In this final installment on the Gewehr 88 sent by Germany to the Ottoman (Osman) empire, I will have to go a bit beyond WWI. Thank you for your patience while I have presented differently marked Gew88/05. A highly specialized and nerdy subject it is, I know.
I have already told the story behind these and how they ended up in Turkey post WWI.
So, here is the culmination, the WWI aid Gew88/05 in its final form.
The Gewehr 88 I present today came to the Ottoman Empire during WWI and probably saw action both in WWI and the Greco-Turkish war.
However, the empire fell at the end of WWI and modern day Turkey arose from the ruins of the empire. In their arsenals the Turks had all sorts of weapons, French, British, German and so on… A bewildering array of weapons in different calibers, taking different bayonets and so on. A quartermasters nightmare!
From 1928 on they started cutting down bayonets to 10” length, to conform with modern military thinking. The experiences from having long bayonets in narrow trenches were with them.
Already having the 1903 Mauser, they started standardizing their rifles. Mauserizing them, to be exact. This was done 1935 onwards. Before the 1938 Mauser was accepted, and made to the same standards. Bayonets of several nationalities, including lots of German WWI bayonets, were also modified to fit the 1903 type bayonet lug.
The Gew88 were given a complete overhaul. Though not a Mauser it now looks like one. The barrel sleeve was removed and new barrel installed. The new stock has a takedown disc and pistol grip, and wood on top instead of the barrel sleeve. The bayonet lug is the M1903 type, and sling loops are below the buttstock and barrel, so it fits the standard Turkish sling.
My example was modified at the main Turkish Arsenal, ASFA in Ankara in 1937.
So, this old battle horse was given new life and used well into the 1950s.
The bayonet is quite interesting too. It has been shortened and modified to fit the M1903 bayonet lug, but originally it is a British P1907 bayonet. The scabbard has been made by using the chape and drag of the original P1907 scabbard and welding steel plate to it. The bayonet was originally made by Mole, a rare maker, and dated 1911, so it will once have had a hooked quillion.
So, the bayonet may be one of the British weapons captured at Galippoli. No way to know for certain, of course, but far from impossible.
Still, being a great fan of the Gew88 in all its configurations, I like this combo.
