If the American answer to combat was volume of fire, the German answer leaned the other way — on the trained rifleman making every shot count. The Karabiner 98k rewarded that approach. Its Mauser action, one of the most refined bolt designs ever made, was superbly accurate, and German infantry training put a premium on marksmanship and aimed, deliberate fire rather than spraying rounds. A steady man on his feet, cheek to the stock, could reach out and hit at ranges where a submachine gun was useless. The Mauser 98 was so good a design that armies and hunters around the world copied it, and its descendants are still in use today.

The figure stands to fire his 98k, cheek down to the stock, in a camouflage winter parka and steel helmet. Line him out with the kneeling Grenadier Firing 98k and the Grenadier Standing Firing 98k in Parka, trading aimed fire across the field with the U.S. Infantryman Standing Firing M1 Garand.

W. Britain model 25121. 1/30 scale (approximately 60mm), matte-painted metal. Single foot figure on a sculpted groundwork base. Boxed.