Maschinenhaus Ferlach, Karnten, Austria

[denny gaither]

Here are a few pics of a bayonet made by the only Austrian manufacturer, Maschinenhaus Ferlach. Ferlach began manufacture of the 84/98 bayonet in 1939 and was the only company to use a logo. They also used unique numbering system with the numbers being stamped in two lines. The lower number changed every 200 bayonets and is thought to have been a contract or control number. Sometime in 1940 they switched to the three letter code, using "bym. Ferlach made bayonets through 1944 and at some point in that final year, began numbering them like all the other manufacturers (1-9999, 1a-9999a, etc.) The highest known numbers in 1944 are in the "c" block. (I'll post one of these when the damned leaves stop falling). It is estimated that only about 130,000 Ferlach bayonets were made ('39-'44), so it's one of the harder to find examples.

Maschinenhaus Ferlach, 1940 #13508-68

Ferlach Logo

 

[RyanE]

Nice omc. My only Ferlach is a very rough bym43 though it is matching and unsharpened. I assume they rolled over to the new numbering system at around 100K (lot 500), so this one is very late in '43.

I have heard rumors of '45 dated Ferlachs (some possibly unfinished), but I've never actually seen one.

 

[denny gaither]

Thanks for showing Ryan... I wish I had a '43. If you think your '43 is rough, take a look at my '44 "c" block. The blade was improperly blued showing a reddish cast. Instead of wearing thin, it seems to be coming off in chunks
I've never seen a 1945 dated one either.

44bym #3390c

 

[AndyB]

Hello the first one is nice piece, unfortunally the screws are in opposite position so it should be replaced in right position, the scabbards has probably a new black paint, the production of bym 44 end in F range.
The bym 5 blanks are well known. best regards,Andy

 

[denny gaither]

Sorry Andy,
That bym 5 doesn't get me worked up enough to lay out big bucks for it!

 

[Peter S]

I know everyone refers to it as "OMC" but if you look at the actual logo, it could just be a fancy "M"

 

[AndyB]

The symbol is offcourse a "kaligrafisches M" and no cmc or omc like some collectors reffered, the bym5 is from a lake in Austria and i payed a 30 Euro for it. Fullended bayonets with 5 date dont exist.

 

[Turbo Archie]

I though it was "OMG"...


..

 

[Loewe]

Here is an M95 with the "M" logo, so it seems they worked this arrangement in WWI also. (one article said they made bayonets as early as the Napoleonic wars)

I have read a little about the gun making history of Ferlach, a couple articles from the 1980's discussed it in some detail, but I have never read much about the relationship this "firm" or rather association or cooperative "Genossenschafts Maschinenhaus der Büchsenmacher" had with the other gunmakers of the area? The title suggests some sort of gunsmith association were responsible for the manufacture of the bayonets, which was what Ferlach largely consisted of, like the arrangement in Suhl, a group of small gunsmiths and shops, but does anyone know how this association worked? Who participated, or actually made the bayonets (the title suggests some engineering works owned by the association), or how the collaborative efforts worked during this bayonet production?

The closest thing to an answer I have found is that the gunsmiths and small gun makers formed this cooperative and collectively bought expensive machinery and centrally located it in a building, where they, the various gunsmiths and association members, time shared the facilities. Very few other details were disclosed, not when or how long this arrangement existed, how it operated during war, or who directed the operations during armament contracts? I assume the trade mark or logo represents this engineering shop, obviously it is just an "M", but I have always been curious about this arrangement.

 

[AndyB]

The bayonet pictured here is a late 1930ie M1895, reworked postwar. There is no evidence that Maschinenhaus produced bayonets in WW1 and when so probably supplied parts for Steyr. There was a House equiped with steel mashinery probably for the community of smaller riflemans and got the contract for army bayonets in 1939.

 

[pzjgr]

I've got a matching bym 41, s/n 46538/233 the only one I have...I will get pics if anyone wants to see it...

