WWII Tech Pubs Briefing

Written by
Duane Godwin

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Overview

The Armée de Terre (French Army) hoarded its outdated equipment; it seemed to discard nothing.  At the time of the German Blitzkrieg attack on France, the Armée de Terre was equipped with a variety of rifles, a large amount of which were left over from the World War I arsenal and some that even dated back to the previous century.

General Adolphe Berthier, a French Army officer, designed the Mousqueton modèle 1890 (Carbine Model 1890, commonly called the Berthier carbine), and the Fusil modèle 1907 (Rifle Model 1907, the Berthier rifle).  Berthier adapted his carbine and rifle from the Fusil d’infanterie modèle 1886 (Infantry Rifle Model 1886, better known as the Lebel rifle) and modified his designs to include a Mannlicher-type magazine.

In 1915, the Fusil modèle 1907 was updated with a three-round magazine and called the modèle 07/15.  This was considered an insufficient improvement and by the next year, the Fusil d’infanterie modèle 1916 was introduced with a new magazine holding five rounds.  Various versions of these rifles were made, and most were still in service in 1940.

In 1934, the Armée de Terre introduced a new 7.5-mm (0.295-in) cartridge to replace the 8-mm (0.315-in) standard then in use.  The army had decided to implement the smaller cartridge in 1924 but a combination of bad design and the official dithering, typical of the French at the time, caused a delay.

The Berthier rifles received new barrels so that they could take the smaller cartridge, a new five-shot magazine, and some other minor improvements. The updated Berthier rifles were awarded an designated suffix of M34, as in modèle 1916 M34 or modèle 07/15 M34.  The conversion program took so long that by the time France declared war on Germany five years later only small numbers of the rifles had been modified.

Although reasonably accurate, most French rifles of the Blitzkrieg era are considered to be of uninspired design.  For example, many types did not have a safety catch.  The huge array of rifle types, and the two different calibers, made for problems when trying to supply spares and replacements.

The Germans captured masses of French rifles during the Battle of France, and used them to arm second-line troops throughout the war. The M34 rifle was taken into German service as 7.5 mm Gew 241(f).

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Specifications

Figures are for the Fusil d’infanterie modèle 1916 M34.