A friend of mine used to collect Broomhandle Mauser’s, he must’ve had at least 15 of these wicked looking pistols. At least 10 were of Chinese origin. Thank you Professor Felton for shining a light on these unusual weapons of World War II.
In China....some were unauthorized Chinese made copies....others were true German Mausers, imported from Germany in the interwar years and used in the Chinese War-Lords conflicts.....
When I served my compulsory military service in the Finnish army in 1974-75 I had a chance to use some of the old weapons on the shooting range. I fired a clip with the 1916 model Mauser with the caliber 9x19P (9mm Parabellum) . In the Finnish army it had the nickname "Ukko Mauser" or translated in English " Old Man Mauser". It was not a very comfortable handgun at all. I preferred my personal sidearm the L1935 Lahti pistol with the caliber 9x19 too.
Ive only heard one other author mention that the Waffen SS was originally called the SS-VT, and that was Michael Reynolds in Steel Inferno. Well done Mark as always.
Mark, would be very interesting if you could do more on the Czechs generally. They are definitely an underappreciated player in the war. Weapons, tanks, planes and battles!
Yeah. I was thinking about this also. Not only Czechs. I'm afraid the videos would have to be hidden behind some or another version of "Nazi thumbnail", otherwise there are no clicks. Not saying his videos are click bates, it's iust that generations of people grew up obsessed by the evil empire that Nazi Germany was and as such are prone to automatically pay attention to anything that's related to it. We all love to hate. :))
There were quite a lot of tanks captured in from the Czechoslovakian army that the Panzerdivsions used. Perhaps one of the most notable was the LT-35 tank that the Germans named the PzKpfw 35. It was a light tank that soon became obsolete but found a use when they used the chassis for numeorus versions of tankhunters like the Marders and the Hetzer.
What should be mentioned is that most of the explicitly Czech weapons were produced in plants which only 20 years before belonged to the Austrian empire as the regions of Checkoslovakia were constitutionals parts of the Austrian and before German Empire (Holy Roman Empire of German Nation) for more than 1000 years, so the engineer tradition of weapons and machines were in large part of German-Austrian tradition and were seen as such by the time.
Would have been interesting to have seen Mark bring up the captured Browning Hi Powers, Radom Vis 35's and Cz 38's among other handguns that they used early on in the war. Maybe in another video.
The Hi Powers were made for the Germans after the capture of the FN factory in Belgium, the weapons weren’t necessarily captured by them. They were also used extensively until the end of the war.
Mark, I've read accounts of decent numbers of Waffen SS joining the French Foreign Legion after WW2, and fighting in French Indo Chino, to include Điện Biên Phủ. Any possibility of a video covering the SS serving in the Legion?
I've read that most Germans in the FFL after WW2 were simply young men who needed jobs, the ex-Nazi angle is salacious hyperbole (although it's certainly possible).
Good one. My old scout master, Anatole Zakroczymski, a "lucky" Soviet POW from Kiev, having escaped German captivity in France became a Legionarie after WW2. He never wanted to return home. He told me whilst stationed in Indochina as a sapper he'd met quite a few shady Germans in the Legion. His comrades all suspected they were former Waffen SS, hiding from past sins.
The Czech ZB37 was in service in a modified form with the British Army as the BESA tank machine gun, surprisingly still in the Mauser 7.92mm round. It was considered acceptable as Tanks had their own separate logistics chain from the infantry.
It took too long and too much money to convert it into 303 as the British originaly wanted to replace all Vickers guns with it. By 1938 the project had not gotten far and they needed a tank mg as they only needed a few thousand, a domestic 8mm mauser production line could be set up
@@lastswordfighter No my parents grew up during the cultural revolution era. Back then every able bodied person had to do training with weapons, My father specialised in AA guns and type 56 AK. My mother wasn't allowed to join because of her Russian heritage, Because of the Sino-Soviet split ethnic Russians were discriminated in China but my mothers knowledge of the Russian language was considered useful and she was instead offered the role of a spy who would report any fifth column activity if the Russian community was in contact with the Soviet Union which was silly because most of them were exiles who were driven out by Stalin including my own Babushka.
Very good video,sir.I have read that the early SS were equipped with the Mauser 'Sportmodell',a civilian version of the Mauser 98k,bearing little difference,but just enough to escape Versailles Treaty inspectors.Many also used WW1 Gewehr 98,and the Kar 98 short rifle.The Totenkopf had a more difficult time obtaining weapons,and Eicke resorted to theft,barter,and sometimes his people were using various .22 training rifles.Thank you for another great production.
I've read that the SS were outside the normal procurement system for weapons. So they always had many different types of small arms. They were also early adopters of what eventually became the STG44.
Surprisingly many young people know of the SS-VT, due to the videogame *Hearts of Iron IV* featuring the unit as a german motorised unit at the start of the game in 1936.
I found your channel during Covid 20 and I'm still loving it. I thought I knew a lot about WWII from Grandparents but you never cease to educate us on amazing facts.
