
burned, and civilians were executed. The brutality inflicted on
quiet little towns such as Visé, Tamines, Aarschot and Dinant
became world news. The reprisals had the opposite effect from
what the Germans had hoped. The atrocities became a battle cry
for the Belgians, and an international scandal.
While the army fought and retreated, young men were signing up
everywhere. News reports made the world aware of the brutality
of the new war. Charities worldwide worked relentlessly to
supply Belgium with food, arms and ammunition. Herbert Hoover,
who would become our 31st president, was the most successful
organizer of relief aid and effectively kept the Belgian
population from starving throughout the war.
After Liège, the Germans shelled the forts of Mons. Low on
supplies, the Belgian field army retreated toward the city of
Antwerp, a huge arms depot with ammunition, Mauser rifles and
spare parts. Antwerp and its fortifications gave the Belgian
field army the opportunity to re-arm. The fighting retreat
continued westward toward the coast where the Belgians would
defend a patch of land for the remainder of the war.
This rare 1914 combat photograph (below) shows two Belgian
rifleman firing their Model 1889 rifles at the enemy.
Although the Schlieffen plan greatly underestimated Belgian
resolve, it was accurate in assessing Allied response—the French
and British were slow to deploy troops toward the front. Belgian
delays made it possible for the Allies to amass just enough
troops to win the critical battle of the Marne.
The correlation between the Belgian rifleman and the salvation
of Paris is now long forgotten. In the day, though, the French
recognized that the delays saved their capital from invasion.
The defense of Liège was frequently praised, and France awarded
medals and recognition to the city of Liège and its defenders.
Allied Manufacture of the Model 1889 Mauser
Shortages were critical during the war. Dissatisfied with
available French designs, Belgian purchasing commissions started
working in November 1914 to manufacture Mausers abroad. The
Belgians found a willing manufacturer in Hopkins & Allen and
signed a contract on August 4, 1915, for the manufacture of
140,000 Model 1889 rifles and 10,000 Model 89/16 carbines.
Hopkins & Allen greatly underestimated the demand and cost of
materials and labor in time of war and underbid the contract.
This ultimately led to its bankruptcy.
The rifles were paid for by the Belgian government unlike what
is often reported. The first Hopkins & Allen rifles were
completed in October 1916, but most did not arrive at Belgian
arsenals until 1918! These were mostly issued with Belgian
occupation troops in the Rhineland in the 1920s. These Mausers
are easily identified by the “Hopkins and Allen Arms Co.
Norwich, Conn. U.S.A.” marking on the receiver.
The bulk of wartime replacements came from Birmingham, England,
where the Belgian government set up a complete arsenal to
manufacture and repair Belgian Mausers. Carbines and rifles were
marked “Birmingham Etat Belge” (Birmingham – Belgian State).
This marking has led some collectors to incorrectly believe that
the rifles were built by the British government. The arsenal was
in fact a Belgian government facility, employing Belgian
refugees, most from the Liège region with backgrounds in
armsmaking.
The receiver markings indicate the manufacturers: Fabrique
Nationale, Manufacture d’Armes de l’Etat (the pre-war Belgian
State Arsenal), Hopkins & Allen or the Belgian arsenal in
Birmingham. While the receiver indicates the manufacturer, the
stock cartouche indicates if the rifle was used by the Belgian
army, the civil guard, or the Force Publique in the Congo. Some
buttplates are marked with regimental markings.
Before any new carbines were manufactured, the Belgian wartime
arsenal in Calais streamlined the many variances into one model.
Known as the Model 89/16, it replaced all pre-war variants, and
existing carbines were converted during the war to the new Model
89/16 specifications. Pre-war Model 1889 bayonets were converted
as well—the quillion was removed as it proved to be cumbersome
in barbed wire.
The Germans recognized the quality of the Model 1889, though.
Many captured rifles and carbines were issued to German troops
after being converted to 8 mm Mauser. Although operational, the
German conversions lacked precision.
After the war, there was an abundance of Model 1889 Mausers, and
Belgium no longer placed orders for the Model 1889 with FN. In
1936, a conversion program began to modify some 1889 Mausers to
the modernized Model 89/36 rifle, but relatively few were
completed. Both the Model 1889 rifle and 89/16 carbine remained
in service through May 1940 when the Belgians were once again
faced with a German invasion.
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