Peacetime headstamps

Germany (12)[edit]

(?-1919)

All loading, assembly and packing of ammunition took place at Spandau Arsenal. Peacetime headstamps had the 2-digit year of production at 3 o’clock, month of production at 9 o’clock, and content case manufacturer (S for Spandau or P for Polte) at 6 o’clock. Wartime headstamps had the 2-digit year of production at 12 o’clock, case type (S67 = Brass made with 67% copper) at 3 o’clock, content case manufacturer at 6 o’clock, and the batch number at 9 o’clock.
The carton label had three lines of text. The first line would be made up of the bullet type, cartridge assembly and packing facility (Mf. for Spandau’s Munitionsfabrik), followed by the date of assembly (in the format MM.DD.YY; 2-digit Month, the Day, and 2-digit Year). The second line concerned the propellant manufacturer (P. for Spandau’s Pulverfabrik or Tr. for the powdermill at Troisdorf). The third line listed the model of primer (Zdh, or zundhuetchen), the date of manufacture, and the manufacturer; an “X” between the primer type and date of manufacture indicated it was a type of primer with a low mercury content.

  • C Munitionsfabrik Cassel (“Ammunition Factory at Kassel”) – Kassel, Hesse-Nassau, Germany. Closed after the war. Old wartime-manufactured batches of catridges were still being loaded in the early 1920s by German cartridge-manufacturers who bought up the remaining stock. (They had a declaration on the label that attested that they were old production, to prevent accusations they circumvented the Versailles Treaty).
  • SKaiserlich Munitionsfabrik (“Imperial [Prussian] Munitions Factory”) (1722-1919) – Spandau Arsenal, Spandau, Berlin, Germany. Manufactured 7.92mm Mauser ammunition. It was decommissioned in 1919 and was no longer allowed to manufacture war materiel. Gustav Genschow & Co. (GECO) bought the facility in 1924 and used it to make .22-caliber target rifles. GECO loaded cartridges with wartime-manufactured Spandau cases, presumably ones they picked up when they bought the facility.
    • Mf. Munitionsfabrik – The portions of Spandau arsenal dedicated to making cartridge cases and bullets, assembling full cartridges, and packing them into cartons and crates. This would be found in the middle of the first line of the ammo carton label, followed by F1, F2 or F3 (the number of the assembly line that assembled the ammunition).
    • P Pulverfabrik – The portions of Spandau arsenal dedicated to manufacturing propellants. The code P. would be followed by the propellant batch number, the letter L. (for Lieferung > “Shipment”) and the 2-digit year of manufacture.
  • P Polte – Magdeburg, Saxony, Germany.
  • D. Königlich Sächsisch Arsenal (“Royal Arsenal of Saxony”) – Dresden, Saxony.
  • DM Karlsruhe, DM K Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik (“German Metallic Cartridge Factory”) (1889-1896) – Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany. It started making Mauser rifle ammunition for the Argentinian Army in 1891 and the Prussian Army in 1893. It was reorganized in 1896 to form Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The “DM” headstamp was used by DWM until the early 20th century, perhaps after using up all the old DM cases and headstamp bunters in stock.
  • DWM Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (1896-1945) – Berlin–Borsigwalde, Germany. Between 1922 and 1936 the company is briefly renamed Berlin-Karlsruher Industrie-Werke AG (BERKA). It secretly begins armament production in 1928.
  • H E & C Patronenhulsenfabrik Henri Ehrmann & Cie. (1872-1878) – Karlsruhe, Baden, Germany. A cartridge-case factory set up by Henri Ehrmann and Leopold & Wilhelm Holtz. It is bought out by engineer Wilhelm Lorenz in 1878 and becomes Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik Lorenz In 1883 it begins production of complete cartridges and is renamed Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik Karlsruhe-Baden. Bought out by Ludwig Loewe & Cie in 1889 and merged with Pulverfabrik Rottweil-Hamburg (“Rottweil Powdermill at Hamburg”) and the Vereinigte Rheinisch-Westfälische Pulverfabriken (“United Rhenish & Westphalian Powdermills”) to form Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik.[17]
  • N & S Niebecker und Schumacher – Solingen, Germany.