The 1896 Mauser pistol was an incredibly popular handgun in its early years. It served soldiers quite well in several armies. Even Winston Churchill carried his in the Boer war as a young cavalry officer. The shoulder stocked versions are interesting as are any stocked carbines based on pistols or revolvers.
Fascinating video again! Always thought the Waffen-SS was named as such when they invaded the Netherlands. You hardly see SS-VT anywhere. What never changed was their utter disrespect for prisoners of war.
If only one percent of the soldiers were veterans, I understand that. The world has watched that 5 to 6 million Germans have been enslaved like animals in France, that their homeland has been exploited and that thousands of children have starved to death as a result. The survivors have received no mercy from the victors
Just a point Mark: I have a ZB-30, the export version of the ZB-26, and they only had 20 round and 40 round magazines (Apparently for air defense). There was a later version, post war, in a different caliber that had an actual 30 round magazine.
When Inglis produced BRENs for the Nationalist Chinese in 7.92, did they manufacture any 30 round mags or only copies of the original 20 rounder for the ZB26?
3:10 specialized air crews also were deemed highly competitive in the recruiting strategy. My Grandfather entered the Wehrmacht in MG battalion .6 in 1935....decided he wanted more. Took and passed the heightened physical with flying colors....... But at 5'3" 150 pounds.......deemed too little for SS Aryan guidelines. Became a Stuka rear gunner and was very happy with the choice. Probably saved his life going into the air service instead of frontline service.
Another excellent mini-doc, i applaud you! 👏 A small remark however, you mentioned Sepp Dietrich and Felix Steiner as the first high-ranking officers of the SS-VT. But the founding father of the SS-VT and the later W-SS has to be Paul Hausser, who was instrumental in shaping the armed SS into the elite force it became. Keep up the excellent work! 👍
The SS used captured Czech model 98 rifles, and later the CZ factory made many million K98K rifles. The SS and Luftwaffe used Czech handguns, and many of the early tanks of the SS were made at Skoda werke, and the basic chassis was used for several gun mounts for both Army and SS.
Mark Felton gives deep insight and did you know information better than most history tv shows in world wars and other topics. This is my opinion. And it's a fact 😁. Great work Mark Felton 👍👏
Hello Mark, The Mauser selective-fire pistol in Germany was identified as the Mauser C96 'Schnellfeuer', without the 712 which was A. F. Stoeger's catalog number for this German pistol. The Mauser Export 'Bolo' pistol offered in the US market in the 1920's was catalogued as the 710 and the Mauser M1930 semi-auto was catalogued as the 711.
Except for the Schnellfeuer they weapons listed all used standard 9mm and 7.92mm ammunition. And 7.63mm Mauser was still made for the German police, who Himmler also controlled.
It had some popularity in China. There is a story that they held it sideways so the recoil would help them sweep a room. Of course there is a blaster version too.
Interesting I don't ever remember seeing that MG35 it must be amazingly rare. Also imagine how quick a fully automatic C-96 would expel it's cartridges leaving the soldier vulnerable.
A local gun store sold surplus C96 pistols in the mid '60s. One had an odd trigger and was displayed left-side down---to hide the "fun switch," for $69.95 back then. (I recently saw an operable M712 on line for $31,000).
Seen a few of the Astra 7,63s ,they were very nice . Cost is now about 3000 US for one fine condition with stock. Luftwaffe also used many hunreds of them in a rescue unit .
Excellent information as usual Mark. Always new tidbits that are hidden in the details and this is quite a wonderful documentary - as are most of your other productions. Better than the usual garbage from Hollywood. ;)
The camouflage pattern on the used photo's are of most interesting. And it seems that history repeats itself because some of these old pattern still do work in the field or are upgraded. That said, the modern Multicam, although different, has overlap with the old German 'tarns'. Even A-TACS FG has similarities. That said, the German were their time far ahead (...or no big developments happened after WWII !)
Not 100% sure but i think the italians used first Camouniform or Smocks. The SS developed in the 30s-40s alot of Camo smocks in Eichentarn/platanentarn, Rauchtarn, Palmentarn Pattern they adopted the first Camouniform M44 in Erbsentarn/Flecktarn (Austrian army used a variation of Erbsentarn late 50s to 70s) and late war the Waffen SS (after italy was out of the war) used sometimes Uniforms with italian Pattern, the italians used their camo Pattern also for a long time from 30s up to the 70s or maybe longer. The Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe used Splintertarn ( the Federal german Army had a variation of the Splintertarn uniform during late 50s early 60s) and Sumpftarn ( federal german Border guard BGS used Sumpftarn uniforms in 50, 60s up the 70s), at wars end they planed a new camo uniform called Leibertarn for all Branches Army , SS , the army wasnt happy about that but there are few Photos around of Army/Wehrmacht Soldiers in Leibertarnuniforms. The Swiss Army adopted a variation of Leibertarn for their first Swiss army camouniform and used it for a long time 60-80 or 90s.
Is there a Mark Felton video about all of the captured French, Czech, and Soviet weapons that were used to equip the German coastal defense divisions in France prior to D-Day?
