Rifles and Carbines
of the Schutztruppe and Overseas Forces

The period of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries was a time of rapid development in the field of firearms. In just half a century most European armies went from single shot muzzle loading percussion cap muskets in common use in 1850 to bolt action magazine rifles by 1900. Rival European armies were constantly trying to keep pace with the technological developments of their neighbours.

The German colonies used firearms from both ends of the technological scale. Often they were issued obsolete stocks of firearms yet at other times were given the very latest trial models as they were more likely to get a chance to put them to the test in action. At times of shortage all manner of civilian hunting weapons, captured rifles or even hand made firearms were used in the German colonies.

Display of South West African Schutztruppe Rifles and Carbines From top to bottom they are a Jägerbüchse 71, a Gewehr 88, its carbine equivalent the Karabiner 88, a Schutztruppen-Gewehr 98 and its carbine equivalent the Karabiner 98. Photo © P Buhler at the Swakopmund Museum, Namibia		The different types of rifle ("Gewehr") and carbine ("Karabiner") used in the colonies are photographed and described further down this page. Mauser 1871 Rifle (Gew71) Mauser 1871 Carbine (Kar71) Mauser 1871 Short Rifle (JB71) Mauser 1871/84 Modified Rifle (Gew71/84) Commission 1888 Rifle (Gew88) Commission 1888 Carbine (Kar88) Mauser 1898 Rifle (Gew98) Mauser 1898 Schutztruppe Modified Rifle (Gew98S) Mauser 1898 Carbine (Kar98) Mauser 1898 Modified Carbine (Kar98az) Foreign Rifles Obsolete Firearms

German Rifles and Carbines
Most of the Colonial and Overseas forces were issued with the standard Mauser rifles and carbines as issued to the regular imperial army, though often later than was issued to the home army.

Mauser Gewehr 1871 (Gew71)
Photo from WikiCommons

Calibre: 11mm
Length: 135cm
Barrel Length: 85cm
Weight: 4.5kg
Magazine: N/A Single Shot

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 had shown that the French Chassepot 1866 Rifle was superior to the Prussian Dreyse 1848 Needle Gun in use at the time. In response the Prussian army adopted a new rifle designed by Wilhelm and Paul Mauser in 1867. It was one of the first successful bolt action rifles to use a metal cartridge. The Gew71 became the standard rifle of the German army during the 1870s and was still in use with army training and reserve units in the First World War. It was not commonly used in the colonies but did see limited use by the Togo Polizeitruppe.

Mauser Karabiner 1871 (Kar71)
Photo © Bolt Action Rifles

Calibre: 11mm
Length: 100cm
Barrel Length: 50cm
Weight: 3.42kg
Magazine: N/A Single Shot

The carbine version of the Gew71 was identical in calibre and design but significantly shorter in barrel length. Like most carbines it had a curved bolt handle and was not designed to carry a bayonet. Period photographs show that during the 1880s and 1890s it was used by the early Schutztruppe in the South West Africa ("Truppe des Reichs-Kommissars"), the Polizeitruppe in Togo and New Guinea and the Swahili askaris of the German East Africa Company. Later photographs show East African askaris of the Schutztruppe artillery still armed with the Kar71 in 1914.
Recommended External Link - Bolt Action Rifles

East African Schutztruppe Artillery c1914
This photograph shows the Schutztruppe using a C73 Light Field Gun. The askaris on the left carry the Kar71 carbine which was commonly issued to the artillery of the Imperial army in the previous century as being more practical for them than the G71 or JB71.
Photo Bundesarchiv / WikiCommons