 

[Loewe]

I would like to see it Mike, especially as no one has anything intelligent to say about my question on the "Gunsmith Association" that made the bayonets.

I've got a matching bym 41, s/n 46538/233 the only one I have...I will get pics if anyone wants to see it...

 

[RyanE]

I would like to see it Mike, especially as no one has anything intelligent to say about my question on the "Gunsmith Association" that made the bayonets.

From the little bit of interwebs research I've done, it would appear that the Genossenschaft der Büchsenmachermeister in Ferlach operated out of a central plant owned by several members. See this article on the dissolution of the GdB in 2004: http://ktnv1.orf.at/stories/284911. It mentions the sale of the factory, machines, and the transfer of 30 employees (presumably separate from the cooperative members) to another company. I could be wrong, but I don't think it was a time share sort of operation but instead a singular effort that local gunsmiths, engravers, etc. could buy into. The cooperative is gone, but now lives on as Ferlacher Waffen Präzisionstechnik Produktions: http://www.ferlacherpraezision.com/geshichte 1.htm


I would hazard a guess that the script M (if that is what it is) is for the "Machinhaus", the central factory where manufacturing took place.

 

[Loewe]

Thanks Ryan, the articles I referred too, (listed below), state that of the 17 licensed master gun makers in Ferlach (150 workers), 16 make up the association that operates the workshop cooperative. At the time of the Napoleonic Wars, there were 300 gunsmiths-masters (though there was a Gun Guild at the time, it doesn't mention the working arrangement, I doubt the cooperative workshop existed then, going by the description of how the work was done then - some shops made bayonets back then, according to the article).

Like I said, the date of this "central workshop cooperative" creation isn't mentioned, but one of the articles seems to suggest (date) the mid-late 1800's and is related to the school also established during that time. How many gunsmiths-masters originally operated the cooperative, when it was created, or the operation during either World War is not mentioned, but the article states that the machines were operated on a time sharing basis, though under wartime conditions, this probably changed- and was the purpose of my original post, whether someone knew how the contract was undertaken... not some idiotic condensing of my original post.

BTW, the articles were not helpful from the World War II operations pov, though it did mention that much of the machinery (during the visit) dated from Hitler's regime, stating that "Hitler provided large amounts of machinery to the gun makers", which isn't very surprising, - or informative.

For further reading:

Gun Digest 1987 41st Edition

Gun Report December 1983

 

[Loewe]

I agree, I too think the "M" represents "Maschinenhaus"

I would hazard a guess that the script M (if that is what it is) is for the "Machinhaus", the central factory where manufacturing took place.

 

[denny gaither]

I would like to see it Mike, especially as no one has anything intelligent to say about my question on the "Gunsmith Association" that made the bayonets.

Regarding my knowledge on the Maschinenhaus Gunsmith Association, I subscribe to Samuel Clemen's quote "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt"...

 

[Loewe]

I too think Mark Twain's advice is timeless and applies today more than ever, my comment was reserved for the one who did post, not those that didn't.

Regarding my knowledge on the Maschinenhaus Gunsmith Association, I subscribe to Samuel Clemen's quote "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt"...

 

[pzjgr]

OK Paul, here it is in excruciating detail

As you can see it is matching...interestingly it appears the "bym" on the scabbard is actually in quotes...pommel is marked with E/938, button has a droop stick E/73. Ball of scabbard was poorly struck, it may be E/938....

 

[pzjgr]

And some more...

I got the inside of the grips, a very dark bakelite...both are marked identical. The only markings under the grips are the "38" and "22"...and under the flash guard is another E/938...

The frog is a 1936 dated double unit marked Luft frog...but I think Bruce got pics of it for Volume I, so I won't spoil it...

 

[AndyB]

Locking nut is certainly not origin which is already visible, the press button is proofed by Gebr,Heller under code S178K or G.