Hi,
It seems that Loewe has been in use with the 'oe' from the beginning. Ludwig Loewe, of Jewish origin, pioneered German engineering and standardization processes in those early engineering dates. He is the founder of what came to be known as the 'DIN' (Deutsches Institut fur Normalisierung) or the German standards office.
He took of the Karlsruhe-based ammunitions factory of Lorenz, which later formed part of DWM, turned into BKIW, back into DWM and later into IWK. (the company still exists, as IWKA (Industriewerke Karlsruhe Augsburg).
Sadly his expoits are played down in the 1939 DWM company history, as his Jewish origins were not exactly appreciated in those days.
German collector Patrick Villiers has done extensive research on Loewe's exploits and I suggest you contact him for more background information on the man Loewe and the company Loewe (still a household name in Europe for electronics goods).
This is an advert dating from 1913 which illustrates the name Loewe in use with the 'oe' spelling. It also illustrates that in 1913, Loewe still had a good grasp on DWM, somthing which was ignored in official records later on.