Ive seen a lot about their weaponry when the tTgers and Panthers came out, but havven't looked that much into their early war weapons. Great stuff Mark!
4:55 - the Knorr-Bremse rifle? You know, Bremse is brake, and Knorr is from Georg Knorr, founder of the company that built a variant of the Westinghouse automatic train brake for the German railways. The company Knorr-Bremse AG still exists.
It’s pretty well known in the firearms collecting community that the SS appropriated the small arms manufacturing of every country Germany took. Poland, Belgium, as well as the others mentioned in this video. These firearms are highly sought after in the United States many of them brought back as trophies by returning soldiers.
My local gun shop in Texas recently had a Browning Hi-Power with German Stamping and insignia for $900. During the war the Germans captured a factory in Belgium that was producing them under license, and continued production for their own forces. The Browning Hi-Power may be the only pistol officially issued to both allied and axis forces.
Ironically enough Germany used more Browning Hi-Powers than any of the allied nations did(combined), as over 300.000 Hi-powers were produced during German occupation for the Wehrmacht and SS. The Brits didn't start looking seriously at the potential of adopting the Hi-power for themselves until the war was nearly over. Browning 1911 pistols (Kongsberg Colt 1914) were also produced for the German army in Norway, also under occupation, with a little less than 10.000 being produced for the German army before the end.
@@JohnDiabol Conversely, some ex-Herstal technicians escaped with plans to Canada, where John Inglis & Company set up a factory in 1940 near Toronto to produce the FN Hi-Power P35 [''under license''] for Allied Lend Lease. The bulk went to Nationalist China, some to the USSR, and select pistols to British commandos. The Canadian Army was issuing the P35 into the '90s. I picked one up surplus in the mid-'90s. Superb plinker.
It would be nice a video of all german uniforms and production, for example, it seems a bit unclear for me when did the SS start using its cool camo patterns, or when the fallshirmjaeger changed to cammo aswell. Awesome as always !!!
I can recommend for a basic introduction to each of the SS Divisions the series of publications by Chris Mann et al. I have the Totenkopf and Liebstandarte editions and they contain the information you have referred to. At the end of each relevant book the there is a list of their respective main officers and NCO's, equipment, supplies and a very brief timeline of their war activities. The only division not included in this collection is the Dirlewanger Brigade, perhaps not surprisingly, they can be researched in The Black Hunters, and a few of the more obscure foreign volunteer Divisions. I found all the camouflage information contained plus the facts such as it could be used for a tent in rough conditions and had a waterproof and reversible layer that you could change depending on the environment and conditions.
@@goodnightvienna8511do you know what the German helmet liner sizes are converted to American sizes? I’m looking for a Helmet and I want to make sure the size is right. I want to surprise my grandfather as his original Wehrmacht helmet was lost.
@@deadlyoneable ....I think you're just joking mate 😊. buuuut ..if you want to buy a genuine Stahlhelm then good luck. $$$$$$$$££££££££€€€€€€€'so! !! It's one size fits all.
You really show how big world war 2 really was and how many little different things happened that blow my mind, keep it up you are a great WW2 historian!
Hey man I really appreciate this video I love seeing odd weapons of WW2 especially Germany. I've also seen Polish BARs in service of Germany and the Soviet union
Some of the weapons associated with the Waffen-SS: Karabiner 98k: The standard bolt-action rifle used by the German army, including the Waffen-SS. MP40: A submachine gun known for its compact design and automatic firing capability. StG 44: Considered one of the earliest assault rifles, it combined elements of a rifle and a submachine gun. MG34 and MG42: General-purpose machine guns used extensively by German forces, including the Waffen-SS. Gewehr 43: A semi-automatic rifle developed by Germany during the war. Panzerfaust: A single-shot, disposable anti-tank weapon. Panzerschreck: A reusable anti-tank rocket launcher. Sturmgewehr 45: An advanced but less widely used assault rifle developed near the end of the war. Luger P08: A semi-automatic pistol used by officers and certain personnel in the Waffen-SS. Karabiner 98k with ZF41: A sniper variant of the Karabiner 98k equipped with a scope.
Hope if you have not done it you could do an in depth video on the Dieppe Raid. A closer look reveals it was not the great failure many believe. The British accomplished many vital objectives such as studying and destroying a German radar station, freeing 80 French underground fighters and placing over a hundred German speaking spies behind enemy lines. Of course these objectives were achieved at great sacrifice of many men. Few tell the entire story.
@@MaxZRider Check out the book, A Man Called Intrepid by William Stevenson. The true goals of the operation had to be kept highly secret so the Nazis would think it was a complete failure. Some of the spies placed behind German lines even infiltrated the German army. The Germans were so distracted during the raid that important radio messages were sent by the British to the French underground totally undetected by the Germans. There remains to this day a great lack of understanding about the raid on Dieppe.
They did not even manage to capture radar station you mentioned 😁 And even if they did, they would be captured by Germans anyway, like most of the troops.
