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The Karabiner 98k was the last in a long line of rifles designed for the German military by Mauser. Tracing its roots to the Lebel Model 1886, the Karabiner 98k was most directly descended from the Gewehr 98 (Model 1898) which first introduced an internal, metallic five-cartridge magazine. In 1923, the Karabiner 98b was introduced as the primary rifle for the post-World War I German military. As the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the Germans from producing rifles, the Karabiner 98b was labeled a carbine despite the fact that it was essentially an improved Gewehr 98.

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In 1935, Mauser moved to upgrade the Karabiner 98b by altering several of its components and shortening its overall length. The result was the Karabiner 98 Kurz (Short Carbine Model 1898), better known as the Karabiner 98k (Kar98k). Like its predecessors, the Kar98k was a bolt-action rifle, which limited its rate of fire, and was relatively unwieldy. One change was the shift to using laminated stocks rather than single pieces of wood, as testing had shown that plywood laminates were better at resisting warping. Entering service in 1935, over 14 million Kar98ks were produced by the end of World War II.

The Karabiner 98k Rifle Specifications:

Cartridge: 7.92 x 57 mm (8 mm Mauser)
Capacity: 5-round stripper clip inserted into internal magazine
Muzzle Velocity: 760 m/sec
Effective Range: 547 yards, 875 yards with optics
Weight: 8-9 lbs.
Length: 43.7 in.
Barrel Length: 23.6 in.
Attachments: Knife Bayonet S84/98, rifle grenades

German and World War II Usage:

The Karabiner 98k saw service in all theaters of World War II that involved the German military, such as Europe, Africa, and Scandinavia. Though the Allies moved towards using semi-automatic rifles, such as the M1 Garand, the Wehrmacht retained the bolt-action Kar98k with its small five-round magazine. This was largely due to their tactical doctrine which emphasized the light machine gun as the basis of a squad’s firepower. In addition, the Germans frequently preferred to use submachine guns, like the MP40, in close combat or urban warfare.

In the final year and a half of the war, the Wehrmacht began phasing out the Kar98k in favor of the new Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) assault rifle. While the new weapon was effective, it was never produced in sufficient numbers and the Kar98k remained the primary German infantry rifle until the end of hostilities. In addition, the design also saw service with the Red Army which purchased licenses to manufacture them prior to the war. While few were produced in the Soviet Union, captured Kar98ks were used widely by the Red Army during its early war arms shortage.

Postwar Use:

Following World War II, millions of Kar98ks were captured by the Allies. In the West, many were given to rebuilding nations to rearm their militaries. France and Norway adopted the weapon and factories in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia began producing their own versions of the rifle. Those German weapons taken by the Soviet Union were kept in case of a future war with NATO. Over time, many of these were given to nascent communist movements around the world. Many of these ended up in Vietnam and were used by the North Vietnamese against the United States during the Vietnam War.

Elsewhere, the Kar98k ironically served with the Jewish Haganah and later, the Israeli Defense Forces in the late 1940s and 1950s. Those weapons that were obtained from captured German stockpiles had all Nazi iconography removed and replaced with IDF and Hebrew markings. The IDF also purchased large stocks of Czech and Belgian-produced versions of the rifle. In the 1990s, the weapons were again deployed during the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. While no longer used by militaries today, the Kar98k is popular with shooters and collectors.

Sources: http://militaryhistory.about.com

Jacques Littlefield, an unassuming multimillionaire who amassed the country’s largest private collection of tanks and other military armored vehicles, Following a decade long battle with colon cancer, Littlefield died on January 7, 2009 at his Portola Valley ranch. Jacques Littlefield (November 21, 1949 – January 7, 2009) founded the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF), also called the Littlefield Collection.

“He was one of the nicest guys I ever met,” said Charles Lemons, a longtime friend and a curator at the George Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Ky., where Mr. Littlefield served on the board. “With Jacques, what you saw was what you got. It’s sad we lost him so early.” Mr. Littlefield owned about 200 tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers, anti-aircraft vehicles and other heavy combat vehicles, ranging from an M1917 “Six-Ton Tractor” from World War I to a Russian T-72 used by Saddam Hussein’s forces in the Iraq war.

