Airgun Manufacturers in Zella-Mehlis Germany

[ccdjg]

That makes sense, I find it impossible to believe anyone was making airguns during the war.

There was a very interesting research article by Jim Stonely on this very topic back in 1986 (Guns Review, Dec 1981, pages 1020-1023), entitled “Production of German Airguns, Sporting Guns and Ammunition in World War II”. Using official UK-USA reports (CIOS) and UK reports (BIOS) based on seized Nazi industrial records he found that Haenel, Diana and Venuswaffenwerk. EM-GE and Langenhan were all producing substantial numbers of airguns during the war years. The reasons for this included the need for training guns, and a desire by companies to be in a viable manufacturing position once the war ended. The individual figures for each company are surprising, and for example Diana alone was producing up to 200,000 airguns a year at one point, and Haenel 85,000 air pistols. Hard to believe I will admit, as where are they all now?

[dvd]

Hard to believe I will admit, as where are they all now?

It may be that many persons who owned airguns thought they had better get rid of the airguns rather than be found in possession of what looked like a real weapon and risk arrest or whatever.
If substantial training airguns were made for the armed forces, then I would think that they were kept in barracks and duly destroyed when Germany was over-run or perhaps they had already been melted and machined into powder burners when materials became scarce in the closing stages of the war.
I am no historian but just guessing.

[Geezer]

It may be that many persons who owned airguns thought they had better get rid of the airguns rather than be found in possession of what looked like a real weapon and risk arrest or whatever.
If substantial training airguns were made for the armed forces, then I would think that they were kept in barracks and duly destroyed when Germany was over-run or perhaps they had already been melted and machined into powder burners when materials became scarce in the closing stages of the war.
I am no historian but just guessing.

As far as I know, the German armed forces did not use air guns as trainers. Some were used by the Hitler Youth for marksmanship training.

I believe the “military trainer” thing was started after the war by dealers as a way to boost interest in secondhand German bolt action ball firers.

[arnie2b]

Incase you're not aware of this book, it's in German only though.

[DT Fletcher]

Appears to be available at this source, only.
https://vsmedien-shop.de/buecher/waf...945-2.-auflage

google trans of description:
Product information "Air rifles and air pistols from Suhl and Zella-Mehlis after 1945 2nd edition"
Air rifles and air pistols from Suhl and Zella-Mehlis after 1945 2nd edition
Author: Ernst G. Dieter

After publication of the title "air rifles and air pistols after 1945 from Suhl" about ten years ago and after the discovery of new sources, the time seems ripe,
a revised, new technical details containing and also new models (at times unknown prototypes, patterns) descriptive edition.
In addition to additions in the form of their own, at least knowledge-related "new acquisition", there was both thanks to friendly people interested in topics
the possibility of models offered on relevant "markets" / forums, usually not available for public sale in former times,
e.g. the repeating air rifles from the August-Bebel-Werk, Zella-Mehlis, as well as other interesting developments (eg compressed air or CO² guns)
u. a. of the Suhl companies ETW and FAJAS.

[45flint]

Appears to be available at this source, only.
https://vsmedien-shop.de/buecher/waf...945-2.-auflage

google trans of description:
Product information "Air rifles and air pistols from Suhl and Zella-Mehlis after 1945 2nd edition"
Air rifles and air pistols from Suhl and Zella-Mehlis after 1945 2nd edition
Author: Ernst G. Dieter

After publication of the title "air rifles and air pistols after 1945 from Suhl" about ten years ago and after the discovery of new sources, the time seems ripe,
a revised, new technical details containing and also new models (at times unknown prototypes, patterns) descriptive edition.
In addition to additions in the form of their own, at least knowledge-related "new acquisition", there was both thanks to friendly people interested in topics
the possibility of models offered on relevant "markets" / forums, usually not available for public sale in former times,
e.g. the repeating air rifles from the August-Bebel-Werk, Zella-Mehlis, as well as other interesting developments (eg compressed air or CO² guns)
u. a. of the Suhl companies ETW and FAJAS.