@@aleksazunjic9672 British commandos with a leading radar engineer from Britain captured, studied, photographed and then blew up that new radar station. They were not captured by the Nazis and made it back to England. British commandos also killed the Gestapo members at a prison and freed over 80 underground fighters and then called in fighter bombers that destroyed the prison. The success of the mission had to be hidden from the Nazis. The info is available for all to investigate today.
Mark, thank you for doing such a fine job with these videos. I have been fascinated with WWII since about age 10. Your detail, and pains to get the facts correct are appreciated.
I always think of H*tler having absolute iron control over everything so it's fascinating to hear this sort of struggle. Even fabricating a scandal to remove army officers instead of just dragging them out and shooting them like we'd come to expect
I wouldn't think of Hitler having such absolute control in every case, for example when he heard of Rommel's suicide he allegedly immediately suspected that the Gestapo had actually murdered him.
I m frm India as i was interested in ww2 Germany from childhood i was searching for more information and then i got this channel thanks mark Felton for giving us such great information
Thank you Mark for all the years you’ve delivered top quality material.
Your greatly appreciated.
Noun missing John
'You're'...
"Your"???
You’re dealing with people who pay attention to detail - both historically and grammatically. 😂
@@MichaelKingsfordGray Struggle from womb to tomb. Hang in there.
A friend of mine used to collect Broomhandle Mauser’s, he must’ve had at least 15 of these wicked looking pistols. At least 10 were of Chinese origin. Thank you Professor Felton for shining a light on these unusual weapons of World War II.
In China....some were unauthorized Chinese made copies....others were true German Mausers, imported from Germany in the interwar years and used in the Chinese War-Lords conflicts.....
churchills favourite , i think?
@@andyf4292 ...not sure if it was his favorite, but he did buy and use one....he used it in the Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan , reportedly.
He carried one as his side arem. Also, Han Solo's blaster was modeled after one
So does Leon s Kennedy
When I served my compulsory military service in the Finnish army in 1974-75 I had a chance to use some of the old weapons on the shooting range. I fired a clip with the 1916 model Mauser with the caliber 9x19P (9mm Parabellum) . In the Finnish army it had the nickname "Ukko Mauser" or translated in English " Old Man Mauser". It was not a very comfortable handgun at all. I preferred my personal sidearm the L1935 Lahti pistol with the caliber 9x19 too.
A wonderful historical coverage video
i always have respect for brave Finnish for having stood against Russian invaders
Isn't Ukko also the lord of thunder?
@@LehySnekyes but in modern casual speech it just means an old guy
Ive only heard one other author mention that the Waffen SS was originally called the SS-VT, and that was Michael Reynolds in Steel Inferno. Well done Mark as always.
then you never read Eugen Kogon "Der SS Staat" (the SS State)
Common knowledge.
Who was thé first one?
Mark, would be very interesting if you could do more on the Czechs generally. They are definitely an underappreciated player in the war. Weapons, tanks, planes and battles!
Zlaté české ručičky
Yeah. I was thinking about this also. Not only Czechs. I'm afraid the videos would have to be hidden behind some or another version of "Nazi thumbnail", otherwise there are no clicks. Not saying his videos are click bates, it's iust that generations of people grew up obsessed by the evil empire that Nazi Germany was and as such are prone to automatically pay attention to anything that's related to it. We all love to hate. :))
@@8818F Absolutely!!
There were quite a lot of tanks captured in from the Czechoslovakian army that the Panzerdivsions used. Perhaps one of the most notable was the LT-35 tank that the Germans named the PzKpfw 35. It was a light tank that soon became obsolete but found a use when they used the chassis for numeorus versions of tankhunters like the Marders and the Hetzer.
What should be mentioned is that most of the explicitly Czech weapons were produced in plants which only 20 years before belonged to the Austrian empire as the regions of Checkoslovakia were constitutionals parts of the Austrian and before German Empire (Holy Roman Empire of German Nation) for more than 1000 years, so the engineer tradition of weapons and machines were in large part of German-Austrian tradition and were seen as such by the time.
Would have been interesting to have seen Mark bring up the captured Browning Hi Powers, Radom Vis 35's and Cz 38's among other handguns that they used early on in the war. Maybe in another video.
I own a Waffenamt marked Radom. It was a vet bring back.
The Hi Powers were made for the Germans after the capture of the FN factory in Belgium, the weapons weren’t necessarily captured by them. They were also used extensively until the end of the war.
The Germans also used Norwegian licensed manufactured Colt M1911’s.
He already did
Those weren't SS exclusive
Mark, I've read accounts of decent numbers of Waffen SS joining the French Foreign Legion after WW2, and fighting in French Indo Chino, to include Điện Biên Phủ. Any possibility of a video covering the SS serving in the Legion?
Would be a great video
I've read that most Germans in the FFL after WW2 were simply young men who needed jobs, the ex-Nazi angle is salacious hyperbole (although it's certainly possible).
They might have joined armies in South America too.
