Another day on the Quasi-Whatziss.

If you need to catch up - go down two posts! Some responses to several comments. Staged? Quite possibly, but just as possibly not. Regarding the footgear - those leather personnel carriers w/accs look like pretty standard boots, gaiters, and galoshes to me. I do think it's a pile of beets, and probably sugar beets, but that's just wingin' it. As for the question as to whether or not the right-hand Mauser is a Mauser... it's a Mauser. It isn't an 03A3, as it has the rear sight forward of the receiver. And it isn't an 03A1, because that rear sight is a sliding ramp style, vice a flip-up, and the forearm wood does not extend to the forward stock band/bayonet lug. It's a Mauser.


As promised - here's the cut-off portion from yesterday - showing the weapons carrier and 57mm anti-tank gun. For Og - the anti-tank guns in the infantry regiments were manned by infantrymen. So calling infantrymen or anti-tank gun crew are both correct.




If we proceed from the assumption that the photo isn't staged, I would guess they aren't manning the M2 on the weapons carrier because the truck isn't mobile anymore and is too exposed as-is. And they have the Mausers probably as trophies, but it the enemy is more than 100 yards away, and all I had was a carbine, I might have grabbed a Mauser, too. But I prolly would have brought my carbine along as well, for that rapid sustained fire capability if the bad guys started getting close.