Quote:
Originally Posted by DonVoigt
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The French assembled...
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At the risk of being pedantic, it wasn't the French doing the assembly work. It was the Mauser factory workers doing all the work as directed by the French occupation forces.
The operation of the Mauser plant under the authority of the French occupation forces, 1945 - 1946, was one of those off-the-wall events. This operation was a clear violation of the Four Powers Agreement and it occasioned pressure from the American, British, and (especially) Soviet occupation forces for the French to cease and desist.
The French ignored that pressure, temporized acting on the demands that it cease production of arms by Mauser, and continued to force the Germans to make arms for the French. Production continued until the leftover materials at the Mauser plant were exhausted and arms production was no longer possible, at which time the French looted the Mauser factory for tooling and destroyed most of the structures.
Prior to the exhaustion of parts and other materials the Mauser plant produced quantities of Lugers, P.38s, Mauser HsC pistols, and Kar 98 rifles for the French.
During this period (1945 - 1946) Mauser was also tasked by the French occupation forces to design and produce a .22 trainer version of the Kar98k. Mauser did so, named this rifle the "Model 45", and produced some quantity of these for the French. The tooling to make the Model 45 was a part of the Mauser tooling taken by the French just before they destroyed Mauser, and that tooling was used in France to produce the Model 45 under the nomenclature "MAS 45".
After the destruction of the Mauser plant Mauser management sent the French a bill for the development and production of the Model 45 rifles delivered to the French occupation forces.
The French ignored the bill.