secretly received many M71 rifles, that saw combat during the First Boer War, the Jameson Raid and the Second Boer War. Some rifles were smuggled to Ethiopia and they were used during the 1894-1896 war against the Italians. The M71 saw service during the Boxer Rebellion. The Chinese units used the old M71 while German forces used the M71/84. The Chinese also used the M71 during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Xinhai Revolution. Serbia and Turkey used their M71-based Mausers in the Balkan Wars and during World War I. The M71 Jäger rifles saw service in African theatre of World War I, being the standard rifle of the Schutztruppe. At the same time, Gew 71 with incendiary bullets were used to shoot down observation balloons and German home-guard units were still equipped with M71/84 rifles. Some of these rifles were used during the German Revolution of 1918–19 and surviving rifles were distributed to the Volkssturm units in 1945. The M71 was also exported to Japan for testing and was used to improve the design of the Murata rifle. Uruguay, Siam and Honduras also fielded the M71 from the 1880s. Venezuela bought 27,000 M71/84 rifles after they were retired from front-line German service, while Ecuador acquired 12,000 M71/84s. Irish Republicans imported some 1,500 single-shot 1871 Mausers in the Howth gun-running for the nationalist militia called the Irish Volunteers in 1914. They were used in action by the Volunteers in the Easter Rising of 1916, the insurrection aimed at ending British rule in Ireland which began the Irish War of Independence. The 1871 Mauser became known in Ireland as the "Howth Mauser". Comparison with contemporary rifles Operators : Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71/84 : Model 71 : Models 71/84, Quebec Home Guard use (Rifles marked Q.H.G.) : Models 71,79 and 71/84 : Model 71/84 : Model 71 Irish Volunteers: Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71 : Model 71 and Mauser-Koka : Model 87 : Model 71 : Model 71, Model 71/84 : Model 71 : Model 71/84 In fiction and popular culture 11-mm Mauser is the service rifle of the Martian Army in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. However, the book states these were bought as surplus from the Spanish–American War, which would in fact make them Model 1893 7×57mm Mauser. In the film The