They still sing some German marching songs so can't see why not. A lot did join
Good one. My old scout master, Anatole Zakroczymski, a "lucky" Soviet POW from Kiev, having escaped German captivity in France became a Legionarie after WW2. He never wanted to return home. He told me whilst stationed in Indochina as a sapper he'd met quite a few shady Germans in the Legion. His comrades all suspected they were former Waffen SS, hiding from past sins.
Dr Felton is the red pill of history channels. I love it.
TIK aswell
@@tinglerium1494yep tik history, ww2 week by week, and mark felton are my favorite...
Oh and kings and generals Pacific campaign is fantastic as well
Exactly! I love going down that WW2 rabbit hole
He knows his history
@@jboss119don't forget The Operations Room!
The Czech ZB37 was in service in a modified form with the British Army as the BESA tank machine gun, surprisingly still in the Mauser 7.92mm round. It was considered acceptable as Tanks had their own separate logistics chain from the infantry.
It took too long and too much money to convert it into 303 as the British originaly wanted to replace all Vickers guns with it. By 1938 the project had not gotten far and they needed a tank mg as they only needed a few thousand, a domestic 8mm mauser production line could be set up
The broomhandle was still being used even until the 60's and 70's. I have a picture of my dad holding one in China during militia training.
@@stc3145 or simply using captured supplies, although it pain in ass to loaded it
What your in the People's Liberation Army/militia or the Twainese Army?
@@lastswordfighter No my parents grew up during the cultural revolution era. Back then every able bodied person had to do training with weapons, My father specialised in AA guns and type 56 AK. My mother wasn't allowed to join because of her Russian heritage, Because of the Sino-Soviet split ethnic Russians were discriminated in China but my mothers knowledge of the Russian language was considered useful and she was instead offered the role of a spy who would report any fifth column activity if the Russian community was in contact with the Soviet Union which was silly because most of them were exiles who were driven out by Stalin including my own Babushka.
Love the insights and meticulous details that Mr Felton always puts in his videos.
Never a disappointing video, there’s always something new.
Very good video,sir.I have read that the early SS were equipped with the Mauser 'Sportmodell',a civilian version of the Mauser 98k,bearing little difference,but just enough to escape Versailles Treaty inspectors.Many also used WW1 Gewehr 98,and the Kar 98 short rifle.The Totenkopf had a more difficult time obtaining weapons,and Eicke resorted to theft,barter,and sometimes his people were using various .22 training rifles.Thank you for another great production.
Cite sources
I've read that the SS were outside the normal procurement system for weapons. So they always had many different types of small arms. They were also early adopters of what eventually became the STG44.
Hitler tried 3 times to derail the stg44. He was totally against it.
Cite source
@@MaxZRider This video - it also pointed out why. Forgotten Weapons just did a video that also supports the last point.
The Heer fearing an attempt by the SS to replace them refused to share their equipment with them. This changed as the war went on.
Yes the SS had separate contracts with the German Arms Industry. The Wehrmacht had its own contracts with the same companies.
Dr. Felton you still continue to amaze me after all these years.
Mark is one of the best on history period.
3:34 If it weren’t for the SS helmet, I would have probably mistaken the guy for Brad Pitt in Fury…
Surprisingly many young people know of the SS-VT, due to the videogame *Hearts of Iron IV* featuring the unit as a german motorised unit at the start of the game in 1936.
My God never knew about this... Thank u Mark Felton for always Delivering Quality Content...
Making a full auto Mauser C96 was planned during the first world war for clearing trenches, but it never materialized. It was abandoned for the MP18.
I found your channel during Covid 20 and I'm still loving it. I thought I knew a lot about WWII from Grandparents but you never cease to educate us on amazing facts.
7:10 I had a cap gun of the Mauser - with the stock/case - when I was very small in the '60s (they made good toys back then!)
What an excellent short documentary, I really wish you had a discovery channel....
Never a dull video, Mark!
Best historical content on on the internet! I always look forward to your uploads.
Interesting & well researched Mark; as usual.
I minored in history with a focus on WW2 and Dr Felon has forgotten more than any professor I had ever knew to begin with.
All due respect sent to you Dr. Felton. Thanks.
Don’t know what we’d do without you Mark
The 1896 Mauser pistol was an incredibly popular handgun in its early years. It served soldiers quite well in several armies. Even Winston Churchill carried his in the Boer war as a young cavalry officer. The shoulder stocked versions are interesting as are any stocked carbines based on pistols or revolvers.
0:30 Rudolf von ribbentrop, son of German foreign minister. That dude saw some serious action on the eastern front !
Fascinating video again! Always thought the Waffen-SS was named as such when they invaded the Netherlands. You hardly see SS-VT anywhere. What never changed was their utter disrespect for prisoners of war.
If only one percent of the soldiers were veterans, I understand that. The world has watched that 5 to 6 million Germans have been enslaved like animals in France, that their homeland has been exploited and that thousands of children have starved to death as a result. The survivors have received no mercy from the victors
Sitting back with my dripping and stewed tea in hand...ah the memories!
