RM Vivas & Son
Purveyors of Fine Small Arms
Reference Library
ARTICLE TITLE: World War One German Inspectors of Luger Pistols
AUTHOR/SOURCE: Unknown
SYNOPSIS: This list identifies by name the individuals and their commands
who inspected WW1 vintage military Lugers.
KEYWORDS: Luger Parabellum Pistole P.08 Inspector Cartouche Stamp
DATE ADDED/EDITED: 1/11/4
IT IS A popular pastime among collectors, researchers and authors to identify
virtually all the major marks found on the receivers of Germany military
Lugers as "proofmarks." In this article, we shall provide conclusive documentation
that, insofar as the Pistole 1908 is concerned, the term "proofmark" refers
solely to the displayed eagle found on the front right side of the receiver,
the underside of the barrel and the side of the breechblock. Together with
its later Reichswehr and Wehrmacht equivalents, this was applied after the
assembled gun had successfully fired two super-power proof cartridges loaded
to give a pressure 20 percent in excess of normal.' In addition to the displayed
eagle, however, guns from the Imperial era also show several crowned Fraktur
("gothic") letters alongside this Beschusszeichen. Reichswehr and Wehrmacht
guns bear a selection of numbered and numbered-and-lettered eagles in much
the same positions. But why were these applied? And should they be considered
as an integral part of the proof?
Anonymous Offices or Responsible Individuals?
Marks such as a crowned Fraktur "B" are invariably identified as inspectors'
marks when they appear on the magazine, dismantling lever or the trigger
plate; all parts which needed to be passed as fit for service.2 But, if this
is so readily accepted among collectors, why should the similar marks accompanying
the proofmarks have been applied by anyone other than inspectors?
The problem, then, becomes one of determining the significance of the individual
marks. Prior to 1918, the Parabellums were made only in the government factory
in Erfurt and by the solitary private contractor, Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken
of Berlin. This clearly makes the theory that the letters represent "sub-offices"
or "inspection areas" untenable. The Vorschriftlr die Untersuchung und Abnahme
von Gewehren und Gewehrteilen 98 ("Instruction for the inspection and acceptance
of Model 98 rifles and rifle parts"), which became effective in 1898-9, stated
that:
All pieces found acceptable during the inspection procedure . . . are to
be marked with the dies held by the inspector . . . [note: the plural "dies"
is due to each inspector being issued with several different sizes of "his
die."] Each inspector is responsible for the acceptance of items certified
by his mark. Consequently, his mark will also be applied to items accepted
by assistant inspectors acting under his supervision . . .
In 1913, the instruction Untersuchung und Abnahme von Pistolen 08 und deren
Teilen ("Inspection and acceptance of Pistolen 08 and their parts") was even
more explicit: In order to identify an official by his mark [letter], even
years later, his mark (die sizes 11.75, 4.2, 3.2 and 2mm) is to be struck
by his senior [superior] inspector into a sheet of zinc, together with his
name and date of posting to the rifle factory, the zinc sheet to be held
in custody by the senior inspector. When the official retires, the senior
inspector is to reclaim the dies and to mark his date of retirement on the
said sheet.
It is clear, therefore, that the crowned Fraktur letter marks of the pre-
1918 era served to identify an individual inspector rather than the office
to which he was posted. The marks constituted personal liability, and a means
of identifying they once existed. It seems unlikely that a true record of
these marks will ever be retrieved (much less the zinc plate!), but there
is a theoretical chance of gradually piecing together the story.
Most of the pre-1918 marks represented the initial letters of the individual
officer's surnames. However, when two men with similar initials were serving
concurrently— e.g., a Schmidt and a Schultz—some method of distinguishing
the junior man would be needed. The collection of the Imperial War Museum,
London, contains DWM- made pistols with (for example) the marks of acceptance
officials "H" and "S." The former could be the mark of Oberbuchsenmacher
Hoffmann, posted to Spandau in 1900, or his colleague Oberbuchsenmacher Hesshaus
(1901 onward); the latter, the mark of Oberbuchsenmacher Schilling, who arrived
at Spandau in 1905.
