Here are Brazilian soldiers in the late 1930s-early 1940s "Estado Novo" period armed with 7x57mm M1908 Mauser rifles and so on. They appear to be a cavalry or mounted unit of some kind:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/vintage-saturday-pipe-smoking-snakes/

For a long time there was a feuding and social banditry phenomenon in Northeastern Brazil referred to as "cangaço" and the bandits themselves cangaçeiros. The "Bonnie and Clyde" folk heroes in the 1920s and 1930s were Virgulino Ferreira da Silva--known by his nick-name "Lampião" because he wore gilt Windsor eyeglasses even though he was blind in his right eye--and "María Bonita" María Déia. The cangaçeiros ambushed, murdered, fought, and mutilated hired gunmen and the "volantes" or mounted police who paid them back in kind. Weapons included North American imports like Winchester lever actions and so on, but also the entire suite of Brazilian military and police weapons including Luger pistols (Lampião's favorite), and Mauser rifles and carbines. The cartridge pouches were often artisanal products from the inhabitants of the arid thorn scrub known as the sertão or the caatinga.

Eventually Lampião and his band were killed and beheaded. The heads and captured equipment were put on display and photographed. A simple google search will turn up the image in question and several others devoted to the cangaçeiros, which may allow you to glean some details of how the Mauser rifles were carried afield in the backlands of Brazil. I'm sure there is a book on uniforms and accoutrements of the Brazilian armed forces (I apologize, I only have images of the war against Paraguay in the mid-19th century...), which might be available at a library near you, or perhaps available through inter-library loan?

 

The foto reminds one of the Mambises!
Okrana

Here are Brazilian soldiers in the late 1930s-early 1940s "Estado Novo" period armed with 7x57mm M1908 Mauser rifles and so on. They appear to be a cavalry or mounted unit of some kind:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/vintage-saturday-pipe-smoking-snakes/

For a long time there was a feuding and social banditry phenomenon in Northeastern Brazil referred to as "cangaço" and the bandits themselves cangaçeiros. The "Bonnie and Clyde" folk heroes in the 1920s and 1930s were Virgulino Ferreira da Silva--known by his nick-name "Lampião" because he wore gilt Windsor eyeglasses even though he was blind in his right eye--and "María Bonita" María Déia. The cangaçeiros ambushed, murdered, fought, and mutilated hired gunmen and the "volantes" or mounted police who paid them back in kind. Weapons included North American imports like Winchester lever actions and so on, but also the entire suite of Brazilian military and police weapons including Luger pistols (Lampião's favorite), and Mauser rifles and carbines. The cartridge pouches were often artisanal products from the inhabitants of the arid thorn scrub known as the sertão or the caatinga.
View attachment 824020

Eventually Lampião and his band were killed and beheaded. The heads and captured equipment were put on display and photographed. A simple google search will turn up the image in question and several others devoted to the cangaçeiros, which may allow you to glean some details of how the Mauser rifles were carried afield in the backlands of Brazil. I'm sure there is a book on uniforms and accoutrements of the Brazilian armed forces (I apologize, I only have images of the war against Paraguay in the mid-19th century...), which might be available at a library near you, or perhaps available through inter-library loan?

 

Thanks for the link and the info - already helps a lot.

 

Here are three more pictures from the Paulista 1932 website, showing close-up pictures of the ammo pouches. Are they French?
Regards,
John

 

Muito obrigado!, erm, Thank you very, very much! Those do appear to be Brazilian soldiers during the brief 1932 civil war against the Paulista separatists. Are they identified as Paulista Rebels (Vz24s and other rifles) or the Brazilian army? Notice the variations in the pith helmets/ sun helmets?

 

Okrana: I suppose so. The cangaçeiro traditionally wore a leather hat with both the front and the back turned up, secured to the head by a leather strap across the forehead. It is an outsized "soldier hat" version of the much shorter brimmed "vaqueiro hat" of the Northeastern Brazilian cowboy. These days, only forro musicians playing accordions wear this kind of hat.

Dadá e Corsico:

I apologize for the über-súper-grisly photo here, but while it includes the "degollado/degola" severed heads of Lampião's band, it also shows the often intricate decoration of the leather hats:

Obviously, the island of Cuba has a very long history of social banditry too... Pirates used to exploit secluded spots with access to shipping routes, fugitive vagabond slaves or "cimarrones" would eke out an existence in the "manigua" and various outlaws used to hide out in the "monte" too. All sorts of stateless renegade "feral humans."

The hats of the mambíses were typically made of straw, with the front brim frequently turned up and pinned in place by an escaparela or cockade or small flag or star or similar emblem. The Spaniards and their local allies wore straw hats too, and used a red and yellow cockade, or hatbands emblazoned with the particular regiment or "contra-guerrilla" outfit they belonged to. There were also--throughout the 19th century--bandits who would periodically join either the Ejército libertador or the Spaniards' Ejército ultramar, or, for that matter, simply pose as one or the other. Particularly in the 1895-1898 period the EL would deal with such malefactors summarily, usually hanging them or hacking them with machetes. When the anti-colonial war was over, there continued to be many reprisal murders and so on, and in many cases members of "contra-guerrilla" Spanish ex-auxiliaries would move far away to avoid being targeted.

 

Hi Dav,
Here is the URL for these pictures. It is devoted to the 1932 Paulista revolt, with many photos of soldier, police, medals etc, but few firearms and no Vz.24's. Since the revolt last under 90 days, I would guess that none arrived in time for the "festivities".
http://tudoporsaopaulo1932.blogspot.pt/2013/01/capacete-de-uma-tropa-gaucha.html

click on the calendar dates on the right side of the screens.
Regards,
John

 

Thanks again, gents. For me these ammo pouches on the pictures posted by John look very similar to the ones for the Swiss K31.