Thanks Dr. Felton. Your
Informative video helps to explain that time in History.
❤ have a nice day~
Another excellent production Mark, thanks.
Just a point Mark: I have a ZB-30, the export version of the ZB-26, and they only had 20 round and 40 round magazines (Apparently for air defense). There was a later version, post war, in a different caliber that had an actual 30 round magazine.
When Inglis produced BRENs for the Nationalist Chinese in 7.92, did they manufacture any 30 round mags or only copies of the original 20 rounder for the ZB26?
Matt Felvon is the MAN.
Thank you Mark
Thanks for keeping our intrigue alive Mark!
3:10 specialized air crews also were deemed highly competitive in the recruiting strategy.
My Grandfather entered the Wehrmacht in MG battalion .6 in 1935....decided he wanted more. Took and passed the heightened physical with flying colors....... But at 5'3" 150 pounds.......deemed too little for SS Aryan guidelines.
Became a Stuka rear gunner and was very happy with the choice. Probably saved his life going into the air service instead of frontline service.
Taking a break from work to make some tea and this popped up. Perfect timing for a tea break on a Tuesday afternoon. Thanks Mark👍
Would love to hear about the weird weapons (mainly sidearms) issued to the German Air Force during that time also.
Best history channel on the internet.
As someone who likes Steel Division 2, this part 04:31 was enlightening! Great video and learned something new, as always, thanks!
Man steel division has so many weird weapons.... i love it.
That picture is in reverse/mirror image… the MP35 fed from the right side and ejected out the left. The bolt is also on the right side.
Your videos are ace high. I enjoy them for new knowledge and sharpening past knowledge.
Another excellent mini-doc, i applaud you! 👏
A small remark however, you mentioned Sepp Dietrich and Felix Steiner as the first high-ranking officers of the SS-VT.
But the founding father of the SS-VT and the later W-SS has to be Paul Hausser, who was instrumental in shaping the armed SS into the elite force it became.
Keep up the excellent work! 👍
nazis trying to direct their thugs? lol
I love your channel and also a big bookworm / history buff. Thank you for your channel. 🇺🇲☮️😎
Mark, you are never disappointing.
Thanks for sharing your studies.
Perfect again, Mr. Mark Felton, I like your reports very much.
The SS used captured Czech model 98 rifles, and later the CZ factory made many million K98K rifles. The SS and Luftwaffe used Czech handguns, and many of the early tanks of the SS were made at Skoda werke, and the basic chassis was used for several gun mounts for both Army and SS.
Were inspired by K98k but not even direct copies! Vz 24 were shortened.
Mark Felton gives deep insight and did you know information better than most history tv shows in world wars and other topics. This is my opinion. And it's a fact 😁. Great work Mark Felton 👍👏
Top notch content here, keep it up
Thank you, Mark Felton, for another great documentary.
Hello Mark,
The Mauser selective-fire pistol in Germany was identified as the Mauser C96 'Schnellfeuer', without the 712 which was A. F. Stoeger's catalog number for this German pistol.
The Mauser Export 'Bolo' pistol offered in the US market in the 1920's was catalogued as the 710 and the Mauser M1930 semi-auto was catalogued as the 711.
Historians will always refer to the full auto variant of the C96/30 Broomhandle Mause as model 712.....nonetheless
@@TheWilferch even though 712 was i'm told the nazi designation for the schnellfuer or fast fire that mauser called it
Some of the videos about German weaponry is simply amazing!😮
The only problem with using such a mixture of weapons,would be the supply of ammunition.
Except for the Schnellfeuer they weapons listed all used standard 9mm and 7.92mm ammunition.
And 7.63mm Mauser was still made for the German police, who Himmler also controlled.
Apparently Mrs Felton just presses "record" when Mark sits down at the dinner table.... and here we are.
Never knew the c96 had a full auto version ❤
It had some popularity in China. There is a story that they held it sideways so the recoil would help them sweep a room.
Of course there is a blaster version too.
Absolutely fascinating as always Professor Felton.
Interesting I don't ever remember seeing that MG35 it must be amazingly rare. Also imagine how quick a fully automatic C-96 would expel it's cartridges leaving the soldier vulnerable.
A local gun store sold surplus C96 pistols in the mid '60s. One had an odd trigger and was displayed left-side down---to hide the "fun switch," for $69.95 back then. (I recently saw an operable M712 on line for $31,000).
Mark Felton is 👑 KING when it comes to Military 🪖🎖️ History..👍
Seen a few of the Astra 7,63s ,they were very nice . Cost is now about 3000 US for one fine condition with stock.
Luftwaffe also used many hunreds of them in a rescue unit .
Another obscure group of facts presented in a clear concise way, thanks again for keeping history alive.👍👍
Dr. Felton, if you post a video, I am watching. Your videos are that good!
Boom! Right on time!
Sounds like a logistics nightmare
@Robert Stallard Then how come the U.S. lost in Vietnam?
Excellent information as usual Mark. Always new tidbits that are hidden in the details and this is quite a wonderful documentary - as are most of your other productions. Better than the usual garbage from Hollywood. ;)
Incredible info and photos ! As always!