Mauser Jägerbüchse 1871 (JB71) Photos © Chris Wood
Calibre: 11mm Length: 130cm Barrel Length: 80.5cm Magazine: N/A Single Shot The Jägerbüchse was a light infantry version of the Gew71 and differed mainly in that it was 5cm shorter than the standard rifle and had a distinctive finger grip behind the trigger. It was the main weapon of the askaris of the German East African Schutztruppe from the time of the Wissmanntruppe up until the First World War. While its relatively large calibre made it ideal for use stopping charges of tribesmen, it was obsolete by comparison with the British, Belgian and Portuguese weapons of the First World War. Not only was it a single shot weapon but like the other 1871 series Mausers, it was particularly unhelpful in that its ammunition gave up a large flame and a cloud of smoke when fired thus revealing the firer's position by both night and day. As well as being used by the askari of the East Africa, the JB71 was used by African troops in the Schutztruppe and Polizeitruppe of Cameroon and Togo prior to the introduction of the Kar98az. It was issued to the Marine Infantry in the late 1870s. It also saw limited use by the South West African Schutztruppe and Landespolizei, again prior to the introduction of the Gew98 and Kar98. The example in the photographs above has a stamp in the butt showing an Imperial eagle and "ORTS Polizeibehörde Bethanien 359".  This would indicate that it was used by a Schutztruppe police unit at Bethanien in South West Africa, prior to the formation of the South West African Landespolizei in 1905. Note also that this rifle has a replacement (or altered) curved bolt, whereas most JB71 rifles (and indeed most German rifles in general) had straight bolts. This was almost certainly an alteration made in South West Africa as Gew98 rifles were also commonly adapted this way in South West Africa. See South West African Jägerbüchse Page for more details.     Soldier of the Cameroon Schutztruppe with a JB71 rifle Photo © Joe Robinson

Askari of the 6. Feld-Kompangie of the East African Schutztruppe, Udjidji 1912
This photograph shows a Schausch/Gefreiter in rifle practice (note the single rank chevron on the upper left arm and the marksmanship bar on his cuff). He is armed with a JB71 and has an S71/84 bayonet at his side.
Photo © Frankfurt University Koloniales Bildarchiv

Mauser Gewehr 1871/84 (Gew71/84)
Photo from Adams Guns / WikiCommons

Calibre: 11mm Length: 135cm Barrel Length: 85.5cm Magazine: 8 round tubular magazine The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 had shown that the Turkish Winchester repeat firing rifles were superior to Russian single shot weapons. Prior to this time many army commanders argued that if soldiers did not have to re-load between each round they may waste ammunition firing wildly rather than aim each shot carefully as they would do with a single shot weapon. In 1884 the German army were issued their first repeating rifle in form of an upgrade to the existing Gew71 that included an eight round tubular magazine designed by Alfred von Kropatschek running under the barrel of the gun. As well as being introduced to the regular German army, these modified riles were issued in small numbers to the early Schutztruppe in South West Africa. They were also issued to units of the Imperial Navy not serving on the frontlines during the First World War. The Gew98 rifles that they had previously been issued were withdrawn for use by frontline units.		Sailors of the II. Werft-Division This photograph was taken in Kiel in 1918. By this time in the war obsolete weapons such as the Gew71/84 and the Hf71 bayonet as seen here, were being re-issued to the Imperial Navy who were not serving on the frontline. Photo © Sam Wouters

Kommissions Gewehr 1888 (Gew88) Photos © British Collector
Calibre: 7.92mm Length: 124cm Barrel Length: 74cm Weight: 3.8kg Magazine: 5 round clip magazine The French army adopted a Lebel rifle firing smokeless ammunition in 1886. This new smokeless propellant enabled smaller calibre bullets (8mm in the case of the Lebel) to be fired at greater accuracy over longer ranges. This prompted the German High Command to again update their infantry rifle. The Gew88 was designed by an army commission and used ideas from several other rifles of the time including the Lebel, the Austrian Mannlicher (notably in its magazine and clip) and earlier German rifles such as the Gew71. The Gew88 was issued to the German army in the 1890s and was still in limited use in 1914. It was also used by the Imperial Navy and the Schutztruppe of South West Africa. It also saw limited use in East Africa. The rifle shown in the photos above is a later Gew88/05 which has been modified to use the 7.9mm Patrone S round (hence the letter S stamped above the maker's mark). These modified rifles were loaded with a Mauser charger, not a Mannlicher clip. As far as we have been able to tell the Gew88/05 rifle was not used in the colonies. Recommended External Links - Texas Tradng Post, Commission Rifle and Gew88

South West African Schutztruppe Reservists in Training 1913
These men have been recalled for their annual training. They wear a collection of ill fitting 1896 khaki uniforms and field caps. Most wear their trousers loose over short boots and have a simple belt and Imperial buckle rather than the regular Schutztruppe mounted equipment. They are armed with the Gew88 rifle which was entirely replaced by the Gew98 in the regular Schutztruppe by this date.
Photo © Frankfurt University Koloniales Bildarchiv