(1919-1926)

The post-war German government assembled cartridges at the Wehrkreis (“Defense District”) arsenals. War industries were reduced to monopolies: Polte was selected to supply cartridge cases and bullets and Dynamit Nobel was selected to provide explosives and propellants. Cartridge-loading machines were installed at artillery depots to train technicians in how to operate the machinery in times of emergency. The Wehrkreise were reorganized and increased after Hitler came to power.

  • I (Königsberg) (1919-1932) – Königsberg Arsenal
  • II (Stettin) (1919-1932) – ?
  • III (Berlin) (1919-1932) – Jüterbog Arsenal
  • IV (Dresden) (1919-1932) – Zeithain/Riesa Arsenal
  • V (Stuttgart) (1919-1932) – Kassel
  • VI (Münster) (1919-1932) – ?
  • VII (Munich) (1919-1932) – Ingolstadt
  • AI Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken A.G. (1936?-1939) – Lübeck, Germany. Headstamp used by Germany to covertly supply the Spanish Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939). The headstamp has “AI” at the 12 o’clock position (perhaps to copy the headstamp of the Dutch Artillerie-Inrichtingen munitions works), large lower-case letter “e”s at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions, and the year of production at the 6 o’clock position.
  • DWM B Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (1896-1945) – Berlin–Borsigwalde, Germany.
  • DWM H Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (1940-1945) – ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. The Nederlandsche Wapen-en Munitiefabriek NV. factory run by the German occupation forces.
  • DWM K Deutsche Waffen uund Munitionsfabriken (1896-1945) – Karlsruhe, Germany.
  • DWM L Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken – Lübeck-Schlutup, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
  • N Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff, A.G. (RWS) – Nuremberg, Germany. Made gunpowder and complete cartridges.
  • PPolte Armaturen-und-Maschinenfabrik A.G., Werk Magdeberg – Magdeburg, Sachsen, Germany. After Versailles they were the official supplier of ammunition components to the Weimar Republic. Made cartridge cases and bullets from 1919 to 1926? and complete cartridges from 1926? to 1945. There were also cover-headstamps used to pretend that Polte, the official contractor for the Weimar Republic, manufactured them.
    • Pi Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik – Hirtenberg, Austria. Renamed the Otto Eberhardt Patronenfabrik after the German occupation.
    • Pu H. Burgsmüller & Söhne – Kreiensen, Germany. A small gunsmithing firm that made hunting shotguns and drillings. They later got into munitions production.
    • Pö Gehre Dampfmesser GmbH – Sebaldushof, Treuenbrietzen, Brandenburg, Germany. Dr. Martin Böhme was an engineer whose factory made gas, steam and liquid gauges and a sideline in metalwares. In 1926 the metalware factory in the hamlet of Sebaldushof was bought out by the Kopp Brothers of Berlin and it was renamed to Metallwarenfabrik Truenbrietzen.
