[Ron Smith]

Got this 1921 Army Reichwehr issue the other day. Pretty decent 90% with an exception. All matching except magazine, which is a DE/63, that will make good trading stock.

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The exception is obvious in the photo. Somebubba put his ID number on it with an electric pencil. Which will be dealt with in short order.




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Something odd, at least to me is that the numbers all have a period after them. Has anyone seen this or know why it was done?
Pistol also has Dove proofs and WaA4 acceptance.


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The serial number 8915 suffix is b . And so is in the proper range for a 1921 Army issue. 10,000 out of approx 50,000 1921s were issued to the Army the remaining 40,000 went to police units. All in the NS,a,and b suffix range. As per Weimar Lugers.

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Now for my reason for grabbing it. I saw it and immediately took two hunting rifles to the nearest friendly gunshop and cashed them in.
It is unit marked to the 4th Eskadron/ Reiter Regiment 8. #57.
And since I had a 1921 marked to 3rd Eskadron/ Reiter Regiment 8 #66, I thought I needed it. I don't know what the odds are, but I bet they're pretty thin.
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The holster is a good example of a defeated and depleted country trying to rebuild their defenses. A 1918 Artillery rework. The stitching holes clearly visible from the previous placement of the strap and harness block.

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This is a photo of the 17th Reiter Regiment taken at Bamberg in 1929. Probably a graduation photo. The smaller is a photo that I won on ebay. After I received it. I discovered that it is of members of the 17th Reiter Regiment on manuvers in 1930.


A Weimar postcard depicting the tradition(derivative units)of the 8th Reiter Regiment.
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Legend on the back of the card listing the units. And excerpt from www.Axis History.com , Shawn Bohannon's web site. Showing these units.

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8. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment

1st Squadron: Westfälisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr.7

2nd Squadron: Dragoner-Regiment König Friedrich III (2. Schlesisches) Nr.8

3rd Squadron: Ulanen-Regiment Kaiser Alexander III von Rußland (Westpreußisches) Nr.1

4th Squadron: Ulanen-Regiment von Katzler (Schlesisches) Nr.2

Training Squadron: 3. Schlesisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr.15 & Jäger-zu-Pferd-Regiment Nr.11



Reiter as well as Artillery and Infantry units were deployed along the Polish Frontier, to defend Germanys eastern border against Polish, Czech and Russian insurgency. Landjägerie (Militarized Rural Police units) were also stationed along the frontier. History seems to ignore the fact that Germany was under attack continuously during the Weimar period.

Internally Germany was a mess. As many as 20 political assassinations per month were taking place as different political factions were trying to take control. Freikorps troops vs Communists vs Anarchists vs Nationalists. A real free for all. I have become very fascinated by this period in Germanys history. It's very interesting. It's becoming easier to understand how it's people could have been wooed into following a demented fanatic into the hell of WWII.

A book that I recently found on ebay. An excellent referrence on the structure and function (or disfunction) of the Reichswehr.

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If anyone has or runs across any documentation on Weimar era Reichswehr units? Please let me know. I am trying to piece together information on them. Which seems to be very scarce. Thanks!
Ron

 

[Edward Tinker]

quote:Something odd, at least to me is that the numbers all have a period after them. Has anyone seen this or know why it was done?

Ron, on one of the forums, there was a discussion on this?

Ed

 

[Jan C Still]

Ron
Excellent presentation and photographs of your cavalry marked 1921 dated Reichswehr alphabet DWM. Reichswehr Cavalry marked Lugers are scarce, but two Lugers from the same regiment is a very rare find!
Thanks
Jan

 

[donmaus]

Ron,
Ed is correct that there was a rather extensive discussion recently about Lugers with periods after the serial numbers. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate it. I did find this discussion in which tomathvl observed the periods on the topic gun. Maybe you can track down the discussion thru him.
http://www.gunboards.com/luger/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3478

 

[Edward Tinker]

On the lugerforum.com there was a discussion about this, PL said he had one with dots after the number.

 

[Ron Smith]

Ed and Don, Thanks for the lead. I will try to track it down.

Jan, Thankyou for the compliment. I am flattered. Little by little I am learning from the master.

