Spreewerk

Last updated February 23, 2019

Metallwarenfabrik Spreewerk GmbH was a German weapons manufacturing company. Spreewerk produced a number of important weapons and components before and during World War II including 280,880^[1] of the Walther P.38 pistol which was the standard service pistol of the German Heer , and the famous 8.8 cm Flak anti-aircraft gun.

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The Walther P38 is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that was developed by Carl Walther GmbH as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942.

A service pistol is any handgun or sidearm issued to military personnel or law enforcement officers.

History

The Berlin-Karlsruher Industrie Werke (BERKA) was founded in 1920 as a successor to the Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken AG, one of Germany's largest munitions firms of the prewar era. Under the regime of the Versailles treaty the firm was forced to give up the manufacture of armaments, which had been its core business. Most of the facilities that had grown up to meet the needs of war were reduced and BERKA carried on with factories in Berlin and Karlsruhe, manufacturing a variety of light metal goods.

In 1928 the firm passed under the control of Günther Quandt who moved the company into the production of business machines, acquiring typewriter manufacturer Olympia Schreibmaschinen in 1929, and opening a new factory in 1933 at Erfurt to manufacture cash registers and other business machines. Under Herr Quandt's leadership further acquisitions followed.

In 1938 the firm re-entered the field of munitions production, establishing Metallwarenfabrik Spreewerk to undertake the fabrication of munitions components at the former Berlin-Spandau factory of the defunct Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken. This was followed in 1939 by the establishment of a modern ammunition loading facility on a forty hectare site near the city of Lübeck by the newly established Maschinen für Massenverpackung GmbH. Early in 1940 the firm strengthened its role in the manufacture of industrial machinery through the acquisition of the Berlin-Anhaltische Maschinenbau of Dessau.

The factories of the firm include:

Berlin-Karlsruher Industrie Werke AG, Berlin-Borsigwalde (metal fabrication)
Berlin-Karlsruher Industrie Werke AG, Karlsruhe-Durlach (metal fabrication)

Subsidiaries of the firm include:

Berlin-Anhaltische Maschinenbau AG, Dessau (machine building)
Maschinen für Massenverpackung GmbH, Lübeck-Schlutup (munitions)
Metallwarenfabrik Spreewerk AG, Berlin-Spandau (munitions)
Olympia Büromaschinenwerke AG, Erfurt (business and tabulating machines)
Olympia Schreibmaschinen AG, Berlin-Spandau (typewriters and business machines)
Sächsische Maschinenfabrik AG, Chemnitz (machine building)^[2]

Spreewerk was formed in September 1935 in Spandau Germany as a subsidiary of Deutschen Industrie-Werke A.G. (DIWAG).^[3] Spreewerk was involved in weapons production from its formation until April 1945 at the Spandau complex; and from June 1942 to April 1945 at the Grottau, Czechoslovakia factory named Werk Grottau.^[4]

Spandau is the westernmost of the twelve boroughs (Bezirke) of Berlin, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and extending along the western bank of Havel. It is the smallest borough by population, but the fourth largest by land area.

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

Hrádek nad Nisou is a town in the Czech Republic.

Products

WWII era weapons produced by Spreewerk include:

Spandau, Germany
- s 10 cm K 18 ^[5]
- 15 cm sFH 18 ^[6]
- 8.8 cm Flak ^[7]
Grottau, Czechoslovakia
- P.38 Pistol ^[8]^[9]^[10]
- VG 2 Rifle ^[11]

The 10.5 cm schwere Kanone 18 was a field gun used by Germany in World War II. The German army wanted a new 10.5 cm gun as well as 15 cm howitzer which were to share the same carriage. Guns are heavier than howitzers due to the longer barrel. This also led to the 15 cm sFH 18. As such both weapons had a similar weight and could be carried by a similar carriage. By 1926 Krupp and Rheinmetall had specimen designs, and prototypes were ready by 1930, but was not fielded until 1933–34. Both Krupp and Rheinmetall competed for the development contract, but the Wehrmacht compromised and selected Krupp's carriage to be mated with Rheinmetall's gun.

