Non German weapons used by Germans in WWII
The Germans used weapons captured from the various countries they conquered to supplement their own weapons supply.
I just obtained a prewar French Mas 36 and stamped in small letters just under the serial number in the stock is a small stamp, LK5.
The theory is that this is either a German capture & check mark or possibly a German unit assignment stamp. However there are apparently no German documents known so far to prove this theory.
A number of rifles from various countries which the germans fought or took over have been observed having a similar stamp there, either having a LK5 stamp, or other numbers after the LK. The French ones know with that stamp, all have the LK5. There is even a British Enfield having this stamp.
In an attempt to find more guns having this stamp to help add weight to the theory, could folks with prewar or WWII period guns other then German made ones, look to see if that stamp is present on their gun. The stamp is quite small and could be missed easy. It is usually located on the butt stock near the butt plate. Thanks for any help. Ray
There is a large collection of German WW2 Eastern front photos
on the internet. These show plenty of Germans with Tokarev STV 40s, PPSH submachine guns and Soviet DP 27s . Usually they are stacked up near a trench ready for use if something pops over the horizon (like a squad of Russians on a T34). The 98K is a fine weapon, but after 5 shots, you will have a problem.