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LOT 413
Mauser “byf” Code “42” Date Model 98K Bolt Action Rifle
Documented as the War Trophy of a Bastogne Veteran - Serial no.
8289f, 8 mm cal., 24 inch round bbl., blue finish, laminate stock. Included with this rifle is a 1994 dated
letter from a previous owner, which lays out a chain of possession from himself, to the Trigger Hill
Trading Post of Salinas, California, to a 1st Lieutenant Robert Trammell of the 318th Infantry Regiment
(80th Division), to the German Army. According to the letter, Lieutenant Trammel, while acting as a platoon leader in April
1945 inside Germany, took this rifle (ID’d by serial number in the letter) as a trophy during an advance on Kassel (written as “Kastel” in the letter). Kassel served as
headquarters of Wehrkreis (military district) IX and the location of a Dachau sub-camp providing forced labor for the manufacture of Tiger I and King Tiger tanks and
was taken after multiple days of dirty house-to-house fighting. Prior to Kassel, the 318th was involved with the relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge; a
letter to the editor of “The Bulge Bugle” in May 1996 from “R.J. Trammell, Jr., 80th INFD 318 INF 1 BN D” relates the story of a Christmas Day assault towards Tintange,
Belgium, which brought heavy German fire while attempting to pass through a tree farm, resulting in extremely high casualties from unintentional airbursting of the
enemy shells. Reports of Trammell’s post-VE exploits are limited; he’s reported as having participated in the occupation of Bavaria in spite of wounds suffered in the
line of duty, was in Salinas, California circa late December 1993-early January 1994 to sell a rifle, and was still up, about, and in a mood for letter writing in 1996. The
rifle is equipped with fixed sights and a brown leather sling, with a “40E2” marked barrel, “byf/42” receiver, and a smooth matching numbered stock with “WaA135”
proofs and a cupped steel buttplate. The rifle also has a bayonet marked, “DURKOPP”, with an unnumbered sheath and a black leather frog.
CONDITION: Fine, with 50% of the original blue finish, showing some areas of brown patina, along with some minor handling marks and spotting. The wood is also fine, with a number of scuffs
and scratches, and the leather shows some cracking and stains. The bayonet is good, with a screw absent from the grip and a rough scabbard and frog. Mechanically excellent. An interesting War
trophy documented to a veteran of the Bastogne.
Estimate: 7,500 - 10,000
LOT 412
Scarce Mauser Tankgewehr-18 Bolt Action Single
Shot Anti-Tank Rifle with Bipod - Serial no. 874, 13 mm
cal., 39 inch round bbl., blue finish, hardwood stock. Produced
by the Germans in 1917 and 1918 in response to Allied tank
assaults, the Mauser Tankgewehr 18, or “Elefant-Buechse” was
the first dedicated man-portable anti-tank weapon, and the
forefather of the “anti-material rifle” as a small arms category.
Weighing in at 37 pounds, the T-Gewehr was capable of penetrating
the armor of the day, and could disable an enemy vehicle in 6-10
shots. Relatively few T-Gewehrs made it to the U.S.; while a truly
intimidating trophy, most AEF men opted for souvenirs that didn’t
require a team lift to get on the boat home. Blade front and tangent rear
sights, with matching numbers on the barrel, sights, barrel band, receiver,
bolt components, and bolt catch, the Mauser banner over “1918” on the receiver ring, and a smooth two-piece pistol grip stock fitted with a swiveling metal bipod with spiked feet.
CONDITION: Fine, with 60% of the fine original blue finish, showing areas of gray and brown patina, mild spotting, and a few dings on top of the receiver. The bipod has been repainted green. Stock is
also fine, with mild scratches and dents. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
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