Customer Reviews

German Military Rifles & Machine Pistols 1871-1945:

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased the book hoping to find more detail on the Steyr Solothurn S1-100 MP34 (o). Unfortunately, given the large number of arms covered it is limited in detail as to each one. While much more indepth than most that mearly try and cover each weapon it does give a richer history and background into their development. A unique blend of history of German arms and details of specific weapons. Someone looking for a reference book on a specific weapon should look elsewhere but the collector that wants a broader understanding of the background and details of producing weapons for Germany prior to and during WW II this is a revealing work. Illustrations are good.

GERMAN MILITARY RIFLES & MACHINE PISTOLS, 1871-1945
HANS DIETER GOTZ
SCHIFFER PUBLISHING, 2011
HARDCOVER, $59.99, 250 PAGES, PHOTOGRAPHS, TABLES, CHARTS, DRAWINGS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, SOURCES


It wasn't the saber-rattling Prussian Wilhelm I who gave the Germans their first modern breech-loading military rifle, but of all people, the Bavarian "Fairytale King" Ludwig II. The dreamer on the throne, of whom everyone knew that weapons were about the last thing that interested him, involved himself with amazing personal participation in the experiments of the Bavarian Handgun Testing Commission in 1869. The king ordered the introduction of a gun that the Nurnberg manufacturer Ludwig Werder had designed. Thus Ludwig II brought Bavaria for a short time to the lead in weapon-technology progress in Europe.

With the birth of modern-day Germany in 1871, their state-of-the-art weapon technology passed to it in the form of the first Mauser gun which set new international standards for the design of military weapons. This excellant weapon was to keep the German weapons industry in the lead for almost seventy years until the end of the war in Europe in May, 1945. Upon Germany's defeat, the Allies found that German machine carbines with short cartridges were still a generation ahead of their time.

Germany's armed forces were known throughout the world for their superb equipment, even though weapons were almost always in short supply. Following World War I, its army had been severely restricted in size and quantity of armaments by the terms of the Versailles Treaty of 1919. Nevertheless, Germany stockpiled and concealed as much weaponry as possible and then made agreements with foreign industrial companies for further development of desired weapons throughout the 1920s. After 1933, the restrictions were abandoned and a period of rapid growth in the capability and number of infantry weapons began. When war broke out in 1939, most German soldiers still used stockpiled older weapons, while the elite units received the new weapons. The common German infantryman played a crucial role in the events that led to the creation of Germany in 1871 to 1945.

This book portrays both in words and photographs the development of the modern German weapons and their ammunition, including the scarcely known experimental types, such as the six predecessors of the 98 carbine and the first machine pistols in the world with short cartridges of 1935.

But this richly illustrated book is more than just a specialized work about German weapons and machine pistols. The author, Hans-Dieter Gotz, presents the weapons in relation to the political, economic, and technical events of their times of origin. He taps unknown material as well as overlooked archival material that provides new information on these weapons. Anyone interested in the history and development of German military rifles and machine pistols will appreciate this highly detailed and well written book.



Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

This is an interesting book. The story of the evolution of the repeating and later self-loading rifles weaves together divergent and often conflicting priorities, biases and technologies.
It's nicely covered and makes a fascinating story - assuming you are interested in antique marshal arms. Detailed photographs are a plus. The author has another volume that covers German rifle development up to 1870 - apparently though not available in English.
This book suffers from an awkward, probably too literal, translation into English that could have used another heavy edit or two. Also at one point several paragraphs are repeated. More sloppy editing.