I did end up ordering the book through this website. It was a bit of a challenge ordering on a German website but after a few failures I made it. Google Translate surely is a great tool. I’m sure a German book will be a challenge, there should be a program where you can scan a page and it will pull off the words to translate but fear I’m going to do a lot of typing. Lol

[45flint]

Just got a email in German saying my book is shipped, good sign.

Anyone ever use these type of programs to scan printing and the the program puts it into computer text? Seems it’s possible?

“Optical character recognition, or OCR, is a widespread technology that allows you to scan documents and turn them into editable soft copy documents that you can then easily edit. Plenty of software makers offer OCR, such as Adobe OCR. Microsoft is one of those software makers.”

[45flint]

Incase you're not aware of this book, it's in German only though.

Right on target with computer translating abilities now might be worth it? Certainly has the right pistol on the cover! Lol

[arnie2b]

Die Herstellung von Druckluftgewehren und -pistolen hat in der Region um Suhl und Zella-Mehlis eine mehr als hundertjährige Tradition. Neben einer Reihe weiterer namhafter Firmen, hat insbesondere die Firma C.G. Haenel Suhl, Gewehr- und Fahrradfabrik, in den 1920er und 1930er Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts ein breites Sortiment unterschiedlich ausgestatteter Gewehr- und Pistolenmodelle mit Feder-Druckluft- Antrieb angeboten. Im MEWA- Ernst- Thälmann- Werk Suhl, dem standortidentischen Nachfolgebetrieb des ehemaligen Haenel - Werkes, nahm man nach 1945 unter Nutzung der hier gegebenen personellen und materiellen Vorausetzungen, einige der hauptsächlich von H. Schmeisser entworfenen Druckluftwaffenmodelle zum Vorbild für die in Gang kommende Produktion. Die private Firma Reinhold Manteuffel & Co., sowie das "August- Bebel"- Werk, beide aus Zella-Mehlis, stellten um bzw. nach 1950 einige Jahre ebenfalls Druckluftwaffen her. Hauptproduzenten einer Palette von Luftgewehren für unterschiedliche Ansprüche waren ab etwa 1955 die neu strukturierte Firma "Ernst- Thälmann- Werk Suhl", das daraus ab ca. 1970 hervorgehende "Fahrzeug- und Jagdwaffen Werk Suhl", sowie die hieraus nach 1989 entstandene "Jagd- und Sportwaffen Suhl GmbH". Nach deren Insolvenz 1993 reduzierte die neu gegründete "Suhler Jagd- und Sportwaffen GmbH" dieses Programm auf die Herstellung eines Biathlon - Druckluft - Gewehres. Im Mittelpunkt der insgesamt etwa sechzig Modelle umfassenden Übersicht steht die Vorstellung der nach 1945 von den genannten Firmen produzierten Luftpistolen, Repetier-luftgewehre und Kipplaufluftgewehre für den Jugend- und Freizeitbereich. Aber auch neu entwickelte Druckluftgewehre für den Wettkampf und den Hochleistungs-Match-Bereich sowie Funktions- bzw. Entwicklungsmuster und Prototypen werden beschrieben. Informationen zu technischen Details bestimmter Baugruppen der vorgestellten Druckluftwaffen, wie Abzugs- und Sicherungsmechanismen, Methoden zum Laden dieser Schussgeräte, Komponenten der Visiereinrichtung und Ausführungen zu den physikalischen Grundlagen ergänzen die Modellübersicht. 246 Seiten, Abbildungen s/w und teilweise Farbabbildungen.

Dab musst ihr mahl uben.

German gun books tend to be quite technical, I've got several and they haven't disappointed me yet.
I've not had the need to buy the above copy though.

[frakor]

The books from Ernst G. Dieter are available from schneider sportwaffen too:

https://www.versandhaus-schneider.de...oducts_id/1143

https://www.versandhaus-schneider.de...ducts_id/24598

======================
Frank

[DT Fletcher]

Right on target with computer translating abilities now might be worth it? Certainly has the right pistol on the cover! Lol

Modern German translates very well by computer. It's older text, especially pre-spelling reform, where things get weird. The effort would be in entering the text into computer to then be translated. I, and I'm sure others, would be happy to help if there are any problems.