Other guns display the identifier "T," often with a short bar beneath the
letter. According to Horst W. Laumanns, writing in the Deutsches Waen-Journal
but basing his work on information gleaned from the Militar-Wochenblatt,
two Triebels may have served in the Spandau rifle factory during the period
that interests us. As there is also an unusually high incidence of the letter
"X"— which, together with "Y," is rare in German family names—the seniority
sequence may have been a plain letter for the most senior man, a barred letter
for the next most senior inspector (or perhaps one with the same name) and
then "X" for any others with the same initial. It has to be stressed, however,
that this has yet to be proven . 3
That the letters are always crowned simply indicates that the inspectors
were acting on behalf of their sovereign, the king of Prussia.
Missing Proofs
Occasionally, guns are encountered with fewer than the standard three inspectors'
letters alongside the displayed eagle proofmarks. Except for the undated
early DWM guns, which only had two inspectors' marks on the left side of
the receiver ahead of the trigger plates, most "two-mark" examples appear
to have failed final inspection. This is implicit in the pronounced gap between
the proof eagle and the remaining crowned letters. These guns were rejected
after appearing to pass proof, probably because of unacceptable headspace.
Many were subsequently accepted by the Revisions- Commission, whose mark,
a crowned "RC," signified that no one should take individual responsibility
for accepting them; others may have survived because they had been offered
to officers at a reduced rate or sold commercially.' The abdication of the
Kaiser and the subsequent foundation of the Weimar Republic (1919-23) wrought
considerable changes in the German army. The Treaty of Versailles restricted
the Reichsheer to a mere 100,000 men, and the Inter-Allied Control Commission
diligently supervised the confiscation and destruction of huge quantities
of surplus weapons. The inspectors' marks applied during this period, though
positioned somewhat similarly to the pre- 1918 crowned letters, take the
form of numbers surmounted by displayed eagles. The latter may be stylized
to the point of being unrecognizable.
The pre- 1918 instructions were amalgamated into the Heeresdruckvorschrift
(H . Dv . ) 464, Vorschrift uber die Stemelung und die Bezeichung von Waen
und Gerat bei der Truppe ("Instruction how to mark and The Reichswehrzeit
designate arms and equipment adopted for the service"). The introductory
part of the H.Dv. 464, the 1923-vintage Vorbemerkungen, states:
1. Marking and designating equipment serves . . . to identify the source
from which, and the year in which equipment has been procured, by whom said
equipment has been accepted, in whose custody it is, and finally—if applicable—to
distinguish between sizes .
2. Consequently, four types of markings are to be found:
a. The manufacturer's logo, applied free of charge by (and identifying) the
manufacturer, together with, if necessary, his location; the year of production;
and, if necessary, the serial number. Without these identifying marks, no
piece of equipment must be accepted by military authorities. The purpose
is to . . . make manufacturers liable in succeeding years for defects that
may have been overlooked by the accepting official.
b. The acceptance mark, indicating the authority and the number of the official
in charge; the purpose being the same as described under a.
c. A size mark, only necessary for equipment made in differing sizes, with
"I" signifying the smallest .
d. The unit or property marking, necessary for the prevention of theft and
for the designation of the holder entrusted with the custody of the equipment
in question.
Paragraph 2(b) of this extract is most important; it states unequivocally
that the inspector of the Reichsheer period was now identified by a number
rather than a letter, though his responsibility and accountability remained
unchanged. Substituting a number for a letter freed the system from the problems
of having several officers with the same family-name initials. The replacement
of the crown by an eagle was simply a consequence of republicanism. H.Dv.
464 proves that attempts to link the number marks with contracts or delivery
lots are mistaken (cf., Sam Costanzo, World of Lugers, Proof Marks, Vol.
I, p. 111, mark No. 158).
