Important site update

[Dwight Gruber]

Mauro,

I suggest that there is no conflict between the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles and the 1920 Property Mark requirement for stamping weapons which were to become forbidden.

The Versailles Treaty, which was not completed and signed until June 1919, was a general document which identified in broad terms the principles under which Germany was to be disarmed, and the limits on the numbers of its armed forces and the weapons which they were permitted. It also specified the manner in which surplus arms were to be surrendered for destruction. These terms are laid out in Treaty Chapter I Article 162 and Chapter II Articles 164-170.

The treaty does not, however, include the detailed regulations, such as limitations on barrel length, caliber, etc. which have come to be associated with it. These regulations were actually promulgated by the Interallied Military Control Commission (IMKK), the regulatory and enforcement agency established under the treaty.

Since neither the IMKK itself nor its charter existed before June 1919, its detailed work must have occurred after that date. We know that Germany willfully circumvented the spirit and letter of the Treaty whenever possible. It is established by example, for instance, that DWM did not finally cease production of pistols intended for military and police use until 1921, and therefore did not â??divestâ?� itself of the means of such production until after that date.

I speculate here, then, that there was a period of time during which the IMKK developed its regulations, to supplement and amplify the general Treaty provisions, and in response to circumstances within Germany as they evolved regarding German non-compliance. It is possible that, when the 1920 property mark instructions were established in August, 1920, the regulations which resulted in the banning of the TG18, MP18 and LP08 had not yet been completed.

This speculation can be tested by detailed examination of the records of the IMKK, to determine the dates of establishment of its regulations and its ad hoc activities in their enforcement. I imagine the documents are voluminous.

I have not seen citations of dates of specific regulations, but I may have not looked in the right place, or have not been paying attention. I expect the documents are available somewhere. This is a subject of some interest to me, if anyone reading this knows offhand of a convenient source for these documents Iâ??d appreciate hearing about it.

--Dwight