The Mauser Model 1935, officially the ''Fusil Modèle 1935'', was a Belgian Mauser bolt-action rifle. Derived from the Belgian Mauser Model 1889 and the Mauser 1898, it was used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

History and design

The

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Armed Forces (; , ) are the combined national military forces of Belgium. The Monarchy of Belgium, King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium Belgian Rev ...

had adopted the Mauser Model 1889, locally produced. After the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the defeated

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

gave numbers of Mauser G.98 and Kar 98AZ to the kingdom. In the late 1920s and early 1930s,

Fabrique Nationale , trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe . FN ...

was manufacturing the

FN Model 24 and Model 30 The FN Model 1924 series is a line of Mauser Gewehr 98 pattern bolt-action rifles produced by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale. They are similar to the Czech vz. 24 rifle, however have an intermediate length (215mm/ 8.46 in.) action, featuring o ...

, but lack of funding prevented the Army from buying these modern short rifles. In 1935, a new rifle was designed to replace all the rifles and carbines used in the different units. The Model 1935 combined elements of the Mauser 1889 (breech, magazine and stock) and of the Gewehr 98, but it was shorter. Some Model 35 rifles were modernised Mauser 98. Both the Manufacture d’Armes de L’État and the FN Herstal produced it between 1935 and 1940. A sniping version was also developed before the war. After the war, some Model 35 rifles were modified to fire in .30-06 Springfield, the cartridge of the American weapons used by the post-war Belgian Army. They were known as Model 35/46.

Service

The Belgian Army adopted it in 1935 but the Model 1935 never went into large-scale production. It served during

alongside the ''Fusil Modèle 1936'', a Model 1889 upgraded with some features of the ''Modèle 1935''.

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

captured many rifles after the invasion of Belgium. The standard ''Fusil 35'' was designated ''Gewehr 262(b)'' and the sniping rifle ''Zielfernrohrgewehr 264(b)''. These rifles were used by second-line German units. The Argentine government purchased a batch of slightly modified Model 35s to equip the Buenos Aires Provincial Police. Delivered in 1935-1936, they were kept in service into the 1960s.

Users

* : Buenos Aires Provincial Police * * *

References

Bibliography

* {{FN Herstal firearms 7.65×53mm Mauser rifles Bolt-action rifles of Belgium Rifles of Argentina World War II weapons of Belgium Mauser rifles