BY FAR THE greatest critique of the K98k is its rate of ï¬re. As with any other bolt-action, soldiers could only ï¬re as quickly as they could operate the bolt. Critics of the GermanÂ’s bolt-action-armed infantry blame Hitler for losing WWII because he refused to arm his infantry with faster, semiautomatic rifles. When WWII began, the German infantry was not unlike other armies – armed with a mix of bolt-action rifles and some form of machine gun. Germany's strategy for implementing these weapons differed. They emphasized the machine gun, usually an MG-34 or an MG-42 (Maschinengewehr 34/42) as their primary...