Kommissions Karabiner 1888 (Kar88)
Photo from Adams Guns / WikiCommons

Calibre: 7.92 mm
Length: 95cm
Barrel Length: 48.8cm
Weight: 3.1kg
Magazine: 5 round clip magazine

The carbine version of the Gew88 differed from the rifle in that it had a shorter barrel and a curved and flattened bolt lever. Like the Kar71, it was not designed to carry a bayonet. Period photographs show that it was used in limited numbers by the Schutztruppe of South West Africa, East Africa and Cameroon. One was captured in Togo and is at the Imperial War Museum in London. At least one photograph shows it being used by the East Asian Cavalry. The photograph was taken before their departure for China and they may have been replaced by the Kar98 before embarkation.

South West African Truppe Des Reichs-Kommissars 1894
This photo shows new reinforcements being inspection by Kaiser Wilhelm II at the New Palace at Potsdam on 15th June 1894. The soldiers in the centre are armed with the Kar88 carbine.
Photo © Frankfurt University Koloniales Bildarchiv

Kar88 Captured in Togo
This Kar88 was captured by British forces in Togo in 1914. It was made at Erfurt in 1893 and has a replacement
straight bolt handle rather than the original curved handle.
Photo © Imperial War Museum 

Mauser Gewehr 1898 (Gew98)

This Gew 98 was issued to the 1st East Asian Infantry Regiment (See East Asian Gew98 Page for more photos and details) Photo © Vincent Koch

Calibre: 8mm (7.92mm from 1905/06) Length: 125cm Barrel Length: 74cm Weight: 4.09 kg Magazine: 5 round clip magazine In 1898 the German army adopted a new Mauser rifle. This latest design had several improvements over previous Mauser rifles and the Gew88 with an internal magazine, better safety features and improved bolt action. The first issue of the Gew98 for active service was to the East Asian Expeditionary Corps prior to embarkation for China. Period photographs show that it was used by the later East Asian Occupation Brigade, the Schutztruppe of South West Africa, the Imperial Navy and Marine Infantry. From 1905 a new 7.92mm S-cartridge (S for Spitzer or pointed) was introduced to replace the previous 8mm rounded bullets. After that date all new rifles were made for this ammunition and old rifles in Germany were converted to take it. The converted rifles were stamped with the letter S on the receiver. As the conversions took place in Germany, some unconverted rifles may have still been in use much later in the colonies. The Gew98 remained the main weapon of the German Infantry up to and during the First World War. Variations on the rifle and its carbine variant were still in use in the Second World War. Recommended External Link - The Official Mauser Website  The rifle butt disc from an East Asian Gew98 The recent markings above are for the 6th East Asian Infantry Regt, 3rd Battalion, 1st Company, weapon number 29. The 6th East Asian Infantry Regt ("6. Ostasiatische Infanterie Regiment") were part of the 1900 East Asian Expeditionary Corps. The previous cancelled markings below are from the 3rd company of the Prussian Guards Rifles Battalion ("Garde Schützen Batallion"). Photos © Gilles Sigro		East Asian Infantry NCO, Peking 1902 With Gew98 rifles Photo by CH Graves from the American Library of Congress Seesoldat Wilhelm Hunstiger of the III. Seebataillon in Tsingtau With a Gew98 rifle and S98 bayonet  Photo from WikiCommons

Mauser Karabiner 1898 (Kar98)
Photo © P Buhler Swakopmund Museum, Namibia

Calibre: 8mm Approx. Length: 95cm Barrel Length: 43.5cm Magazine: 5 round clip magazine There were several carbine variations on the Gew98 rifle (such as the later Kar98az in common use in the First World War and the K98k in common use in the Second). The original carbine is usually known as the Kar98 and was produced from 1899 until 1908. It was designed for cavalry and other mounted troops and did not carry a bayonet. Period photographs show that it was used by the South West African Schutztruppe and the East Asian Cavalry and Artillery.		South West African Schutztruppe Reiter With a Kar98 with stacking hook. His bayonet is the S71/84 for which the carbine had no fitting. Photo © Sam Wouters

Foreign Rifles in German Colonial and Overseas Service
Foreign rifles made their way into the hands of soldiers in the German colonies in several ways. Some were imported specifically to equip colonial troops, others were borrowed from nearby allies and in wartime many captured weapons were in use particularly in East Africa during the First World War. Below are listed some of the foreign rifles and carbines known to have been used in small quantities in the colonies.
 

