The Great Escape

The following guns were used in the film The Great Escape:

The Great Escape (1963)

Karabiner 98k

Luftwaffe soldiers at the camp are seen armed with Karabiner 98k rifles, although like many WWII films between 1960-1980, the MP40 is innaccurately portrayed as the main weapon of the German Army.

Karabiner 98k - 7.92x57mm.

A Luftwaffe soldier amred with a Karabiner 98k holds back a mob trying to watch a fake fight between two POWs, intended to distract the guards from other POWs escaping in the trucks.

A Luftwaffe soldier with a Karabiner 98k puts Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen) in the cooler, hence his name "The Cooler King".

Two Luftwaffe soldiers with Kar98k rifles put Hilts in the cooler once again for another escape attempt.

Flight Lt. Hendley "The Scrounger" (James Garner) helps guide the blind Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger" (Donald Pleasence) to one of the German planes in an airfield, armed with captured Kar98k taken from a guard he knocked out. The planes in the airfield are American AT-6 Texan trainers mocked up with German paint, although the plane they steal is an authentic German Bucker Bu 181 "Bestmann".

Wehrmacht soldiers armed with Kar98k rifles aprehend Hendley after the plane crashes and Blythe is shot.

A Spanish tracker guides Sedgewick from Germany to Spain with a Kar98k slung over his back.

A Luftwaffe soldier locks Hilts in the cooler at the end of the film with a KAr98k slung on his back. This gun has a straight bolt, which isn't correct for the era as the German issued models had turned bolts. This implies this is a Kar98k stock and barrel with an older 1920s straight bolt action reciever.

MP40

The MP40 submachine gun is the most commonly seen weapon in the hands of German soldiers.

MP40 - 9mm.

Luftwaffe soldiers armed with MP40s.

A Luftwaffe soldier holds his MP40 on Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen) when he tries to stop the guards from shooting Goff (Jud Taylor) when he climbs the fence, snapping under the pressure when the Germans find their tunnel "Tom".

Luftwaffe Sergeant Strackwitz holds his MP40 on the POWs after the escape gets interupted midway with 79 escapes.

Wehrmacht soldiers point their MP40s at Hilts after they shoot his Motorcycle and he skids into barbed wire. Without the bolts cocked back, the guns are rather useless.

A French resistance member with an MP40 hands Sedgewick over to a Spanish guide.

Luger P08

All high ranking officers and soldiers at the camp keep Luger P08 pistols as their sidearms. After the escape, Cpt. Hilts (Steve McQueen) plants clear wire on a road way and causes a German soldier on a bike (secretivly played by Steve McQueen) to crash. He steals the soldier's uniform and Luger before eventually being captured.

Luger P08 - 9mm.

After a guard catches the POWs climbing out of the tunnel. Hilts (Steve McQueen) runs out and yells "Don't shoot!". It's so nice how the soldiers reaction is to whip around and fire his Luger P08 at him.

Hilts takes aim with a stolen Luger P08.

One of the Wehrmacht soldiers that captures Lt. Hendley (James Garner) is seen with a Luger P08.

MG42

German soldiers man MG42 machine guns in the camp perimeter towers. One of the French resistance soldiers is also seen mowing down Germans with one during a drive by shooting. The final time one is used is to massacre the 50 excaped POWs, even though in actually history, they were executed at different times.

MG42 - 7.92x57mm.

A German guard in a tower next to an MG42.

A guard fires his MG42 at Hilts when he crossed the perimeter wire to "fetch his ball".

His spotlight reveals his MG42.

A member of the French resistance mows down German soldiers at a diner with an MG42.

A German soldier executes the 50 POWs with an MG42.

Walther PP

Some of the Germans trying to track the escaped POWs use Walther PP pistols.

Walther PP - .380 ACP.

Gestapo agent Kuhn tries to draw his Walther PP while struggling with Lt. Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal" (David McCallum).

Ashley-Pitt forces Kuhn to shoot himself. Note how the gun is a harmless flashpaper, since blanks at close range are dangerous.

A Gestapo agent with a Walther PP.

Steinach (Karl-Otto Alberty) arrests Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X" (Richard Attenborough) with a Walther PP.

Mauser 1934

A German soldier stops Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X" (Richard Attenborough) on the street and holds a Mauser 1934 "Humpback" pistol on him before being convinced he is a citizen by his fluent German and authentic papers. While it could be a Mauser 1910 or 1914 pistol, it is likely a 1934 since this is a WWII film.

Mauser 1934 - .32 ACP.

A German holds his Mauser 1934 pistol on Bartlett.

The German with his Mauser 1934.

Unknown Sniper Rifle

A German soldier is seen using an unknown sniper rifle to shoot Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger" (Donald Pleasence). It would appear to be a sporterized Kar98k with a scope, although an actually Kar98k sniper rifle issued at the time was not sporterized.

A German soldier with his sniper rifle.

The soldier shoots Blythe with his sniper rifle.

Unknown Revolver

A German at the train station is seen with a revolver of unknown make and model.

Possibly a Mauser Zig-Zag or a Weihrauch. Dont think the Germans were into revolvers unless it was privatly bought. Does anyone know of pre-1945 German/European revolvers that could have been used by the Nazis?.

Only the Reichsrevolver, but it looks a bit too small for that.

A German at the police station with an unknown revolver.