German Forces

Steyer M95 "Stutzen" rifles.

Unknown author (?Bundesarchiv)

Two Heer soldiers pose with Steyer/Mannlicher M1895 rifles. While I cannot identify provenance, there is a fair probability that these are post-Anschluss Austrian soldiers, taking their pose on the brink of war. The Steyer M1895 was quite an advanced rifle for its time. It was the standard rifle of the Austrian and Hungarian forces in WW1. The version shown here - clearly the "short" version - was used in the main, in the latter part of WW1, used by Austrian/Hungarian special units and stormtroopers. An interesting detail is that the standard bayonets appear to be of the higher quality, composite construction that predated mid-1917 in the Austrian and Hungarian production runs. Steyer M1985 rifles (long and short patterns) and carbines were produced in huge quantities between 1895 and 1918 (Austria and Hungary) and in Romania (1918-1920). They ended up being used by a wide variety of military and paramilitary forces in the period up to 1945, even though much of its post-WW1 use was by second-line units and by guerillas of various sorts. In WW2, the Steyer '95 (designated Geweher 95 (oe), was extensively used by second-line infantry, police and special police and security units, and "allied" forces. The rifle was also, of course, extensively distributed among Germany's East European guerilla enemies. Best regards, JR.