Ron

 

[lugerholsterrepair]

Ron, Delightfull presentation. I really enjoyed it. Nicely thought out and historical. Jerry Burney

 

[Ron Smith]

Thanks Jerry,
I have found a couple of interesting books on the history of the Weimar period. I like most other people,I guess. Thought it to be kind of a bland ho-hum period in Germany's history. Actually,it was more of a Wild West,live hard die young time.

Ron

 

[Edward Tinker]

That is why the period fascinates me so much Ron. Please share the book names (if they are worth it).

Ed

 

[donmaus]

Ron,
Here's the link that Ed and I were trying to remember: http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=11000

Sounds like you may poke a hole in the theory that these dots are only on police weapons.

I second Ed's request for the names of good references to Weimar history.

 

[Ron Smith]

Hi Ed, One is on ebay now. Link is below. The other is "The Collapse Of The Weimar Republic" By David Abraham put out by Princeton University Press. Out of print,or so I understand. The one on ebay is the best military referrence. The other is the political aspects of how and why.
Ron
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=378&item=4523380640&rd=1

 

[Ron Smith]

Don, Thanks! They have more than one for sale on ebay. Buy it now $20. It's a good book.
I revived the dot thread on the Luger forum.


http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=81727#post81727 Ron

I started a new thread.http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11241

 

[keoki7]

Almost 90% of the histories of the Weimar Republic focus on social issues and politics. A couple of good titles that deal with the Reichswehr are "Knights Cross"? a biography of Erwin Rommel, "Evolution of Blitzkrieg Tactics", "Paramilitary Politics in Weimar Germany", "A Genius for War" also one about General von Seekt, I'll have to dig it out later.

Also try Osprey Books I have a copy of "The German Freikorps 1918-1923" they may well have something on the Reichswehr.

For novels offering insight into the times, I like Remarque's "Three Comrades", "The Road Home" and even "The Arch of Triumph".

 

[Ron Smith]

Geo, Thanks for the referrences. Osprey is out of the Freikorps book. It sounds interesting. I'll check around and see what I can find.

Ron

 

[Edward Tinker]

Ron, I did the buy it now on the Blitzkrieg Tactics Germany, should make interesting reading!

eD

 

[Ron Smith]

Ed, It is a pretty good book. It gives details on the German units. As well as their deployment. And also on Polish, Czech and Russian units.
It gives you a feel for why the Germans were intent on hammering the Czechs and Poles in the beginning of WWII. They were'nt as innocent as history tends to lead you to believe. Of course this does'nt give Hitler and the Nazis justification for the invasions and devistation either.
Ron

 

[lugerholsterrepair]

Like George I am a big fan of Erich Remarque. I just found a copy of Flotsom. A very good writer and he gives a very distinct taste of the tough times of the period. Well worth finding his books and reading them, hours of pure enjoyment. Jerry Burney

 

[Ron Smith]

Thanks Jerry, I'll look around for them. I'm getting more and more fascinated by this period.

Ron

 

[lugerlou]

Ron

For whatever reason I had missed this post, back to the issue of the lugers they are a very nice set and well representative of the weimar reichwehr.



Nice to see that the two are in your collection of unit marked Reiter Regiment lugers.

You are quite correct in that the Germans were literally bieng torn apart (politicaly and emotionally) during these times.

One has to wonder how the old generals kept the Weimar army together under these conditions (discipline and determination) I suspect.

It is easy to understand how the German people were brainwashed under Hitlers evil Third reich period.

Thanks to the Nurenberg trials his cronies received their just dividends.

 

[Ron Smith]

Hi James,

The book in the photo explains exacly how they did it. And the hatred and internal disputes that took place because of their actions. It also goes into detail about the corruption and double dealing that was going on. The Freikorps was actually a whole Army of fractionalized units of WWI vets that were in small bands. Each commanded by a WWI officer that pretty much ran things to their own tastes.

Kind of like medievel Warlords, each with their own band of warriors. The Freikorps often fired on the Reichswehr and vice versa and the police units, for the most part, were caught in the middle. And even their leaders were siding with one faction or another. And the Police Unions yet another.

Ron