He painstakingly restored the vehicles and kept them in a football-field-size showroom on his ranch. In accordance with state and federal law, none of tanks had functioning firing apparatus, but he did occasionally drive them around his 470-acre property. A jewel in his collection is the German Panzer V Panther tank that the German army sank in a Polish river during World War II to keep it from the advancing Russians. The Panther sat submerged for decades, and Mr. Littlefield acquired it five years ago and began restoring it.

“Restoration is very satisfying, especially with something like the Panther,” Mr. Littlefield said in a 2007 interview with The Chronicle. “People say: ‘You’ll never get that thing running again.’ Well, it was built once, and we can do it again.” Mr. Littlefield was born in San Francisco and grew up in Burlingame. He attended the Cate School, a boarding school near Santa Barbara, and later received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business adminstration from Stanford. He worked for Hewlett Packard for five years as manufacturing engineer.

In the mid-1970s, he quit working and devoted himself full time to managing his investments. He also started collecting large vehicles, such as fire trucks, trains and eventually tanks, continuing an interest he developed as a child. “When we were kids he was always making models and dioramas,” said David Hannah, a friend of Mr. Littlefield’s from the Cate School. “He was always very interested in how things worked.”

Mr. Littlefield’s interest in tanks was largely technical, not based on their military or historical significance. His collection was not open to the public, but he gave private tours to about 4,000 historians, Boy Scouts, journalists and veterans a year. “There’s nothing like it,” said Hans Halberstadt of San Jose, an author of several military history books who frequently brought fellow historians to see Mr. Littlefield’s collection. “He gathered these machines and made them available for study. And he was brilliant at understanding how they worked. I really respected him.”

By studying tanks, historians and engineers can learn how various designs worked under differing battle conditions and how each model balanced mobility, armor and fire power, Halberstadt said. Because of the breadth and pristine condition of his collection, Mr. Littlefield provided an invaluable resource for those who study war and technology, Halberstadt said. The collection is now under the control of Mr. Littlefield’s foundation, the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, whose board will decide in coming months how to proceed.

Mr. Littlefield served on numerous boards, including those at the Cate School, Coyote Point Museum, Hoover Institution, California Academy of Sciences and the Filoli estate. He was also a member of the Bohemian Club. He is survived by his wife, Sandy Montenegro Littlefield of Portola Valley, and his mother, Jeannik Littlefield of San Mateo. In addition, he leaves five children – David, Scott, Allison, Jacques Jr. and Jeannik – and a grandson.

Kevin Wheatcroft by Rick Whyte
Written by http://www.hmvf.co.uk Administrator
Friday, 19 October 2007 21:45

1) One of your more recent additions to your collection is the Sherman Bulldozer, what is the origin and history of the vehicle?

Kevin Wheatcroft: The Sherman is a 105mm composite hull with radial engine. It appears to be a tank that was supplied to the Israeli Defence Force in 1948. I don’t believe it saw any combat and was used for making runways and clearing obstacles. It is in fine condition and totally complete. One of the rarer Shermans in my collection which now totals 16 variants.

2) You have finished restoring a Panther, and have released the Research Squad book on the subject, yet it seems you are restoring another. What is the reason behind this, is it a different variant, or is it a fairly complete one that needs little work to complete?

Kevin Wheatcroft: We have not, as yet, finished restoring our Panther but getting close, possibly April/May next year. We have 3 Panthers in the collection, 2 are D’s and 1 an A. They were built by different manufacturers at slightly different times during the war and all have a unique character of their own. It is my intention to restore all three. None were any more complete than the others and have involved a lot of time scouring Europe for parts.

3) One of your future projects is the King Tiger, which has got to be one of my all time personal favourites for various reasons. How difficult has it been to source the spares for its restoration and what percentage of it remains to be sourced?

Kevin Wheatcroft: The King Tiger is also my personal favourite for various reasons, mostly because of size, its relative simplicity compared to Panther and other vehicles, all go to make it an interesting vehicle. It is fairly difficult to find spares but I have been helped by many people who believe in my determination to build this tank. Without their help I could not go forward. This will be my next long term project and over and above anything else is the one I will see through to the end.

4) What is your personal favourite in your collection, and what is the one vehicle you would like to acquire?

Kevin Wheatcroft: I think my reply to Q3 answers Q4. King Tiger is my all-time favourite. There are many vehicles I wish to acquire to complete the collection and to say another favourite is difficult, but I have a weakness for German armoured cars and this is something I am intending to address.