    • Ps – Production by the Swedish government.
  • PVT Polizeischule fuer Technik und Verkehr (“Police Academy for Technology and Transport”) (1927?-1945) – Berlin, Germany. The Polizeischule fuer Technik und Verkehr was founded in 1927? The central academy building was designed in 1929 and built by 1934. It was renamed the Technische Polizeischule (“Technical Police Academy”) in 1936. The PVT monogram and government Eagle property mark was inscribed on its small arms at the factory by Simson.
  • SKD Selve-Kronbiegel-Dornheim A.-G. (1924-1945) – Sömmerda, Thuringia, Germany. A partnership between three former arms manufacturers who were turning to cartridge manufacture. Selve owned the Braun und Bloem pinfire cartridge trademarks, manufactured pinfire cartridges at the Fabrik von Braun und Bloem, and operated out of Düsseldorf. Rheinmetall owned the Dreyse und Collenbusch needlefire cartridge trademarks and operated out of Sömmerda, Thüringen; it used the name Kronbiegel for Ehrfurt merchant Friedrich Kronbiegel (?-1820) – Dreyse’s first partner. G.[eorge] C.[arl] Dornheim owned the GECADO trademark, the B.STAHL Metallhulsenfabrik – Suhl ammunition plant in Suhl (which made metal cartridge cases), and the Lindender Zünderhütchen-, Patronen- und Tonwarenfabrik in Empelde, Ronnenberg, Hannover (which made percussion caps and primers, assembled cartridges, and made clay pottery and dishes). SKD manufactured ammunition under the SELKADO ammunition trademark until 1940. G.C. Dornheim A.G. sold the cartridge plant in Suhl in 1925 and sold off the factory in Empelde and the GECADO ammunition trademark to Dynamit-Nobel in 1927. Afterwards RWS began producing ammunition for G.C. Dornheim.
  • Has Pulverfabrik Hasloch – Hasloch, Bavaria, Germany. Made propellants.
  • Mog. Deutsche Sprengchemie, Werk Moschwig – Moschwig, Germany. Made explosives and gunpowder.
  • Rdf.Dynamit Nobel, Werk Reinsdorf – Reinsdorf, Germany. Made explosives and gunpowder. Absorbed by I.G. Farben in 1926, and then by WASAG (Westfälisch-Anhaltische Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft) in 1945.
    • Rdf 128 Pulverfabrik Walsrode – Walsrode, Germany. A cover code as a subterfuge to pretend that the powder had been made by Dynamit Nobel, the official explosives and propellant manufacturer for the Weimar Republic.
  • Rottw. Pulverfabrik Rottweil (“Gunpowder Factory at Rottweil”), Rottweil, Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany. Made gunpowder. A particular type of shotgun-cartridge propellant called “Rottweil Powder” was invented by them.
  • Tr. Troisdorf – Troisdorf, Germany. Manufactured propellants.
  • Walsr. Pulverfabrik Walsrode (“Gunpowder Factory at Walsrode”) – Walsrode, Germany. Made gunpowder.

