The Vetterli in German Service

[MedicalAmmunitionCrate]

From what I have read long ago (and since lost the source of.. whoops), one of the German States purchased about 100-200 Swiss 1869/71 Vetterli Rifles at some point prior to WWI. These ended up in the hands of the Landsturm. This is the only photograph I have seen. If anyone has any actual sources, additional photographs, or knowledge of whatever state it was (I'm personally leaning towards Württemberg), feel free to add them to the thread. I found this photo on an old Hard Disk and can't find the source, but if I do, I'll update this post.

[Wolf]

Hello MedicalAmmunitionCrate,

an interesting photo. The Vetterli repeating rifle in caliber 10.5 mm was the orderly weapon of the Swiss Army between 1870 and 1890; it was issued to secondary troops until the end of the First World War.

The first Vetterli rifle issued to the army was the 1869 model in 10.5 mm caliber. It used the same 10.5 mm caliber ammunition as its single-shot predecessors, the Milbank Amsler 1851/1867 rifle and the Model 1867 Peabody rifle imported from the USA. It was the first repeating rifle used by a European army.

As you correctly guessed, some Vetterli rifles were bought by the state of Württemberg before the First World War. There are also records for this in the Baden-Württemberg State Archives (formerly there were two different states, Baden and Württemberg, today it is one state) with the title "Trials with breech-loading rifles, their introduction in Württemberg, conversion of muzzle-loading rifles and acquisition of Swiss Vetterli rifles" from (1863-1864) 1865-1870 under the archive number: E 40/72 Bü 179.

Landesarchiv Baden-Wurttemberg, Abt. Hauptstaatsarchiv Stuttgart - Findbuch E 40/72: Ministerium der auswartigen Angelegenheiten: Kriegssachen - Strukturansicht

Unfortunately these files cannot be viewed online.

Best regards
Wolf