The camouflage pattern on the used photo's are of most interesting. And it seems that history repeats itself because some of these old pattern still do work in the field or are upgraded. That said, the modern Multicam, although different, has overlap with the old German 'tarns'. Even A-TACS FG has similarities. That said, the German were their time far ahead (...or no big developments happened after WWII !)
Not 100% sure but i think the italians used first Camouniform or Smocks.
The SS developed in the 30s-40s alot of Camo smocks in Eichentarn/platanentarn, Rauchtarn, Palmentarn Pattern they adopted the first Camouniform M44 in Erbsentarn/Flecktarn (Austrian army used a variation of Erbsentarn late 50s to 70s) and late war the Waffen SS (after italy was out of the war) used sometimes Uniforms with italian Pattern, the italians used their camo Pattern also for a long time from 30s up to the 70s or maybe longer.
The Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe used Splintertarn ( the Federal german Army had a variation of the Splintertarn uniform during late 50s early 60s) and Sumpftarn ( federal german Border guard BGS used Sumpftarn uniforms in 50, 60s up the 70s), at wars end they planed a new camo uniform called Leibertarn for all Branches Army , SS , the army wasnt happy about that but there are few Photos around of Army/Wehrmacht Soldiers in Leibertarnuniforms. The Swiss Army adopted a variation of Leibertarn for their first Swiss army camouniform and used it for a long time 60-80 or 90s.
Is there a Mark Felton video about all of the captured French, Czech, and Soviet weapons that were used to equip the German coastal defense divisions in France prior to D-Day?
I love watching Mark Felton after a long day ❤
I wonder if Steiner's attack will pronlong this terrible war even further...
Ive seen a lot about their weaponry when the tTgers and Panthers came out, but havven't looked that much into their early war weapons. Great stuff Mark!
Fun Fact: a real Mauser C96 was used to create Han Solo's blaster in the original Star Wars films.
Mainly an mgc replica although a real one was used for a couple of shots notably in the space slugs belly in the empire strikes back
And the Empire uniforms are pretty obviously inspired by German WWII uniforms.
Hugo boss can make some damn good uniforms
Everyone is still waiting for Steiner's counterattack!
Thanks for the preparation work you do to make these videos so fantastic lord Felton
4:55 - the Knorr-Bremse rifle?
You know, Bremse is brake, and Knorr is from Georg Knorr, founder of the company that built a variant of the Westinghouse automatic train brake for the German railways. The company Knorr-Bremse AG still exists.
It’s pretty well known in the firearms collecting community that the SS appropriated the small arms manufacturing of every country Germany took. Poland, Belgium, as well as the others mentioned in this video. These firearms are highly sought after in the United States many of them brought back as trophies by returning soldiers.
That was very interesting. Thank you Dr. Felton.
My local gun shop in Texas recently had a Browning Hi-Power with German Stamping and insignia for $900. During the war the Germans captured a factory in Belgium that was producing them under license, and continued production for their own forces. The Browning Hi-Power may be the only pistol officially issued to both allied and axis forces.
Ironically enough Germany used more Browning Hi-Powers than any of the allied nations did(combined), as over 300.000 Hi-powers were produced during German occupation for the Wehrmacht and SS.
The Brits didn't start looking seriously at the potential of adopting the Hi-power for themselves until the war was nearly over.
Browning 1911 pistols (Kongsberg Colt 1914) were also produced for the German army in Norway, also under occupation, with a little less than 10.000 being produced for the German army before the end.
That factory was here in Belgium, in the city of Liège /Luik /Lüttich.
@@JohnDiabol Conversely, some ex-Herstal technicians escaped with plans to Canada, where John Inglis & Company set up a factory in 1940 near Toronto to produce the FN Hi-Power P35 [''under license''] for Allied Lend Lease. The bulk went to Nationalist China, some to the USSR, and select pistols to British commandos. The Canadian Army was issuing the P35 into the '90s. I picked one up surplus in the mid-'90s. Superb plinker.
Polish Radom was another. It was a close relative to the John Browning designed guns
@@HootOwl513 The Canadian army is still using those pistols, they have just recently started a replacement program.
It would be nice a video of all german uniforms and production, for example, it seems a bit unclear for me when did the SS start using its cool camo patterns, or when the fallshirmjaeger changed to cammo aswell. Awesome as always !!!
I can recommend for a basic introduction to each of the SS Divisions the series of publications by Chris Mann et al. I have the Totenkopf and Liebstandarte editions and they contain the information you have referred to. At the end of each relevant book the there is a list of their respective main officers and NCO's, equipment, supplies and a very brief timeline of their war activities. The only division not included in this collection is the Dirlewanger Brigade, perhaps not surprisingly, they can be researched in The Black Hunters, and a few of the more obscure foreign volunteer Divisions. I found all the camouflage information contained plus the facts such as it could be used for a tent in rough conditions and had a waterproof and reversible layer that you could change depending on the environment and conditions.
