Chinese Mausers
A replica of the Mauser K96 pistol used during the Autumn Uprising of August 1, 1927. Chinese People's Liberation Army Museum, Beijing
"Every communist must learn the truth that the rifle gives birth to power. Our principle is that the party commands the rifle; it is absolutely unacceptable for the rifle to command the party."
Quote from the 1966 collection "Quotes from Chairman Mao Zedong"
Quote from the 1966 collection "Quotes from Chairman Mao Zedong"
stories about weapons. In his statement about the rifle that gives birth to power, Chairman Mao did not specify its brand, since the Chinese People's Army produced a great many rifles of various systems. However, he would not have sinned much against the truth if he had said that this rifle was the German Mauser, since China was one of the main buyers of this German rifle. And it also bought from Germany not only rifles, but also pistols of the same company, and in huge quantities. It is estimated that out of the total number of Mauser K96s produced, almost a third were sold to China! So those who believe that the Mauser pistol of this popular model was not in service anywhere are wrong. It was in service in China. First of all, these pistols entered service with the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of China, created in 1925 during the civil wars in China with the participation of Soviet military advisers. Chiang Kai-shek became the commander-in-chief of the NRA. The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) also originated from the NRA, appearing on August 1, 1927, when a split occurred in the ranks of the NRA, and part of its troops supported the Communist Party of China. Now the Mausers found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades, but were used extremely intensively in both armies. Moreover, the fact is known of the purchase by the Soviet government of 30 thousand Mausers "Bolo" for the needs of the NKVD. But ... such a significant number of pistols could have been used to arm all the Chekists, which, however, was not observed at all. But the Mauser "Bolo" is exhibited in the Museum of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, located in Beijing. How did it get there if it was not supplied to China? That is, it is quite possible that at least some of these Mausers were sent to the Chinese comrades as military aid. Moreover, everyone knew about the love of the Chinese for Mausers.
During the Battle of Longgang, the Red Army captured a Mauser pistol and pocket watch from Zhang Huizang, commander of the 18th Division of the Kuomintang National Army. Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
And it's not enough that the Chinese imported Mausers. No, they set up their own production and in the 20-30s of the last century, K96s were produced in huge batches. It is clear that every nation and every weapon has always had and will have its own charisma. The Mauser had it, too, and, apparently, the Chinese charisma in this case coincided with the German one. It is not for nothing, as already noted, that a third of all Mausers produced by Germany (and Spain) went to China!
By the way, having established the production of this pistol in their country, the Chinese tried to copy its appearance very accurately, although the internal content was quite poor. Well, it all started with the fact that in 1922, the Hanyan Arsenal was the first to start producing copies of the Mauser K96, which were distinguished by their high quality. Copies of pre-war models were produced here, as well as that very Mauser "bolo", with a barrel length of 99 mm. So that very "bolo" from the museum may well be a "domestic" model, made from any pistol of this type, both Soviet and directly delivered from Germany.
Chinese Mauser "Bolo" M1922. Notable for its post-Versailles redesigned Luger barrel. Typical features include a small ring hammer, standard rear sight marked 50-1000m, shallow milled panels in the frame, later firing pin catch, second pattern safety, long extractor and "Waffenfabrik Mauser" markings. Typical rusty blued finish on frame and barrel, extractor, rear sight and trigger. Internals and hammer are case hardened. Walnut grips with 31 grooves. Royal Armouries, Leeds
Having “gotten the hang of it”, the Arsenal in Hanyang began to produce copies of the “Schnellfeuer” in 1933 – a Mauser with the ability to fire in automatic mode. Moreover, the number of Mausers produced by this enterprise is impressive – it is estimated at 250 units.
Chinese copy of the Mauser M712 (C96) submachine gun. Frame and barrel are approximately standard size, with a detachable 10-round magazine. Small hammer without outer ring, wedge-shaped selector switch marked "N" and "R" for "Normalfeuer" and "Reihenfeuer" (automatic fire), stepped barrel profile, shallow milled panels in the frame, rear sight with 50-1000 (meter) graduations, later firing pin lock, "universal" type safety, later short extractor. An attempt to achieve an overall rusty-blue color was unsuccessful, although in appearance this pistol looks rather darker. Wooden grip panels with 12 grooves. Lanyard ring. The logo on the Chinese model looks quite funny: "WAUSER". Barrel length: 188 mm. Overall length: 300 mm. Weight: 1,29 kg. Caliber: 7,63 mm. Chinese People's Liberation Army Museum, Beijing
Mauser K96 Model 712 Schnellfeuer. Chinese copy - circa 1938. Hanyang Arsenal. Royal Arsenal, Leeds
"Local mark" on a Mauser K96 "Model 712 Schnellfeuer" pistol. Chinese copy - circa 1938. Hanyang Arsenal. Royal Arsenal, Leeds
Mauser K96 Model 712 Schnellfeuer. Left side view. Chinese production. Royal Armouries, Leeds
The same pistol. Right view. Royal Arsenal, Leeds
The second manufacturer of Mausers for the Kuomintang army was the Taku Naval Arsenal, which began their production in 1925 and produced 1928 pistols by 1000, quite close to the original. But... why try when you can do without trying?! And in 1928, the Taku Arsenal organized the production of pistols of a simplified design, and it continued until 1933. It should be noted that this arsenal produced not only pistols, but also carbines based on them. And in total, the Taku Arsenal produced 3500 "Mauser types of weapons".
Naval Arsenal Taku Carbine. Royal Arsenal, Leeds
Shanxi Arsenal became the third Chinese manufacturer of Mausers, which it launched in 1928, and for the .45 ACP cartridge. Again, we note that the choice of such ammunition for the Mauser was not accidental. The fact is that in 1922, the Chinese purchased Thompson submachine guns in the United States, model 1921, precisely for the .45 ACP cartridge. And they thought about standardizing this ammunition and making it the main one for the Chinese army, so that they could receive such cartridges from the United States in unlimited quantities.
Another M712. Chinese People's Liberation Army Museum, Beijing
This pistol was designated "Type 17", but the name "Shanxi-45, or "dragon in a box", became more popular. Externally, it differs from the original by a protruding magazine, which was due to the larger diameter of the cartridge, and it was loaded not with one, but with two clips of 5 cartridges in turn. In total, about 8500 pistols of this modification were produced.
Mauser Astra M 902 with automatic magazine counter! Royal Armouries, Leeds
It is interesting that already at the end of the 45th century another Chinese company – Norinco – began to produce counterfeit Shanxi-1929s with the Shanxi Arsenal stamps, and even indicating the year of production as XNUMX. But this was already a weapon for collectors.
There is a legend about why the Mauser became so popular in China. According to it, the Mauser owes it to the English policeman Richard Moore, who was attacked by seven robbers in 1929... But the policeman had a Mauser with him and, having fired 27 bullets, killed five of the attackers and arrested two, getting away with a light wound to the shoulder. Undoubtedly, such an episode took place. But Mausers gained popularity in China long before 1929...
P.S. Although the Fedorov assault rifle is not related to this topic, it is also in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution. So how did it get there?
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