I follow a page on Facebook that shows some really cool history, so I wanted to share on here. Here and there, I’ll try and bring one of those posts over to OSA. There’s some cool stuff to be learned.
Today we’ll talk about the Mauser Tankgewehr Model 1918.
Part 1 of 2: The Gun.
T-Gewehr means literally "Tank-Rifle". Before "Panzer" the Germans said "tank" because that's what the British called their invention. Artillery could smash a tank but the infantry needed a mobile anti-tank weapon. Initially, German rifleman used 8mm "K" armor-piercing bullets in their Gew.98 rifles. Designed to kill snipers behind cover, that could penetrate the earliest tanks but armor soon outclassed it except for specific spots.
In May 1918 Mauser started producing T-Gewehrs, making some 14,700 guns before the Armistice (and 1,450 after). It is essentially an up-scaled Gew.98: The bolt has 4 locking lugs; Gew.98 has 3. It is single-shot, although a magazine was prototyped. No sling attachment, rather a MG.08/15 bipod. The stock is 2-piece due to manufacturing techniques, which some collectors mistake for a "duffle cut" (the practice of fiting a gun into your duffle bag to take home from overseas). The gun is 66.5" long (161.9cm) and weighs 40.78 lbs (18.5kg) with bipod.
2 things I think are funny: 1- The sights max out at 500m while the Gew.98 is 2000m. The 13.2mm T-Gewehr fired further and at bigger targets than the 8mm Gew.98, but the designers were somehow more... realistic. 2- The T-Gewehr is an upscaled Gew.98 but why upscale the bolt handle specifically? Our hands are the same size. Anyway-
The Tankgewehr crew was 2: shooter and loader/spotter. 2 or 3 T-Gewehrs per Infantry Regiment attached to HQ. Upon an enemy tank attack the T-Gewehr teams are dispatched to the main line of resistance. T-Gewehr was never meant to be a one-shot, one-kill weapon. Rather, procedure was to open fire at 300m distance supported by machine guns, snipers and rifleman with 8mm "K" AP bullets. Also, the tank crew were not necessarily the targets. The objective of the T-Gewehr was to stop the tank. A 3-page German pamphlet detailed the anatomy of British and French tanks for Tankgewehr gunners so that they aimed for critical components. The MG's and snipers would pick up the crew. Still, plenty of T-Gewehr rounds hit people inside or created spalling that did.
T-Gewehrs did stop tactical attacks but there were not enough of them to have a strategic impact. As a rule T-Gewehr crew had to be brave, strong and experienced soldiers. There was a joke that each man carried 2 cartridges: One for each shoulder. But in reality a good crew could fire 10 well-aimed shots per minute. T-Gewehr crew suffered higher rates of temporary deafness, headaches and shoulder injuries than standard rifleman.
After World War 1 Poland, Belgium, China, Sweden, Finland, the USSR and Germany used Model 1918 Tankgewehrs and more countries used them for research. Germany was not supposed to have any but they did anyway, particularly in the border guard. A 1925 German inventory found 805 Tankgwehrs in service. In July 1941 upon the German invasion, one Moscow arsenal converted German Tankgewehrs to fire the Soviet 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun round. Germany had bigger and better anti-tank guns even before 1939, but it isn't unbelievable that some were pressed into use particularly in defense of the Reich when museums were emptied of their weapons.
Today a Tankgewehr is a rare gem but they are out there in private ownership. The 13.2mm ammo is unavailable to the point that they are converted to fire .50 BMG by people who want to actually shoot them.
Part 2: "The bullet" will come tomorrow! All about the 13.2mm TuF cartridge that the T-Gewehr fired.
"From the West. A rifle specially designed for fighting tanks"
On the right you can see the rifle firing, causing the plume of dust. One of few pictures of the rifle being used in action.
Perhaps the trophy of trophies in World War 1.
