[RyanE]

A very generous German collector friend has forwarded to me (via another very generous collector) a German document he discovered outlining an inventory of Russian weapons in February 1945. Interestingly, it includes a column entitled "An das Ausland verkauft", sold to foreign countries. I have little doubt that all of these went to Finland in late 1944.

Gewehr 252(r) - M91: 8324
Gewehr 253(r) - M91 Dragoon: 1966
Gewehr 254(r) - M91/30: 52142

Selbstladegewehr 258(r) - SVT38: 70
Selbstladegewehr 259(r) - SVT40: 379

Karabiner 453(r) - M1910: 150
Karabiner 454(r) - M1938: 325

Le.M.G. 120(r) - DP27: 700
Kpfw M.G. 320(r) - DT: 600

No bayonets were sold, nor were any pistols, snipers, or SMGs. And yes, I realize the M1910 designation is incorrect, but that is what the Germans used.

As an interesting aside, there are no SlG.260(r), SVT40 snipers, or Kb.457(r), M1944, listed in the German inventory.

 

[RyanE]

The exact number was 56,722 rifles. All that is known is that they were Mosin-Nagants - mostly m/91-30, but also older rifle among them.

Soviet-made semiauto rifles and light machineguns went somewhere else since Finland never bought any from Germany.

Jarkko

Who, aside from Finland and the USSR, would have any use for 7.62x54R weapons? None that I can think of.

 

[RyanE]

Typo: February 1944 not 1945, since Finland sued for peace with the USSR in September 1944. Arms deliveries from Germany would have had to come before then, likely May June 1944 not "in late 1944."

Document is very clearly dated February 1945.

 

[RyanE]

As for where the Germans would have sold SVT's, DP's and DT's - all I can say is that that with 100% certainty they did not get to Finland. Our archives include delivery lists, shipping manifestos, billing documents and reports - and none of these weapons appear in any of them.

The 56,722 rifles that Finland bought cost 30 reichmarks/pcs and they had not yet been paid by the time the co-operation ended.

Jarkko

I doubt the Germans imagined the sale of 1300 MGs. The DT was the standard (more or less) in Finnish vehicles, correct? No one else used the DT, so until a better explanation presents itself, Finland is the only destination that makes any sense.