K 98k chambered for the 7.62 mm NATO cartridgeIn 1935, the German armed forces introduced the K 98k
K 98k chambered for the 7.62 mm NATO cartridgeIn 1935, the German armed forces introduced the K 98k rifle (der Karabiner 98 kurz) as a standard weapon for individuals, and in addition to the Mauser company in Oberndorf, a number of other German armouries were involved in its production. In the course of the war years, the Brno Armory also produced them on our territory from 1943 under the designation P-18, and its branch plant in Považská Bystrica, Slovakia, began production even earlier. After the end of the occupation, a total of 200,000 rifles remained in production at both plants, which were not of primary interest to the Czechoslovak military administration. Therefore, with the approval of the Ministry of Defence, the arms factory offered them abroad.During the second half of the 1940s, the future state of Israel became by far the largest buyer of P-18 rifles, as well as of other weapons material, and its representatives bought them in our country, initially through Habes, and later under the banner of the Jewish Agency. Arms assistance to the Czechoslovak industry was of key importance for securing the independence of the State of Israel, which was only appreciated and recognised bilaterally after 1990.By the end of 1948, Zbrojovka Brno gradually delivered to Israel a total of 140,000 P-18 rifles in the standard 7.92 mm Mauser calibre. In the second half of the 1950s, a number of armies switched to the new 7.62 x 51 mm NATO cartridge, and Israel was no exception. The P-18 rifles saw barrel changes and breech cases were additionally marked with 7.62 numbers for differentiation.One example, originally delivered to Israel in 1948 and later reloaded with the new cartridge, was acquired by the Military History Institute Prague in 2011 by import from Israel.Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) -- source link
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