[marshallj]

I wanted to share this picture of German members of Organisation Todt armed with captured Mosins.

 

[Stan61]

They look like Dutch M-95 Mannlichers to me.

 

[marshallj]

Well they could be. I am not a Mosin guy so I am open to other opinions! I just liked the pic, thought it was the eastern front and wanted to share it. My wife would happily tell me it is not the first time I have been wrong.

 

[Poot]

Stan61 X-ringed it. Definitely Dutch Mannlichers, but that is a GREAT photo.

Any idea where that was taken? They look cold, and unprepared. I'm thinking Ostfront deployment.

 

[marshallj]

Stan61 X-ringed it. Definitely Dutch Mannlichers, but that is a GREAT photo.

Any idea where that was taken? They look cold, and unprepared. I'm thinking Ostfront deployment.

On the back -

 

[Poot]

Excellent, thank you, sir

Mind if I share that pic over on another forum?

 

[Big Coulee]

Well they could be. I am not a Mosin guy so I am open to other opinions! I just liked the pic, thought it was the eastern front and wanted to share it. My wife would happily tell me it is not the first time I have been wrong.

marshallj ------- I really like your photo of German troops that have just crossed a mean looking river in the frozen steeps of Russia and must be trying their best to keep from freezing to death. Apparently German arms are running low because they are armed with non-German weapons. Such a good picture and it seems the first thing some folks have to point out is that you might have made an error in identifying the type of rifles shown in the picture. Thanks for showing it. Nothing is mentioned about the historic picture. Just goes to show the world is full of fault finders.

 

[RyanE]

I really like your photo of German troops that have just crossed a mean looking river in the frozen steeps of Russia and must be trying their best to keep from freezing to death. Apparently German arms are running low because they are armed with non-German weapons. Such a good picture and it seems the first thing some folks have to point out is that you might have made an error in identifying the type of rifles shown in the picture. Thanks for showing it. Nothing is mentioned about the historic picture. Just goes to show the world is full of fault finders.

These are Organization Todt construction crews, not combat troops, and they are working on repairing roads, bridges, rail lines, and other important infrastructure. They are only armed at all because they are working in Russia, and there was no sense in wasting German weapons on noncombat guys who only needed some form of basic self defense. These guys were always armed with captured foreign weapons (Norwegian, Dutch, etc.) which all did the job just fine.

"Even in the no longer contested areas of the Eastern Front, German economic planning ensures the fastest reconstruction, in which the Organization Todt always has a very special part."

 

[staffy]

Rather fond of captured M1891 Mosins, when when they can be found.
The Finn variations are fairly common over here, thanks to the US embargo many years ago, but German, German/Turk or Austrian captures do turn up.