Mauser 1918 TuF Gewehr
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| Mauser Mod. 1918 13.2 mm Tank Gewehr | |
|---|---|
 13.2 mm Rifle Anti-Tank at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris |
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| Type | Anti-tank rifle |
| Place of origin |  German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1918 |
| Used by | German Empire |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Mauser |
| Produced | Jan 1918 |
| Number built | 15,800 |
| Variants | M1918 shortened |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 15.9kg (35lbs), 18.5kg (41lbs) loaded with the bipod |
| Length | 169.1cm |
| Crew | two man crew |
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| Cartridge | 13mm T.U.F. (Tank und Flieger) |
| Caliber | 13mm (.525 inches) |
| Action | bolt-action |
| Rate of fire | single shot |
| Effective range | 500m |
| Sights | 100 - 500m (notched V) |
The 13.2 mm antitank rifle or 13,2 mm Tank Abwehr Gewehr Mod. 18 (T.Gew.--T-rifle) was a German weapon of World War I, first appearing in February 1918. It was the world's first rifle designed for the sole purpose of destroying armored targets. The Mauser Company began mass production at Oberndorf am Neckar in May 1918. The first of these off the production lines were issued to specially raised anti-tank detachments. The idea of using heavy calibre and high velocity rifles as anti-tank weapons originated in Germany. In 1917 the German Army, faced with the menace of a mobile fortress (British Mark I tank), found they had no infantry weapon with which to counter the threat. Today, many rifles find their roots in the 13.2 mm Mauser. The most closely related of these is the Gepard rifle. The cartridge, often simply called “13mm,” was also to be used in a scaled up Maxim MG.08 water-cooled machine gun, the MG.18 Tank und Flieger (T.u.F.) antitank and antiaircraft) to be fielded in 1919. The 13.2x92mm (.525-caliber) semi-rimmed cartridge influenced the design of the US .50-caliber Browning machine gun cartridge (12.7x99mm). The anti-tank rifle can be found in several museums in places such as Fort Knox Patton Museum, KY which has two in United States, In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, Belgium, the Imperial War Museum in London, Border and King's Own Royal Border Regiment Museum at Carlisle Castle, Cumbria, UK, and in some museums in France such as the Army museum at the Invalides.
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