American Remington Rolling Block Rifle Photo from Adams Guns / WikiCommons The Remington Rolling Block rifle was a single shot 11mm breech loading weapon. Wissmann's first Sudanese askaris were photographed in Cairo in 1889 with their old Remington  Rifles with Yagatan bayonets from the Anglo-Egyptian army. It is not known if some of these rifles were still in use by the time these askaris reached East Africa or whether they had all been replaced by the German Jägerbüchse 71. The photograph above shows a Danish made Remington from 1883. Recommended External Link - Remington Rolling Block Page at Military Surplus Guns French Chassepot 1866 Rifle Conversion Photo by PHGCOM  from  the Musée de l'Armée, Paris / WikiCommons The Chassepot 1866  was a single shot 11mm breech loading bolt action rifle and served as the main weapon of the French army during the Franco Prussian-War. About 150,000 of these rifles were captured by the Germans during and after the war and many were converted to carbines by the Prussian War Ministry and to use the 11mm Mauser brass cartridge rather than the original French paper cartridge of the same calibre. The newly converted carbines were used by some German cavalry and artillery units until the early 1880s. In 1887, fifty of these weapons were sold to the German New Guinea Company to arm the first Polizeitruppe. The photograph above shows one of the original French rifles, rather than the later German converted carbines. It is shown with a French Yagatan bayonet. Winchester 1895 Carbine Photo © ArmsBid The Winchester lever action carbine was considered for use by the German army. In 1912 the carbine was issued in test quantities to the 17th Saxon Lancer Regiment ("Ulanen-Regiment "Kaiser Franz Josef von Österreich, König von Ungarn" (1. Königlich Sächsisches) Nr. 17") and also to the South West African Schutztruppe for evaluation. It was not taken up as a full time replacement to their Mauser carbines. Austro-Hungarian Steyr-Mannlicher 1895 Photo by Vorb11 from WikiCommons The Steyer-Mannlicher was an 8mm rifle with a five round magazine. It was designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher and produced by Steyr-Mannlicher. It was a bolt action rifle using a refined version of von Mannlicher's revolutionary straight-pull action. This was the main rifle used by the Austro-Hungarian army and navy in the First World War. It was also issued to members of the German Marine Detachment Skutari when they fought alongside Austro-Hungarian troops in Bosnia at the outbreak of the First World War. This may have been to facilitate ammunition supplies within the Austrian command. A curious photograph shown on the right also shows a member of the Tsingtao Chinese Police under German command with a Mannlicher rifle. I have not yet been to find out if this was relatively common practice with the Tsingtao Polizeitruppe or a one off event. Recommended External Link - World Guns British Lee Metford Mk II Photo from the Swedish Army Museum, Stockholm / Wikicommons The Lee Metford was the first rifle featuring a box magazine and bolt action to enter service in the British army. The bolt and magazine were invented by James Lee and its .303 inch (roughly 8mm) cartridge and rifling system was designed by William Metford. The Mark I was introduced in 1888 to replace the previous Martini Henry rifle. The first Lee Metford's had an eight round magazine, later versions carried ten rounds. From 1895 it began to be replaced by the Lee Enfield rifle although some Lee Metford's were still in service during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was also still issued to some of Britain's colonial troops in the First World War. The rifle was the main armament of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps including the German companies. It is not known for certain if members of the SVC that joined the defenders of Tsingtao in 1914 retained their Lee Metfords or exchanged them for German rifles upon arrival in Tsingtao, although one period photograph seems to imply that British rifles were still used (see below). British Lee Enfield MkIII Rifle (SMLE) Photo by Coggansfield at WikiCommons The Lee Enfield was an upgrade of the Lee Metford introduced in 1895, incorporating a different rifling system designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, London. This allowed the weapon to take the new smokeless .303 round. It was the standard rifle issued to the British army during the First World War and with small modifications also served throughout the Second World War. It was the fastest bolt action rifle of its time and with a ten round magazine held twice the amount of rounds as the German Gew98. When the German army initially came up against British infantry armed with the Lee Enfield on the Western Front they allegedly reported that they had been under machine gun fire due the the rifle's high rate of fire in trained hands. These rifles were captured and re-used in large quantities by the Schutztruppe of German East Africa throughout the First World War. 455 were captured at the Battle of Tanga in November 1914 alone. Portuguese Mauser-Vergueiro 1904 Rifle Photo by C Dale at the Portuguese Military Museum, Lisbon The Mauser-Vergueiro was a 6.5cm rifle designed by a Portuguese army officer, José A. Vergueiro, based on the Mauser Gew98 and like the Mauser had a five round magazine. It was the standard infantry rifle of the Portuguese army and colonial forces during the First World War. Numbers of them were also used by the South African army in the First World War. After the Schutztruppe of German East Africa invaded Portuguese territory in 1917 they captured and used the rifles in large numbers. A shorter carbine version was also produced which may well also have fallen into Schutztruppe hands on occasion. The following first hand description of three askaris in 1917 is taken from "Blockade and Jungle" by Christen P Christensen (See Book Reviews Page) and is typical of askaris from the later war period- "I had a look at our reinforcements...they were three askaris. The man on one side of me had ... a long barrelled, small bore Portuguese rifle, which gave a peculiar sharp, ringing crack. He was a veteran....The second third of our relieving troops....was a good man too, another veteran. He had still ... an old fashioned '71 rifle, which made a lot of smoke and gave out a dull roar like a shot gun....The man beside ...was shooting briskly and vigorously with an English rifle." Other Captured Weapons Many other captured weapons were used by different German forces during the First World War. Captured French bayonets were used by the Cameroon Schutztruppe so it is possible that French Lebel rifles may also have been used. Large quantities of Russian Mosin Nagant rifles were captured on the Eastern front and some were used to equip the Imperial navy who were not on front line duty. I have so far not seen photographs to prove the use of captured Belgian rifles in Africa although they may also have been used in limited numbers.

