[Jan C Still]

1906 TEST-1915 DWM-EAST GERMAN POLICE
(I know almost nothing concerning East German police reworks. Please correct or add information as appropriate.)



Download Attachment: 1906TEST1.jpg
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Figure 1. Left slant, East German police rework.: bottom half of Luger,1906 German Test serial number 29; top half of Luger, 1915 DWM serial 5145i. The top and side plate have been forced matched by the East German police. An “X” has been used to cross out the serial numbers on the side plate and the middle toggle link. The bulls eye grips are East German. The original East German finish had blued small parts. When I purchased this Luger it had been re-strawed and refinished by Thor.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST2.jpg
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Figure 2. Top of East German police rework. The number 29 has been added to the rear toggle link.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST3.jpg
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Figure 3. Left side, detail East German police rework. The sunburst 29 below the takedown lever is an East German Police rework stamp. The 29 is a police unit designation (Vopo?). The original left receiver serial number “5145" has been machined off and replaced with the frame serial number “29". The side plate serial number has been Xed off and replaced by a 29. This work was probably accomplished by an East German Police arsenal during the early 1950's.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST4.jpg
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Figure 4. Right slant, East German Police rework.


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Figure 5. Right side detail, East German Police rework. The German Army acceptance stamps and test proof are on the right receiver. According to a May 6,1913 directive all P08's in service without a hold open were to have the hold open retrofitted. This was accomplished by Erfurt. A small crown / P indicates a hold open was retrofitting to this Luger. The end of the pin placed to retain the hold open is detectable under the blue.



Download Attachment: 1906TEST6.jpg
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Figure 6. Left side, East German police rework. This is a 1906 frame with a provision for a grip safety. The safety was originally manufactured with the “GESICHERT” in the lower position. Later, the safety was altered, the grip portion removed, and the “GESICHERT” was stamped in the upper position and the one in the lower position was obliterated by knurling.

The fxo magazine has been matched to the gun.



Download Attachment: 1906TEST7.jpg
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Figure 7. Details of the obliterated lower “GESICHERT”.



Download Attachment: 1906TEST8.jpg
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Figure 8. Details of the new “GESICHERT” stamped in the upper position. The safety mechanism has been converted to the P08 configuration.

The trigger, safety lever, safety bar, and hold open all bear the original frame serial number of 29. In addition the hold open, safety lever and safety bar all bear a small C/ gothic letter typical of the Luger parts inspecting practice at Erfurt. Likely the hold open was added and the safety altered at the same time, late 1913 or early 1914, by Erfurt.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST9.jpg
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Figure 9. Front of East German police rework, serial number 29, showing unit mark: G.F.M.G.8. (It is of interest that 1906 Army Test, serial number 28, is unit marked: G.F.M.G.10.) The bottom half of this Luger is from one of the rarely encountered 1906 German Test Lugers.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST10.jpg
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Figure 10. Details G.F.M.G.8. unit marking, which, signifies Garde-Füsilier-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 8.

The Garde-Füsilier-Regiment was one of the top German combat Regiments. It was a part of the 3rd Garde Division during World War I. and battled on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Some notes on the World War I battle history of this Division:

3RD. GARDE. DIVISION
1914 NAMAR
1914 RUSSIA AUG. 27 TO SILESIA, INVASION OF S. POLAND, TURNED BACK
1914 SEVER ENGAGEMENTS ON THE BZURA WINTER 1914/1915
1915 CARPATHIANS UZSOK DEFILE ; MARCH -SUMMER CARPATHIANS, ORIENTAL GALICIA, LINSINGENS' ARMY
WINTER 1915/1916 TARNAPOL, BOTHMERS ARMY
1916 SOMME JULY 1, 57.5% LOSSES
1916 GALICA, HALIEZ GERMAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE GREAT LOSSES
1917 LORRAINE
1917 ARTOS, SEVER BATTLES
1917 YPRES JULY 31 GREAT BRITISH ATTACK VERY HEAVY LOSSES
1917 CAMBRAI NOV. 22
1918 BATTLE OF PICARDY MARCH 21-24 ADVANCE HEAVY LOSSES
1918 BATTLE OF THELYS, KEMMEL HEAVY LOSSES APRIL
1918 CHAMPAGNE RHEIMS JULY 25-31 HEAVY LOSSES
1918 ARGONNE SEPT 27-OCT. 5, REAR GUARD EXTREAMLY HEAVY LOSSES
1918 OCT.12 ROMAGNE VIGAROUSLY OPPOSED FIRST AMERICAN ARMY VERY SEVERE LOSSES
ONE OF THE BEST GERMAN DIVISIONS


