1938 Mauser company history
 

Hi all,

I'm pleased to announce that I just got my hands on a very interesting piece of literature.

'Geschichte der Mauserwerke'

The book is a 229-page book, filled with photo's, published in 1938 by VDI Verlag in Berlin to celebrate the 125th birthday of the Mauser company.

The book is still in Germany, but photo's show it's in a pretty good state, apart from a bit of a battered cover, with a large number of photo's taken at the Mauser production facilities.

It's similar in style and appearance to another company history book I own. The DWM 50th anniversary book, also by VDI verlag and published in 1939.

Needless to say I'm very happy (although some $*$ wasp stung me twice while in the middle of the bid war).

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/mauser01.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/mauser02.jpg

http://forum.lugerforum.com/lfupload/mauser04.jpg

Hi Gerben,
Very interesting. Is there some photos of the personnel and tools for the Luger production?
Ciao
Mauro

It would be great if this book could put to rest the debates over who produced which Lugers in the period 1929 - 35.

Mauser Werke History
 

Hi:

I am insulted that the Nazis didn't, at least, put a large oak leaf on the front cover!!

Reading their version of the history of the company would be very interesting, as, somehow, I don't think that they will mention the fact that DWM was originally a Jewish owned firm.

Well, the photos may be of some historical interest.

Sieger

Sieger,

Well, if it follows the same lines as the DWM history, things won't be too bad. The DWM history only 'disguised' the fact that DWM was a Loewe spin-off and initially Loewe property.

So they wrote that DWM took over Loewe's production facilities, which they didn't. Part of the Loewe company was restructured and got the DWM name. DWM remained the property of Loewe for quite some time.

I hope there are some more Luger details in that book. The picture above with a tabletop full of C/96's is at least promising.

Primary sources of history such as this document are fascinating to me. Every author can be expected to insert his own bias into a document, even if striving to be objective. This one would have to be read with a monumental awareness of that fact, considering the source, as Sieger suggests.

I have a book called "Give Prohibition a Chance" for example which was written by a most radical opponent of drinking. It's exaggerations and tone make it ineffective as a persuasive instrument, but it's very interesting and great for a history buff.