P-Codes (1926-1941)

The German government adopted coded headstamps for military ammunition to keep the identity of their suppliers secret. This was briefly continued during the early war and included factories in occupied countries. It was a subterfuge to pretend that Polte manufactured the items.
Headstamps had the cartridge manufacturer’s P-code at 12 o’clock, the cartridge case type (e.g., S* for brass) at 3 o’clock, the Lot number at 6 o’clock, and the 2-digit year of production at 9 o’clock. Steel-cased ammunition had a combined code at the 3 o’clock position that was composed of the Roman numeral code for the steel mill (I through XXIII), the lower-case letter code for the firm that plated the cases (a through z?), and the composition of the steel alloy used (1 through 17). (e.g., IXw1).

  • P.14A Waffenwerke Brünn A.-G. (“Armory at Brno”), Werk Povazska Bystrica – Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. Operated under German occupation. Later renamed Povazske Strojárne (“Factory at Povaska”) post-war.
  • P.25 Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbrietzen G.m.b.H, Werk A (Sebaldushof) – Sebaldushof, Treuenbrietzen, Pommern, Germany. This was the first factory owned by the Kopp Brothers. They expanded to Selterhof (Treuenbrietzen) (1934), Roederhof (Belzig) (1935), Metgethen and Salzwedel.
  • P.28 Deutsche Waffen u. Munitionsfabriken A.-G. (DWM), Karlsruhe, Germany
  • P.69 Patronen-, Zündhütchen- und Metallwarenfabrik A.-G. (formerly Sellier & Bellot Schönebeck) – Schönebeck-an-der-Elbe, Salzlandkreis, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. Made cartridges, primers and detonator caps, and metalware.
  • P90D Munitionsfabriken Prag (vormals Sellier & Bellot) – Vlasim, Czechoslovakia.
  • P.94 Kabel- und Metallwerke- Neumeyer A.-G. – Nürnberg, Germany.
  • P.120 Dynamit A.-G. (DAG), Werk Empelde (1928-1945) – Empelde, Ronnenberg, Hannover, Germany. Formerly Lindender Zünderhütchen- und Patronen-fabrik (“percussion-cap- and cartridge-factory of Linden“) (?-1927); closed for a year for reorganization and then reopened in 1928.
  • P.131 Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken A.-G. (DWM), Berlin-Borsigwalde, Germany
  • P.151 Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff A.-G. (RWS) (“Rhenish-Westphalian Explosives Co.”), Werk Nürnberg-Stadeln – Nürnberg-Stadeln, Germany.
  • P.154 Polte Metallwarenfabrik, Werk Grüneberg (formerly Grüneberger Metallgeselschaft G.m.b.H.) – Grüneberg (Nordbahn), Brandenburg, Germany
  • P.163 Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbrietzen G.m.b.H., Werk Selterhof – Selterhof, Treuenbrietzen, Pommern, Germany.
  • P.181 Hugo A. Schneider A.-G. (HASAG) – Leipsig, Germany.
  • P.198 Metallwarenfabriken Treuenbrietzen GmbH., Werk Röderhof (1935-?) – Roederhof, Belzig, Germany.
  • P207 Metallwerk Odertal GmbH – Odertal, Post Lautaberg, Harz, Germany.
  • P.249 Finower Industrie G.m.b.H. – Finow/Mark, Germany.
  • P.334 Mansfeld A.-G. Metallwarenfabrik, Werk Rothenburg – Saale, Rothenburg, Germany
  • P.369 Teuto Metallwerke G.m.b.H., Osnabrück, Germany
  • P.405 Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff A.-G. (RWS), Werk Durlach (formerly Gustav Genschow & Co.); Durlach, Germany.
  • P.413 Deutsche Waffen- und Munitions-fabriken A.G. (DWM), Lûbeck-Schlutup, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
  • P.490 Hugo A. Schnieder A.G. (HASAG), Werk Altenburg – Altenburg, Thuringia, Germany.
  • P.635 Gustloff-Werk Hirtenberg (Otto Eberhardt Patronenfabrik) – Hirtenberg, Niederdonau, Austria. A division of Gustloff Werk (Gustloff Works), a division of the Wilhelm Gustloff Stiftung (Wilhelm Gustloff Foundation), a nationalized corporation composed of companies confiscated from Jewish owners or partners. It was later renamed for Otto Eberhardt.

Letter Codes (1940-1945)