Wissmanntruppe Askari in Cairo, Egypt 1889 with a Remington Rolling Block Rifle Photo © Frankfurt University Koloniales Bildarchiv Gendarm, Tsingtao Polizeitruppe with an Austrian Mannlicher Rifle (possibly an 1886 or 88 model) Photo from Bundesarchiv / WikiCommons East African Schutztruppe Askari c1917 with a British Lee Enfield Rifle Photo © Frankfurt University Koloniales Bildarchiv Matrose from the I Matrosen Division, Germany 1917 with a Russian Mosin Nagant rifle which has an adaptor allowing it to hold German 1898 bayonets such as the S84/98nA seen here. Photo © Sam Wouters

Volunteers from the German Prinz Heinrich Kompagnie of the SVC, possibly at Tsingtao 1914
This photograph is captioned as showing the defenders of Tsingtao in 1914. These may then be some of the volunteers who made it to the besieged city from Shanghai. They wear peaked field caps with German cockades above the SVC badge. Their uniforms are the eight buttoned winter uniforms with the crowned H monogram of the Prinz Heinrich Kompagnie visible on the shoulder straps. They carry British British Lee Metford Mk II rifles with British 1903 bandolier pouches as both were standard issue to the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. See SVC at Tsingtao Photo for close up details of this photo.
Photo from the Library of Congress Collection

Obsolete Firearms
Locally recruited auxiliaries and irregular troops in German service in the colonies were often armed with a mixture of obsolete weapons. At other times hunting rifles were pressed into service although because of their ammunition they were against the rules of warfare as defined at the time by the Hague Convention of 1899 (Declaration III).

Percussion Cap Rifle from East Africa Photo © Imperial War Museum

This muzzle loading Percussion Cap Rifle in the Imperial War Museum collection in London dates from the mid-19th Century yet was captured from the Germans in East Africa during the First World War. It was probably not used by the regular Schutztruppe askaris but more likely by their locally recruited irregular auxiliary troops. Note the wrapped wire holding the rifle together in several paces. The nose cap is nailed to the rifle itself. It has the date 1887 stamped into the butt, with a weapon number ending with "143". "Kd 141" and an Imperial crest stamped onto the barrel

The exact origins of this rifle are unknown but one theory put forward by the Imperial War Museum staff is that "it is known that Germany sent rifles captured during the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71) to its African colonies. Some of these were American produced weapons which may have seen service in the American Civil War before their sale to France in 1870". Thus it is possible that this rifle saw action in the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian War, the Maji-Maji Rebellion and the First World War over a span of half a century.

The Royal Army Museum in Brussels, Belgium used to have a large collection of similar muzzle loading weapons captured in German East Africa on display.

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