[Jan C Still]

1910 DWM, SERIAL NUMBER 224c, 46.R.(script)M.G.58. DETAILS AND BATTLE HISTORY

1910 DWM Lugers are reported in the 3580b to 5531e serial range and were manufactured without hold open, stock lug, and with commercial style (hidden)serial placement. There is considerable overlap in serial range with the 1911 DWM. About 17,000 were manufactured.


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Figure 1. Left slant view of 1910 DWM, serial number 224c. The serial number placement is hidden (commercial style).


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Figure 2. Top view of 1910 DWM, serial number 224c.


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Figure 3. Right side, 1910 DWM, serial number 224c.


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Figure 4. Right receiver of 1910 DWM, serial number 224c. 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 properly in the white.


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Figure 5. Front of frame and bottom of barrel of 1910 DWM, serial number 224c. The serial number of the take down lever and side plate are in the commercial style (hidden). Note: the halo around the digits of the barrel serial number and lack of halo on the frame serial number. The barrel serial number is through the blue.


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Figure 6. Proper magazine for 1910 DWM.. The large numbers aligned with the long axis of the magazine bottom were used on magazine bottoms from the start of the no suffix 1908 DWM First Issue to the 1911 dated DWM Lugers. A suffix was added to the magazine bottom when the “e” suffix was reached in 1911. Starting in about 1912 smaller letters aligned across the magazine were used.


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Figure 7. Backside of grips showing the last two digits of the serial number (24).


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Figure 8. Front, 1910 DWM, serial number 224c. 46.R(script).M.G.58. : 46 Reserve Infantry Regiment, Machine Gun Company.

 

[Jan C Still]

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Figure 9. 1910 DWM, serial number 224c, holster, iron cross and shoulder board all marked to the 46 Infantry Regiment or its reserve.


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Figure 10. 1910 DWM, serial number 5865d with matching 1913 dated holster.


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Figure 11. Details under the holster flap, showing the magazine and tool compartments. The tool is unmarked, proper for a DWM Luger.


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Figure 12. Markings under holster flap. Manufacture/Moyo/1913


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Figure 13. Markings under holster flap, B.A. XVII/1913 and R. 46. The B.A. XVII signifies: Bekleidungsamt (the clothing procurement/distributing office) of XVII Army Corps. 46R. signifies the 46 Infantry Regiment.


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Figure 14. Inscription on back of iron cross:
“20. Juli. 1916
Kellmer
Btl. Adj. II/Res. 46 "

Deciphered: 20th July, 1916, 2nd Battalion Adjutant of Reserve Infantry Regiment 46, Kellmer (name of recipient of iron cross)

It is of interest to set the background and speculate on what resulted in the award of this iron cross. On 4 June1916 the Russian General Aleski Brusilov attacked Austria Hungary with four Russian Armies along a front 300 miles wide. Within a week Austrian resistance had vanished along a front 200 miles wide. “Only a few German formations held against the Russian tide. The battle depended on small groups of men, sometimes a battery of 77 mm field-guns, at road and rail junctions, a few armored trains, packets of dismounted cavalry, and desperate machine-gunners in the upper floors of village houses.”(Clark, The Eastern Front 1914-1918) Because of German resistance the Brusilov Offensive faltered and by September was held. Russian and Austrian losses exceeded 2 million men.

Russian General Aleski Brusilov, stated “The German’s exhibited such astounding energy, doggedness, sturdy patriotism, courage, discipline, and readiness to die for their country that as a soldier, I cannot but salute them. They fought with lion-like bravery and an amazing tenacity against the whole world. “A soldiers Notebook” page 102 “Historic Atlas WW I”

The 46 Reserve Infantry Regiment was part of the German resistance to the Russian Brusilov Offensive during June, July and August 1916.. The Regiment suffered heavy losses but inflicted scores more on the Russians. The Brusilov Offensive is a probable background for the 20 July 1916 award of this iron cross to Adjudant Kellmer.



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Figure 15. Details of front strap.: 46.R.M.G.58. signifies: 46 Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment, Maschinengewehr-Kompagnie, Waffe Nr. 58

46.R.M.G.58. belonged to the 10.Reserve Division, and the 119 Division during World War I. It battled on the Western and Eastern Fronts.

