I agree with LP08 but I would like to add another perspective. The Belgiums delayed the German rigid time table advance into France. This gave the French time to get their act together. All of which resulted in a tremendous loss of lives and weapons in the first year of the war. Rifles from Erfurt and a loss of workers probably caused manufacturing stress on the facilities at Erfurt. The priority for more rifles and bodies by the army over handguns may have influenced the shift in manufacturing to DWM. Gradually, military tactics moved from the civil war tactic of mass charges to something resembling WW2 tactics and everybody realized that the war would not be over in a few months. Manufacturing adjusted as did the armies.
Personally, I believe that there were bins of parts left over from the manufacture of Lugers at Erfurt. This would account for Erfurt army proof marks on artillery barrels well into 1918. Maybe Erfurt knew they would not produce artilleries for a long time and sold the barrels and some small parts to DWM.
Big Norm
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