Receiver roll mark
A layout of German World War 1 anti-tank weapons. The T-Gewehr is 5 foot, 7 inches long.
Today we’ll talk about the Mauser Tankgewehr Model 1918.
Part 1 of 2: The Gun.
T-Gewehr means literally "Tank-Rifle". Before "Panzer" the Germans said "tank" because that's what the British called their invention. Artillery could smash a tank but the infantry needed a mobile anti-tank weapon. Initially, German rifleman used 8mm "K" armor-piercing bullets in their Gew.98 rifles. Designed to kill snipers behind cover, that could penetrate the earliest tanks but armor soon outclassed it except for specific spots.
In May 1918 Mauser started producing T-Gewehrs, making some 14,700 guns before the Armistice (and 1,450 after). It is essentially an up-scaled Gew.98: The bolt has 4 locking lugs; Gew.98 has 3. It is single-shot, although a magazine was prototyped. No sling attachment, rather a MG.08/15 bipod. The stock is 2-piece due to manufacturing techniques, which some collectors mistake for a "duffle cut" (the practice of fiting a gun into your duffle bag to take home from overseas). The gun is 66.5" long (161.9cm) and weighs 40.78 lbs (18.5kg) with bipod.
2 things I think are funny: 1- The sights max out at 500m while the Gew.98 is 2000m. The 13.2mm T-Gewehr fired further and at bigger targets than the 8mm Gew.98, but the designers were somehow more... realistic. 2- The T-Gewehr is an upscaled Gew.98 but why upscale the bolt handle specifically? Our hands are the same size. Anyway-
The Tankgewehr crew was 2: shooter and loader/spotter. 2 or 3 T-Gewehrs per Infantry Regiment attached to HQ. Upon an enemy tank attack the T-Gewehr teams are dispatched to the main line of resistance. T-Gewehr was never meant to be a one-shot, one-kill weapon. Rather, procedure was to open fire at 300m distance supported by machine guns, snipers and rifleman with 8mm "K" AP bullets. Also, the tank crew were not necessarily the targets. The objective of the T-Gewehr was to stop the tank. A 3-page German pamphlet detailed the anatomy of British and French tanks for Tankgewehr gunners so that they aimed for critical components. The MG's and snipers would pick up the crew. Still, plenty of T-Gewehr rounds hit people inside or created spalling that did.
T-Gewehrs did stop tactical attacks but there were not enough of them to have a strategic impact. As a rule T-Gewehr crew had to be brave, strong and experienced soldiers. There was a joke that each man carried 2 cartridges: One for each shoulder. But in reality a good crew could fire 10 well-aimed shots per minute. T-Gewehr crew suffered higher rates of temporary deafness, headaches and shoulder injuries than standard rifleman.
After World War 1 Poland, Belgium, China, Sweden, Finland, the USSR and Germany used Model 1918 Tankgewehrs and more countries used them for research. Germany was not supposed to have any but they did anyway, particularly in the border guard. A 1925 German inventory found 805 Tankgwehrs in service. In July 1941 upon the German invasion, one Moscow arsenal converted German Tankgewehrs to fire the Soviet 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun round. Germany had bigger and better anti-tank guns even before 1939, but it isn't unbelievable that some were pressed into use particularly in defense of the Reich when museums were emptied of their weapons.
Today a Tankgewehr is a rare gem but they are out there in private ownership. The 13.2mm ammo is unavailable to the point that they are converted to fire .50 BMG by people who want to actually shoot them.
Part 2: "The bullet" will come tomorrow! All about the 13.2mm TuF cartridge that the T-Gewehr fired.
"From the West. A rifle specially designed for fighting tanks"
On the right you can see the rifle firing, causing the plume of dust. One of few pictures of the rifle being used in action.
Perhaps the trophy of trophies in World War 1.
Receiver roll mark
A layout of German World War 1 anti-tank weapons. The T-Gewehr is 5 foot, 7 inches long.
