The Brazilian Model 1908 Mauser Bolt Action Rifle,Like all other Latin American nations, Brazil chos

The Brazilian Model 1908 Mauser Bolt Action Rifle,Like all other Latin American nations, Brazil chose the Mauser bolt action rifle as the primary service rifle for its armed forces.  The particular Mauser chosen by Brazil was a modified copy of the Gewehr 98 called the Mauser Model 1908, which was manufactured by Deutsche Waffe und Munitionsfabriken in Berlin.  The Brazilian Model 1908 was similar in most respects to the Gew 98.  However the Model 1908 used a folding rear elevation sight rather than the tangent-curve sight used by the Gew 98.  The Model 1908 also lacks the bolt disassembly hole common on most Germany rifles.  Most importantly, the Model 1908 was chambered for the 7x57mm cartridge, a caliber common with many Latin American nations.Considered some of the best Mauser rifles ever produced, thousands were manufactured by Germany and sold to Brazil.  The Model 1908 saw little combat overseas, being used in the limited combat roles Brazil played during World War I.  When the State of Sao Paulo revolted against the Brazilian Government in 1932, the Model 1908 was the primary arm used by both sides of the conflict.During World War II Brazil became an Allied power and the only Latin American nation to send a sizable military force overseas.  In 1943 the Brazilian Army organized a 25,700 man Expeditionary Force to fight the Germans in Italy.  Most of this force was to be armed with the Model 1908, an updated version of the Model 1908 called the Model 1935, and a Mauser carbine of Czechoslovakian make called the vz 24.  There was a major problem in the fact that Brazil had no logistical infrastructure to support a large force in Europe.  As a result the Brazilian the Model 1908 was dropped in favor of the American M1 Garand as neither the American nor the British could supply them with 7x57mm ammunition.  The Brazilians also adopted American equipment and uniforms as well.  After World War II the Model 1908 and other 7x57mm Mausers were phased out for a Mauser model chambered in .30-06.  Later Brazil woudl adopt the IMBEL FN FAL in 7.62 NATO.Source: Mauser Bolt Rifles by Ludwig Olson -- source link
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