Haenel Schmeisser mod. II
Cal. 6.35mm (.25ACP)
Born in 1840, the Haenel firm manufactured exclusively the MOD. 1 and 2 which was weapons of very small sizes in gauge 6.35mm. From 1930, it ceased manufacturing handguns and was devoted to the manufacture of military automatic weapons. After the Second World War the area was under Soviet occupation (East Germany). It thus became firm of state and the name was changed into "VEB Fahrzeug- und Jagdwaffenfabrik Ernst Thälmann". Hugo Schmeisser disappeared in Russia and gave sign of life never again!! The new firm was formed by an amalgam of manufacturing of weapons independent of and around Thirungia. It was devoted exclusively to the manufacture of weapon of shooting of precision in gauge 22 LR.
Zentrum: arm with a blow with competition to falling block.
Ziegenhahn IV: arm similar with French single DES/69, in 22Lr gauge and intended for the competition.
Your information is wrong. Hugo did not disappear in Russia. He came back to Suhl in about I think 1951. His brother Hans and wife Nelly of Hugo had sold the family Jugendstill villa at the Philosophenweg in Suhl and they both lived together in a smaller house in Suhl. I still have photos made of the old Schmeisser villa in Suhl. The son of Hugo (Ulrich) died while Hugo was in Russia (the town in Russia I remember was named Ishwick or something like that, the Tsar Summer palace is near there). As soon he returned to Suhl the British and US secret services tried to get him to work for them. They were in competition of the favor ate Hugo. They wanted all info on the project AK47 rifle that was done by Hugo in that camp. Hugo told his sisters that he was not allowed to talk at all about the AK47 project. I spoke to them and they told me all about it. He did not wanted that to work for the US or British as he came back very sick. The British even made a plan to kidnap Hugo with a helicopter from the sport fields in Suhl. The third brother Schmeisser from Hamburg was involved with that action but it never took place after all. I still have a copy of the intention letter typed by the British secret service. As far I remember he died on 5 February 1953. As he had not much money the family grave of his wife family was used. His son was buried there also before. That was the family Grave of the Zehner family. That name is known by Fritz Zehner and Hans Zehner for the designs of pistols for the JP Sauer Company. Another funny story on the pistol of Haenel you showed on your website: the family Schmeiser in Hamburg (they had a gun shop there) was using that pistol to shoot indoor in the hall of the house!!! I still have all photo albums of Hugo Schmeisser during private (vacations holydays etc) marriage etc here. After the wall was gone (eastern Germany) the family Schmeisser and heir family Haenel were fighting over the properties like the old factory and grounds in Suhl, The Schmeisser ladies wanted money, the heir family Haenel wanted to rebuild the Haenel factory in 1980 and restart production and make Haenel big again. The government in Berlin did not gave anything back except for the family houses in Suhl. These houses were sold in 1995. The grave of Hugo Schmeisser is still in Suhl today. The stone on the Grave however reads not Hugo Schmeisser but it reads Fritz Zehner.
Regards on behave of the heir family C.G. Haenel – Suhl (Carl Warnke / VS Schwenningen)
Nico.
Thanks to Nico for these nice information.
Seemingly only the barrel carries the punches of tests of Liege. In all logic this barrel was manufactured and tested in Liege. The German manufacturer most probably placed order of his barrels near a company of Liège. Once the finished weapon, it has undergoes the tests with SHUL!
Logic not?
GG
Seemingly only the barrel carries the punches of tests of Liege. In all logic this barrel was manufactured and tested in Liege. The German manufacturer most probably placed order of his barrels near a company of Liège. Once the finished weapon, it has undergoes the tests with SHUL! Logic!
Guy