The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18, nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"), was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer during the Second World War, serving alongside the smaller but more numerous 10.5 cm leFH 18. Its mobility and firing range and the effectiveness of its 44 kilogram shell made it the most important weapon of all German infantry divisions. A total of 6,756 examples were produced.

8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 anti-aircraft warfare

The 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41 is a German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. Development of the original model led to a wide variety of guns.

Markings

The Waffenamt inspector at Spreewerk Grottau was assigned code WaA88. The Waffenamt stamp applied to Spreewerk produced P.38 pistols was an Eagle over 88 (e/88).^[12] Spreewerk produced P.38 pistols were marked with the "cyq" and "cvq" manufacturer's code.^[13]

Waffenamt (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of Germany and also during the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and later Wehrmacht. It was founded 8 November 1919 as Reichwaffenamt (RWA), and 5 May 1922 the name was changed to Heereswaffenamt (HWA).

Related Research Articles

Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK) is a German defense manufacturing company that manufactures handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France and the United States.

The Pistole Parabellum—or Parabellum-Pistole, commonly known as just Luger—is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1948. The design was first patented by Georg Luger as an improvement upon the Borchardt Automatic Pistol and was produced as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System by the German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The first production model was known as the Modell 1900 Parabellum. Later versions included the Pistol Parabellum Model 1908 or P08 which was produced by DWM and other manufacturers such as W+F Bern, Krieghoff, Simson, Mauser, and Vickers. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. In German Army service, it was adopted in modified form as the Pistol Model 1908 (P08) in caliber 9×19mm Parabellum. The Model 08 was eventually succeeded by the Walther P38.

Mauser, begun as Königliche Waffen Schmieden, is a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols have been produced since the 1870s for the German armed forces. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mauser designs were also exported and licensed to a large number of countries which adopted them as military and civilian sporting firearms. The Mauser Model 98 in particular was widely adopted and copied, and is the foundation of many of today's sporting bolt action rifles.

SIG Sauer[ɛs iː ɡeː ˈzaʊ̯ɐ] is the brand name used by two sister companies involved in the design and manufacture of firearms. The original company, SIG Sauer GmbH, is a German company, formed in 1976 as a partnership between Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG) of Switzerland and J.P. Sauer & Sohn of Germany.

Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded as the Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität in 1883 in Berlin by Emil Rathenau. After World War II its headquarters moved to Frankfurt am Main.

Vis is a 9×19mm caliber, single-action, semi-automatic pistol. Its design was inspired by American firearms inventor John Browning's 9mm "Browning GP" pistol which was completed after Browning's death by designers at Fabrique Nationale in Herstal Belgium. Production of the Vis began at the Fabryka Broni arms factory in Radom in 1935, and was adopted as the standard handgun of the Polish Army the following year. The pistol was valued by the Germans and towards the end of the war issued to German paratroopers. Largely based on the Browning Hi-Power and using 9 mm rounds, the Vis is highly prized among collectors of firearms.

Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken Aktien-Gesellschaft, known as DWM, was an arms company in Imperial Germany created in 1896 when Ludwig Loewe & Company united its weapons and ammunition production facilities within one company. In 1896 Loewe founded Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken with a munitions plant in Karlsruhe (Baden), formerly Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik Lorenz, and the weapons plant in Berlin. Shares that Loewe had in other gun- and ammunition plants were transferred to DWM. This included Waffenfabrik Mauser, Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN) in Belgium and Waffen- und Munitionsfabrik A.G. in Budapest. The DWM was orchestrated by Isidor Loewe (1848–1910), as his brother Ludwig had died in 1886. Karl Maybach was employed by the Loewe company in 1901.

The 5 cm Pak 38 (L/60) was a German anti-tank gun of 50 mm calibre. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, and was in turn followed by the 7.5 cm Pak 40.

The Sauer 38H or often just H was a small semi-automatic pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1938 until just after the end of World War II by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, then based in Suhl, Germany. The "H" in the model number is short for "hahn", referring to the internal hammer of the firing mechanism.

