Spanish Civil War, 1937...What weapons?

[natedog]

After reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls", I'm curious as to the small arms that were used in the Spanish Civil War. I suppose the Facists may have used German K98s and MP40s, and the Communists used PPSHs and Mosin-Nagant rifles, perhpas. What were the standard small arms of Spain at that time?

 

[PMDW]

I don't think the Soviet Union had the PPSH until some time into WW2. I would imagine that the spanish troops used whatever weapons they were issued at the time. Probably a mauser, or clone.

 

[dfariswheel]

The German MP38 and the MP40 we developed well after the Spanish Civil War ended.

The two sides used primarily Spanish infantry weapons, and whatever else could be found in Europe.

The primary weapons were:
The various Astra pistols like the Models 1913-1916, the 1921, and the copies of the Mauser "Broom handle", some of these being select fire.
Also the various Star pistols.

The Spanish Model 1893, 1895, 1916 bolt action rifles and carbines.
The Model 1916 was very heavily produced.

Also used were large quantities of Russian, German, French, and Italian firearms.
Russia and Germany used Spain as a proving ground for many weapons, and sent large quantities to either side.

 

[RON in PA]

The Soviets supplied 91/30 Mosins. If you see one stamped "made in the USSR" it's probably one as these were dumped here in the 1950s as mil surps.

 

[Navy joe]

Crappy ones. WWI era machine guns, Mauser & Mosin rifles, little and crappy ammo, old and ineffective grenades. Probably anything that shot. I thought a pretty good account was George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, a non-fiction work in which he describes his service with the Commie/Anarchist side of the deal opposing the Facist/Nationalist mess. Not a real clear war politically. By his descriptions not too motivated of a war either.

 

[jobu07]

Yeah, i'd second that the spaniards used mausers fairly heavily. These questions are the perfect opportunity to do more research!

 

[Destructo6]

This might help:

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9820/spain17.html

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/scw/photessay.htm

 

[Roadkill]

Spanish Civil War

This was the testing ground for a majority of WWII tactics and weapons. The Russians were supporting the anti Franco loyalists. They were supported by the Germans. It was basically fascists against communists. New concepts in warfare included modern tanks (Russian T26s & 33s), large scale aerial bombing (Guerncia), airborne transported troops to theater of operations (Algerians & Morrocans) by the Germans, and political propanganda as a weapon. The anti Franco side had brigades of international soldiers from all communist countries. The US supplied the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Us support included rifles, ammunition, and logistics agaist Franco. Bannerman military surplus in New York had a system of supply where a man showed up with a letter of enlistment and a ticket, they would completely outfit him and send him to the hotel where he would wait for a ship to Spain. 1903 Springfields and Mod 1917s were supplied by the US to Russia who then provided them to the foreign troops. It is estimated that 40% of the casualties in this war were by firing squad. In the book "The Dirty Dozen" the commander of the US unit was a Spanish Civil War veteran. At that time the Fascists were the enemy, the Communists were not.

rk

 

[schromf]

Intersting thread

I can add a couple to the list:

Astra Model 300
Astra Model 400
Star Si35

Wasn't Italy giving support to the Facist side? I would expect to see some Italian weapons on that side also. So a M1891 Mannlicher-Carcano would also be added to the list.

 

[JPL]

Submachine gun most prevalent probably would have been the Bergman 28.

Not, by any stretch of the imagination, a crappy weapon.

Beretta submachine guns, such as the Modelo 35 likely would have been seen.

I'd also bet on some Steyr Slothurn 100s.

 

[LAK]

My grandfather fought there in the German Army. He was a sniper issued with a scoped Mauser 98. He buried it before he was captured, and it is probably still rusting away there somewhere.