  • ak Munitionsfabriken Prag (“Munitions Factory – Prague”) (formerly Sellier & Bellot) (Occupation: 1938-1945) – Vlasim, Czechoslovakia.
  • auy Polte Metallwarenfabrik, Werk Grüneberg (formerly Grüneberger Metallgeselschaft G.m.b.H.) – Grüneberg (Nordbahn), Brandenburg, Germany
  • bne Metallwerk Odertal GmbH – Odertal, Post Lautaberg, Harz, Germany.
  • cg Finower Industrie GmbH – Finow, Mark, Brandenburg.
  • ch DWM Lüttich (formerly FN-Herstal, Liège) (Occupied: 1940-1944) – Liège, Belgium.
  • cxm Gustav Genschow & Co. A.-G. (Geco) (1887-1959) – Berlin, Germany. Ammunition manufacturer and sporting arms wholesaler. They owned ammunition plants in Durlach and Wolfartsweier; a leather-goods factory in Hachenburg; associated arms factories in Zella-Mehlis, Suhl, and Liège; and had stores in Cologne, Suhl, Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg, and Königsberg. In 1924 they bought a firearms factory in Spandau from Deutsche Werke. In 1927 they were bought out by I.G. Farben and were allied with RWS. In 1938 they were one of the firms who bought the rights to manufacture the Klein-Kaliber Wehrsportgewehr (“Small-Caliber Military Sports Rifle”, or KKW), a .22-caliber competition and training rifle sold to the public. They also bored rifle-barrel blanks for the K98k Mauser and Sturmgewehr 44.
  • de Hugo Schneider AG (HASAG) (1944-1945) – Leipzig, Germany.
  • dnh Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff A.-G., (Previously Gustav Genschow & Co. ) Werk Durlach, Germany.
  • dou Waffenwerke Brunn (formerly Zbrojovka Brno) (Occupation: 1938-1945) – Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia.
  • eej Märkisches Walzwerk GmbH – Strausberg bez., Potsdam, Germany
  • emp Dynamit A.-G., Werk Empelde – Empelde, Ronnenberg, Hannover, Germany.
  • fer Metallwerke Wandhofen GmbH – Wandhofen, Schwerte an der Ruhr, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
  • fva Draht- und Metallwarenfabrik GmbH (“Wire- and Metalware-factory”) – Salzwedel, Saxony, Germany.
  • Hak Hanseatisches Kettenwerke (“Hanseatic Chain Works”) (1935-?) – Langenhorn, Hamburg Gau, Germany. A division of Pötz und Sand Metallwaren of Monheim that also manufactured autocannon and light artillery shells. It also managed the ammunition factories in occupied and Vichy France (1940-1944).
  • hhw Metallwerke Silberhütte GmbH, St-Andreasberg-im-Harz, Goslar, Lower Saxony, Germany.
  • hla Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbrietzen G.m.b.H., Werk Sebaldushof – Sebaldushof, Treuenbrietzen, Pommern, Germany.
  • hlb Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbrietzen G.m.b.H., Werk Selterhof – Selterhof, Treuenbrietzen, Pommern, Germany.
  • hlc Zieh- und Stanz-werke GmbH (“[Wire] Drawing and [Metal] Punching Works”) – Schleusingen, Thüringen
  • hrn Presswerke G.m.b.H. – Metgethen, Ostpreußen, Germany (now Imeni Alexandra Kosmodemyanskogo, Kaliningrad oblast, Russian Federation)
  • kam HASAG (formerly P.W.U. Fabryka Amunicji Skarzysko-Kamienna) (occupied 1939-1944) – Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland.
  • naq Graphische Kunstanstalt Karl Vogel (Karl Vogel “Graphic Arts Institution”) – Leipzig, Germany. Made pasteboard cartons and cardboard boxes for ammunition; the manufacturer code and year of production were impressed on the box. May have also made ammo labels, as they did high-quality color printing work before the war.
  • ndn Heinrich Bluecher Fabrik technischer Buersten (“industrial-brush-making factory”) – Spremberg, Spree-Neiße, Brandenburg, Germany. A factory that manufactured 9x19mm cartridge cases to be filled elsewhere.
  • oma Ernst Mahla Blechwarenwerke (“sheetmetal-ware works”) – Prague, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia. A factory that made 9x19mm ball and armor-piercing ammunition.
  • oyj Atelier de Construction de Tarbes – Tarbes, France. Produced ammunition during the German Occupation (1940-1944).
  • wa HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG, Abteilung Lampenfabrik – Leipzig, Germany. Found on ammunition headstamps and cannon shell cases
  • wb HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Berlin–Koepenick plant. See ‘wa’
  • wc HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Meuselwitz plant, Thuringia.
  • wd HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG (Hasag Werk II) – Taucha, Saxony plant.
  • we HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Langewiesen, Thuringia plant.
  • wf HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Kielce plant, Poland.
  • wg HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Altenburg plant.
  • wh HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Eisenach plant.
  • wj HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Oberweissbach, Thuringia plant.
  • wk HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Schlieben plant.
  • wm HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Dermbach plant, Thuringia.
  • wn HASAG, Hugo Schneider AG – Derrnabach Dermbach plant, Thuringia (Often confused with ‘wm’).

(1946–present)

The headstamp has the manufacturer code at 12 o’clock, 2-digit year of production at 3 o’clock, 2-digit week of production at 6 o’clock, and NATO interchangeability symbol at 9 o’clock. Example: MEN 79 21 (+) would mean it was manufactured by Metallwerk Elisenhütte Nassau GmbH in week 21 (i.e., May 21–27) of 1979.