There are numerous pictures of SS units from Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler in May 1940 in the west wearing camouniforms.
@@goodnightvienna8511do you know what the German helmet liner sizes are converted to American sizes? I’m looking for a Helmet and I want to make sure the size is right. I want to surprise my grandfather as his original Wehrmacht helmet was lost.
@@deadlyoneable ....I think you're just joking mate 😊. buuuut ..if you want to buy a genuine Stahlhelm then good luck. $$$$$$$$££££££££€€€€€€€'so! !! It's one size fits all.
@@deadlyoneable Reddickmilitaria has a good article about stahlhelms.
Another Outstanding episode of "Things no one knew, but I somehow found about WW2." by Mr. Mark Felton
SS commander going through weapons checklist:
Pistols: Czeck
Rifles: Czeck
MGs: Czeck
LOL!
Clever
You really show how big world war 2 really was and how many little different things happened that blow my mind, keep it up you are a great WW2 historian!
Hey man I really appreciate this video I love seeing odd weapons of WW2 especially Germany. I've also seen Polish BARs in service of Germany and the Soviet union
It's so nice to hear the word "carbine" pronounced correctly in a video.
Depends what country you're from.
Some of the weapons associated with the Waffen-SS:
Karabiner 98k: The standard bolt-action rifle used by the German army, including the Waffen-SS.
MP40: A submachine gun known for its compact design and automatic firing capability.
StG 44: Considered one of the earliest assault rifles, it combined elements of a rifle and a submachine gun.
MG34 and MG42: General-purpose machine guns used extensively by German forces, including the Waffen-SS.
Gewehr 43: A semi-automatic rifle developed by Germany during the war.
Panzerfaust: A single-shot, disposable anti-tank weapon.
Panzerschreck: A reusable anti-tank rocket launcher.
Sturmgewehr 45: An advanced but less widely used assault rifle developed near the end of the war.
Luger P08: A semi-automatic pistol used by officers and certain personnel in the Waffen-SS.
Karabiner 98k with ZF41: A sniper variant of the Karabiner 98k equipped with a scope.
Others were Mp34 , Mp41 , Gew 98 ww1 snipers m vz 24 snipers and many more alo.
Walther P38 also
That's right . however, the SS-VT had an SS skull button on their overseas side cap as a feature.
Hope if you have not done it you could do an in depth video on the Dieppe Raid. A closer look reveals it was not the great failure many believe. The British accomplished many vital objectives such as studying and destroying a German radar station, freeing 80 French underground fighters and placing over a hundred German speaking spies behind enemy lines. Of course these objectives were achieved at great sacrifice of many men. Few tell the entire story.
Cite sources
@@MaxZRider Check out the book, A Man Called Intrepid by William Stevenson. The true goals of the operation had to be kept highly secret so the Nazis would think it was a complete failure. Some of the spies placed behind German lines even infiltrated the German army. The Germans were so distracted during the raid that important radio messages were sent by the British to the French underground totally undetected by the Germans. There remains to this day a great lack of understanding about the raid on Dieppe.
They did not even manage to capture radar station you mentioned 😁 And even if they did, they would be captured by Germans anyway, like most of the troops.
@@aleksazunjic9672 British commandos with a leading radar engineer from Britain captured, studied, photographed and then blew up that new radar station. They were not captured by the Nazis and made it back to England. British commandos also killed the Gestapo members at a prison and freed over 80 underground fighters and then called in fighter bombers that destroyed the prison. The success of the mission had to be hidden from the Nazis. The info is available for all to investigate today.
@@rayross997 They did not capture either radar or engineer, they themselves were either killed or captured 😄
The best history youtuber to ever do it, thanks mark.
Early war SS was like late war Volkssturm.
I remember reading somewhere that the Volkssturm were issued with rifles "from every country Germany had fought with or against".
Complete BS, you cant't compare the battle strengh and success of these formations at all.
Mark, thank you for doing such a fine job with these videos. I have been fascinated with WWII since about age 10. Your detail, and pains to get the facts correct are appreciated.
Frigging ❤ those guys
You love nazis?
I _bet_ you do 😏
Love your knowledge and contribution! Allways a great contribution Mark!
I always think of H*tler having absolute iron control over everything so it's fascinating to hear this sort of struggle. Even fabricating a scandal to remove army officers instead of just dragging them out and shooting them like we'd come to expect
I wouldn't think of Hitler having such absolute control in every case, for example when he heard of Rommel's suicide he allegedly immediately suspected that the Gestapo had actually murdered him.
Dr. Felton, kudos to your always excellent content.
What constituted a “sex scandal” among the Nazis, when you consider the levels of depravity they sank to during their reign
I don’t know why I’ve literally never heard of the Knorr Bremse MG35 before until now
Very good channel! I do adore your work!!!! Please carry on!
I m frm India as i was interested in ww2 Germany from childhood i was searching for more information and then i got this channel thanks mark Felton for giving us such great information
wow, I thought I knew a lot about the guns germany used during the war, yet this video has three I've never even heard of.