Download Attachment: 1906TEST11.jpg
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Figure 11. During 1916, the Garde-Füsilier-Regiment M.G. company took part in the battle of the Somme. Sketch of such a machine gun crew during the Battle of the Somme.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST12.jpg
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Figure 12. During 1917 the Garde-Füsilier-Regiment M.G. company took part in the battle of Flanders. Sketch of such a machine gun crew stopping a British attack during the 1917 Battle of Flanders.

 

[Jan C Still]

SOME BACKGROUND ON THE 1906 GERMAN ARMY TEST:
Costanzo(1977, page 177, corrected page 248 06-05-2005)) reports 50 Army proofed 1906 Model Lugers were tested by the Imperial German Army. Walter (1986, page 131) reports that approximately 375 9mm caliber 1906 style Lugers were tested by experimental infantry machine gun detachments starting in 1907.

Surviving examples are described as follows. Test Proof and acceptance stamps on left receiver. 9mm 4 inch barrel. Flat toggle face without toggle lock, coil mainspring, new extractor chamber indicator, originally manufactured with “GESICHERT”(Safe) in the lower position, some later had the grip safety removed and were converted to the P08 safety configuration; the lower “GESICHERT” was knurled out and the “GESICHERT” was moved to the top of the safety recess.

To date, 12 1906 Army Test Lugers are reported in the 3-193 serial range. Of these 5 are unit marked, all to Infantry Regiment Machine Gun Companies. Which, lends credibility to Walters report that these lugers went to machine gun detachments.

Few of these 1906 German Army Test Lugers are reported in collections. The low serial number and alteration of the safety configuration to the P08 style on some of these Lugers, has lead some collectors to speculate that the first 1908 P08's were manufactured using safety altered 1906 frames. As the DWM-German Army contract called for new Lugers, the use of altered 1906 frames in the original German Army contract is highly unlikely. Some of these 1906 German Test Lugers that have their safety altered to the P08 style, may be in collections misidentified as early1908 First Issue Lugers.

REPORTED SERIAL NUMBERS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF 1906 GERMAN ARMY TEST LUGERS (Details of the other 1906 Test Lugers would be most interesting How many had the grip safety removed?)

1906 Army Test, s/n 3 (Costanzo 1977)
1906 Army Test, s/n 13: 129.R.M.G.76. - (129Infanterie-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 76) (Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test , s/n 28 : G.F.M.G.10. - (Garde-Füsilier-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 10)(Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test , s/n 29, mismatch : G.F.M.G.8. - (Garde-Füsilier-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 8) (Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test, s/n 32: 65.R.M.G.xx. <Waffe Nr. illegible> - (65 Infantry-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr.??) (Still/Noll data list)
Waffe Nr. xx)
1906 Army Test, s/n 48 (Costanzo 1977)
1906 Army Test, s/n 51 1908 Safety alterations(Philippe, France)
1906 Army Test, s/n 105 (Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test, s/n 117 (Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test, s/n 118 (Walter 1986)
1906 DWM, s/n 166 : 132.R.M.G.13. - (132 Infanterie-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 13) (Still/Noll data list)
1906 Army Test, s/n 171 (Walter 1986)
1906 Army Test, s/n 193 (Walter 1986)
1906 Army Test, s/n 209: 176.R.M.G.68.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST13.jpg
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Figure 13. Left side, 1906 DWM German Army Test, serial number 166. From an Oregon collection.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST14.jpg
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Figure 14. Details of frame, 1906 DWM German Army Test, serial number 166. Like serial number 29 shown (figure 1-9) above, this Luger has also had its safety altered to the P08 style.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST15.jpg
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Figure 15. Left side details of acceptance stamps and test proofs 1906 DWM German Army Test, serial number 166. The 1906 German Army test and the1908 First Issue are the only German Army Lugers to bear the test proof and acceptance stamps on the left receiver.


Download Attachment: 1906TEST16.jpg
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Figure 16. 1906 DWM German Army Test, serial number 166, unit marked : 132.R.M.G.13. Which signifies 132 Infanterie-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 13. The 133rd Regiment was part of the 39thn Infantry Division During World War I. This Division battled on the Western Front during World War I.