Paragraph 2(b) also called for the identification of the authority (Behorde)
under which the equipment was accepted. It is suggested that this stipulation
originally referred to procurement by local or regional military authorities,
though all post-1920 Reichsheer firearms were accepted by the Inspektion
fiir Waffen und Gerat (IWG) —easily identifiable as a "Reichsbehorde" or
federal authority through the presence of the neue Reichsadler (federal eagle).
The Third Reich
On March 16, 1935, the Reichswehr was renamed "die Wehrmacht" and the previously
clandestine expansion of the German armed forces became more obvious. At
this time, too, the style of the acceptance marks was revised after a brief
flirtation with a pattern abstract enough to hinder identification of the
eagle. The perfected marks comprised a simplified eagle with three straight
pinions per wing, above " 123" or "WaA 123.'' The abbreviation "WaA" simply
represented the Waenamt (weapons office), which had replaced the IWG in 1926.
These marks are found on all types of German equipment: Mauser-made P. 08s
display WaA 63, WaA 135 or WaA 655 depending on date of acceptance, while
ERMA-made sub-caliber inserts ("Einstecklaufe) may display WaA 77 or WaA
280. These WaA numbers are generally identified with particular "sub-offices,"
an interpretation which is utterly contrary to military tradition of individual—not
collective —accountability.
Of course, regional or local sub-offices did exist; many could even be found
within the premises of the principal manufacturers. During the Imperial era,
Parabellums made by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken in the Charlottenburg
(later, Wittenau) districts of Berlin were accepted under the supervision
of inspectors seconded from the Royal Prussian Rifle Factory in nearby Spandau;
the manufacturer had to provide accommodation, furniture, heat, light and
additional manpower free of charge.
There is no reason to suppose that the principle had changed by the 1930s;
we know from the affairs of Fabrique Nationale that the final Waffenamt inspectorate
was established there under the command of Hauptmann (W) Dorn (see Table
III). This applied the number " 140," which will be found on many German-issue
firearms made in Belgium during the occupation. The question is simply whether
the number " 140" was issued to Dorn personally, or to the office and staff
he commanded. Though there can be no doubt that the former is correct, the
latter is unaccountably preferred by many enthusiasts. No anonymous body
would be held responsible for the acceptance of the weapons; this was not
only contrary to German tradition (or the traditions of most other armies),
but it would also have hindered apportion of blame for faulty weaponry.
The principal German inspector did not undertake all the work personally—tasks
for which assistants were employed—yet he still held the same personal responsibility
to his superiors in 1939 as his predecessors did in the pre-1913 regulations
quoted above. Thus, there is no truth in claims that the WaA mark was applied
by a sub-office except in the very general sense that a well established
senior officer would be identified with the office he commanded.
When the senior inspector was posted elsewhere, however. he took his numbered
punches with him; the sub-office continued to accept guns under the supervision
of a new inspector, but marked them differently. This explains the differing
numbers on the Mauser made P. 08 (63, 135 and 655) much better than assuming
that either different offices were used or Oberndorfs establishment was renumbered
three times in 5 years! Several inspectors were sometimes employed concurrently
in the largest firms, acceptance procedures being divided between them. This
explains the ,use of separately-numbered punches—one inspector may have accepted
guns in the white ("Weiss-Abnahme") while another supervised test firing
("Anschuss")—but this did not happen in Oberndorf.
"Mobile marks"
Many instances can be cited in which WaA marks appear on items made in more
than one town. Discounting the obvious, if in the unlikely chance of a small
firm standing on a railway junction and sending consignments in alternate
directions to different inspectors, it is much more likely that the inspector
controlling the fictitious "WaA 111" should be transferred from Thuringen
in 1937 to occupied Czechoslovakia in 1940 (with, perhaps, his secretary
and driver) than for the entire of office to be moved. Otherwise, all inspection
and acceptance would grind to a halt in the original location. (In addition,
analyzing thousands of the WaA inspectors' marks has failed to reveal a pattern
that would make periodic renumbering seem feasible.)
