| Spanish History as it relates to Model 1893 and 1916 Rifles |
| 1898 1912 1921 1923 1928(?) 1930 1931 1934 1936 1939 1975 1982 |
| Spanish-American War Spain annexes Rifian section of Morocco, conflict begins with Rifian tribesmen. Abd el Krim rebellion against Spanish rule. Rifian tribesmen deal Spain a major defeat at Anual; 15,000 Spanish soldiers and civilans killed. Over 150,000 Spanish troops in Morroco General Miguel Primo de Rivera leads a coup, assumes dictatorship of Spain Rifian wars end as Abd al Krim revolt is finally supressed. Primo de Rivera's dictatorship collapses, democracy restored. King Alfonso leaves Spain for exile in Rome, monarchy abolished. Socialist/Communist revolt in Asturias, supressed by General Francisco Franco. Socialists/leftist Republicans win elections. Army ofiicers revolt against government, Spanish Civil War begins. The two opposing sides are the Nationalists (right wing) and Republicans (left wing). Militias formed in Republican zones. Spanish Civil War ends with Nationalist victory Francisco Franco dies, democracy restored in the next year. Spain joins NATO |
| The Model 1893 and 1916 in Spain's Wars |
| The most frequent question that I am asked is "I have a Spanish Mauser. How can I tell if it was used in the Spanish American War, Rifian War, or Spanish Civil War? Can you tell me what unit it was used in?" The best information I have on the Spanish American War is that the rifles that were issued to Spanish troops in Cuba were the ones that were imported earlier in the decade, while the Oviedo-manufactured rifles were kept in Spain. After Spain capitulated, most of the rifles came back to Spain, so any German or Belgian manufactured Spanish Mauser may have been used in the Spanish American War. When you look at the serial numbers on the Oviedo Serial Numbers page, you will notice that there is a scarcity of Model 1893 rifles between 1912 and sometime in the mid 1920's, and many have apparently been reserialed. Many examples are in pretty rough shape. I assume this is because the new production was shipped to Morocco, and these rifles were "used hard and put up wet", and many never made it back to Spain at all. For whatever reason, the same trend does not hold with Model 1916 rifles. Were the Model 1916's reserved for domestic service? I simply don't know. My guess is that any Model 1893 rifle made in this period probably saw service in Morocco. Note that I don't have a specfic "start" and "end" date for the Rifian wars. The Spanish Civil War involved not just the Army, but the entire country. Anything that could shoot was used. Gerald Howson's Arms for Spain tells the story of weapons procurement for the Republican side. Weapons of all descriptions and stages of obsolesecnce were procured from any source possible. Contrary to popular belief, the Soviet unit did not give weapons to the Republic; they were paid for with gold from the Spanish Treasury at exhorbitant prices. All of the Oviedo-manufactured Model 1893 and 1916 rifles were manufactured before the war. After the war, the Oviedo arsenal was used to refurbish existing rifles. Given the shortage of rifles, I have to assume that just about every Mauser in Spain at the time of the war was used in one capacity or another. Since most imports into this country were after that time, your Mauser was probably used in the conflict. None that I have seen have any Army or militia unit markings, so there is no way to determine which unit or side they served. The only exception is the Republican manufactured arms alluded to on the Spanish Arsenals page. Serial numbers and other information that has been reported to me are on the Republican serial numbers page. |
| Page modified on 10/06/09 |
| This page is also "under construction". I am not an expert on Spanish history. Any upgrades to what is shown below are welcomed at fritz125541@yahoo.com |