World War II Database

Country of Origin	France
Type	Rifle
Caliber	7.500 mm
Capacity	5 rounds
Muzzle Velocity	640 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseBerthier bolt-action carbines were introduced to the French Army on 14 Mar 1890, followed by the full-length rifle variant in 1902. During WW1, they were used by French Army, French Foreign Legion, and French colonial forces; additionally, many were also transferred to Russian, Serbian, Greek, and American forces that were attached to the French Army. In 1916, a new variant rifle was designed for clips with greater capacity (5 rounds); they reached the front lines in the summer of 1918. In 1934, they were converted to use a more modern 7.5-millimeter ammunition. Both rifle and carbine variants of the Berthier design remained in use when Germany invaded France in 1940. Those that were captured by the Germans after the fall of France were later given to occupation forces, both military and police, in conquered nations. Most of them were finally retired from service at the end of WW2, although many of the carbines remained in use by police forces in the French colonies for several more decades. Over 2,000,000 examples were built during the design's production life.

Source: Wikipedia

ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Mar 2015

Berthier Timeline

14 Mar 1890Â

Berthier carbines were adopted by the French Army. These weapons, along with the later introduced full-length rifles, would remain in use through the WW2-era.

Photographs

See all 3 photographs of Berthier Rifle

Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends:  Facebook  Reddit  Twitter Stay updated with WW2DB:  RSS Feeds

Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
Â	Your email will not be published
Comment Type	General comment/question Additional information about this page Looking for more information on this topic Looking for information about my relative
Your Comments
Security Code	Â
Â

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.