The Men
In the German periodical Deutsches Waen-Journal, Horst W. Laummans has listed
names and short biographical data about many inspectors active prior to 1914.8
Regrettably, there seems little chance of linking Fraktur letter punches
and names with any degree of accuracy. At the Spandau rifle factory, which
was responsible for accepting DWM-made Pistolen 08, three inspectors with
the initial "K" were active in 1900 to 1914: Kellnar, Klose and Kuhwald.
Who used a crowned "K," a similar mark above a bar, or the substitute letter
"X" will never be known unless some seniority is established. And what happened
when the first inspector retired? Were all punches recalled and reissued
in accordance with the revised seniority? Or were all new inspectors with
the initial "K" simply issued substitute punches . . . ? Only the zinc marking
plate could solve these riddles.
No information of even this degree of clarity has yet been discovered from
the periods of the Reichswehrzeit or of the Third Reich, apart from a tantalizing
fragment from the Heereseinteilung 1939 (the German order of battle) suggesting
that the "eagle/63" mark found on contemporary Mauser-made small arms may
have identified Hauptmann (E) Krimer. This link initially seemed impossible
to investigate until it was remembered that contemporary German law forced
everyone to register with the local authorities. Changes of domicile may
be checked if the records still exist. According to the Oberndorf registers,
Hauptmann Max Krimer moved to Brno in occupied Czechoslovakia on December
12, 1939. Coincidentally, the "eagle/63'' inspector's mark does not appear
on post-1940 Mausers; but it does appear on post-1940 firearms made in Czechoslovakia
.
We also know that "WaA 140" signified the senior inspector serving in the
occupied FN factory in Herstal-lez-Liege in 1944—Hauptmann (W) Dorn—and it
may be a matter of time before others are identified from the eereseinteilung
list now that a procedure has been established. However, it will take painstaking
research (and a much greater awareness of the accuracy with which punch marks
must be read) before real progress can be made.
In conclusion . . .
This article, the substance of which first appeared in the Deufsches Waen-Journal,
has been based on the unimpeachable evidence of original German documents.
However, we accept that there are still areas in which supposition is more
evident than fact, and would welcome any comments or additional information
through the editor's office. Anyone who may have made a detailed study of
the output of individual manufacturers prior to 1939—the only year for which
we have definitive information—may have an important part to play.
Of course, it would be particularly thrilling to find the pre- 1918 zinc
inspectors ' markplate or the lists that must have been its later equivalent!
Inspectors active in the Erfurt and Spandau rifle factories in the
Parabellum period. Note:
Extracted largely from the articles by Horst W. Laumanns in the Deutsches
Waffen-Journal (July and August, 1980; January, May and June, 1983), this
contains information for 1908- 14 only; for security reasons, detailed postings
no longer appeared in the Militar-Wochenblatt once WWI began. A "Buchsenmacher"
(liter ally, "gunmaker") was an armorer-artificer. The term was changed to
"Waffenmeister" (literally, "weapons master") on July 3, 1910, when the old
title of Fabriken-Kommissarius was dropped. An Oberbuchsenmacher was
simply a senior Buchsenmacher.
Erfurt Inspectors:
AUSTEN —promoted Oberbuchsenmacher, January 1, 1905.
BETTIG—posted to Erfurt on July 1, 1878, retired on July 1, 1911 .
BUTTNER—promoted from Erfurt artillery depot to the rifle factory, December
1,1906.
GEBHARDT—promoted to Oberwaffenmeister effective November 1,1911.
HOFLING—promoted to "Waffen-Revisor" ("inspector") from July 12,1911.
KEMPF—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher at the rifle factory, April 13, 1875;
retired as Betriebsleiter (operations manager) on November 19, 1910.
KLOSE—two men, one promoted from the Danzig rifle factory to Erster Revisionsbeamter
("senior supervising inspector") at Erfurt effective April 1, 1908;
and a second, an Oberbuchsenmacher, also posted to Erfurt on the same date.
KOHLER—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher at Erfurt effective from April 12,1888,
to Betriebsinspektor on July 1, 1905 and Erster Revisionsbeamter ("senior
inspector") on March 14, 1906.
