American Eagle Lugers
Germany
•
6m 27s
Many people are aware of the .45 caliber Lugers made for US military field trials - but far fewer people realize that Lugers were both tested by the US military and sold commercially several years prior to the .45 tests.
In 1900, the US military put several hundred 7.65mm Luger pistols into field trials with both infantry and cavalry units. These pistols were marked with a large and elaborate American eagle crest, in an attempt by DWM to enhance the gun's appeal to Americans. A similar tactic was used in production of Lugers for Swiss sale, with a large Swiss cross (and it worked well).
After complaints about the small caliber of the early 1900 Lugers, DWM developed the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, and attempted to sell them commercially in the US (and elsewhere). A small batch were also purchased for further military testing.
Up Next in Germany
-
FG-42 German Paratroop Rifle (Transfe...
Only a few dozen of these are in private hands in the US, and they are an extremely advanced design for WWII.
-
Walther Volkspistole
As the Second World War started to really take a toll on German industrial production, several companies started to work on alternatives to the P38 handgun in an effort to reduce production cost and time. This is one such example made by Walther, with a normal type of milled slide and an experime...
-
Luftwaffe Drilling and US M6 Survival...
Today we're looking at a pair of military survival rifles. One is a Luftwaffe M30 drilling - the most finely finished and luxurious survival rifle ever issued by a military force. The other is a US Air Force M6 survival gun - spartan and utilitarian - the polar opposite of the M30.
