Howard,
Cosanzo's documentation of the physical marks on Luger pistols is without parallel, and probably will never be eclipsed.
As I have studied and researched Lugers, I have found that Costanzo's interpretation of many of these marks has been superceded by research and documentation which has been forthcoming in the more than 30 years since his book was published. In the 21st century, many of his speculations appear to be without foundation and, frankly, often do not make any sense.
Costanzo is one of the references I use most frequently, and which I have come to regard sceptically. That is, when I open it, I use it as the beginning of a search for meaning, rather than the end. I use it in conjunction with other sources, thereby learning about Costanz's book itself as well as the topic under consideration.
Note, that I regard hsis analysis of this mark with scepticism, not that I reject it out of hand. When I saw it, a number of thoughts came to mind. I am not at home now, so I cannot pull out Costanzo's book and see the actual configuration of the mark (which in this case is somewhat obscured by whitening). I also cannot read his comments: is this mark found in one of the places in which he describes it? Does he give a date range?
As this mark is an eagle rather than a crown, it is unlikely to be an Imperial mark. The form of the eagle suggests the Weimar period. Was there in fact a "5th Machine Gun crew"? Did they have a training facility? Is this unit identifier in a format which would be used by either the Imperial Army or the Reichswehr? Is the stamp itself in a format or position which would have any meaning in either of those orgnizations?
As I consider the possibilities, I wonder what else it might be? What characteristics do this mark share with other Luger markings?
Heers Zeugamts stamps are found in several different formats. Although complete stamps are seen--e/HZaJt18, Heers Zeugamt depot #18 in Ingolstadt (Jngolstadt), for example--they are often found abbreviated, without the HZa, in smaller-size stamps. The eagles above the inscription are not consistent, and sometimes the eagle is not present--Su25, the Heers Zeugamt depot #25 in Spandau, for example.
This makes me wonder if there is a Heers Zeugamt with the initials Mg? As I am not on my home computer I cannot research this at the moment, either.
Perhaps my initial comment was a bit glib, or perhaps it was a little too early in the morning to produce this more fully considered answer. The wording is representitive of the fact that I cannot research more thoroughly at the moment.
Anyway, this is representitive of the thought process which occurs to me whenever I reference Costanzo.
--Dwight
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