KUNZE—posted to Erfurt and promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher on February 1, 1902.
KUTZI —Zeughaus-Buchsenmacher seconded to Erfurt artillery depot from the
rifle factory, where he was concurrently a Hilfsrevisor ("assistant inspector").
Promoted Oberbuchsenmacher on November 1, 1 907.
LIEBERT—managing director of the Danzig rifle factory, transferred to Erfurt
on August 29, 191 1 .
MATHESIUS—posted to Erfurt rifle factory on April 1, 1909, and promoted to
Oberbuchsenmacher.
REIF—posted from Erfurt artillery depot to the rifle factory, as a "Waffen-Revisor,"
effective November 28, 1911 .
SCHUCH—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher and posted to the Erfurt rifle factory,
July 1, 1 905.
WALTHER—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher and posted from Spandau to Erfurt rifle
factories on April 1, 1907.
WIEBE—promoted from Oberbuchsenmacher to Betriebsinspektor in the rifle factory
on April 1, 1909.
Spandau Inspectors:
BALLE—promoted to Waffen-Revisor at Spandau, October 1,1910.
BALSCHMIETER — Oberbuchsenmacher; posted from Erfurt to Spandau rifle factory
on November 1, 1903.
BARANOWSKI—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher and posted to Spandau, effective
September 1, 1900.
BARTZ—posted to the Spandau rifle factory from Danzig on June 12, 1901, and
promoted from Oberbuchsenmacher to Erster Revisionsbeamter on April 1, 1908.
CESARZ—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher and moved from Danzig to Spandau rifle
factories on April 1,1907.
DAHLKE—Oberbuchsenmacher, active in the first decade of the 20th century.
DOBCZYNSKI—Hilfsrevisor, promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher in Spandau, effective
April 1, 1909.
GEBHARDT—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher in the Spandau rifle factory on July
1, 1905, and then posted to the Infanterie-Konstruktionsbureau, Spandau,
effective April 16, 1908.
GRONEBERG—Oberbuchsenmacher; transferred from the Danzig to Spandau rifle
factories on October 1, 1909.
GRUBER—Oberbuchsenmacher; posted to Spandau on April 1, 1908.
HESSHAUS—Oberbuchsenmacher transferred from the Erfurt to Spandau rifle factories
on June 12, 1901 .
KANSCHAT—Waffenmeister; promoted to Waffenrevisor in the Spandau rifle factory,
January 22, 1912.
KELLN ER—Oberbuchsenmacher; transferred from Erfurt to Spandau on October
11, 1902. Promoted to Waffenrevisor and then posted to the Infanterie-Konstruktionsbureau
on October 1, 1910.
KORNER—Oberbuchsenmacher; transferred from Spandau ammunition factory to
Spandau rifle factory on March 23, 1898. Promoted to Erster Revisionsbeamter
on January 1, 1899 and retired on January 1,1913.
KUHWALD—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher while posted to the Spandau rifle factory,
March 1,1907.
MARQUARDT—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher in the Spandau factory, effective
July 1, 1905.
REINKE—Waffenrevisor, Spandau; posted to the Danzig rifle factory, 1912.
SCHILLING—promoted to Oberbuchsenmacher while serving in the Spandau rifle
factory, July 1, 1905.
SCHMIDT—attached to the Spandau rifle factory as Hilfsrevisor, and promoted
to Oberbuchsenmacher there on January 1, 1 907.
SCHON—Oberbuchsenmacher; posted to the Spandau rifle factory from Erfurt,
April 1, 1 908.
TRIEBEL—Oberbuchsenmacher; posted to • Spandau rifle factory on April
1, 1905. There were at least four inspectors with this name, but only one
seems to have served during the Parabellum period.
ZEHNER — promoted Oberbuchsenmacher while serving in the Spandau rifle factory,
April 1, 1908.