Some rough notes from “251 Divisions that fought in the War’ on the World War I battle history of the 46th Reserve Regiment.
10TH RES. DIV. (46 Reserve Regiment part of)
1914 France, Meuse, attacks toward Azannes
1915, Woerve,
1915 April transfer to 119 Div.
119TH DIV. (46 Reserve Regiment part of)
1915 Galica -Poland, April, German offensive, Gorlice
1916 Russia, Baranovitchi
1916 Narotch Lake, March opposed Russian offensive
(Clark in his book “The Eastern Front 1914-1918", describes the Russian attack in the Narotch Lake area. “The Russians continued to press forward, lacerated again and again by the cross fire of a few well-sited machine-guns. On March 17th the Russian losses in dead were 9,700, the German 560.” )

1916 Galica, Russian Brusilov Offensive, heavy losses, end of June and July
1917 Galica,
1917 May to Western Front
1917 Flanders June -July serious losses August
1917 Cambrai surprise attack Nov. 20, counterattacks some Losses
1918 Battle of Picardy March-April,attack heavy losses
1918 Battle of Lys,
1918 Battle of Somme August-Sept. decimated
Attack Division March and April offensives, decimated August- Sept Somme


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Figure 16. Machine-gunners, such as those of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 46, were armed with the P08 and battled the Russians on the Eastern Front.


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Figure 17. August 18, 1916, German and Hungarian infantry attack Russian positions in a combined operation during the Russian Brusilov Offensive. The men of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 46 battled in combined operations such as shown here.

 

[Ron Smith]

Jan, Outstanding! If you keep posting this stuff. I'm going to die from anxiety. You're killin' me!! What I would'nt give for a set like that.
Thanks, Ron

 

[Edward Tinker]

Very nice Jan.

In your experience and others, how often do you find the hold open NOT retrofitted? I would imagine not very often?

Ed

 

[Jan C Still]

Ed
Almost all military Lugers without hold opens bear Bavarian unit marks. This suggests that the Bavarian Lugers were not returned to Erfurt for retrofitting before the start of World War I. After the war started Bavarian troops were scattered on two fronts and in numerous countries. Logistics preculded returning the Lugers for retrofitting in the middle of a war.
Jan

 

[Joop van de Kant]

Jan,

Outstandig presentation. In combining the presentation of a superb rig, all matching to one Regiment, with the very detailed history of this unit, you emphasize the why of my kind of collecting.

The finishing touch is the Iron Cross. How did you lay hands on that? Congratulations - many director of a museum would be proud to expose this fine collection.

 

[Gercolctor]

Jan
That is a great presentation and as mentioned, the high point is have an IC I right from the same unit as the Luger. Also the date engraved on the IC allow for strong speculation as to why & where this award was earned.

 

[Jan C Still]

Ron, Ed, Joop, and Joe
Thanks for your kind comments,
Many years ago, when I started collecting unit marked Imperial Lugers, they were not in demand and not valued. Many collectors and dealers wanted their Lugers pristine and considered that the unit marks marred the Luger. There was little competition and soon I had a large collection (now 65+ Imperial unit marked Lugers). Jeff Nolls’ book "The Imperial German Regimental Marking" was published in 1988. Collectors started to understand what the unit markings signified and such Lugers were suddenly in demand. From the beginning, I was interested in unit stamped bayonets, swords, holsters, unit histories, photographs, and other accessories that matched the unit markings on the Lugers in my collection. I made a list of the unit marked Lugers in my collection and watched, the Kube Auction, Manions, SGN, gun/militaria shows, E-Bay and sales by fellow collectors, for matches. Over the years, I was lucky enough to pick up some related accessories.

An iron cross engraved with the unit of the recipient and dated is very rare and over the years I have only found two that matched one of my Lugers unit markings. As I recall, the one shown above was from the Kube Auction. The other is marked to an “Unterofficiere in the I.R. 121" (unfortunately not dated) (Photographs will be forthcoming as soon as I can organize them)
Jan