Kb Wz. 98a - Design History

Design History

After regaining independence, the Polish Army was armed with Russian (Mosin), Austrian (mainly Mannlicher M1895) and German (Mauser M1898) rifles. Even French rifles (Berthier and Lebel) appeared along with Blue Army soldiers.

As a result, at the end of the Polish-Soviet War in 1921 the Polish army was armed with approximately 24 types of guns and 22 types of rifles, all firing different ammunition. Since such a combination of designs impeded training and logistics, work on one standard type of rifle was carried out starting in 1919. Initially it was assumed that the Lebel would be adopted, but it was quickly rejected as an obsolete design. Later on, proposals for adoption as a standard rifle included the Mannlicher M1895 or Mauser M1912 (produced in Austria for Mexico).

Finally, after the award of the Council of Ambassadors to Poland by the Gdansk branch plants Mauser, was admitted to the Military Rifle Gew98 (German version of the Mauser M1898) as wz.98. Machinery factory in Gdańsk to Warsaw, to the newly created National Rifle Factory. Production at the new plants started in July 1922.

In 1924, after approximately 22,000 rifles were manufactured, wz.98 production ended. They took the place of wz.98 rifles (as the Mauser M1898 was designated), and later carbines (short rifles) wz. 29.

In the first half of the thirties as a result of changes in Polish doctrine extended distance, which was to be driven to the fire of the infantry 1200-1500 meters. New requirements could not cope with kbk wz.29, so in 1934 decided to resume production of the wz.98 gun, or rather its improved version wz.98a (it was a new notch sight under the curve and not on the shoulder, and derived a new bayonet mount with wz.29).

Production started at the National Arms Factory in Radom in 1936; the two years' delay between adoption and the start of production was due to the need for seasoning wood bed rifles.

Until the outbreak of war in 1939 produced 500 rifles wz.98a. They accounted for (with kb kbk wz.98 and wz.98 and wz.29) basic armaments of the Polish army. After the war, the defense they were armed guerrillas. Acquired copies wz.98 rifle were also taken to arms by the Wehrmacht as the Gewehr 299 (p).