Table 2
TABLE 11
A partial summary of the German army's ordnance inspection and acceptance
facilities, 1939 (from Heereseinteilung 1939, edited by Generalleutnant a.D.
Friedrich Stahl, published shortly after WWII by Podzun-Pallas- Verlag, Friedberg).
The abbreviations (W), (E) and (z.D.) in the ranks denote an officer with
special training in Waffen ("weapons"); an emergency (Erganzung) appointment,
usually someone who had been commissioned during World War I and recalled
for duty in the 1 930s; and a "zur Disposition" officer who had been placed
on the inactive list with the proviso that he would be recalled when necessary.
East Zone (Berlin-Schoneberg) Army acceptance official: Oberstleutnant Koenig
Local offices: Berlin-Borsigwalde—Hauptmann (E) von Heyden
Berlin-Tegel—Hauptmann (W) Rulf
Spandau—Hauptmann (WE) Kampe
Unterluhs—Hauptmann (W) Rebeschiess
Zeithain—Major (E) Danneil
Central Zone (Erfurt)
Army acceptance official: Oberst z.D. Aufhammer
Local offices:
Erfurt—Hauptmann (E) Kamps
Freital—Major (W) z.D. Palm
Leipzig—Major (WE) Rieger
Reinsdorf—Oberleutnant (W) Buchmann
Sommerda—Oberleutnant (W) Korner
Suhl—Oberleutnant (W) Korner
West Zone (Hannover)
Army acceptance official: Oberst Krech
Local offices:
Bochum—Oberleutnant (W) Liewert
Dusseldorf—Hauptmann (W) Reiner
Essen—Oberleutnant (W) Skorning
Hannover—Hauptmann (W) Heinrich
Magdeburg 1—Oberleutnant (W) Lenker
Magdeburg 2—Oberleutnant (W) Drescher
Magdeburg-Buckau—Hauptmann (W) Kufferath
South Zone (Nurnberg)
Army acceptance official: Oberstleutnant (WE) Buschatski
Local offices:
Erlangen—Hauptmann (W) Paape
Nurnberg—Lieutenant (W) Salzmann
Oberndorf/Neckar—Hauptmann (E) Krimer
South-East Zone (Wien)
Army acceptance official: Oberst Arnold
Local offices:
Enzesfeld—Hauptmann (E) Richter
Felixdorf—Oberstleutnant Niederle
Hirtenberg—Oberleutnant (W) Konig
Table 3
TABLE 111
Organization of the HWaA sub-bureau in "DWM Werk Luttich" (the sequestered
Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre factory in Herstal-lez-Liege, Belgium)
on August 1,1944.
Source: CIOS Report XXX11-18
Leiter (chief): Oberleutnant (W) Zorn.
Geschaftszimmer (secretariat): la, Fraulein Buttner; Ib, Fraulein Stahl.
Gruppenleiter Gerat (section leader, equipment): Technischer Inspektor Tennert.
Gruppenleiter Pistolen (section leader, pistols): Waffenmeister Porath.
Gruppenleiter Infanterie-Munition (section leader, small arms cartridges):
Oberfeldwebel Pilz.
Lauf-Abnahme (barrel inspection): Feldwebel Hahn.
Gerat-Abnahme (equipment inspection): Wachtmeister Lehnen.
Karabiner-Teile-Abnahme (inspection of rifle parts): Unteroffizier Diekhofer.
Pistolen-Anschuss (test firing, pistols): Unteroffizier Pelzer.
Hulsen und Geschosse-Abnahme (inspection of cartridge cases and bullets):
Unteroffizier Dreyer.
Hulsen-Beschuss (proof firing of cartridge cases ): Unteroffizier Wittenstein.
Chemiker (chemical engineer): Feldwebel Opitz.
Technischer Inspektor Tennert—a civil servant ranking as a Lieutenant, graduate
of an engineering college—was the first Leiter of the Werk Luttich sub-bureau,
apparently using the number 613. He was replaced by an unknown (probably
military) official with the number 103, who in turn handed over to Oberleutnant
Zorn.
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