5) What do you find most satisfying, finding the vehicle for restoration, or completing the rebuild?

Kevin Wheatcroft: I find the discovery of a vehicle and its acquisition to be the most satisfying. I love to search and to be involved in the vehicles rebuild, and of course it is exciting to see it finished. So really there are three reasons and it is difficult to say which would be the most satisfying.

6) You have recently taken delivery of 40 crates of spares. Do you know what is in the crates before they arrive or is it a mystery until delivery?

Kevin Wheatcroft: Concerning deliveries of parts for our spares mountain. These happen on a regular basis. We usually know exactly what we have bought but from time to time there are a few hidden surprises.

7) Have you started work on the Terrapin yet? How difficult has it been to source the spares for it? Do you have access to another to compare?

Kevin Wheatcroft: Work has been steady on the Terrapin and some of the missing parts were included with the vehicle. She is now basically complete and in very very good condition. Parts have not been too difficult to find as they used many standard production items. I don’t have access to another one but know of remnant of three and believe all three would not make a vehicle again. So unless someone can prove me wrong mine seems to be the sole survivor.

8 ) You have people all over Europe sourcing parts for you. How do you manage to get people to sell you items, as they must realise the price is theirs to command, especially in the limited and dwindling supply of WW2 vehicles.

Kevin Wheatcroft: There are good honest dealers and there are greedy dealers. I have been lucky as everyone I have dealt with has remained a friend and some I will continue dealing with in the future. If someone is difficult or greedy I tend to walk away even if I need the part as there is always someone else.

9) Have you ever considered adding WW1 vehicles to your collection? If not, why not?

Kevin Wheatcroft: I have considered adding WWI vehicles to the collection and already have one or two horse drawn vehicles and field artillery. WWI vehicles are not common as you can imagine. I would only add to my collection if they were used in WWII simply because if I wish to complete my collection as I originally envisaged I need to remain totally focused.

10) Occasionally we see reports of tanks being pulled out of swamps and rivers in Eastern Europe. Do you have any part in their recovery or get the chance to purchase them?

Kevin Wheatcroft: I have been involved in many recovery operations of vehicles all over the world and find this extremely satisfying. I have also managed to purchase vehicles that have been recovered from swamps and rivers, in particular my Mercedes Benz 12-ton half track and Stug III to name a couple.

11) Do you have any plans to acquire any more of the Tiger tank family, like the Sturm Tiger or the Jagd Tiger?

Kevin Wheatcroft: Of course my dream is always to find more of everything, in particular the Tiger family, if it were possible. There are a lot of swamps out there and who knows something may turn up one day.

12) What other vehicles occupy your collection apart from the military ones?

Kevin Wheatcroft: Again, I think I have answered this question. I remain very focused on completing my WWII collection so tend not to let other things tempt me from this path.

13) An unusual car in the collection is the Trippel SG6. Most people wouldn’t have heard of one, what are they?

Kevin Wheatcroft: The Trippel amphibian was created by Hans Trippel as an alternative to the VW166 Schwimmwagen. They made very few, less than 1,000, but in reality far better than the 166. As the car was not widely known or used it stayed in the shadow of the VW. The collection now boasts four examples, all different. I personally know of about 14 survivors including my 4.

14) Another unusual item in the collection is a V1 launch ramp. This must be one of a kind surely, as most of them were surely destroyed by the allies. Do you know of any more inexistence, where did it come from and how did you come to acquire it?

Kevin Wheatcroft: The V1 launch ramps are unusual and this is why I purchased them. I actually acquired 9 sets and have traded off 8 sets to other collectors for museums. Most of these are now displayed around the world. My set is the most complete and most intact and it is my ambition one day to build this outside my museum.

15) Do you have any swapping of information or parts with the Sdkfz Foundation?

Kevin Wheatcroft: I have worked with the Sdkfz Foundation in the past, as I have with many other similar groups and individuals. I think it very important that we all go forward so everybody gains.

16) Lastly, the question that everyone likes to know. Do you have any plans to open to the public?!

Kevin Wheatcroft: Of course the collection is not just for my own private pleasure, it is also to share with the public and ultimately I would like to open the doors. Where, when and how still remains a mystery even to me but watch this space!