U.S. Carbines in Germany and Austria

Germany
and the
U.S. M1 Carbine

Accessories used by Germany













The American Occupation Zone The British Occupation Zone National Agencies Additional Info
Bavaria Berlin Lower Saxony Border Guard Accessories
Bremen Enclave Hessen Bundeswehr Oddities
Wurttemberg-Baden Labor Service Parts

Slings

The following sling was on an M1 carbine imported by Century Arms, when it was purchased by a police officer in the early 1980's. The carbine served with the Wuerttemberg-Baden Landespolizei, then the Bavaria Game Warden before it was sold to Century Arms. The sling has no manufacturer name, only the German words Zieh Hier (Pull Here) on the metal snap.

Zieh Hier (Pull Here)


HIER ZIEHEN (Pulling Here)
This sling was also on an M1 carbine used by Bavaria, when it was purchased from the importer
in the U.S.A. The socket is marked "FIX" and RG, with a reversed R. The marking HIER ZIEHEN
translates to Here Pulling, or, Pulling Here. The name FIX also appears on M1 carbine slings used
in Britain and France, but with language of the country in which it served.


Zieh Hier (Pull Here)
Another sling marked Zieh Hier (Pull Here) was located on a message
on the CSP Forum dated June 2005. The owner indicated he had purchased
it in Germany a few months prior. Attempts to contact the owner have
had no success.

Leather Magazine Pouches (Leder Magazintasche or Patronen Tasche)

Identifying the magazine pouches used by all of the agencies throughout West Germany and Berlin is well beyond the focus of this research. Fortunately, the pouches that have surfaced so far are limited to two primary variations.

In War Baby Comes Home by Larry Ruth there is a black leather M1 carbine magazine pouch that is identified as having been Bavarian issued.
This pouch, which matches the one in War Baby, was purchased from an estate sale in the USA.
The pouch has no markings indicating a manufacturer.


The 4. is the only mark on the pouch.



This pouch was advertised in in the March 1967 issue of The American Rifleman
by Eastern Firearms Surplus Inc. The ad did not identify the source of the pouch.
Notice the ad for the genuine M1 carbine, which also does not identify the source of the carbine

This pouch was advertised in Shotgun News
by SARCO throughout the 1970's. The ad
did not identify the source of the pouch.


The second magazine pouch style has several minor variations. This is common when several manufacturers supply police magazine pouches that are expected to meet a uniform standard. This pouch was used by the Austrian federal police, but also appears to have been common in Germany. Notice the subtle differences in stitching and shape on the below magazine pouches.


In the picture of the rear of the pouches,
the pouch on the left has this manufacturer
imprint under the left belt strap. The pouch
on the right has no imprint.

GECO is the abbreviation of Gustav Genschow & Company. GECO was founded in 1912 and manufactured ammunition in Germany, including .30 caliber carbine ammunition (see below). The company changed it's name in 2005 to RUAG Ammotec Austria.

The above pouch with the GECO imprint was "purchased in Germany about 1994".

Ammunition (Patronen)

Caliber .30 M1 carbine ammunition of American manufacture was supplied to the Germans by the U.S. forces in Germany. The amount of ammo issued to those who carried the M1 carbines was commonly limited to less than 15 rounds by those who issued the ammo. Over time the German companies began manufacturing their own ammunition.

In Germany this ammunition was referred to as Caliber .30 M1 carbine, Cal. 30 M1 (kurz), 7.62 Kurz, 7.62x33 Carbine, 7.62x33 M1, and 7.62K.


Live Ammo

GECO

After the war Gustav Genschow & Co. (GECO) was located in Durlach on the ouskirts of Karlsruhe in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The company was purchased by Dynamit Nobel, who was purchased by the major ammunition manufacturing conglomerate RUAG Ammotec, located in Fürth in Bavaria.

NWM

The Dutch firm, Nederlandsche Wapen-en Munitiefabriek NV., DE KRUITHOORN s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (NWM)
manufactured 7.62 x 33 (.30 caliber carbine) ammunition for a variety of countries, West Germany and the American commercial market
included. NWM is no longer in business.


Blanks

Bakelittfabrikken/Aurskog

Bakelittfabrikken AS manufactured training ammunition and blanks for the German Bundeswehr and others. Nammo Bakelittfabrikken AS is situated at Aurskog 50 kilometres northeast of Oslo in Norway. Founded in 1946, Bakelittfabrikken invented and was the first company to produce Plastic Blank Ammunition and Plastic Short Range Training Ammunition. Bakelittfabrikken AS became a part of the Nammo Group in 2005.

Manöver, Plastik was ammunition made for use during practice maneuvers. The broken circle symbol on the box in the below photograph is a standardized marking for Manöver-Munition (maneuver ammunition) under 20mm.

The PMC 30 Caliber Carbine round is included only for perspective.


Dummy Cartridges

GECO

Gustav Genschow & Co. (GECO) also manufactured dummy rounds for
use in training. The sides are indentated to indicate the round is a dummy
round. Interestingly, the primer looks like the real thing.

NWM

The Dutch firm, Nederlandsche Wapen-en Munitiefabriek NV., DE KRUITHOORN s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (NWM) manufactured dummy cartridges for the 7.62 x 33 (.30 caliber carbine) for use in training. These dummy cartridges have been reported to have been used by the German Bundeswehr and police.


live round on right for comparison

Blank Fire Adapter

The German Bundeswehr and various German police agencies utilized blanks and a blank firing adapter (BFA) for training. The Dutch firm, Nederlandsche Wapen-en Munitiefabriek NV., DE KRUITHOORN s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands (NWM) manufactured a BFA that has been found to have the imprint of the German Bundesministerium der Verteidigung (Federal Ministry of Defense). NWM was bought out by Rheinmetall AG of Germany in 1972.


BFA with blanks

Bundeswehr mark


NATO Stock Number (NSN), manufacturer, date

Bundeswehr mark

The BFA attaches to the front sight and is held in place by means of spring tension.

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