Theodor Bergmann

Theodor Bergmann (May 21 1850 in Sailauf - March 23 1931 in Gaggenau) [Erich Keyser; Heinz Stoob, "Deutsches Städtebuch, Handbuch städtischer Geschichte", Stuttgart, Kohlhammer, 1939. (page 239) OCLC|7303597] was more a businessman and an industrialist than an engineer but he had two talents: launching researches and recruiting those who were able to finalize his ideas. Like many enterprises of this era, his activity was centered on bicycles and the nascent automobile. Armament was not his main activity but the one he had more attraction to. that was the reason behind the fact that most of his pistols were manufactured under licence once they were created.He sold his automobile activity to Carl Benz in 1910.He is often forgotten today but between 1890 and 1910 when one thought "automatic pistol" a handful of names came to mind: Bergmann, Mannlicher, Borchardt, Luger and far behind Mauser. In a period when everything was to be invented, Bergmann worked both on creating pistols and their ammunition.

The first automatic pistol was made by two brothers working in Saint Etienne, France. The Clair brothers using the newly appeared smokeless powder created by Paul Vieille in 1884 and used in the 1886 Lebel rifle built a pistol in 1888 using a 8mm round derived from the swiss 7.5mm 1882 round but it was rejected by the French Army.

The first pistol to be really manufactured with a significant number was designed by an Austrian, Joseph Laumann and made by Osterreichische Waffenfabrik Gesellschaft, Steyr, in 1892.it was called the Schönberger-Laumann and drew an immediate success. OWG manufactured later the Mannlicher 1894.

In 1893, Borchardt and Bergmann first pistols were already proposed in Europe and in America. The Borchardt evolved into the Borchardt Luger then into the Luger or Parabellum as known in Europe and became one of the most famous pistols in the world.

Theodor Bergmann was really prolific and he had recruited a mechanical genius, Louis Schmeisser.A new model was proposed every year

*Bergmann 1893
*Bergmann 1894
*Bergmann 1895
*Bergmann 1896
*Bergmann 1897 aka Bergmann Pieper
*Bergmann 1898
*Bergmann 1899
*Bergmann 1901 aka Bergmann Simplex
*Bergmann 1905
*Bergmann 1908 aka Bergmann Bayard 1908
*Bergmann 1910 aka Bergmann Bayard 1910
*Bergmann "Mars"
*Bergmann 1910/21 aka Bergmann Bayard 1910/21

Bergmann designed the Bergmann_MG15_nA_Gun a LMG using a locking system he patented in 1901. It was used until WW2 as MG_15_machine_gun

His last contribution to the armament evolution will be a milestone in both military history and weapon technology. In 1915 the German Rifle Testing Commission at Spandau decided to develop a new weapon for trench warfare. The original intention had been to modify existing semi-automatic pistols, specifically the Luger and C96 Mauser.

However, the mechanisms of these pistols were not suited to the stresses of full automatic fire, let alone the dirt and debris of the typical battlefield. Also, such light weight weapons were difficult to control in full automatic fire. Based upon this, the Commission determined that a completely new kind of weapon was needed.

Hugo Schmeisser, working for the Bergmann Waffenfabrik was part of a team that designed a new type of weapon to fulfill the requirements, which was designated the MP18 Maschinenpistole 18/I.

Theodor Bergmann's company still exist today and is a major actor in plastic industry.

Bibliography

*Gotz, Hans Dieter, "German Military Rifles and Machine Pistols, 1871-1945", Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. West Chester, Pennsylvania, 1990. OCLC|24416255
*Smith, W.H.B, "Small arms of the world : the basic manual of military small arms", Harrisburg, Pa. : Stackpole Books, 1955. OCLC|3773343
*Günter Wollert; Reiner Lidschun; Wilfried Kopenhagen, "Illustrierte Enzyklopädie der Schützenwaffen aus aller Welt : Schützenwaffen heute (1945-1985)", Berlin : Militärverlag der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, 1988. OCLC|19630248
*CLINTON EZELL, EDWARD Small arms of the world,Eleventh Edition,Arms & Armour Press, London, 1977
* Deutsches Waffen Journal
* Visier
* Schweizer Waffen Magazin
* Internationales Waffen Magazin
* Cibles
* AMI
* Gazette des Armes
* Action Guns
* Guns & Ammo
* American Handgunner
* SWAT Magazine
* Diana Armi
* Armi & Tiro

Notes

External links

*Theodor Bergmann in German
* [http://www.gunsandammomag.com/classics/ct0305/ Guns & Ammo, May 2003 Bergmann pistols]
* [http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20p/a%20pieper%20s%20a%20anciens%20ets%20fr.htm Pieper Belgium licensed manufacturer of Bergmann pistol under the brand Bergmann Bayard.]
* [http://www.9mmlargo.com/cartridge/index.htm 9mm Largo, 9mm Bergmann]
* [http://www.army.lt/guns/gallery/M022.jpgMG15]
* [http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7811043/m/589109167 MP 18.1 Video, Informations and Pictures]
* [http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/3200/3292.htm A Bergmann MP 18 built in Tsing Tao, China in 1927]
* [http://www.cruffler.com/historic-july00.html Historic Arms]
* [http://www.rediscov.com/spring/VFPCGI.exe?IDCFile=/spring/DETAILS.IDC,SPECIFIC=462,DATABASE=objects, Springfield Armory's Villar Perosa]