Mauser gewehr 98 serial numbers
In his book he acknowledges that Erfurt, Danzig and Amberg competed in this postwar commercial arms market. Storz (Rifle and Carbine 98), the arsenal at Amberg is the best known of the four arsenals. From this general outline we can assume that most sporting arms production came to an end sometime in late 1921. This led to demands that Deutsche Werke close down more operations, especially in Bavaria. The transformation to commercial manufacture was slow and the Entente was dissatisfied with the progress, especially when they learned in 1921 that sporting rifles were still being made. Naturally this condition was not a simple process, it is known all the former arsenals were engaged in manufacturing implements of peace, tools, farm equipment, and knives, and all envisioned moving into sewing machines, typewriters and calculators, however such a process was not an overnight process. During February 1920 the stipulation that the arsenals be dismantled and employees cast out was modified, specifically, if the arsenals could be proven to have dispensed with all military related production, and the IAMCC confirmed peaceful production was the only intention, the former arsenals would be allowed to operate under this Deutsche Werke umbrella. Versailles required Germany to dismantle the arsenals and discharge all employees within three months of the signing, however the Entente was nearly as concerned over the unrest and unemployment situation as the German government was. This corporation almost immediately came under fire from the Entente, who were obsessed with the dismantling Germany’s war industries, in particular the state owned operations. Specifically, in December 1919 a state owned conglomerate titled Deutsche Werke AG was formed to absorb the former arsenals and military facilities (shipyards and depots). While little is known about the arsenals activities in this period, we do know the events that the arsenals had to cope with. Before Versailles, the “diktat”, the government had some flexibility, but this six month window was inadequate when faced with revolution in the streets and hostility from the Entente ( the victorious powers, principally led by England and France), who did everything possible to add to the instability. One thing that the government could agree on was the need to keep employment stable, this meant that it resisted all efforts to close down factories, and this included the state owned Arsenals at Spandau, Erfurt, Danzig and Amberg.
Many men simply headed home, often with their small arms…
Demobilization was a requirement of the armistice, the revolutionary atmosphere also made it difficult to deal with an orderly demobilization. This problem of absorbing returning men and maintaining stability always exists after costly and protracted wars, it was magnified in Germany’s case because losing the war meant there were fewer remedies to deal with it. While the government had many worries, perhaps the most pressing one was this problem of unemployment, – it fed the unrest. At the end of the World War, Germany was awash in chaos rioting, looting and Marxist revolutionary violence was widespread together with hordes of young men returning to their homes, with no meaningful employment available, things quickly deteriorated.