Otto Eberhardt Patronenfabrik was a munitions company established in 1860. The company's Hirtenberger Patronen, Zündhütchen und Metallwarenfabrik near Wiener Neustadt used forced labor during World War II from a sub-camp of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and produced ammunition including 9×19mm Parabellum and 8 mm Mauser (rifle) cartridges. The company also had a factory in Ronsdorf near Wuppertal which produced rifles. Additional Gustloff facilities were in Meiningen and Weimar.

J. P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH is a manufacturer of firearms and machinery and is the oldest firearms manufacturer still active in Germany. The products of this company are frequently referred to as Sauer.

Berliner Maschinenbau German manufacturing company

Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.

Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik, founded in 1910 by Gustav Otto, was one of the pioneering aircraft producers at the turn of the 20th century. It was reorganized into Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, which was merged into BMW AG in 1922.

The 9×25mm Mauser was a cartridge developed for the Mauser C96 service pistol around 1904 by DWM. Mauser pistols in this relatively powerful caliber were primarily intended for export to Africa, Asia and South America. The 9mm Mauser Export cartridge was produced specifically for Mauser pistols and carbines made from 1904 to 1914 and then later from approximately 1930 to 1945 for submachine guns chambered for this caliber.

The Ortgies 7.65 mm pistol was a hammerless semi-automatic pistol produced in Germany in the years immediately after World War I, first by its inventor Heinrich Ortgies and then by Deutsche Werke. Inexpensive, but of good quality, the pistol achieved considerable success at contemporary shooting competitions and, as an export product, was popular throughout the Americas.

The 12.8 cm FlaK 40 was a German World War II anti-aircraft gun. Although it was not produced in great numbers, it was one of the most effective heavy AA guns of its era.

Manurhin is a trademark used by Chapuis Armes beginning in 1998, and located in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, France to designate the Manurhin MR73 revolver. Manurhin is also used the designate Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin the original designer and manufacturer of said revolver but who now only manufactures military munitions.

Alkett was a major manufacturer of armored vehicles for the Wehrmacht during World War II. The main factory was located in Berlin-Borsigwalde on the Breitenbachstraße. As more sites were added, the name changed to Altmärkische Kettenwerke.

Spandau Arsenal was the center for development of military small arms for Imperial Germany from the Industrial Revolution until 1919. Spandau engineered and tested improved infantry weapons.

References

↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.110 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ "Weswold Profiles of Industrial Companies" . Retrieved 2014-08-26.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.8 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.12, p.110-111 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Terry Gander Germany's Guns 1939-45, p.28 ISBN 1-86126-110-1.
↑ Terry Gander Germany's Guns 1939-45, p.29 ISBN 1-86126-110-1.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.11 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Chris Bishop (ed.) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, p.229 ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
↑ Terry Gander Germany's Infantry Weapons 1939-45, p.157 ISBN 1-86126-181-0.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.223-232 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.160-164 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.
↑ Whittington III, Major Robert D. German Pistols and Holsters 1934/1945: Military - Police - NSDAP, p.61-62 ISBN 0-9603094-7-0.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.110 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[2] "Weswold Profiles of Industrial Companies" . Retrieved 2014-08-26.

[3] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.8 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[4] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.12, p.110-111 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[5] Terry Gander Germany's Guns 1939-45, p.28 ISBN 1-86126-110-1.

[6] Terry Gander Germany's Guns 1939-45, p.29 ISBN 1-86126-110-1.

[7] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.11 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[8] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[9] Chris Bishop (ed.) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, p.229 ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.

[10] Terry Gander Germany's Infantry Weapons 1939-45, p.157 ISBN 1-86126-181-0.

[11] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.223-232 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[12] Balcar, Jan & Clarin, Ron The P.38 Pistol: Spreewerk Production, p.160-164 ISBN 978-1-60458-364-9.

[13] Whittington III, Major Robert D. German Pistols and Holsters 1934/1945: Military - Police - NSDAP, p.61-62 ISBN 0-9603094-7-0.