1917 vs. 1918

[Big Norm]

Raygun,
everybody on this forum talks about WW1 Lugers and there condition. We look at pictures in the books. But to actually read what went on during the times that these weapons were standard issue and prized trophies of war by humans who were there, well, it adds a little depth and considerably more interest to the collection of these weapons themselves. When I do hunt, there are long periods to total boredom. I joke about my lack of success. But I found that during those cold and wet winter days in Michigan where I am just sitting there with my ears and feet freezing, a good book about WW1 on tape or CD keeps me awake and I don't notice the cold nearly as much. It also afford me the opportunity to try to understand the personalities on those leaders who ordered those men to their deaths and injuries. Its hard to imagine how the foot soldiers could jump out of their trenches and charge blazing machine guns and die in a few minutes by the tens of thousands. How could men stand waist deep in trenches with rats and human waist all over the place.

Then before every major attack these was heavy artillery bombardment. Well those large amounts of artillery shells were unloaded by the train load and any spy could see it being unloaded. So the troups on both sides knew what was going to happen soon. Many times the enemy were able to adjust to the coming artillery barrage and so the carnage created by that barrage slowed the attackers and made them easier targets for the enemy. Many times tens of thousands of men would die for only a few hundred yards of mud. One of the authors of the above mentioned books said that the Germans were particularly good at counter attacking and their bunkers were very sophisticated.

My above mentioned book '11th Month, 11th Day 11th Hour' was particularly sad for me and I cried for a whole day while I hunted. Orders to attack were issued by the allies before the peace treaty was signed. But nobody cancelled the orders on that final day. Field commanders did not know what to do and there was great confusion. Some were told that to not follow orders would result in a court marshal. Everybody on down the lines knew what was going on. Some field commanders disobeyed orders and some didn't. If memory serves me right, some 3,000 allied men perished in the last hours of that day trying to capture land that they would have for free the next day. The book talks about individuals and what happens to them on that day, so it became sort of personalized.

But, to the point of this forum, the tally of manufactured WW1 Lugers doesn't mean much when you try to understand what they have been through. I am amazed at any holsters came through the war at all. I have one 1914 DWM artillery that has unit marks. I have read what that particular unit went through and I can not help but wonder how that particular weapon ever made it through the entire war.
Big Norm