Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The rifle of Sgt Shultz.

Had a friend of my Dad's growing up who was a co-pilot of a B-24 and his second mission was the oil raid on Ploesti. Didn't work too well for him and he spent the rest of the war in a Romanian POW camps. Said it could have been a lot worse and indeed the quarters were better than what he had in North Africa.

He did have a 30-40 Kreg at least in the early shows. They also used Thompson sub-machine guns is many of the early episodes which makes historical sense as the Germans had as well as had access to truck loads of Thompsons. The Germans also had access to truck loads of 1911's too and used them quite a lot WWII.

What's so strange about a POW guard having a Krag? Run a Google search for "Nazi Krag" and you will find that Germany used Krags as substitute rifles for non-line units. What could be more appropriate than issuing them to guards at a POW camp inside Germany?

Of course that doesn't explain the episode where a drunken Schultz is guarding Hogan's boys with an MP40 that suddenly becomes a Thompson from a different camera angle, then reverts back.

Stryker60

Norway, used Krags. The NAZIs invaded Norway and confiscated Norwegian weapons, so I guess it could have happened.

Even today, troops use whatever gets the job done...

Just because it's a Kraig, does not mean it's a .30-40! It could have been 8X58rimmed, or 6.5X55 as well.

Dan

Dan C.. You are right on the caliber. I could only go from personal experience with the Krag rifle. I looked it up and sure enough it was chambered in other rounds as well.
I mostly commented because it is shear luck I spotted the Krag on Sgt Shultz's shoulder. It was so apparent as you could see the lever/thumb peice or whatever nomenclature is correct on the side of the box magazine that opened to load or top off rounds. The scene had Hogan and Shultz facing the camera so the magazine was clearly visible. I also believe that may weapons from both sides found their way into combat from the "other side" I guess I was just expecting to see a 98 Mauser. Then again, as I said, it is Holly weird.

Pugs, wasn't the Ploesti 'raid' actually a campaign to destroy the Romanian refineries? Also there was one or two B-24's that missed their navigation back to their northern Africa air base/s that stranded their crew/s in the desert to die long lingering deaths when no rescue came (Lady Be Good and Strawberry Bitch are the two 'ships' I remember). Are you knowlkedageable of the details regarding their fates?

I always thought the 6.5x55 in a Krag action was a little dangerous due to the one locking lug.

But IIRC,the Krag was built around that round,so I guess the old time 6.5 ammo was pretty low pressure.

WB.